breakfast + lunch = brunch

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | MARCH 28, 2018

breakfast + lunch

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The most important meal of the weekend

BY JACOB THREADGILL P. 13

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inside COVER P. 13 Wake up and smell the mimosas!

Oklahoma Gazette’s annual brunch guide proves that a successful egg hunt doesn’t have to involve the Easter Bunny.

By Jacob Threadgill Cover by Kimberly Lynch

NEWS 4 State criminal justice reform

efforts

7 State Medicaid reviewed at the

Capitol

8 City OKC prepares for the return of

streetcars

10 Chicken-Fried News

12 Commentary teenagers find their

voices in the gun debate

EAT & DRINK 13 Cover brunch guide

16 Review Aurora Breakfast, Bar &

Backyard

18 Feature Foodie Foot Tours

expands

20 Gazedibles new food trucks

ARTS & CULTURE 23 Art Through Abahay’s Eyes by

Ebony Iman Dallas at The Paseo Plunge 24 Art Apichatpong Weerasethakul:

The Serenity of Madness at OKCMOA

Historic Stockyards City

29

Easter Services

26 Film Rodeo Cinema opens in 28 Active Open Streets OKC 30 Calendar

MUSIC 33 Event ACM@UCO’s Metro Music

Fest downtown

Tower Theatre

34 Event Reverend Horton Heat at 36 Live music

FUN 37 Astrology

38 Puzzles sudoku | crossword

OKG Classifieds 39

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | m a r c h 2 8 , 2 0 1 8

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S TAT E

NEWS

Advocacy alert

Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform push for realistic sentences, parole rates and treatments.

By Laura Eastes

After spending nearly a year campaigning on the effects of tough-on-crime policies that have packed the state’s prisons and jails to the bursting point, largely with Oklahomans suffering from addiction and mental health problems, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) leaders felt confident that the two ballot measures they put before state voters in the 2016 November election would drive change in the discussion on criminal justice reform.

When the dust settled on election night, it was clear that Oklahomans believed the state’s criminal justice system needed significant improvements. The measures, which called for reclassifying simple drug possession and shifting low-level property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, passed.

Not long after the election, OCJR leaders and supporters learned the work was really just getting started.

“I strongly felt … if these initiatives passed, it would send a clear message to the Legislature that the people of Oklahoma favored a smarter approach to criminal justice reform matters as it pertains to low-level offenses,” said Kris Steele, OCJR chairman and a former Republican speaker of the Oklahoma House, to Oklahoma Gazette. “Once the Legislature convened — three months after the people passed the initiatives — the Legislature began to reverse the reforms and undo the will of the people. That 4

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caused us to realize our work was not done in communicating with the Legislature and elected officials, that it was time to take a different approach and Oklahoma was ready for a different approach.”

Ever since passage of State Question 780 and 781, debate and conversation around criminal justice reform has been intense at the state Capitol. In 2017, a handful of lawmakers proposed measures that would reverse changes made by the vote months earlier. Around the same time, a governor-called, bipartisan task force called Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force released a comprehensive package of 27 policy recommendations aimed at improving public safety.

Although the recommendations earned the endorsement of Gov. Mary Fallin, negotiations took place on five key reform bills impacting areas such as parole, property crimes and nonviolent drug offenses.

At the end of the 2017 legislative session, Fallin inked three criminal justice reform bills and expressed disappointment that she didn’t have more to sign.

It’s largely the same story playing out for criminal justice reform advocates this session. Instead of taking a wait-and-see approach, OCJR is mobilizing its advocacy efforts. Armed with data and research from FWD.us, a national advocacy group for criminal justice reform, OCJR is pushing criminal justice reform policies that save taxpayer dollars, reduce incarceration,

Ryan Kiesel, Kris Steele and Gene Rainbolt answer questions about ways to lower Oklahoma’s prison population at the Capitol in March. | Photo Laura Eastes

reinvest savings in alternatives and treatment and preserve and strengthen families. Their message to lawmakers is to advance the remaining Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force bills to sustain reductions in incarceration.

“There is enough awareness within the state Legislature, there is certainly enough support among the voters of Oklahoma with people requesting and even demanding that our resources be spent more effectively and more efficiently than on mass incarceration on low-level offenders,” Steele said. “I think we will see some progress.”

I think we will see some progress.

Kris Steele

Strong supporters

Progress in criminal justice reform efforts takes advocacy as opponents, including prosecutors, some lawmakers and law enforcement, say efforts make too drastic changes in the criminal justice system.

OCJR’s message on criminal justice reform has found favor among some of the state’s top business leaders. In a March letter to lawmakers and other elected leaders, Clay Bennett, owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder; Gene Rainbolt, BancFirst Corporation’s chairman emeritus; and energy executive Tom Ward, among others, called for passage of the remaining Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force bills.

At a March OCJR event at the Capitol, Larry Nichols, emeritus board chairman

of Devon Energy, warned a crowd of supporters and media that Oklahoma’s prison population could grow by 25 percent over the next decade, costing taxpayers $1.9 billion to build new prisons.

“That’s money we are taking away from teachers,” he said. “It’s time for Oklahoma to rein in skyrocketing prison growth to ensure tax dollars are better spent while improving our workforce and public safety. Other states have done it, and so can we.”

With FWD.us as a collaborative partner with OCJR, new data analysis complements the voices in support of criminal justice reform. FWD.us found that Oklahoma admits 33 percent more men and 91 percent more women per capita than the national average.

Further, 77 percent of people admitted into Oklahoma prisons were sentenced for nonviolent crimes.

“Once they get there, they stay for a long time,” said Felicity Rose, FWD.us’s chief of research. “Sentences in Oklahoma are extremely long. …

Compared to other states, Oklahoma sends people for violent crimes about the same time, sometimes a little bit longer. For nonviolent crimes, like property and drug crimes, Oklahoma sends people to prison for 80 percent longer than the national average.”

Rose points to the state’s low parole release numbers as a reason behind long sentences. According to the research

by FWD.us, the state’s parole board released 325 people last year. Currently, there are 6,218 people in prison serving sentences for nonviolent crimes who are past their parole date.

What’s next?

In early March, the governor and several legislators announced an agreement with prosecutors to pass criminal justice reform measures that address property offenses, parole, sentences for drug trafficking and more. While the bills were held over from the 2017 session, at a Capitol press conference, Fallin said the bills would be modified from their current version.

Like OCJR, lawmakers stated the measures are intended to reduce the state’s prison population.

Steele, who believes it is largely prosecutors holding up criminal justice reform measures, applauded the worked by lawmakers but holds concerns that the bills’ language were not made available to the public.

As lawmakers enter April with eight weeks left in the session, Steele is urging Oklahomans to contact their legislators and express their desires about criminal justice reform efforts.

“I fear that the Legislature is not as strong as it should be in understanding the urgency or the value in seeking to reduce the prison population and investments in alternatives to incarceration,” Steele said. “Coupled with the fact that it is an election year throws a wrinkle in it.”

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5

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NEWS

S TAT E

Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, opposed a measure to tighten Medicaid eligibility. | Photo Gazette / file

Deep cut

Lawmakers have their sights on Medicaid with proposals that could result in fewer low-income Oklahomans receiving benefits. By Laura Eastes

Oklahoma will soon hire a private contractor to crack down on Medicaid fraud, identifying people who might no longer be eligible for the low-income health program and sending recommendations for benefits cancelation.

It’s unclear how many of the nearly 800,000 Oklahomans, most of whom are children, would lose health care coverage under the new law, known as the Act to Restore Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE).

Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative, state-based think tank, estimates a savings of $86 million. The law was the first a House bill signed by Gov. Mary Fallin in the 2018 legislative session, which follows past sessions in which lawmakers dealt with fiscal challenges by cutting core services.

The House bill reflects a renewed focus this session on Medicaid, known as SoonerCare in Oklahoma. So far, proposals to tighten Medicaid eligibility rules for low-income parents and create a Medicaid work requirement also advanced. Supporters argue policies targeting waste and fraud ensure that the neediest Oklahomans receive the social safety net and they are truly eligible for them, but the policies also shrink the program, resulting in savings for the state.

Not everyone is convinced this is the right approach to reforming Medicaid, which is a joint federal-state government health insurance program. Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, delivered a rebuke against the new law, encouraging lawmakers to connect Medicaid reform discussions with investments in education, criminal justice reform and increasing access to quality and affordable health care.

In an interview with Oklahoma Gazette, Bennett said there are many

concerning aspects of the Medicaid eligibility checks. For one, the private contractor will be motivated to justify their hiring by identifying ineligibility.

Medicaid recipients identified with a discrepancy in their eligibility status have 10 days to respond to the findings.

If they don’t respond to dispute or provide new information, their benefits are canceled.

“By kicking people off the rolls and not changing their social status, we, as a society, end up paying for it another way,” Bennett said.

He explained it could create a burden for hospitals with uncompensated care and increase client loads to religious and nonprofit organizations providing health care services.

“So we are paying for the least among us either way,” he said.

Another view

Medicaid, which is typically viewed as

total enrollment

798,013

an entitlement program for the poor, reaches only so much of the state’s poor population. Under state requirements, a person must be both low-income and categorically eligible to qualify for Medicaid, or SoonerCare. Those categories include children, seniors and disabled adults, pregnant women and lowincome parents with dependent children.

According to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, 66 percent of people on SoonerCare are 18 or younger and 17 percent of people qualify because of their senior status or are blind or disabled.

Nico Gomez, president and CEO of Care Providers Oklahoma, said that lawmakers periodically target Medicaid with reform efforts that miss the mark.

“My thought has always been if you want to try to reform Medicaid, then you really truly have to help people break the cycle of poverty,” Gomez said about the income-drive program overseen by Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which he previously led for three years. “Instead of throwing people off the program because you can no longer afford them, how about you help them through education, job training and job opportunity so they no longer qualify? That’s the best Medicaid reform.”

They’ve got to have that hope that once they graduate, there are opportunities.

Nico Gomez Gomez said SoonerCare plays a significant role in safeguarding the health of many of Oklahoma’s children. By providing primary health care to growing children, combined with a strong public education system with opportunities after high school in the ways of higher education, trade schools or employment, Oklahoma could affect

ADULTS TOTAL 267,851

ADULTS

aged/blind/ disabled

140,514

17.6%

34%

CHILDREN 530,162

66%

generational poverty and improve the outcomes for poor children, thus reducing the number of people seeking Medicaid services.

“We have a wonderful opportunity, and I don’t want us to miss it because if we do, we will all suffer,” Gomez said.

“They’ve got to have that hope that once they graduate, there are opportunities.”

Active legislation

In recent years, Medicaid faced crucial tests at the state level. Two years ago, when Oklahoma lawmakers were staring down a $1.3 billion budget hole, a bill requesting a federal waiver to exclude all able-bodied adults younger than 65 — about 111,000 Oklahomans, mostly women — from Medicaid passed on the House floor but later died in committee.

Last year, the HOPE Act was proposed and passed the Senate. It carried over into the 2018 session, garnering a hearing by the full House two days after the Senate passed Republican Sen. Josh Brecheen’s Senate Bill 1030, which would block 43,611 caregivers and parents from receiving SoonerCare by lowering the eligibility level to 20 percent of the federal poverty level. It also came one week after the governor issued an executive order to develop a work requirement for the state’s Medicaid program.

It’s hard for those in health care serving SoonerCare patients, explained Cassidy Heit, a public policy and communications associate at Oklahoma Primary Care Association, an organization representing community health centers serving more than 200,000 patients, one-third of whom are on SoonerCare. The association opposes Brecheen’s bill. If the bill were to become law and receive approval by the federal government, a family of three qualifies for Medicaid with an income of $4,084 a year. The state would also lose $118 million in matching Medicaid federal dollars.

“We know that when patients fall off Medicaid and become less familiar with the system, they are less likely to enroll kids that would still be eligible for care once restrictions are imposed,” Heit said. “We are not just concerned about adults losing care, but we are concerned about their kids losing access as well.”

If the legislation were signed into law and the state implemented a Medicaid work requirement, it could further lead to loss of Medicaid eligibility for many working low-income parents.

“It’s a Catch-22 scenario where you have to work a certain number of hours per week but are restricted in the income you can make,” Heit said. “It works out to be well below the minimum wage. If both go forward, it could be virtually impossible for adults in Oklahoma to retain coverage through Medicaid.”

Graphic Jim Massara /Bigstock O kg a z e t t e . c o m | M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 8

7

CIT Y

NEWS

Fast track

Oklahoma City prepares for its first streetcar service in decades. By Laura Eastes

After a decade of discussion around City Hall and among the public about building a modern streetcar system for Oklahoma City, downtown streets are showing all the signs that soon, the sleek colorful streetcars will glide through.

In the downtown core and Midtown, pedestrians and drivers travel over rail tracks. In Bricktown, which will see its loop completed in May, crews are installing stretches of overhead catenary power system above the route, and station shops are beginning to take shape. In the newly constructed streetcar maintenance facility at SW Seventh Street and Hudson Avenue, three of the seven streetcars are parked and initial testing is underway on the Hudson Avenue track.

City officials report that construction of the streetcar infrastructure remains on time and under budget, despite some future change orders that might come before the Oklahoma City Council in future months. The OKC streetcar system, part of the MAPS 3 initiative, is expected to begin service in December.

For the first time since the 1940s, Oklahoma City residents will have their chance to peek inside a streetcar or take a seat inside as the City of Oklahoma City hosts an open house 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Friday at the maintenance facility.

“There’s been a lot of excitement from people looking forward to the streetcar, so we wanted to provide an opportunity to see a streetcar up close,” said David Todd, MAPS 3 program manager, in a news release. “You’ll be able to get a feel for what it’s like inside, sit on the seats and be among the first people in generations to be inside an Oklahoma City streetcar.”

Embark’s role

As the streetcar gears up for its first run on OKC streets, Embark, the city 8

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department providing bus, ferry transit and downtown parking for the OKC metro, is paying close attention and making its own arrangements to prepare for the streetcar. Once operational, Embark will operate the streetcar as part of its public transit system.

“You often hear Mayor [Cornett] say this, and we love to borrow it, we like to view [the streetcar] as a down payment of this larger transit network,” said Embark public information officer Michael Scroggins. “We as a city have a lot to be proud of by voting for the MAPS projects. … [Embark] is excited to be a part of that story. It will become a part of our overall family of transit services, which further shows we have a multi-model system.”

The streetcar will operate on two routes, with the first being the two-mile loop through the city’s entertainment district Bricktown and the second serving the rest of the central urban core through a 4.8-mile mainline. There will be 22 stops with five streetcars in service. Riders can expect a streetcar at each stop every 12 to 15 minutes.

Herzog Transit Services, Inc., the largest private passenger rail operations and maintenance provider in the United States, will operate and maintain the Oklahoma City Streetcar. Embark’s board of trustees executed a six-year agreement with the Missouri-based company a year ago. Scroggins said Herzog “brings to the table the rail expertise that we don’t currently have in a local way.”

As Pennsylvania’s Brockville Equipment Corp. continues to deliver the streetcars, engineers through the MAPS 3 office perform checks and test to ensure the cars come in as ordered.

Embark staff are also conducting checks and investigating the cars’ safety standards. Additionally, Embark staff is developing a campaign to encourage

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One of the first Oklahoma City streetcars rests in the city’s storage and maintenance facility after arriving in February. | Photo City of Oklahoma City / provided

safe behavior around the new streetcar system. The safety messaging is designed to teach pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to be alert around the streetcars.

