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COVER P. 4 Oklahoma City Public Schools District’s Pathway to Greatness initiative will close some schools and consolidate resources. Superintendent Sean McDaniel hopes it will result in “serving all of our kids at a higher level.”

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I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

NEWS OKCPS superintendent Sean McDaniel speaks with a Northeast Academy student journalist ahead of his final recommendation Feb. 21. | Photo Miguel Rios

COV E R

Prepping schools After a unanimous vote on the Pathway to Greatness plan, Oklahoma City Public Schools District is working to make sure schools are ready by the first day of next term. By Miguel Rios

The Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) board of education voted March 4 to adopt a plan that will shut down 15 schools and reconfigure 17 others. Education officials say the plan will provide equity, increase efficiency and better serve all students across the district. Now, all hands are on deck working to make important changes before school starts Aug. 12. “The conversation with this particular board of education started about a year and a half ago,” OKCPS superintendent Sean McDaniel told Oklahoma Gazette. “But for years and years and years prior to that, this school district has been talking about serving all of our kids at a higher level. … This board decided that they were going to stop talking about it and do something about it.” District 2 board member Rebecca Budd said Pathway to Greatness (P2G) started as a 2017 strategic initiative from the operations committee. “Our committee recognized that we could not continue doing the things that we were doing,” she said. “It started with committee work on a long-term facilities plan with [District 3 board member Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs]. It was a recognition that we could not continue putting our resources into buildings that are past their useful life or half empty or just inefficient for whatever reason. … And given that every penny counts today in education, the status quo was unacceptable.”

The vote

McDaniel presented three possible 4

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paths in January, which led to a series of community engagement meetings. At the end of February, McDaniel made his recommendation to the board, which was Path B (with some changes based on community input) and Path A for the Spencer area. The board approved the plan unanimously. Budd, whose district will see four closures, was part of the process from its inception. She said she supported the plan because she believed in the founding premise. Other board members acknowledged the pain families and school communities will go through but emphasized that changes were needed. “Inaction is immoral; inaction says that these things are all okay and they are not okay,” Coppernoll Jacobs said before the vote. “One question I’ve heard often in the past several months is, ‘Why can’t we wait? Why can’t you slow down?’ Because students get one shot. They have one chance at third grade, one chance at eighth grade, one senior year. We cannot wait. We’ve been waiting for decades.” District 5 board member Ruth Veales said during the vote that she received a call from a parent who actually helped her realize equity trade-ups are worth the closures, three of which are in her district. She also encouraged the community to hold board members and McDaniel accountable for their promises. “We must change things because we don’t want to continue to live in the past. This is what this is for, in order to move us to the future,” she said, “to make sure

that every student has an opportunity for whatever it is they chose for their lives.” District 1 board member Charles Henry voiced his opposition to a portion of the plan before the vote but ultimately voted in favor. One school will close in his district. “I didn’t think it was fair to vote against it because there’s things that I like, but I thought it was very important that I make my objection with other matters so that that can be on the record,” Henry told Oklahoma Gazette. “Because if things don’t go accordingly, I want them to know that I objected to that. … I didn’t go through everything I objected; I just said it that I had objections with the plan.” Henry liked the equity portion of the plan because in the past, resources were allocated based on enrollment numbers. “So a lot of schools with low enrollment numbers were not able to get those resources,” he said. “With an equity policy, I think it makes things more fair, so then a lot of the low performing schools will be able to get the resources they need.”

The changes

Some of the equity trade-ups for school closures include every elementary school getting a STEM makerspace and full-time art, music and physical education teachers and at least one counselor. In addition to school closures and reconfigurations, P2G