In May, Embark’s board of trustees is expected to approve fare rates for the streetcar. A $1 fare is proposed for a onetrip pass, with a day pass selling for $3.

The proposal also calls for a $32 monthly pass and $384 annual pass.

Shifting mindsets

Oklahoma City Streetcar has played a significant role in the movement toward advancing and prioritizing public transportation, explained Scroggins.

One reason is that the streetcar has long been tied to enhancing the bus system and eventually spurring a regional transit system with commuter rail options to Edmond and Norman. With the city investing $131 million of MAPS 3 money into the streetcar project, proponents of the project encourage the city to expand the bus system to complement the streetcar. City officials report that Embark’s 2018-19 budget proposal submitted to the city council in May will include a call for Sunday bus service, which currently is not offered.

“The level of community support for public transportation has grown at an unbelievable rate,” he said. “While many recognize that they are not a bus customer, they do realize and understand the value of the service it provides. … I think the streetcar has allowed for that dialogue to go a little deeper. People are excited because we are diversifying. In some ways, I think it’s because they see it being modernized.”

MAPS 3 Oklahoma City Streetcar open house 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday OKC Streetcar Storage and Maintenance Facility SW Seventh Street and Hudson Avenue embarkok.com | 405-235-7433 Free

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 8

9

chicken

friedNEWS

Lioness intrigue Outside of the case of the congressional tracking device, perhaps the biggest mystery to ChickenFried News has to be the case of the lioness Bridget at the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden that

10

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attracted national attention for her unusual mane.

The zoo announced that “The Curious Case of Bridget’s Mane” was solved late last week in a video message by Jennifer D’Agostino, director of veterinary services for the zoo.

Scientists thought the mane was linked to Bridget’s testosterone levels, so they compared her samples (taken from her tail while she was conscious) to her sister Tia and found that they were nearly identical.

The difference came in two other hormones: cortisol and androstenedione, which are both produced in the adrenal gland.

D’Agostino said on the broadcast that the staff believes Bridget might

have developed a small benign tumor on the gland, which led to an overproduction of the two hormones.

In particular, androstenedione is a precursor to testosterone and is responsible for producing male traits.

You might remember it by the name “andro” when it was a supplement used by Major League Baseball (MLB) player Mark McGwire when he shattered the single-season home run record in 1998.

That’s right; the same hormone that helped McGwire get a performance-enhancing boost that stained his legacy and left him out of the Hall of Fame also turned Bridget into an Internet celebrity. News of Bridget’s mane has traveled around the globe, and even The Washington Post has dutifully reported on her condition.

D’Agostino said that the staff will continue to monitor the 18-yearold lioness’ hormone levels but she doesn’t expect Bridget’s mane to get much larger and it hasn’t affected her behavior or overall health.

Moving forward

Let the debate begin!

That’s what we all thought when we saw the recent Oklahoma Supreme Court decision in favor of Restore Oklahoma Now, Inc., ruling that their initiative petition — State Question 795 — seeking a public vote on whether to increase the oil and gas production tax was “legally sufficient.” Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA), one of the industry’s strongest advocacy groups, had challenged the petition, arguing the proposal created an unconstitutional retroactive tax and violated the single-subject rule, and the court didn’t buy it, according to Associated Press.

So now Restore Oklahoma Now, Inc., which has its own strong connections to the oil and natural gas industry, will work to gather about 124,000 signatures during a 90-day window to ensure Oklahoma voters are asked on a statewide ballot whether the state should restore the gross production tax to 7 percent to fund a $4,000 teacher pay raise and add funding to early education programs.

A day after the ruling, OIPA had yet to issue a statement in response to the court’s decision, so Chicken-Fried News looked to Oklahoma Oil and Gas

Association (OKOGA) to see how they felt about this ballot initiative moving forward.

“It’s easy to look at the oil and natural gas industry for a quick fix when the state is facing economic hardship, but raising taxes on a single industry is not a cure-all for every financial woe,” OKOGA president Chad Warmington said in a press statement. “It is dangerous to further tie teacher salaries and education funding more strongly to a revenue source that fluctuates radically.

Should this measure make it to the ballot, we will educate the public on the consequences of passing such an initiative, including the job losses it will cause in the energy sector.”

Chicken-Fried News can only begin to imagine the billions of dollars funding the Vote No on SQ 795 campaign. Although, we should note the campaign will likely be called Oil Keeps Oklahoma Moving Forward campaign.

On the other side, Restore Oklahoma Now didn’t mention much about educating Oklahomans in its press

release. In fact, founder Mickey Thompson and others involved look forward to gathering 130,000140,000 signatures.

There’s more to come from both Restore Oklahoma Now and the future Oil Keeps Oklahoma Moving Forward campaigns. Chicken-Fried News just wants to know if you’re registered to vote yet.

In dependence

No matter where on the national gun debate spectrum you fall, you have probably noticed a fair amount of resistance to proposed control measures, especially within Oklahoma.

Aside from constitutional concerns involving the Second Amendment, a general state reliance on the gun industry certainly plays a role in that defense. According to a newly released ranking by the finance website WalletHub, Oklahoma is the nation’s ninth most dependent state on the gun industry.

WalletHub compiled its rankings based on employment, manufacturing and gun ownership data, with equal consideration given to gunrights contributions made to congressional members. Idaho ranked No. 1 on the list while Maryland was the least reliant gun state.

Oklahoma did not rank particularly high in the firearms industry category (19th) but did score high in gun prevalence (seventh) and gun politics (sixth). Within the gun politics category, no state ranked higher in guncontrol contributions to congressional members per capita.

The state’s ranking actually seems to be average for the region.

Surprisingly, Texas ranks only 22nd, but remember, this is all about gun dependence. A state as large as Texas has plenty other industries on which to focus.

There are a few other industries we’d like to see Oklahoma’s level of dependence. We would have to be No. 1 for onion burgers, of course, and somewhere around No. 50 for the surfboard industry. This being CFN, we would also love to know where Oklahoma ranks in the chicken-fry industry. We know other states would probably rank higher for their chicken (though we’d like to invite those esteemed experts to Okarche), but Oklahoma would have to make up some ground in the steak category.

And if they also make a category for news prepared in the chicken-fried fashion, there is no question whether the Sooner State would climb to the top spot.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 8

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COMMENTARY

NEWS

Young voices Teenagers are some of the most rational participants in the gun debate. By Robin Meyers

Politicians love to say that kids are the future and that nothing matters more than helping them be safe, happy and prosperous. Now the kids are talking back, telling politicians they just want to survive.

After the latest “new normal school shooting” (kill, grieve, pray, repeat), the script was as predictable as it was pathetic: a moment of silence, obligatory thoughts and prayers and “This is no time to politicize this tragedy,” which is precisely a political position. However, one thing did change. The kids spoke up.

They loaded into buses and headed to Tallahassee, Florida, and just last week held protests around the country to ask lawmakers to pay more attention to their lives than to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In many states, an 18-year-old cannot buy beer or rent a car, but he or she can purchase a machine gun before their frontal lobes have com-

12

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

pletely developed. One young woman in the Tallahassee crowd held a sign that said: Why am I the adult here?

In Oklahoma, we set the standard for the NRA vision of gun worship and Second Amendment idolatry, no matter how many of our fellow Americans are slaughtered as an offering to that golden calf. Then we send our kids to what is left of our hollowed-out schools and teach them to think critically. Some of them are so smart that the first thing they realize is that the Second Amendment is a conditional statement. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

They get it.

Before domestic law enforcement and a standing military, farmers had to be able to grab their muskets in a hurry because the British might still be coming. They are smart enough

to know that the framers of the Constitution could never have imagined these weapons or this carnage, not to mention a Congress so corrupted by special interests that they would do nothing to stop it.

These smart kids also know that the major premise of the NRA is patently false, even demonically so.

“More guns will make us safer” is the credo of the fear-mongering NRA. In a 2012 press conference, NRA chief executive officer Wayne LaPierre said, “The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

As the late Sarah Brady once said, “If guns made you safer, we’d be the safest nation on Earth.”

The NRA has convinced a majority of Oklahomans that any gun regulation is a slippery slope and restrictions on any type of gun will lead to the banning of all guns.

But we regulate all kinds of dan-

gerous consumer products without banning them because as a civilized society, we respond proportionately to the threats we face.

Meanwhile the airwaves are full of anti-government hatred and paranoia, stand-your-ground masculinity and resurgent nationalism steeped in racism. We spend more on sports than on our students, and when someone goes on a killing spree with a military assault weapon that no private citizen should ever be able to own, the grown-ups call for more emphasis on mental health and safer schools while cutting funds for mental health and education. Arm teachers? You have got to be kidding.

Guess what; the kids are “woke,” and they are right again. As they walk out of classes, organize rallies and refuse to take no for an answer, don’t ask, What’s gotten into them? Give thanks for what’s gotten into them.

We might have given up, but they haven’t.

Thanks be to God. Robin Meyers is senior minister of Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ and distinguished professor of social justice in the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University.

cov er

EAT & DRINK

Bunches of brunches

Too late for breakfast but just shy of lunch, brunch beautifully splits the difference in the Oklahoma City food scene. By Jacob Threadgill

If brunch were an Olympic sport, it would be the biathlon. It mixes marathon meals with the excitement of fighting a crowd the same way the biathlon mixes the endurance of crosscountry skiing and the thrill of rifle shooting. OK; maybe that’s a stretch, but our brunch guide will help you have a plan for weekend brunch adventures and avoid a hungover wait in line.

Fancy

Cheever’s Cafe is the reigning people’s champion as the winner for best brunch in last year’s Oklahoma Gazette Best of OKC issue. Its famous chicken-fried steak remains on the brunch menu, but it can also be had with the cowgirl Benedict ($16), which is joined by such concoctions as shrimp and grits with Sriracha-honey butter ($17) and French toast bread pudding ($12).

Packard’s New American Kitchen is one of the city’s best, but its dinner menu has a few entrees over $25. Its brunch menu is a slightly more accessible version of the menu with such playful items as crunch-berry French toast (yes, with Cap’n Crunch) or the breakfast board with praline bacon, deviled eggs, sliced tomatoes, burrata cheese, avocado, toast and apple butter.

Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse 4923 N. Broadway Ave. broadway10okc.com | 405-212-3949 Cheever’s Cafe 2409 N. Hudson Ave. cheeverscafe.com | 405-525-7007 The Drake Seafood and Oysterette 519 NW 23rd St., Suite 111 thedrakeokc.com | 405-605-3399 Ember Modern American Tavern 6300 Waterford Blvd. embertavern.com | 405-858-2490 Fancy That 215 E. Main St., Norman fancythat.us | 405-307-0541 Flint 15 N. Robinson Ave. flintokc.com | 405-605-0657

The Hutch on Avondale 6437 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills hutchokc.com | 405-842-1000 Kitchen No. 324 324 N. Robinson Ave. kitchen324.com | 405-763-5911 La Baguette Bistro 7408 N. May Ave. labaguettebistro.com 405-840-3047 The Lobby Cafe & Bar 4322 N. Western Ave. willrogerslobbybar.com 405-604-4650 Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge 900 W. Main St. maryeddysokc.com | 405-982-6960 Packard’s New American Kitchen 201 NW 10th St. packardsokc.com | 405-605-3771 Park Avenue Grill 1 Park Ave. skirvinhilton.com | 405-702-8444 Redrock Canyon Grill 9221 Lake Hefner Parkway redrockcanyongrill.com 405-749-1995 Rococo Penn | 2824 N. Pennsylvania Ave. rococo-restaurant.com | 405-528-2824 Northpark | 12252 N. May Ave. 405-212-4577 Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails 607 NW 28th St. eatatscratch.com | 405-602-2302 132 W. Main St., Norman 405-801-2900 Stella Modern Italian Cuisine 1201 N. Walker Ave. stella-okc.com | 405-235-2200 Viceroy Grille 1200 N. Walker Ave. viceroyokc.com | 405-898-8120 West 6714 N. Western Ave., Nichols Hills westbar.com | 405-607-4072

Boozy

It’s not hard to see the success of Hatch when you see the line out the door of its Broadway Avenue location. It recently earned recognition from Food Network for having the best pancakes in the state, made with its sweet cream

The breakfast board and huevos rancheros at Packard’s New American Kitchen | Emily Hugh’s Photography / provided

batter. Its blueberry streusel pancakes are some of the most popular. It also offers three types of bloody marys and mimosas in addition to cocktails, wine, beer and six types of spiked coffee cocktails.

Hatch opened its second location at Chisholm Creek in early March at 1320 Pawnee Drive. It isn’t the only brunch destination that has expanded in 2018.

Sunnyside Diner also opened a second location at 824 SW 89th St. Aurora Breakfast, Bar & Backyard 1704 NW 16th St. facebook.com/shinewithaurora 405-609-8854 The Barrel 4308 N. Western Ave. barrelokc.com | 405-525-6682 Blu 201 S. Crawford Ave., Norman gldining.com/blu | 405-360-4258 The Boom 2218 NW 39th St. theboomokc.com | 405-601-7200 Cafe 501 5825 NW Grand Blvd. cafe501.com | 405-844-1501 501 S. Boulevard, Edmond 405-359-1501 En Croûte 6460 Avondale Drive encrouteokc.com 405-607-6100 Hatch 1101 N. Broadway Ave., Suite 100 hatchokc.com | 405-609-8936 13230 Pawnee Drive 405-286-2974 Hefner Grill 9201 Lake Hefner Parkway hefnergrill.com | 405-748-6113

Lumpy’s Sports Grill 5909 Northwest Expressway lumpyssportsgrill.com 405-728-7000 12325 N. May Ave. | 405-286-3300 The Manhattan OKC 210 Park Ave., Suite 150 themanhattanokc.com | 405-605-5300 McClintock Saloon & Chop House 2227 Exchange Ave. mcclintocksaloon.com 405-232-0151 The Mule 1630 N. Blackwelder Ave. themuleokc.com | 405-601-1400 Nic’s Place Diner and Lounge 1116 N. Robinson Ave. facebook.com/nicsplacedinerand lounge | 405-601-9234 Oak & Ore 1732 NW 16th St. oakandore.com | 405-606-2030 Pearl’s Oyster Bar 5641 N. Classen Blvd. pearlsokc.com | 405-848-8008 Power House 1228 SW Second St. powerhouseokc.com | 405-702-0699 The Pritchard 1749 NW 16th St. pritchardokc.com | 405-601-4067 Pub W 3720 W. Robinson St., Norman pubdub.com | 405-701-5844 The Pump Bar 2425 N. Walker Ave. pumpbar.net | 405-702-8898 S&B’s Burger Joint 5929 N. May Ave. sandbburgers.com | 405-843-8777

continued on page 14 Pineapple bourbon pancakes at Neighborhood JA.M. | Photo provided

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Saints 1715 NW 16th St. saintspubokc.com | 405-602-6308 Sergio’s Italian Bistro 104 E. Gray St., Norman sergiositalianbistro.com 405-573-7707 Sunnyside Diner 916 NW Sixth St. eatatsunnyside.com | 405-778-8861 824 SW 89th St. | 405-703-0011 VZD’s Restaurant & Bar 4200 N. Western Ave. vzds.com | 405-602-3006 Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar 1845 Northwest Expressway whiskeycakeokc.com 405-582-2253

Relaxed

The Hal Smith restaurant group concept Neighborhood JA.M. opened its Edmond location in the second half of 2017, and the concept has proven so successful that a second location will open in Norman at 102 W. Main St. in June.

Neighborhood JA.M. takes its name seriously. Complimentary biscuits are served with a variety of jams and butters.

The restaurant takes familiar concept like avocado toast and pancakes and has fun with it. Pineapple bourbon pancakes are among its most popular dishes.

The city has welcomed a pair of biscuit-themed restaurants in recent weeks: HunnyBunny Biscuit Co., from the people behind Packard’s, and Buttermilk, the brainchild of Waffle Champion’s Todd Woodruff.

Norman’s syrup. expanded to Oklahoma City’s 23rd Street with long lines and fanfare, while The Press strengthened the portfolio of Hungry Town (The Mule, Anchor Down) in the Plaza District.

All About Cha 7300 N. Western Ave. allaboutcha.net | 405-840-7725 Beverly’s Pancake House 3315 Northwest Expressway 405-848-5050 Bourbon St. Cafe 100 E. California Ave. bourbonstreetcafe.com 405-232-6666 Buttermilk 605 NW 28th St., Suite A buttermilkokc.com | 405-605-6660 Cattlemen’s Steakhouse 1309 S. Agnew Ave. cattlemensrestaurant.com 405-236-0416 Chicken and waffles at Hatch | Photo provided

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Classen Grill 5124 N. Classen Blvd.

405-842-0428 The Diner 213 E. Main St., Norman thedinerofnorman.com 405-329-6642 District House 1755 NW 16th St. districthouseokc.com 405-633-1775 Eggington’s 737 W. Danforth Road, Edmond eggingtons.com | 405-285-1580 Elemental Coffee Roasters 815 N. Hudson Ave. elementalcoffee.com 405-604-9766 Florence’s Restaurant 1437 NE 23rd St. florencesrestaurant.com 405-427-3663 Good Gravy! Diner 8014 N. Western Ave. | 405-761-8886 Guyutes 730 NW 23rd St. guyutes.com | 405-702-6960 The Hash Retro Diner 1149 E. Second St., Edmond facebook.com/hrdedmond 405-471-6747 Hungry Frog Restaurant 1101 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 405-524-0686 HunnyBunny Biscuit Co. 429 NW 23rd St. hunnybunnybiscuitco.com 405-605-4395 Ingrid’s 3701 N. Youngs Blvd. ingridsok.com | 405-946-8444 Jeff’s Country Cafe 3401 N. Classen Blvd.

405-524-2023 Jim’s Diner 6317 N. Meridian Ave. facebook.com/jims.diner12 405-495-5105 Jimmy’s Round-Up Cafe & Fried Pies 1301 SW 59th St. jimmysroundupcafe.com 405-685-1177 Joey’s Cafe 12325 N. May Ave. joeyscafeok.com | 405-748-5878 Katie’s Country Griddle 229 S. Santa Fe Ave., Edmond 405-359-6372 Louie’s Grill & Bar 1201 NW 178 St., Edmond louiesgrillandbar.com 405-348-2288

Avocado toast at Neighborhood JA.M. | Photo provided

Legend’s Restaurant 1313 W. Lindsey St., Norman legendsrestaurant.com 405-329-8888 Neighborhood JA.M. 15124 Lleyton’s Court, Edmond thatsmyjamokc.com | 405-242-4161 Old School Bagel Cafe 211 N. Robinson Ave. multiple metro locations oldschoolbagelcafe.com 405-778-8938 Sherri’s Diner 704 SW 59th St. | 405-634-4796 syrup.

123 E. Main St., Norman syrupbreakfast.com | 405-701-1143 and 1501 NW 23rd St., OKC 405-601-1354 The Press 1610 N. Gatewood Ave. thepressokc.com | 405-208-7739 Waffle Champion 1212 N. Walker Ave., Suite 100 wafflechampion.com 405-525-9235

Something different

Brunch can take a lot of different forms beyond the traditional eggs Benedict or chicken and waffles.

Whether it is a weekend eating dim sum at Grand House, indulging in La Brasa’s signature marinated chicken with waffles or The Loaded Bowl’s version of its vegan cashew mac that’s topped with tofu scramble, lentil chorizo and sage gravy, there are a lot of options.

The Wedge Pizzeria offers five brunch pies, including the hangover pizza, which tops marinara, mozzarella, sausage, pancetta and roasted peanuts with eggs.

Aja Bleu Cafe 2222 W. Hefner Road, Suite A 405-607-0553 Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes 1000 N. Hudson Ave. barriosmexicanokc.com 405-702-6922 Big Truck Tacos 530 NW 23rd St. bigtrucktacos.com | 405-525-8226 Birrieria Diaz 6700 NW 39th St., Bethany facebook.com/birriaok 405-603-1304 Bistro B 1620 SW 89th St. bistrobokc.com | 405-735-6358

Cafe Antigua 1903 N. Classen Blvd. facebook.com/cafeantigua1 405-602-8984 Café do Brasil 440 NW 11th St. cafedobrazilokc.com | 405-525-9779 Cafe Kacao Latin Cuisine 3325 N. Classen Blvd. cafekacao.com | 405-602-2883 Cultivar Mexican Kitchen 714 N. Broadway Ave. cultivarmexicankitchen.com 405-610-2676 Covell Park 1200 W. Covell Road, Suite 108, Edmond | covellpark.com 405-285-1720 Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria 5801 N. Western Ave. flipswinebar.com | 405-843-1527 Grand House Asian Bistro 2701 N. Classen Blvd. grandhouseokc.com | 405-524-7333 Hacienda Tacos 12086 N. May Ave. haciendatacos.com | 405-254-3140 Iguana Mexican Grill 9 NW Ninth St. iguanamexicangrill.com 405-606-7172 La Brasa 1310 NW 25th St. labrasaokc.com | 405-524-2251 La Oaxaqueña Bakery 741 SW 29th St. | 405-635-0442 The Loaded Bowl 1211 SW Second St. theloadedbowlokc.com 405-820-9599 Mama Roja Mexican Kitchen 9219 Lake Hefner Drive mamaroja.com | 405-302-6262 Picasso Cafe 3009 Paseo St. picassosonpaseo.com | 405-602-2002 Pizzeria Gusto 2415 N. Walker Ave. pizzeria-gusto.com | 405-437-4992 The Red Cup 3122 N. Classen Blvd. theredcupokc.com | 405-525-3430 The Wedge Pizzeria 4709 N. Western Ave. thewedgepizzeria.com | 405-602-3477 230 NE First St. | 405-270-0660

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Shine on

Aurora delivers locally sourced, chef-inspired breakfast and lunch options without breaking the bank. By Jacob Threadgill

Aurora Breakfast, Bar & Backyard 1704 NW 16th St. | shinewithaurora.com 405-609-8854 What works: The citrus cinnamon roll and signature burger are both nice updates on classic concepts.

What needs work: The potato cabbage hash lacks cohesion.

Tip: The dirty chai latte has more espresso than its regular counterpart.

Cruise Line Brunch @ Northpark 4/1/18 10am - 3pm

Brunch @ Rococo Penn 11am - 3pm every Sunday

12252 N. May Ave. | 2824 N. Penn Ave. Rococo-Restaurant.com

Since opening almost exactly a year ago, Aurora Breakfast, Bar & Backyard has become a beacon for locally sourced brunch and savory options at its prominent Plaza District location at 1704 NW 16th St. Owners Aimee and Jeff Struble have found success in real estate, owning the building that houses Aurora and a few other retail and gallery spaces, and that success has continued with Aurora.

“We’ve had very consistent business since opening,” manager Christee Whittig said. “I’ve served about the same amount of menu items, which speaks to the popularity of everything, but the biscuit sandwiches are definitely a favorite.”

It’s where chef Henry Boudreaux’s freshly made thyme biscuits go to shine and where I wanted to start my first meal at Aurora.

Waking up early and getting to the The citrus vanilla cinnamon roll with fresh blueberries is one of three varieties only available on the weekend. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

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restaurant just after its 8 a.m. Sunday opening, I managed to beat the brunch rush to try the cinnamon roll ($7), which is only available on weekends, and one of its most popular biscuit sandwiches, the Plaza Jam ($9).

Still groggy from waking up without coffee, I ordered the dirty chai latte ($4.50) after the barista told me it had an extra shot of espresso compared to the standard chai latte. It gave me enough of a caffeine kick, along with the warm notes of cardamom, cloves and ginger, that another drink would’ve made my eyes vibrate.

I’m still thinking about the combination of the citrus icing and cinnamon filling days later.

I specifically wanted to go to Aurora on Sunday to try its version of a cinnamon roll, which comes with three toppings: classic icing, salted caramel and citrus vanilla with blueberries.

I’ve had other types of cinnamon rolls that replaced the cinnamon filling with fruit preserves like strawberry and orange, and while I enjoyed them, I found myself missing the less cloying traditional cinnamon-and-brown sugar filling. Aurora’s version allows the best of both worlds. Fresh lemon zest cuts through the cream cheese icing with a

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nice citrus pop that is enhanced by fresh blueberries. I’m still thinking about the combination of the citrus icing and cinnamon filling days later.

Boudreaux’s family recipe inspired the heirloom tomato jam that tops the Plaza Jam biscuit sandwich. Equal parts sweet and savory, the concoction blends well with scrambled eggs, whipped cream cheese and bacon.

I found the side of potato and cabbage to be slightly cold and lacking cohesion. It seemed as if the cabbage and potato were boiled and then put on a plate without getting grilled on the flattop for a nice, crispy finish. The cabbage arrived lukewarm, bordering on cold, and the vegetables were screaming for something to unite them, like red or white wine vinegar.

Boudreaux arrived at Aurora after a year at the Museum Cafe and a stint at Ludivine; the latter’s commitment to local ingredients is shown off at Aurora. Local purveyors like Guthrie’s Hoboken Coffee Roasters, Tulsa’s Farrell Family Bread, OKC’s Urban Tea House and Prairie Earth Gardens are only a few of those prominently displayed on the menu.

Fresh arugula replaced spinach on Aurora’s burger ($13) during my second trip at lunchtime on a Tuesday. Nestled between two halves of a toasted challah bun is a beef burger from Destiny Ranch that is perfectly crisp and seared to hold its natural juices. Topped with a bacon jam that was cooked down in balsamic vinegar, I thought it might overpower the pesto aioli on the bottom bun, but I found the interplay very pleasant. Add in the yolk from an egg, and it was an excellent burger.

With a side of macaroni and cheese (an additional $1.50), it is a nice and filling meal. The mac and cheese had prominent notes of pepper and aged cheddar in a sauce that was equal parts creamy and gooey from melted cheese.

OKG @okgazette

Aurora’s signature burger with a side of macaroni and cheese | Photo Jacob Threadgill

I decided to get an order of biscuits and gravy ($9) to-go because I enjoyed my first biscuit experience so much. You won’t mistake Boudreaux’s biscuit for a large buttermilk biscuit like those seen at recently opened concepts HunnyBunny Biscuit Co., 429 NW 23rd St., and Buttermilk, 605 NW 28th St., Suite A. I was somewhat disappointed to find the order of biscuits and gravy (it is listed as plural on the menu) only comes with one biscuit, split in two and grilled on the flattop. The description underneath does only refer to one biscuit, so perhaps it’s on me.

While I appreciated a pepper gravy that wasn’t chock-full of greasy sausage, I thought the decision to use sweet paprika over the smoked variety was a misstep.

I look forward to returning to Aurora, particularly to try the tiramisu pancakes. The open dining room with lots of natural light is a good environment, especially when you go out back to see the colorful backyard complete with a tepee for children to play in.

Even with a location in the trendy 16th Street Plaza District, the prices are very reasonable. In fact, the cinnamon roll has gone down from $9 to $7, and the pecan waffle’s price was reduced by a dollar from an earlier menu.

There are plenty of menu options that are vegan-friendly or can be easily modified to fit the diet, like the savory lentil hummus bowl, overnight oats or avocado toast. The veggie burger — with an oat-and-mushroom patty — also caught my attention for a future visit.

I liked the restaurant’s commitment to local ingredients. While we are so conditioned to count calories, we should be focusing on eating whole foods and eliminated processed sugars.

A place like Aurora is a good dining-out option in that regard.

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Footprint expansion

Entering its fourth season, Foodie Foot Tours expands in OKC and into Tulsa. By Jacob Threadgill

When Nadia Jubran traveled to Oklahoma City from upstate New York to visit a friend, they signed up for the Foodie Foot Tour, a bimonthly guided tour through different OKC neighborhoods that combines history, food and libations.

“When I thought Oklahoma, I wasn’t thinking I would I have the best culinary experience, but the tour showed me otherwise,” Jubran said. “I got to learn about the culinary scene and unique history of the area.”

Four years after Ashley Stevenson started Foodie Foot Tours as a hobby to shine some light on the Deep Deuce and Automobile Alley neighborhoods, the new season of tours begins March 31 in OKC and, for the first time, Tulsa.

Jubran will lead tours, which work in conjunction with restaurants, brew-

eries and bars to provide the cost of food, drinks and gratuity in one $65 ticket. After her trip to OKC, Jubran relocated to Tulsa for work, and she said she was shocked to find Tulsa didn’t have a similar food tour.

“Tulsa has a hip, artsy feel, so I thought it would be a perfect fit,” Jubran said. “[The OKC trip] definitely did help where otherwise, I may have never considered [moving to Oklahoma].”

The Tulsa tour will visit Sisserou’s a Taste of the Caribbean, Laffa MediEastern Restaurant & Bar and Glacier confectionary. Also starting March 31 are two Oklahoma City tours. The Deep Deuce tour works with The Wedge Pizzeria, Belle Kitchen, Urban Johnnie, Parks Bar & Grill and Stag Lounge.

The Automobile Alley tour will visit

Ashley Stevenson founded the Deep Deuce Foodie Foot Tour in 2015. | Photo Gazette / file

Twisted Spike Brewing Co., Nashbird and Waters Edge Winery, with the possibility of another restaurant being added soon, said Stevenson.

A cocktail-themed Uptown 23rd District tour with The Pump Bar and Bunker Club will be up and running in April.

Stevenson started the tours in 2015, building off her hobby of blogging about food in the city. She was first attracted to the Deep Deuce neighborhood.

History and food

“It seemed like Deep Deuce didn’t have the same organization as some of the other neighborhoods,” Stevenson said, noting that the area’s combination of history and burgeoning restaurants was the perfect way to educate while entertaining.

“It’s about 50-50 between eating and history,” she said. “We try to give them as much history as possible, but when you factor in the food and drinking, we can’t get it all in.”

Tours last two to three hours, depending on the size of the group. Guests get to try three to four plates of savory options. At confectionary eateries like Belle Kitchen, they try one sweet, and at a bar, they stay for one to two drinks.

Michelle Brock, who publishes the Oklahoma City edition of the nationally syndicated Travelhost magazine, leads tours in Deep Deuce and Automobile Alley. Stevenson relocated to Austin to be with her boyfriend but returns to Oklahoma City at least once a month to check in on tours.

Brock and Stevenson met through a certified tourism ambassador program, and Stevenson advertised with Travelhost. She asked Brock if she knew anyone who could help lead a tour. “‘It sounds like a blast,’” Brock remembered saying. “I loved the tour that I went on, and I know a lot about the city. Being involved and knowing the Nashbird is a new stop in the Foodie Foot Tour in Automobile Alley. | Photo Gazette / file

history helps me with my business.”

Deep Deuce was Oklahoma City’s largest black neighborhood in the 1940s and ’50s and was a home to many firsts for the city.

“We talk about the AfricanAmerican and jazz history there,” Brock said. “Martin Luther King applied at Calvary, which surprises a lot of people. … It had the first AfricanAmerican newspaper and medical clinic. There is a lot of history in a few blocks that a lot of people don’t know about, so it’s pretty exciting to lead.”

In an area that was once the center for African-American commerce in the city, Parks Bar & Grill, which was added to the tour last year, is one of the few blackowned businesses in the area today.

“My favorite part is hearing where people came from and how they found out about it and their likes and dislikes,” Brock said. “Most of the time, it is strangers that are fellowshipping over food and drinks and put in a position to be with people they wouldn’t have been with before. Getting people from different backgrounds together over food is a beautiful thing to watch.”

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Tour guides

Tours will be held every other week into November. As the season continues, Brock said Foodie Foot Tours will announce final details on an Uptown 23rd Street cocktail tour and potentially one in the Stockyards, as well.

The Automobile Alley tour features two new stops with Twisted Spike Brewing Co. and Nashbird.

“There is a lot of new food for people that might have been previously that had fun and want to come back,” Brock said.

It is quite the expansion for Stevenson, who manages the back end and procession for Foodie Foot Tours.

“It started just as something fun to do, a hobby,” Stevenson said. “I wanted to have fun, and if people didn’t like it, I was still going to do it for me. The fact people liked it enough that they wanted it in another city is amazing.”

Visit foodiefoottours.com.

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Fresh wheels

Keeping track of the city’s food trucks can be difficult — there seems to be a new one every few weeks. With the help of the Oklahoma Independent Food Truck Association, we’ve compiled a list of seven of the best food trucks in the metro area to open in the last year.

By Jacob Threadgill | Photos provided

Sparxx Sliders

Fry Daddy’s Concessions

Chubby’s Grill

With 30 years of chef experience, including catering for the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room, Chadrick Sparks and his wife were ready to become their own bosses. They opened Sparxx Sliders earlier this month and have hit the ground running. Get two sliders (classic beef, barbecue beef, peanut butter beef or pulled pork) and fries for $12. Fries come with a variety of dipping sauces or can be topped with chili and cheese for an additional $1.50.

Based in Seminole, Fry Daddy’s is open seven days a week, but its schedule takes it to Oklahoma City and every town between the city and Seminole. Its most popular item is the Philly cheesesteak sandwich, but the truck also offers Philly cheesesteak fries and nachos in addition to a classic cheeseburger that can be topped with chili and bacon. There’s also no reason to wait until the state fair to try funnel cake fries when they’re available at Fry Daddy’s year-round.

Fresh onion burgers, fried Indian tacos and loaded fries are staples for Chubby’s Grill, which has a home base in Moore and has served the metro, from Edmond to Norman, since opening last year. A burger combo (with fries and a drink) and a taco combo (choose two tacos from three varieties with a drink) can be bought for $10. The hot mess fries ($8.95) — fresh-cut fries topped with pulled pork, jalapeños and three cheeses — are its most popular side.

118 NE Third St., Moore sparxxgoodeats.com | 405-406-9276

35820 SW 1240 Road, Seminole 405-683-0557

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Healthy Eats & Shameful Cheats

facebook.com/ healthyeatsandshamefulcheats 405-326-7506

Owner Keli Tabor offers healthy entrees with an island twist alongside indulgent snacks and desserts. Dig into a Nourish Bowl ($10) with island chicken, brown rice, black bean hummus, avocado, grilled zucchini, mushrooms, red bell pepper and toasted coconut. Cheats include Frito pie ($7), hot Cheeto pie or a quesadilla. Finish with a fresh fruit smoothie ($5) or a daily dessert.

Smoked Out BBQ

BlueJ’s Rollin’ Grill

Big Lenny’s BBQ

Dating back to matriarch Veola Richardson, the Richardson family has been synonymous for its rib recipe for over 75 years. LeRoy Richardson continues the family tradition in the giant neon green truck, which has integrated ordering on its Facebook page and website.

Choose from ribs, smoked chicken, brisket or pork sandwiches, which can be ordered as a combination with a side and drink for $9. Based in Yukon, Smoked Out BBQ is in OKC often, including a consistent partnership at COOP Ale Works brewery.

BlueJ’s Rollin’ Grill takes the atmosphere of a large sports bar mobile. Since opening last year, BlueJ’s expanded into a second truck, the Happy Wagon, which comes complete with satellite television and surround sound. It is also licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, including cocktails and floats, and offers gourmet burgers, macaroni and cheese, Cincinnati-style chili and truffle fries.

Pork is the star of the show at Big Lenny’s, where the motto is “BBQ so good, you don’t need the sauce.” St. Louis-cut ribs, which are much larger in comparison to the baby-back cut, get the preference at Big Lenny’s and are served with potato salad and baked beans. You can also get pulled pork stuffed in a baked potato for an epic meal.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Hidden identity

Artist Ebony Iman Dallas reflects on her improbable reconnection with lost family in Through Abahay’s Eyes. By Ben Luschen

Artist Ebony Iman Dallas has made it her life’s mission to learn as much about her birth father and his story as possible.

She never had the chance to meet him in person, as he was killed by police before she was even born.

There are many bits of information she has been able to collect from family and friends — why he came to the United States from his native Somalia, who his friends were, how he met her American mother.

But there are certain parts about her father’s identity — things like his face — which she likely will never know for sure.

Dallas’ newest exhibition Through Abahay’s Eyes — translated into full English as “through my father’s eyes” — opens April 6 at The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., and runs through April 29. The opening reception comes just two days after the 38th anniversary of her father’s death.

Through Abahay’s Eyes includes 20-25 paintings and drawings that span 15 years, from Dallas’ time in college to the present day.

Dallas spent more than half of her life with no connection to her father, whose name was Said Osman, or his family in Somalia, but a chance meeting with a family acquaintance during her college years led her to reconnect with family members still in the North African country. Her popular 2016 exhibit Women in War Zones, which was housed in The Project Box, now-defunct, touched on elements of her family’s story, but Dallas said Through Abahay’s Eyes is by far her most personal exhibition to date.

Oklahoma Gazette wrote about Dallas’ improbable reconnection with her lost family in its Feb. 17, 2016, cover story.

Growing up, Dallas never saw a clear picture of her father’s face. Even today, she has seen photographs of him, but his face is usually partly secluded by large-framed 1970s glasses and the photos were taken from a distance. The mystery has forced Dallas to take a forensic approach.

“Family and friends have told me lots of times that I have his eyes and his nose,” she said in a recent Gazette interview. “I have one particular piece in the show where I tried to figure out what his face looks like.”

To create the exhibit’s title piece, Dallas used an old photo of her father as the basis for a drawing of his face, inserting her own eyes and nose in an attempt to reconstruct his appearance.

“It’s me searching for him,” she said, “trying to get to know him.”

Father’s warning

Dallas’ father was in the United States for university study. Before that, he was going to school at Savitribai Phule Pune

University, then known as the University of Pune, in India.

Her father’s younger brother was also attending a boarding school in India.

Dallas’ uncle told her a story about a conversation her grandfather had with her father after he had dropped him off at school and Said had told him of his plan to study in America.

“My grandfather said, ‘I forbid you from going there,’” she said. “He immediately told him that they would kill him because of his attitude; he was headstrong, stubborn.”

Dallas’ grandfather had worked in the Somali government and was part of a delegation that traveled to the United States during President John F. Kennedy’s administration. He had seen firsthand how blacks were treated in the United States.

“But, of course, my dad was headstrong and stubborn — just like he said — so he came anyway,” Dallas said.

Having heeded his father’s advice could have saved his life. But without his arrival in the United States, Dallas would have never been born. This is one of many aspects to Dallas’ story where improbable circumstance has yielded lifechanging results.

Tied together

The main piece in Through Abahay’s Eyes features Dallas in the center, emerging through a large teardrop. The upper left corner shows her father looking at his daughter with a rope around her neck.

Around her mouth is a gag that reads “forgive.” The right corner shows Dallas looking at burning homes in Somalia, emblematic of the Somali Civil War. Another gag reads “forget.”

“Those two things at the top represent really painful experiences in my family and things that also prevented me from knowing him,” Dallas said.

The center image is symbolic of Dallas’ decision to move forward with resiliency and learn more about her father. Creating the pieces featured in Through Abahay’s Eyes was emotionally difficult for the artist, but she found it therapeutic at the same time.

“It hurts; it’s an extremely painful process to go through,” she said. “But at the same time, I have to do it.”

Dallas’ father actually had an indirect but significant role in his daughter’s art interest. The only object of her father’s that Dallas grew up seeing was a Somali mask that he most likely collected from a museum in Hargeisa that was destroyed in the war. She grew up fascinated with the mask, which inspired her to create for herself. The mask will be on display during the opening of Through Abahay’s Eyes,

above “The Flood Will Not Suppress Me”

by Ebony Iman Dallas | Image provided right “Kernel of Eternity” by Ebony Iman Dallas | Image provided

along with several other cultural items.

Without art, Dallas would have never connected with her father’s side of the family. She met her mutual acquaintance in Oakland, California, while interning as a graphic designer.

Art has been more than a coping device for Dallas. It was the key to understanding a lost side of herself.

“It all started with art,” she said, “and that’s what’s held it all together.”

Finding hope

After Through Abahay’s Eyes completes its run at Paseo Plunge, it is scheduled for a June exhibition in Oakland with a hopeful tour to Somalia later. The art in this show will likely be paired with a book Dallas is writing about her story. There is no target publication date for the book yet.

There are a lot of elements to the story of Dallas and her father that have relevance in today’s news climate: immigration, police violence, war, race relations.

The exhibit is being curated by Paseo Plunge manager and Literati Press founder Charles Martin. Dallas said initial talks between the two about the show began about a year ago, around the time the government was considering imposing travel bans on certain countries, including Somalia.

“I feel like there’s not enough information about these countries that they say they’re going to ban,” she said.

“They’re labeled in a certain way, but there are normal human beings that live there and are trying to live a normal life

just like everyone else. No one deserves to have to reside in a war zone. The average person doesn’t want to live having to dodge bullets and bombs.”

Dallas hopes Through Abahay’s Eyes will help shift the way people see Somalia from the way it is often presented in the media. She would also like it if people took some message of hope from her story.

“If you’re missing a family member, there is hope that you can still find them,” she said. “My journey took 23 years before I was able to find my family and reconnect.

It’s been a beautiful experience.”

Through Abahay’s Eyes opening reception 6-10 p.m. April 6 The Paseo Plunge | 3010 Paseo St. paseoplunge.com | 405-315-6224 Free

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Motion pictures

The film work of Thai artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul breaks new ground at OKCMOA.

By Ben Luschen

Most Americans are likely unaware of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film work, and even fewer dare even attempt to pronounce the contemporary Thai filmmaker’s given name. But for those entrenched in the world of art-house cinema, the past winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or prize at Cannes Film Festival is a genuine superstar.

Weerasethakul, often affectionately called by his nickname Joe, is the central figure in Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness, which runs Saturday-June 10 as easily the most intricate video installation to ever grace the gallery space at Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA), 415 Couch Drive.

Michael Anderson, the museum’s director of curatorial affairs, said Weerasethakul should be considered one of the finest contemporary artists whose work as ever passed through OKCMOA. “He won the biggest prize at the most important film festival,” Anderson said. “He really is a major, major figure.”

Weerasethakul’s films, which include the 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives and the ’06 drama Syndromes and a Century, often toe the line between realism and dreamlike surrealism.

Similarly, The Serenity of Madness offers a unique, immersive gallery experience the likes of which most local museumgoers have never seen. Several high-end projectors will be brought into the darkened gallery space for endless looped screenings of Weerasethakul’s noncommercial film work.

OKCMOA, loved by many locals for its diverse film programming, has screened a few of Weerasethakul’s films in the past.

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“Because we have a robust film program,” Anderson said, “it really gives us an advantage in something like this, just because a lot of his video work bears close connection with his theatrical film releases.”

The museum will present a retrospective of the artist’s feature films throughout May, showing one of his movies each Thursday of that month.

The Serenity of Madness was curated

by Independent Curators International and Gridthiya Gaweewong, a close friend of Weerasethakul. It debuted in 2016 in Thailand before launching an international tour. The installation’s only other previous stop in the United States was at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where Weerasethakul studied avant-garde filmmaking.

Though most known for his commercial films, Weerasethakul has worked with some of the world’s finest museums, including London’s Tate Modern art gallery and Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Walker Arts Center, to shoot and build film installations.

“He has a close connection to the film world and the art world,” Anderson said, “and when we saw we could bring both of those here, we got excited at the opportunity.”

Merging perspectives

Weerasethakul, 48, was born in Thailand’s capital city Bangkok and received his undergraduate degree in architecture in 1993 at Khon Kaen University in the northeastern part of the country. But even then, Weerasethakul had an interest in filmmaking, directing some shorts. He moved to Chicago to formally study the medium, earning his master of fine arts degree in 1997.

Eastern themes and styles collide

New Spring Line!

left The noncommercial film work of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weersethakul (pictured) is highlighted in the touring exhibit The Serenity of Madness. | Photo Chai Siris / Kick the Machine Films / provided above “Mr. Electrico (For Ray Bradbury),” a lightjet print | Image Apichatpong Weersethakul / provided

with Western fantasy elements in many of Weerasethakul’s feature films. Born into a Buddhist family, he repeatedly uses reincarnation themes in his work, particularly in Uncle Boonmee. But Weerasethakul also grew up fascinated by ghost stories and American science fiction like Star Wars, so many of those influences seep into his work.

Art house films are not always as easy to access as popcorn-shoveling blockbusters, but Anderson said many of Weerasethakul’s features combine intellectual qualities with traditional pleasures in a way that doesn’t come across as elitist.

“All of these things pulled out of different cultures and traditions come together in his films,” he said. “They can be very accessible within the context of art cinema.”

Immersive installation

OKCMOA recently added a video piece by famous British artist and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy to its second-floor permanent collection. It is the first piece of video gallery art ever purchased by the museum.

Still, OKCMOA has never seen anything like The Serenity of Madness, which includes approximately 8,000 square feet of v ideo work.

Weerasethakul’s high-resolution scenes will be projected onto walls and pieces of glass seemingly floating in the middle of the gallery.

“It’s a much more different, much more immersive experience,” Anderson said. “The light levels will be low, so you’ll be entering a very dark and almost cavelike space where you’ll see the flickers and glow of various videos.

Really, it’s an exhibition that highlights the experience, and in many cases, light is the most central component of it.”

As Anderson points out, most people experience film by going to a theater and watching the same story from start to end as everyone else in the audience.

“That’s a very different experience from a video installation,” he said, “which you can really enter at any point.”

The videos in The Serenity of Madness are short, looped and filmed in a way that allows audiences to join and leave the narrative at any time. No one’s experience with the films will be quite the same.

Some of Weerasethakul’s photography and illustrations will be on display

near the end of the exhibit, but his video work is the predominant feature.

Anderson expects The Serenity of Madness to be a totally new type of experience for a lot of people.

“The galleries are really going to be unrecognizable,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting opportunity for people to see art in a way they’re not accustomed to seeing it.”

Movie star

As exciting as The Serenity of Madness is, it is unlikely that local museumgoers will get a chance to see Weerasethakul in person.

“We’re communicating with him in every step of the process to make sure everything is satisfactory,” Anderson said, “but he’s out of commission for a reason I’m very pleased with: He’s making a new feature film.”

Weerasethakul is currently in Columbia, shooting a film titled Memoria with English actress Tilda Swinton.

According to The Independent, the film will be about “colonial history and how collective memory can lead to fear.”

Anderson said Weerasethakul’s current location has occasionally been a minor obstacle for the museum.

“The internet connection isn’t always great,” he said. “Sometimes we have to wait longer than others to get in touch. But it’s exciting that he’s making a film right now.”

While The Serenity of Madness is groundbreaking, Anderson expects museums to welcome more video exhibitions and collections as the years pass.

As society evolves, so do the mediums in which artists create. Technology has made video production as accessible as ever, so many artists will naturally find a way to express themselves with it.

“It’s becoming more and more a part of the artistic arsenal of a lot of artists,” Anderson said. “You see a lot of artists that work in different media. More and more, artists aren’t just specializing in one thing.”

Weerasethakul might not be winning Oscars yet, but that day could very well be in the future. On the cultural mountain that is avant-garde and art-house film, Anderson believes Weerasethakul has already planted a foot at its peak.

“From a certain vantage point, there is no more important filmmaker working today than [Weerasethakul],” he said. “The fact that we’re going to be the place that’s bringing this to American audiences is almost overwhelming to us.”

Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness

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A new player is stepping into Oklahoma City’s film culture arena, and it looks to be one tough hombre.

The new nonprofit Rodeo Cinema announced plans to renovate the theater space that houses Centennial Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange Ave., to bring an independent film theater to Stockyards City. Rodeo Cinema is a sister theater to Tulsa’s Circle Cinema, which has become known statewide for screening a wide variety of independent films and hosting unique, film-centric events — often in partnership with other nonprofits.

“We’ll be showing all the films that people would typically have to drive to Tulsa to see,” said Kim Haywood, Rodeo Cinema’s executive director and former program director at deadCenter Film Festival.

In addition to renovating the existing theater, Rodeo Cinema will have two screens in a new building being constructed at the corner of SW 13th Street and S. Agnew Avenue.

The existing theater Rodeo Cinema is moving into is in structurally good condition but lacks the permanent seating and audio and visual components necessary for a full-time movie theater. Renovations to the site, including the installation of theater seating, a new 24-foot-wide screen and other top-line theater equipment, begin in April with the goal of reopening for screenings by sometime in May. No scheduled Rodeo Opry performances will be canceled due to the Rodeo Cinema will house two screens in a newly constructed building on the corner of SW 13th Street and S. Agnew Avenue. The building is scheduled for completion sometime around March 2019. | Image Rodeo Cinema / provided

renovations. Rodeo Opry and Rodeo Cinema will continue to coexist in the same building even after renovations have been completed.

Haywood said part of the reason Rodeo Cinema chose its location is because the Rodeo Opry has kept the building in good condition.

“This place is so wonderful because the Opry has been here running it and performing out of it and using it and taking care of it,” Haywood said. “So the bones to this girl, she’s perfect. She just needs some makeup and hair, maybe a little manicure and pedicure.”

The second Rodeo Cinema building will not be completed until around March 2019. But the plans for the new building include a food and wine bar up front and a courtyard in the back that will connect the theater to other retail spaces.

Rodeo Cinema’s programming lineup will mirror Circle Cinema’s of-

Rodeo Cinema purchased and renovated a vintage organ originally housed in Tulsa’s Orpheum Theater. | Photo Rodeo Cinema / provided

ferings when it comes to distributor films. But the two will differ when it comes to local filmmaker screenings and special events. Haywood is still working on what those special events might be, but she has ideas about showing spaghetti Westerns and films that could serve as an homage to Stockyards City’s Western heritage.

The theater is planning on showing silent films every Tuesday night. Rodeo Cinema has acquired and restored a vintage organ from Tulsa’s Orpheum Theater, which was demolished in the 1970s. The organ will be placed near the theater stage, and live music will accompany the silent films for a unique throwback experience.

The plan for opening screenings in May might seem ambitious, but ambition is the backbone on which Rodeo Cinema was founded.

“Stuff happens, but that’s our goal,” Haywood said. “We’ve got some films that we want to show, and that’s the timeline. The architects have said it’s possible, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Heading south

Clark Weins is president and co-founder of Circle Cinema. He is excited to bring a movie theater into Stockyards City, a district in which his cousin Terry Weins already owns two businesses: National Saddlery and Stockyards Sarsaparilla. “[The theater] is not perfect,” he said, “but in about two months, this will all look different.”

Weins was first presented the idea of taking over the theater by his cousin Terry after the two attended a funeral for another cousin. It was not the first time someone suggested he bring his Circle Cinema concept down Interstate 44, but it was one of the first times someone came to him with a particular location in mind.

“I’ve had more people call me and ask me to bring one here [to OKC],” Weins said. “And then when Terry said that, I thought, ‘Oh, what the hell. I’m bored.’”

Weins loved the condition of the

Rodeo Opry building. He formed a new nonprofit and was able to purchase the building. Weins is president of Rodeo Cinema’s board of directors but is quick to share credit for the organization with Haywood and the rest of the board.

“He’s a little bit hesitant to call himself founder here,” Haywood said.

“In fact, he calls us all co-founders because this thing is on the ground floor and we’re all working to make this thing happen.”

Weins believes that everyone involved in the opening of Rodeo Cinema will become known as local heroes, as he has experienced with Tulsa’s Circle Cinema.

“I can’t go anywhere in Tulsa where somebody doesn’t thank me,” he said.

“I’m not patting myself on the back; I don’t mean it that way. But we had seven of the nine movies nominated for the Oscars. People love film.”

List your event in Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

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Growing appetite

In the past few years, OKC has noticeably grown as an indie film market.

Haywood said the popularity of film has generally grown across the country.

“Film is the biggest art form there is,” she said. “That’s the art form that touches all of us. I think people — now that we see other cities and the culture that they have with film — people want that here.

Because of places like [Oklahoma City Museum of Art] and Tower Theatre and deadCenter, people have developed a taste for independent film.”

In past years, seeing an artsy or independent film in a theater setting might be considered a rare treat. But the local demand for film has grown considerably.

“It’s not just a one-time-a-year or even three-day-a-week kind of thing,” Haywood said. “They want a little more experience with it.”

It might seem like local film competition has swelled with the addition of Rodeo Cinema, but each venue will likely keep to its own niche. What separates them from others in the city, Weins said, is a total focus on cinema.

“We’re film,” he said. “Our whole deal is film only.”

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Just walk

Open Streets OKC speaks to the urban experience, highlighting active transportation. By Laura Eastes

As the executive director of Uptown 23rd District, Amanda de la Torre has a lot of love for the urban district that’s burgeoning with hip restaurants and shops, trendy coffee joints and a renovated theater that has become the place in Oklahoma City to catch live musical acts or rewatch a cult-classic film.

Each spring for the past four years, Uptown 23rd District plays host to the widely successful Open Streets OKC, a health and wellness street festival by Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD).

“We love to have Open Streets and see all those faces and feet in the district,” de la Torre said. “It is an opportunity to renew an acquaintance or make a new friend. It is a huge benefit to us, and we have been deeply appreciative of the Open Streets committee and Prodigal for allowing us to be the host. I always say it’s kind of like someone else throwing a party in your house. We provide the district, and they provide the party.”

At Open Streets, people traffic replaces car traffic on a Sunday afternoon.

Popular Oklahoma City commercial districts resemble block parties with people gathering on the closed streets for entertainment, activities, food trucks and booths showcasing local organizations.

From noon to 4 p.m. April 8, Open Streets returns to northwest Oklahoma City. The spring event marks OCCHD’s eighth event. Each fall, OCCHD travels to Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill and SW 20 District – La 29.

Open Streets’ footprint has expanded, taking over the Paseo Arts District and further connecting the event to the city’s well-established arts area.

Paseo Arts District and OCCHD have partnered in the past, but this year, a shuttle will run from NW 36th Street and N. Walker Avenue to Paseo Street and NW 30th Street.

“A lot of people will be starting at the top of Paseo and working their way down

NW 23rd Street,” Patrick Patterson, who has served on the Open Streets committee for three years as a representative of Paseo Arts District, said. “That will be a real benefit for this area to feel like we are part of Open Streets. … Bring out the bikes, bring out the dogs. It’s like a big social event where you greet, meet, do.”

The goal of Open Streets is to inspire and encourage physical activity and wellness, but it’s also designed to change conventional thinking about ways to get around other than by car. In the context of Oklahoma City’s evolving urban environment, the event has found an audience as a crowd of between 20,000 and 40,000 people come out to the twice-a-year event.

We provide the district, and they provide the party.

Amanda de la Torre Open Streets highlights the walkability of Uptown 23rd and the Paseo, which have long been visited by neighbors on foot or bike. However, closing the streets to cars adds freshness to those two districts.

“The biggest thing is the novelty of no automobile traffic,” de la Torre said. “We have this huge stretch of a street that usually carries about 25,000-30,000 cars a day. For a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s just feet. People are on skateboards. People are cycling. People are with their dogs. People are having a good time.

To me, that’s so novel. That’s the buzz of what I get off this event. This is so cool.

How can we do more?”

Family fun

Since its beginning, Open Streets recruited local organizations with a connection to health, wellness or active transportation to line the closed streets and present an activity to participants.

People flood the streets for Open Streets OKC in the Uptown 23rd District. The health and wellness event returns April 8. | Photo OCCH / Provided

Activities have ranged from playing hopscotch or whiffle ball to striking a dance move or getting creative with an art activity. Among those activities, health organizations offered basic health screenings, balance tests and more.

The organizations are spread apart. The distance requires participants to engage in active transportation, like walking, biking, strolling, skating or more.

Junior League of Oklahoma City is one of many organizations that continue to return to the daytime event. Katy McNeil Meier explained the partnership between Open Streets and Junior League was ideal, as the organization has specifically focused on community projects that address health and wellness needs in recent years. Each time Open Streets rolls around, members plan a unique activity. In this year’s event, they will challenge participants in an inflatable basketball hoop game.

“It’s good to see the community come together and spend an afternoon, hopefully in the sunshine, in activities that promote health and wellness,” McNeil Meier said.

Open Streets gives Junior League members a real season of kinship.

“It’s nice to interact with different groups of people,” McNeil Meier said.

“We’ve also met new members because they’ve visited our booth and found out we are an organization that does community service. It’s beneficial both ways.”

Along April’s Open Street route, participants can connect with Latino Community Development Agency, American Heart Association, Spokies, USA Softball, Oklahoma City University and University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, just to name a few.

Participants can partake in 60 activities.

Thirty local food trucks will be offering healthy menu items along the route.

Behind Tower Theatre, live musical acts will provide entertainment.

For those who have never visited an Open Streets event, de la Torre encourages stopping in, especially if the idea of leaving the vehicle behind is enticing.

“It all goes back to being able to walk someplace,” she said. “The lucky, lucky people who live in Mesta Park, Jefferson Park, Gatewood, Heritage Hills and all the other neighborhoods surrounding Uptown 23rd and Paseo walk to this event. The car stays in the driveway. I think that’s what defines the urban experience. The people who are moving back to the core, that’s what they are looking for. Open Streets delivers.”

Palm Sunday &

Easter Holy Week Services Guide Holy Week Holy Thursday Mass March 29 – 7:00pm Good Friday Service March 30 – 7:00pm

Easter Mass Schedule

Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday) March 31 – 8:30pm Easter Sunday April 1 - 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:30pm

Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church 7336 W. Britton Road, OKC 73132 (405) 722-2110 | www.epiphanyokc.com

Open Streets OKC noon-4 p.m. April 8 Uptown 23rd District NW 23rd Street between N. Robinson Avenue and N. Western Avenue The Paseo Arts District N. Walker Avenue between NW 23rd and Paseo Street, Paseo to NW 30th Street openstreetsokc.com Free

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calendar are events recommended

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

Crazy Horse, William Matson signs his book with the Edward Clown family nearest living relatives to Lakota war leader Crazy Horse, 3-6 p.m. March 31.

Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Read for Adventure, the OKC Zoo and Metropolitan Library Systems have partnered to publish the children’s book, Our Day at the Zoo and 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. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org.

Art Adventures, bring your young artists ages 3 to 5 to experience art through books with related art projects, 10:30 a.m.-noon Tuesdays through June. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

FILM 40 Minutes or Less: Moving Mixed Media, free to the public, director Kyle Roberts hosts an evening that brings filmmakers and industry professionals together, 6-7:30 p.m. March 29. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org. THU

HAPPENINGS

Easter Eggstravaganza Celebrate Easter with a relaxing afternoon perusing festive booths and tulips for sale.

The event features face painting along with food trucks and music. Sugar Free Allstars perform at 4 p.m., and the Eggstravaganza runs 3-5:30 p.m.

Saturday at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. Admission is $8-$10.

Call 405-445-7080 or visit myriadgardens.com. SATURDAY Photo Myriad Gardens/ provided

BOOKS Red Dirt Poetry Slam Finals, a competition between the finalists to be selected for the 2018 Red Dirt Slam Team with music and poetry, 8 p.m.

March 30. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405232-6060, iaogallery.org. FRI Little Ree: Best Friends Forever!, purchase a copy of Ree Drummond‘s latest book to get your spot in line to have up to three books signed by Ree herself, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 31. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT

The Mayor’s Development Roundtable, join the discussion on OKC‘s development with mayor Mick Cornett with experts, local panel members and attendees, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. March 28. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. WED Senior Fraud Conference, Oklahoma Insurance Department provides free seminars to teach seniors how to recognize, avoid and report fraud, 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. March 28. Tower Hotel, 3233 Northwest Expressway, ok.gov. WED Senior Wellness Wednesday, a 30-minute heart healthy exercise class, followed by a heart-healthy cooking /wine demo and tasting with Kam’s Kookery, 9-10:30 a.m. March 28. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Lewis & Clark Revisited, explore the journey made by the Corps of Discovery through journal entries, works of art, historical photos, and more, and learn about what became of the corps members and the people they met, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Thursdays.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-744-5868, education. okstate.edu/olli. THU

Zoo Blooms Enjoy springtime in the botanical garden with blooming tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and more. Zoo Blooms is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through April 15 at Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, 2101 NE 50th St. Tickets are free-$11.

Call 405-424-3344 or visit okczoo.org WEDNESDAY-WEDNESDAY, through April 15 Photo Oklahoma City Zoo/provided more, as well as beer from COOP Ale Works, 6-9 p.m. March 29. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. THU 2018 American Atheists National Convention, brings together a variety of atheist speakers such as activists, community leaders, academics, musicians and more, March 29-April 1. Sheraton Hotel, 1 N. Broadway Ave., 405-235-2780, atheists.org.

Oklahoma Centennial Horse Show, competitors show their horses to win prize money featuring American Saddlebreds, Morgans, Roadster horses and more, March 29-31. Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405948-6700, okstatefair.com.

Gardens Walking Tour, expand your Oklahoma plant knowledge and get inspiration for your garden with our educational walking tours, 10-11 a.m. March 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Doggy Easter Egg Hunt, bring your dog on a leash and gather eggs! When your dog touches a plastic egg, you get to put it in your basket, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

March 31. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT

Drop-In Activities, in the event of a teacher walkout, children can attend daily hands-on activities such as crafts, scavenger hunts, puzzles and more, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 2. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. MON Read Across Oklahoma, features activities for kids that promote reading and literacy with author Hannah E. Harrison reading her book Bernice Gets Carried Away, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 3. Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, 2101 NE 50th St., 405-424-3344, okczoo.org. TUE

Horticulture for the Novice Gardener, horticulturist Ann Fleener leads you through the basics of plant care, specifically shrubs and the best varieties to plant, 6-7 p.m. March 29. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-4457080, myriadgardens.com. THU

Museum Theory and Practice, explore the research, preservation, management and interpretation of historical and cultural resources through the University of Central Oklahoma’s graduate program in museum studies, through April 27. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Easter Bunny Photos, celebrate Easter with the kids by taking a photo with the Easter bunny in Macy‘s court and take home a memento, through March 31.

Penn Square Mall, 1901 Northwest Expressway, 405841-2696, simon.com/mall/penn-square-mall.

FOOD

Lonesome Traveler: The Concert with Special Guest Peter Yarrow, a theatrical concert with original folk songs celebrating Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and more, 7:30 p.m. March 29. Oklahoma City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Avenue, 405-682-7579, tickets.occc.edu. THU

Uptown Uncorked, a fundraiser benefiting Uptown 23rd District Association with a variety of food from Back Door Barbecue, Big Truck Tacos and

YOUTH Sensory Sensitive Easter Evening, a fun-filled Easter evening for ages 0-12 to enjoy collecting eggs, taking photos and other festive activities, 6-8 p.m. March 29. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. THU In Touch with Trees: OK Arbor Week Celebration, celebrate Oklahoma Arbor Day with tree games and crafts while learning about the usefulness of trees in the environment, 10-11 a.m. March 30.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. FRI After School DIY Studio, come after school to check out library books, arts and crafts, science experiments and more hands-on activities, 3:30-5 p.m. March 30. Southern Oaks Library, 6900 S. Walker Ave., 405-631-4468, metrolibary.org. FRI

Low Cut Connie The rock and roll band from Philadelphia released its latest album, Dirty Pictures (Part 1), in 2017. Low Cut Connie makes a tour stop in OKC 9 p.m. April 8 at Tower Theatre, 423 NW 23rd St. Tickets are $12-$15. Call 405-7086937 or visit towertheatreokc.com.

M a r c h 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Explore It!, answer all your questions of what, why and how about the natural world we live in, 11:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SAT

Cedric The Entertainer, join the actor and comedian best known for TV show Barbershop and Be Cool for an evening of laughs, 10 p.m. March 31.

Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT

TUE

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OKSeed Walkups, visit the gardens and learn all the amazing things seeds do to survive and how we depend on them, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, noon3 p.m. Sundays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT

Music Extravaganza, a fundraiser supporting OU Allied Health students with music by Edgar Cruz in the Samis Education Center Auditorium, 5-7 p.m.

March 29. OU Children‘s Hospital, 700 NE 13th St., 405-271-5813, oumedicine.com/childrens. THU

The Lost Ogle Trivia, for ages 21 and up, test your knowledge with free trivia play and half-priced sausages, 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Nov. Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3300, fasslerhall.com.

APRIL 8 Photo Kelsey Stanger/provided

Painting in the Gardens with Wine & Palette: Easter, an Easter painting afternoon for the whole family; grandparents, aunts and uncles can paint a pre-sketched Easter Egg by using paint and corkscrews, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 31. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-4457080, myriadgardens.com. SAT

First Robotics Competition, come out to watch a free program for young people to learn about science and technology with local engineers, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. March 30-31. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com.

Tiny Tot Egg Hunt, for ages 0-5 to collect Easter eggs with goodies inside and take a picture with the Easter bunny, 9:15 a.m.

March 31. Stars and Stripes Park, 3701 South Lake Hefner Drive, okc.gov. SAT

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

PERFORMING ARTS

Under the Big Top, an evening of entertainers and carnival artists with ringmaster Lance McDaniel and a performance by violinist Kyle Dillingham, 6-9 p.m. March 29. Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave., 405-841-4800, calmwaters.org. THU The Mousetrap, an Agatha Christie murder mystery play about a group of people snowed in a house with a murderer among them, 7:30 p.m. March 29-30, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 31. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-3375, uco.edu. THU Blood Relations, a psychological mystery based on the book by Sharon Pollock about Lizzie Borden and the murders of her father and stepmother, 8 p.m. March 30-31 and April 6-7; 7:30 p.m. April 12, 8 p.m. April 13-14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15; 7:30 p.m. April 19 and 8 p.m. April 20-21. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI Pink Martini, enjoy a multilingual performance with several musicians and lead singer China Forbes, 8 p.m. March 30-31. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com.

OKC Improv, enjoy weekly performances of improvised comedy theatre on Oklahoma City‘s premier platform for improv, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Noir Bistro & Bar, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-208-4233, theparamountokc.com.

Tuesday Noon Concerts, a series presented by OU School of Music and the museum features

30-minute concerts during the lunch hour, noon-1 p.m. Tuesdays. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

ACTIVE OKC Dodgers Community Run, attend a one-mile run and 5k that finishes on the baseball field along with a kids run at the ballpark, 8:30 a.m. March 31.

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000, milb.com. SAT Egg Hunt 5K, run along a course that has eggs that once collected take time of your time and golden eggs come with a prize! 10 a.m. March 31. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. SAT Yoga with Art, relax and stretch in contemporary art-filled spaces with yoga instructed by This Land Yoga, 10 a.m. Saturdays. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, okc.gov/parksignup. SAT Easter Run, features a 5K and 10K races as well as the One-Mile Fun Walk; all proceeds benefit the House of Healing, an organization that helps teenage girls, 9 a.m.-noon March 31. The Cube, 7903 NW 30th St., Bethany, 405-789-3175, houseof-healing.org/easter-run. SAT

VISUAL ARTS After Hours, consists of a select group of professional’s artwork created after hours with Arden Barrett, European fashion buyer; Arjan Jager, senior urban designer and planner; George Benard, division director of ER at Saint Anthony; and more, through April 1. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

CAPAS, an exhibit featuring work by visiting artist Morgan Page bringing her family heritage to life with photography, video, collage and textiles, through March 30. The Lightwell Gallery, 520 Parrington Oval, Rm. 202, Norman, 405-325-2691, art.ou.edu.

Chromatic Ritual, features paintings and fused glass creations by Fringe: Women Artists of Oklahoma with a portion of sales to The Homeless Alliance, March 29-June 1. Verbode, 415 N. Broadway Ave. #101, fringeokc.com.

CONTINUUM, features 3-D sculptural work ranging from pop art teapots to abstract totemic sculptures, all exploring the diversity of ceramic art, through March 29. Melton Gallery, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu.

Dale Chihuly: Magic & Light, the galleries incorporate a unique design that features a three-dimensional approach to viewing some objects in the collection of glass art, through July 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Decomposition: Discovering the Beauty and Magnificence of Fungi, the kingdom of fungi is on display at SMO‘s smART Space Galleries exploring the uses, benefits and beauty of fungi, through Aug. 12. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Do You See What I See? Painted Conversations by Theodore Waddell, explores Waddell’s abstract expressionism like never before by redirection the visitor‘s attention to the importance of what they do not see rather than what they do see on the canvas, Feb. 9-May 13. National Cowboy & Western

Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI Fragmentary Stories, Alicia “Saltina” Marie Clark uses charcoal, graphite and paint to tell historical stories from her Native American roots, through March 31. Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI

April 2 dWEEzil zAppA

Fringe at the Art Hall, hosts artists of Fringe Women Artists of Oklahoma providing various fine art mediums and provocative concepts to our communities, Feb. 2-April 1. Art Hall, 519 NW 23rd St., 405-231-5700, arthallokc.com. FRI

April 7 REvEREnd HORTOn HEAT

Generations in Modern Pueblo Painting: The Art of Tonita Peña and Joe Herrera, documents and celebrates in particular the art of Tonita Peña (1983-1949), the only female Pueblo painter of her generation, and the work of her son, Joe Hilario Herrera, through April 8. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Life and Legacy: The Art of Jerome Tiger, one of Oklahoma’s most celebrated artists, Jerome Tiger, produced hundreds of works of art and won numerous awards throughout the country.

Celebrate the life and legacy of this remarkable painter, through May 13, 2018. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org Mentorship Exhibition, a program for high school students to learn more about printmaking, the book arts and works on paper; the exhibit features linoleum relief prints, plexiglass monotypes and more, through April 20. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org.

My Wildest Dreams, features Broken Arrow artist Micheal W. Jones; an artist from a young age, his paintings are created using water media, through April 27. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

New Works, showcases color and black-andwhite photography taken by Renee Lawrence during a recent trip to New Mexico as well as mixed-media works inspired by Native American dancers, through March. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405-601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

OFF-SPRING: New Generations, explore the development of both personal and group identity, childhood, family, history, and gender politics through sculptures, paintings, photographs, and videos, through Apr. 2018. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com.

OKecoScapes, an exhibit by Douglas Shaw Elder observing the cycles of nature with an abstract perspective contemplated through experiential art making, and resulting in raw and organic finished drawings and carvings, through April 1. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

April 10 REd April 12 OKG MusiC sHOW Spring Break Drop-in Activities Chris Abani, a Nigerian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright, is featured at this free poetry series. Abani reads his poetry 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. April 4 followed by Q&A sessions. A public open mic event precedes the reading 6:15 p.m. Both free events are in Kerr McGee Auditorium at Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Call 405-208-5707 or visit okcufilmlit.org. wednesday Photo Oklahoma City University/provided

Space Burial, an exhibit using satellite dishes as a burial object for a space-faring culture and facilitates the dead‘s afterlife journey to the stars, through April 8. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

April 13 REd RAdiO CiTY April 18 COOp sHOWCAsE April 19 CHARlEY CROCKETT April 21 sHAnE sMiTH & THE sAinTs April 22 bOWlinG fOR sOup Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc 405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC

The Art of Oklahoma, celebrate the 110th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood with a diverse collection of art created by or about Oklahomans and the cities and landscapes they call home.

Enjoy works by John Steuart Curry, Oscar Brousse Jacobson, Nellie Shepherd, David Fitzgerald and Woody Big Bow, through Sept. 2. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com.

Porcelain Art Exhibit, World Organization of China Painters presents a free tour for the member porcelain art exhibit, through June 22. Porcelain Art Museum, 2700 N. Portland Ave., 405-521-1234, wocp.org.

Transitions, features graffiti and street art that celebrates Native American culture by artists Yatika Starr Fields, Hoka Skenadore and Josh Johnico, through June 20. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., Ste. 100, 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com.

Powdered Graphite, highly detailed graphite works by artist Haley Prestifilippo depict ambiguously narrative scenes in which animals are trapped in moments of upheaval and uncertainty, through April 1. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

Wake, a multisensory installation created by Grace Grothaus and Rena Detrixhe to animate water with waves through recorded audio, through March 31. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway Drive, 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam, explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnames families relocated to Oklahoma, through Nov. 2019. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-522-0765, okhistory.org.

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Montmartre 2018 Chalk Art Festival At Montmartre Chalk Art Festival, the creative and competitive can create art using water-based chalk. Registration is 7:30-9:30 a.m. April 5, and there is a $10 cash-only entry fee per 6x6-foot square. Judges choose winners, and awards are presented at 1:30 p.m. at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 1727 W. Alabama Ave., in Chickasha. Call 405-224-3140 or visit usao.edu.

APRIL 5 Photo Bigstock

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

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.

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ENROLL WITH IT Publishes - April 11th & 18th Deadlines - April 4th Featuring schools and classes of all types, for all ages, including: • Colleges and universities • Vocational and technical schools • Sports and health courses • Continuing education courses/ • Drivers’ ed and other licensing • Preschools and daycare centers career training • Cooking, dance and art classes • Charter and prep schools To place your ad in this special section, call your acount executive today at 405-528-6000 or email advertising@okgazette.com

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m a r c h 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

event

MUSIC

Pop life

The Revolution memorializes Prince with a free outdoor show at Metro Music Fest.

By Ben Luschen

Downtown’s annual Metro Music Fest has built a reputation for bringing in enticing headliners. Guided by Voices headlined the free festival last year.

Other past performers include Moby, Dan Deacon and Chic’s Nile Rodgers.

But the names on this year’s bill might just take the cake.

The Revolution, known as Prince’s band through the early to mid-’80s Purple Rain era, and R&B legend Mavis Staples will both grace Metro Music Fest’s main stage.

The daylong festival centrally located across multiple stages in Bricktown and downtown is held each year by the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@ UCO). The event gives current ACM students the chance to share a festival stage with prominent local bands and bigname national acts.

The Revolution is scheduled to perform 9-10:30 p.m. April 6 on Metro Music Fest’s AT&T Main Stage east of Zio’s Italian Kitchen, 12 E. California Ave. Staples precedes the band 7:308:30 p.m. on the same stage.

Less than two years removed from Prince’s death in April 2016, The Revolution’s appearance carries a lot of significance for local fans still searching for a proper goodbye to one of popular music history’s most iconic figures. The band’s current form boasts the entire Purple Rain 1984 lineup (minus Prince), including vocals and instrumentation from duo Wendy & Lisa (guitarist Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist Lisa Coleman), bassist Brown Mark, keyboardist Matt “Doctor” Fink and percussionist Robert Rivkin, commonly known by his nickname Bobby Z. The Revolution officially dissolved in 1986 after some abrupt lineup changes made by its lead. But the band reformed

after Prince’s death, both as a service to grieving fans and as a way to work through the members’ own emotions.

Rivkin, in a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette, said it’s clear to him that The Revolution’s shows are as much group therapy as they are entertainment.

“It’s not just a band and an audience in this case,” Rivkin said. “There’s still grief and mourning being exchanged.

We’re all in shock and scratching our heads about how Prince is not still walking the earth.”

Though Prince dropped Rivkin as his drummer in favor of Queen of Percussion Sheila E., the two were very close friends at one point and remained friendly through the years. He said The Revolution’s shows the past two years have been a chance for fans to not only hear songs like “Purple Rain,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Computer Blue,” but to hear them played with the kind of authentic arrangements and energy most would have assumed were lost to time.

We’re all in shock and scratching our heads about how Prince is not still walking the earth.

Bobby Z. “We’re transferring that energy onto the audience,” Rivkin said, “but it’s still the same energy as if he was in the room.”

Prince was the most talented and most creative person Rivkin said he has ever met, and most people who worked extensively with the Minnesota-born music legend would likely say the same thing. Recognizing his immense talent and knowing him personally as well as everyone in The Revolution did, there has been a lot for the band to process in two years. Rivkin said the shows have helped him work through a lot of it.

“We’re all just trying to make sense of it all,” he said. “He left this incredible music behind and this band that wrote the arrangements firsthand, so as long as we can, we want to experience that with people.”

Modern learning

It is appropriate that The Revolution is playing a festival run by a music school because one of Prince’s loves was teaching others. A lot of the arrangements the band will play today are exactly the way the musician himself taught them to play it.

Drummer Robert Rivkin, commonly known as Bobby Z., was one of Prince’s closest friends during The Revolution’s early years. | Photo Robert Georgeff / provided

Formal music schools are much more prevalent today than they were back when Rivkin was a young musician.

“Watching The Ed Sullivan Show was kind of our master class back then — seeing The Beatles and Charlie Watts [of the Rolling Stones] and all the Motown acts,” he said.

Rivkin said he received a lot of his early training from other talented musicians he knew, some of whom had been classically trained themselves and passed him their knowledge secondhand. But to learn about the business side of music, he worked as hard as any college student.

“I dove into the books that they had back then about the business of music and publishing, the difference between artist royalties and mechanical royalties and all of that stuff,” he said. “You’ve got to know it. If you don’t know it, you’re not going to know the currency for how to talk and how to do this for a living.”

Rivkin said formal music education will always be advantageous for those hoping to best navigate the non-creative side of the industry. But he also recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all piece of advice he can give to younger generations. Music in general has changed a lot since his formative years in the ’60s and ’70s.

“It’s completely different from when I started out young,” he said. “There’s a lot more bands and music, a lot more interest, a lot more everything. It just kind of consumes everyone’s daily life.”

Cherished moments

Rivkin had his first near-fatal heart attack in 2010. There is a long history of heart problems on his father’s side of the family, and ever since that original scare, he has been both vigilant of his own cardiovascular health and a public proponent of disease awareness.

Still, Rivkin suffered another attack in late 2016, just months after the death of Prince and not long after an emotional concert The Revolution played in Minneapolis’ First Avenue nightclub, heavily featured in the Purple Rain film.

If Rivkin had not already recognized his heart attack symptoms the second time, The Revolution might have been memorializing him, too. The drummer

The Revolution | Image Ron Harris / provided

recommends blood testing for older people. Younger people can be preemptive about their heart health by staying conscious of their diet.

“You can always prepare yourself for the future,” he said. “Not every meal has to be fried chicken.”

Rivkin said his first impression of Prince was that he was shy, as many others have recognized through the years. But he quickly saw that there was so much more to him.

“Underneath it all was something superhuman that was apparent to me very early on,” he said. “I saw the talent immediately.”

Watching Prince work, he said, was on the same level as watching Leonardo da Vinci or William Shakespeare.

Prince’s genius did not become known to the world overnight, but Rivkin was confident that everyone else would eventually come to see the same things he saw. In fact, he banked his whole career on it.

While Rivkin recognized Prince’s immense talent, he also did not spend a lot of time thinking about how his work in the band might eventually earn him a place in music history. There was no time for perspective.

“When the train is going 100 miles per hour, you’re just riding and hanging on,” he said.

Retrospectives should instead be saved for memorials, and these Revolution shows are very much that.

Rivkin is endlessly thankful for having played a role in Prince’s musical legacy and grateful for the chance to bring it all full circle.

“We were just lucky to have this music and the film and this moment of time which, for a while, just seemed to be frozen,” he said. “It was frozen to everyone for a long period of time, and now we’re kind of bringing it back to life in light of his passing.”

Metro Music Fest 5 p.m.-2 a.m. April 6 Several downtown venues acm.uco.edu | 405-974-4700 Free

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event

MUSIC

Saving breath

Reverend Horton Heat brings red-hot psychobilly to Tower Theatre. By Ben Luschen

Jim Heath no longer delivers his embellished, fiery Southern Baptist-style sermons during Reverend Horton Heat shows, but it’s not for a lack of things to say.

The psychobilly king — who has combined elements of blues, punk, surf, roots and rock ’n’ roll as the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the Dallas-based rockabilly trio for more than 25 years — decided to lay off his colorful sketches in favor of putting more music into his live shows. That’s not a problem because Heath’s often-humorous lyrics and casual wit offer enough charisma to spare.

Reverend Horton Heat (RHH) is scheduled to play 8 p.m. April 7 at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. Admission is $18-$20.

The band’s last release, 2014’s REV, was the highest charting in the group’s history — somewhat surprising given RHH’s long run of relative prominence and catalogue that includes at least 10 other studio albums. In a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview, Horton gave credit for the success to the band’s label, Victory Records. RHH has a colorful label history, which includes stops at Sub Pop, Interscope and Artemis Records.

In recent years, RHH had also become known for hosting the annual rockabilly festival Horton’s Hayride. This year, however, the festival is taking a break while Heath focuses on completing the band’s long-awaited follow-up to REV and his never-ending tour schedule.

Gazette spoke with Heath about his plans for a new release, the amount of work that goes into planning a festival each year and getting comfortable with musician life.

Oklahoma Gazette: Reverend Horton Heat has a new album coming out soon, right?

Jim Heath: Well, we’re working on it.

We spent a lot of the summer working out the songs and recording the album.

But we kind of ran out of time. Since the summer of ’17, we’ve just been so busy that I don’t even have time to mix it. I go in there to knock out a song and do a mix and then it’s ‘Oh man; I’ve got to do it again?’ But we’re getting close. I think I’ve got about half the album mixed now.

But I just don’t have time. That’s one of the drawbacks of having a group like us that plays so many gigs.

OKG: How does the sound of this album compare to REV? Heath: Well, it’s going to be totally different because it’s going to be different songs — it’s not the same songs. But I don’t know, man. We’ve got a couple of songs off the new one that are working pretty good in our set right now. But it’ll be a little bit lo-fi, a little bit rock ’n’ roll.

Besides one or two songs, all pretty much positive lyrics. But we’ve got a new drummer and a new piano player.

I’ve got all this crazy old gear, so it is a little lo-fi.

OKG: I believe REV was one of the best chart-performing albums you’ve put out.

Heath: Yeah, it got quite a bit of airplay.

A lot of that is because of those guys at Victory Records. They really like us, and we like them. They’ve been helping us a lot. But I don’t know, man. I really don’t know that much about the sales.

OKG: You make the music and you play the music.

Heath: Yeah, I don’t think about the charts and all of that stuff.

OKG: But isn’t it kind of interesting that you have a career that’s been almost 30 years now and you’re coming off an album that would be considered your most successful?

Heath: Listen; one thing about my band is that we got our first record deal with Sub Pop Records, a Seattle grunge label.

They were really good to us for a long time, but the funny thing is that labels kind of come and go a little bit. But my band has not been without a record deal since 1990. That’s pretty remarkable.

Reverend Horton Heat | Photo Gene Ambo / provided

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OKG: What happened to Horton’s Hayride? Are you doing it again this year?

Heath: No, we’re not doing it this year.

It got to be too big of a hassle. We’re going to do the second year of Horton’s Holiday

Hayride, but we’re going to have to rethink Horton’s Hayride a little bit. We loved when we were doing it, but it was expensive and a lot of work, man. In a way, it’s kind of a relief. That whole thing was based on us having special guests throughout our set. And no one that I was working with could really wrap their brain around it. They’re like, ‘OK, you’ve got an hour and 45 minutes,’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, we have four guests. That means we’re going to play like three of our own songs.’ I was like, ‘You got to schedule us for three hours,’ and they were like, ‘What? No band plays for three hours.’

And it’s my own festival.

Being in the studio and tinkering around with my crazy old gear, that’s my element.

I love doing that.

Jim Heath OKG: Yeah, can’t you set the rules for that?

Heath: It’s real hard, man. Another thing is that festivals are getting so popular.

The bands are getting more and more and more money. And a lot of times, I guess what it is is they’re getting money from the city — government money — to play these festivals. Frankly, I think our band needs to go and get that money instead of us playing for free at our own festival. But I hope we can do it again.

OKG: What’s more work, comparatively, setting up a festival or setting aside enough time to record and finish an album?

Heath: Well, I don’t know. But being in the studio and tinkering around with my crazy old gear, that’s my element. I love doing that. Festivals are a whole other thing. I’m not a promoter. They’re really at the center of this music scene, more than the labels. They really gamble big every night of the week. I don’t know exactly how they do it. And I don’t know if I want to be a promoter, but I certain-

Reverend Horton Heat | Photo Victory Records / provided

ly have a lot of respect for them. But my element is the studio. When I’m in the studio, tinkering with my old tape machines or setting stuff up or doing a session with some guys, I’ll be in there and I won’t even go to the bathroom. I’ll put off going to the bathroom because I just love being in there so much. I’m a music guy; that’s my thing.

OKG: Is that something that hasn’t wavered or changed for you at all in all the years you’ve been doing it?

Heath: It’s evolved. The one thing about it is that I enjoy playing music on stage now way more than I did when I was younger. But the traveling, I’m kind of over that. That’s a necessary part of what I do. When I was younger, there was a lot of pressure on these gigs. Every gig, you’re playing a new bar or a new club and you want to play good so they have you back.

Being able to make a living playing music was basically dependent on getting signed to a label and a club having you back. Now, that stuff is still a little there, but it’s basically gone. Now I just smile and kind of let it rip. I don’t care if it’s a little club or a giant arena or a little Irish pub in some basement. It’s all fun.

OKG: It sounds like you’re at a point where you can really focus in on all the things you really like about the business, or at least to the best ability you can do that.

Heath: Yeah. One thing about all of this is that I’ve been a dad through this whole thing. So I really can’t be a cool guy. And I don’t have time for that stuff. I’m getting to the point in my life where I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got to play music.’ It’s a time-consuming career, you know? Sure, it’d be cool to go and play golf with Willie Nelson. But I don’t have time for that.

Reverend Horton Heat w/ Unknown Hinson 8 p.m. April 7 Tower Theatre | 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com | 405-708-6937 $18-$20

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LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

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

WEDNESDAY, 3.28 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Elizabeth Speegle Band, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Vox Vocis/Magic Munchbox/Overcast, Red Brick Bar, Norman. INDIE

THURSDAY, 3.29 20 Watt Tombstone, Lost Highway Bar. ROCK Bob Livingston, The Blue Door. FOLK Boyd Street Brass, Saints. JAZZ Citizen Banned Radio, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ROCK Gallivant/Crobone, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK RedWitch Johnny, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Sunday Scaries, Snug Bar & Lounge.

PUNK

FRIDAY, 3.30 Andy Adams, Anthem Brewing Company. FOLK

Martin Sexton New York singersongwriter Martin Sexton mixes rock, folk, soul and R&B into his music. He performs at 8 p.m. March 31 at Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in Norman with Beau Jennings. Tickets are $25-$30. Call 405-673-4931 or visit opolis.org.

SATURDAY Photo Missing Piece Group/provided

Buddy South, McClintock Saloon & Chop House.

COUNTRY

Esham, 89th Street - OKC. HIP-HOP

ROCK

Gurf Morlix, The Blue Door. FOLK

Matthew & the Arrogant Sea, Anthem Brewing Company. ROCK

Hosty, Fassler Hall. BLUES

Micah McCaslin Smith, The Lobby Bar. JAZZ

Kent Fauss Duo, One-52 Bar & Grill, Mustang.

Midas 13, Okie Tonk Café, Moore. COVER

Kestrel & Kite, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC

Mitchell Ferguson/The Irish Goodbye, Red Brick Bar, Norman. POP

COUNTRY

King Taylor Project, Red Brick Bar, Norman. R&B Linear Symmetry, Bison Witches Bar & Deli, Norman. ELECTRONIC My So Called Band, The Deli, Norman. PUNK

Monica Taylor/Jarod Tyler/Travis Fite, The Blue Door. FOLK Original Flow, The Root. HIP-HOP

Raina Cobb/Ben Brock, Hollywood Corners Station. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Rivalry, Snug Bar & Lounge. METAL

Randall Coyne, Grand House. JAZZ

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Remedy, Mooney’s Pub and Grill, Norman. ROCK Royal Wade Kimes, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar.

Scott Miles, The Landing Zone, Midwest City.

Stone Tide/Sophia Massad/Saint Monroe and more, ACM Performance Lab. ROCK

COUNTRY

The Mills Band, Newcastle Casino. ROCK

Saint Monroe, The Root. ROCK

Tony Foster Jr. Band, [Artspace] at Untitled. R&B

The Elliotts, Blue Note Lounge. INDIE

Voodoo, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

The Fifth Fire, Snug Bar & Lounge. PUNK The Flannels, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

ROCK

Ty Dolla $ign, Tower Theatre. HIP-HOP

SATURDAY, 3.31 15 & Change, Snug Bar & Lounge. ROCK Annie Oakley, ACM Performance Lab. FOLK

Benjamin Carter/SK Love, Bison Witches Bar & Deli, Norman. ROCK Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

MONDAY, 4.2 Dweezil Zappa, Tower Theatre. ROCK

TUESDAY, 4.3 Mark Lettieri Trio/Shane Henry, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. ROCK Ratboys, Tower Theatre. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, 4.4 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Blake Lankford, The Bluebonnet Bar, Norman.

COUNTRY

Brian Lee Dunning, McClintock Saloon & Chop House. ROCK Casper McWade, Mooney’s Pub and Grill, Norman.

COUNTRY

Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience, The Ruins Live. ELECTRONIC Django Walker, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. COUNTRY ESE, Blue Note Lounge. PUNK Jamie Bramble, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC Kalyn Fay, The Deli, Norman. FOLK Lorna Shore/Aberrant Construct/All Have Sinned and more, 89th Street - OKC. METAL

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.

Masterhand/Swim Fan, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar.

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m a r c h 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

free will astrology Homework: What quality or behavior in you would most benefit from healthy self-mocking?

Write Freewillastrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) A few years ago, a New

Zealander named Bruce Simpson announced plans to build a cruise missile at his home using parts he bought legally from eBay and other online stores. In accordance with current astrological omens, I suggest you initiate a comparable project. For example, you could arrange a do-it-yourself space flight by tying a thousand helium balloons to your lawn chair. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Please don’t try lunatic schemes like the helium balloon space flight. Here’s the truth: Now is a favorable time to initiate big, bold projects, but not foolish, big, bold projects. The point is to be both visionary and practical.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) The Finnish word kalsarikännit means getting drunk at home alone in your underwear and bingeing on guilty pleasures. It’s a perfect time for you to do just that. The Fates are whispering, “Chill out. Vegetate. Be ambitionless.”

APRIL FOOL! I told a half-truth. In fact, now is a perfect time to excuse yourself from trying too hard and doing too much. You can accomplish wonders and marvels by staying home and bingeing on guilty pleasures in your underwear. But there’s no need to get drunk.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Actor Gary Busey is very

sure there are no mirrors in heaven. He has other specific ideas about the place, as well. This became a problem when he was filming the movie Quigley, in which his character Archie visits heaven. Busey was so enraged at the director’s mistaken rendering of paradise that he got into a fist fight with another actor.

I hope you will show an equally feisty fussiness in the coming weeks, Gemini. APRIL FOOL! I lied, sort of.

On the one hand, I do hope you’ll be forceful as you insist on expressing your high standards. Don’t back down! But on the other hand, refrain from pummeling anyone who asks you to compromise.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) In the Scots language

still spoken in parts of Scotland, eedle-doddles are people who can’t summon initiative when it’s crunch time. They are so consumed in trivial or irrelevant concerns that they lose all instinct for being in the right place at the right time. I regret to inform you that you are now at risk of being an eedle-doddle. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, the truth is just the opposite. I have rarely seen you so well-primed to respond vigorously and bravely to Big Magic Moments. For the foreseeable future, you are King or Queen of Carpe Diem.

periodically act like a regular person who’s not a famous musician. He goes grocery shopping without bodyguards. He rides on public transportation and strikes up conversations with random strangers. I think you may need to engage in similar behavior yourself, Leo. You’ve become a bit too enamored with your own beauty and magnificence. You really do need to come down to earth and hang out more with us little people. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, now is prime time to hone your power and glory; to indulge your urge to shine and dazzle; to be as conspicuously marvelous as you dare to be.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) There’s a narrow waterway between Asia and Europe. In the fifth century B.C., Persian King Xerxes had two bridges built across it so he could invade Greece with his army.

But a great storm swept through and smashed his handiwork. Xerxes was royally peeved. He ordered his men to whip the uncooperative sea and brand it with hot irons, all the while shouting curses at it, like “You are a turbid and briny river.” I recommend that you do something similar, Scorpio. Has Nature done anything to inconvenience you? Show it who’s the Supreme Boss! APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, now is an excellent time for you to become more attuned and in love with a Higher Power, however you define that. What’s greater than you and bigger than your life and wilder than you can imagine? Refine your practice of the art of surrender.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) The coming days will be

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Fifteenth-century

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Paul McCartney likes to

an excellent time to concoct an alchemical potion that will heal your oldest wounds. For best results, mix and sip a gallon of potion using the following magic ingredients: absinthe, chocolate syrup, cough medicine, dandelion tea, cobra venom, and worm’s blood. APRIL FOOL! I mixed a lie in with a truth. It is a fact that now is a fine time to seek remedies for your ancient wounds. But the potion I recommended is bogus. Go on a quest for the real cure.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I expect you will soon

receive a wealth of exotic and expensive gifts. For example, a benefactor may finance your vacation to a gorgeous sacred site or give you the deed to an enchanted waterfall. I won’t be surprised if you’re blessed with a solid gold bathtub or a year’s supply of luxury cupcakes. It’s even possible that a sugar daddy

on s nstagram U Follow to see all iour #selfies!

OKG

@okgazette

Chris

Abani

Oklahoma City University presents the 20th annual Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series.

The events,

poet•playwright•novelist free to the public,

include a 10 a.m. reading & conversation, a 6:15 p.m. community open mic and an 8 p.m. reading and Q&A session.

For more information on the events at OCU, visit okcufilmlit.org, call 405-208- 5707 or send an email to filmlit@okcu.edu Books for sale on site

Wed. April 4 | 10 AM and 8 PM

Kerr McGee Auditorium, OKCU Meinders School of Business NW 27th & McKinley 37

m a r c h 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

or sugar momma will fork over $500,000 to rent an auditorium for a party in your honor. APRIL FOOL! I distorted the truth. I do suspect you’ll get more goodies than usual in the coming weeks, but they’re likely to come in the form of love and appreciation, not flashy material goods. (For best results, don’t just wait around for the goodies to stream in; ask for them!)

Italian painter Filippo Lippi was such a lustful womanizer that he sometimes found it tough to focus on making art. At one point, his wealthy and politically powerful patron Cosimo de’ Medici, frustrated by his extracurricular activities, imprisoned him in his studio to ensure he wouldn’t get diverted. Judging from your current astrological omens, Sagittarius, I suspect you need similar constraints. APRIL FOOL! I fibbed a little. I am indeed worried you’ll get so caught up in the pursuit of pleasure that you’ll neglect your duties. But I won’t go so far as to suggest you should be locked up for your own good.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Now is a favorable

time to slap a lawsuit on your mom in an effort to make her pay for the mistakes she made while raising you. You could also post an exposé on social media in which you

reveal her shortcomings, or organize a protest rally outside her house with your friends holding signs demanding she apologize for how she messed you up.

APRIL FOOL! Everything I just said was ridiculous and false. The truth is, now is a perfect moment to meditate on the gifts and blessings your mother gave you. If she is still alive, express your gratitude to her. If she has passed on, do a ritual to honor and celebrate her.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Aquarian author Alice

Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple. She has also published 33 other books and built a large audience. But some of her ideas are not exactly mainstream. For example, she says that one of her favorite authors is David Icke, who asserts that intelligent extraterrestrial reptiles have disguised themselves as humans and taken control of our planet’s governments. I bring this to your attention, because I think it’s time that you, too, reveal the full extent of how crazy you really are. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. While it’s true that now is a favorable time to show more of your unconventional and eccentric sides, I don’t advise you to go full-on whacko.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Warning! Danger! You

are at risk of contracting a virulent case of cherophobia!

And what exactly is cherophobia? It’s a fear of happiness. It’s an inclination to dodge and shun joyful experiences because of the suspicion that they will disappoint you or cause bad luck. Please do something to stop this insidious development. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is that you are currently more receptive to positive emotions and delightful events than you’ve been in a log time. There’s less than a one-percent chance you will fall victim to cherophobia.

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.

Saturday, April 7th from 9am - 4pm Seminole Municipal Park on Milt Phillips Car Show 382-4221 • Golf Tournament 382-3640 • Spaghetti Dinner 382-1800 Masonic Lodge Breakast 382-2024 • Poker Run 380-3670

All different kinds of food vendors

Oklahoma grown and produced products & businesses The fun begins on Friday April 6th, 2018 with a Golf Tournament to support the Seminole Food Pantry and a spaghetti dinner sponsored by COCAA and Roma’s Italian Restaurant to help continue the efforts of COCAA. Then, spend Saturday April 7, 2018 in the Seminole Municipal Park on Milt Phillips enjoying items made, produced, and sold in Oklahoma.

Seminole’s Made In Oklahoma Festival, Business Expo, & Car Show will be open from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. We will feature over 100 vendor booths: including but not limited to handmade jewelry & clothes, soaps, candles, furniture and local wineries. There will be numerous food vendors and a blood drive. Enjoy a delicious breakfast to kick off your Saturday at the Masonic Lodge, The SCCA Car Show, The Seminole Masonic Lodge Poker Run, and donate blood at the OBI Blood Mobile Drive (10a-2p) all in the Park! You will be able to look at cars, shop and eat all day long. Please plan on bringing the whole family out on Friday and Saturday April 6&7 for some quality time and see what all Seminole has to offer. Don’t forget to purchase your commemorative Made In Oklahoma or Car Show Shirt!

If you have any questions or wish to participate in the festival or car show, please feel free to call the Seminole Chamber of Commerce at 405-382-3640 or e-mail us at amybrittchambered@yahoo.net. The applications are also located on our website at

www.seminoleokchamber.org

Sponsored by:

Thank You to our Top Sponsors: The Seminole Tourism Council and Melvin & Jasmine Moran

puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle TAKING YOUR Q

By Daniel Raymon | Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz | 0318

ACROSS

in the first round?

1 Big name in computer networking 97 Russian council 99 Spanish snack 6 Progressive rival 103 ____ Indianapolis 14 Aries 20 North-Dakota-to-Michigan hwy. 104 One of 100: Abbr.

21 Members of an Oklahoma tribe 105 Monarch who’s fine and dandy?

22 Addressee of a waiter in a French 108 Cries of surprise 110 Teeming restaurant 113 Veg out 23 Exposes 114 Irish form of “Edmund” 24 Interrogate a founding father?

115 Heinrich ____, “Die Lorelei” poet 26 Uganda’s Amin 117 N.W.A’s “Straight ____ 27 One getting shooed Compton” 29 Bone: Prefix 119 More than a millennium 30 Was wide open 31 Like the first man-made space 121 Indochinese language 122 Have a little ice cream delivered? satellite 126 Like rope 33 What the earth and many 128 Supermodel Bündchen

political analysts do 129 Birdie 36 They’re added on bus. lines 130 With celerity 38 Sticks and Bones playwright 131 Kept others awake, maybe David 132 Tip of a missile 39 “There are no atheists in 133 More sound foxholes”?

41 Word aptly found in “controlled” DOWN

and “marshaled” 1 Picasso and Braque, for two 43 Token in the game Life 2 Dancer Duncan 44 Was a rat 3 Gone to great lengths 45 Engaged in 4 Middling mark 46 Tremors?

5 Like freelance work, often 50 Hershey brand 6 Attys.’ titles 53 “From your lips to God’s ears” Stops yapping 55 Frequent subject of paintings by 7 8 Sheik’s land, for short

Winslow Homer 9 Presidential inits.

56 Largest lake in South America 10 “Who’s interested?”

60 Charles de Gaulle’s birthplace 11 Update, say 62 Animal with a trunk 12 Terminate 66 Interest’s opposite 67 Kingdom in Tolkien’s The Lord 13 English county 14 Response to an oversharer

of the Rings 15 Suspend 69 Email address ending 16 Catherine’s husband in 71 Suffix in Sussex Wuthering Heights 72 Comment by a Brit down to his 17 Bishop’s group, once

last coin?

18 Ones moving with the aid of 77 “We ____ the Champions” pseudopods 78 Gardner of Mogambo 19 Seamstresses, at times 79 Joe of Home Alone 25 With vehemence 80 True 28 Ending of the Bible 81 Instruments played on Mount 32 Unappreciative sort Olympus 34 Metallic S-shaped piece 84 Expert 35 “____, sing America” (start of a 86 Words of resignation

Langston Hughes poem) 88 Greek cross 37 Look Who’s Talking Too and 2 90 “As you wish, Captain!”

Fast 2 Furious: Abbr.

92 Huck Finn possessive 93 One knocking out an opponent 40 Basic French question

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Elizabeth I 64 Judas’s question to the Lord 65 Change the color of again 68 More trendy 70 TV’s Growing Up ____ 73 Some gametes 74 Accumulation 75 Things with colons inside them 76 Kind of leap 82 Abbr. that’s sometimes doubled

or tripled 83 Nordstrom rival 85 Term for a hole in Swiss cheese 87 1979 exile 89 It’ll take you for a ride 91 Prefix with -graphic 93 Hard-shell clams 94 Mark the beginning of 95 Unsatisfying answer to “Why?”

127

96 Bagel variety 98 British sports automobile 100 Kind of harp 101 Atonement 102 Nuisance 105 Trophy alternative 106 Navy petty officer: Abbr.

107 The so-called “Flying Kangaroo” 109 Curl one’s lip 111 Informal sleep option 112 People: Prefix 116 Man’s name that comes from an

English noble 118 Some summer wear 120 Ser : Spanish :: ____ : French 123 Iraq War danger, for short 124 A.C.C. powerhouse 125 Rumpus 127 FDR job-creating prog.

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

Sudoku hard | n°10218 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 0311, which appeared in the March 21 issue.

L O S T A R M O T E A R S D O R O U N O S B I B Y O Y O A N N U T L I B E E B A A A B D U N I C K N E A R S S R M G O T O T E A S O D Y S 38

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D I G I T A D A P T

O R A C H

S I L K T I P E L A N Y O M S A C T O E R S E

G E S

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

E L I E L I R E A R G E R E M E T E

C O N C E P T

K E T T

A H A T S I P H S A Y R P A D T J O O U U R R E N D

S E N A D L E D S U R B A A N Y O S U T O A P N A N T O Y S

Associate Publisher James Bengfort VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli

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

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.

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

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42 Number for two 46 Sentient ones 47 Words that can’t be heard, for short 48 Western wear 49 Strong bond?

51 Publisher Arthur ____ Sulzberger 52 Song woman who’s asked

“Darlin’, won’t you ease my

worried mind?”

54 Subject of the mnemonic “Men

Very Easily Make Jugs Serve

Useful Needs” 56 Taj ____ 57 Mimic’s activity 58 Not so common 59 Medieval weapon 61 Suffix with trick 63 Pope who excommunicated

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P H A E D R A A J A R

R A S P I E R

E N T A N G L E T S A N N K O I M N A I D

O V E R B A L I U T X S

U I N T A

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

Accounts receivable Karen Holmes Digital Media & Calendar Coordinator Hannah Meeske Advertising advertising@okgazette.com 405-528-6000 Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn Saundra Rinearson Godwin Christy Duane Kurtis DeLozier EDITOR-in-chief George Lang glang@okgazette.com Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Laura Eastes Ben Luschen Jacob Threadgill Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley Production coordinator Aubrey Jernigan Graphic Designers Kimberly Lynch Jim Massara Order mounted or ready-to-frame prints of Oklahoma Gazette covers, articles and photos at okgazette.yourheadline.com 3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 www.okgazette.com Copyright © 2018 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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24 years experience

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Jobs.

Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, a division of ONE Gas, Inc., was founded in 1906, and is the cornerstone of one of the oldest corporations in Oklahoma.

We are the largest natural gas distribution company in the state, providing clean, reliable natural gas to more than 847,000 customers.

We are currently hiring for a Senior Maintenance Specialist CNG Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Performs an advanced level of work related to installation and maintenance of vehicles and equipment utilizing compressed natural gas.

Install, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair vehicles and equipment that utilize CNG including but not limited to: Internal combustion, diesel, and natural gas powered engines. Refueling/compressor stations (commercial and home units). Mass flow meters. CNG fired boilers. Electronic safety control systems, fuel dispensers, and sequential and priority panels. Train and direct company and noncompany fleet mechanics in CNG vehicle conversion/installation, maintenance, and repair. Drive company CNG vehicle to various trade shows, meetings, and conferences; promote CNG usage and answer related questions. Consult with company employees, city and state officials, vendors, and other companies’ fleet owners, managers, and mechanics/operators regarding CNG vehicles and equipment.

ServerS Needed MeMoriAl locAtioN

Apply in person 2p-4p Tues-Sat 3241 West Memorial Rd

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Maintain and/or prepare reports and/or records including but not limited to: CNG usage reports. CNG maintenance records, work orders, and reports. Expense reports. Mileage reports. Time sheets. Regular and reliable attendance is required in performance of job. Employee may be required to perform additional duties as assigned.

As a premier employer in the communities where we do business, we offer competitive compensation, career development and excellent benefits, including three weeks of vacation, stock award programs, and a 401(k) match, and many more.

Please visit www.onegas.jobs to view additional details about the job requirements and to register and apply for this position.

Only applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be considered. Only those applicants considered for an interview will be contacted.

Reference Requisition 343 We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against applicants due to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

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2018 230i Coupe | $499/month*

2018 320i Sedan | $409/month*

2018 X2 xDrive 28i | $449/month*

2018 650i Gran Coupe | $1,179/month*

2018 X5 xDrive35i | $689/month*

2018 740i Sedan | $1,059/month*

Imports 2018 X2 xDrive 28i, 36-month lease, $3,000 down, MSRP $41,295, Standard Terms 2018 320i Sedan, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $36,695, Standard Terms 2018 740i, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $85,795, Standard Terms

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2018 230i Coupe, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $38,695, Standard Terms 2018 650i Gran Coupe, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $95,695, Standard Terms 2018 X5 xDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3,500 down, MSRP $62,195, Standard Term

Web: www.cooperbmw.com Email: rkeitz@cooperautogroup.com

Standard terms & Tag, Tax. 1st Payment, Aquisition fee, processing fee WAC *See dealership for details — offers subject to change without prior notice. *March prices subject to change. European models shown.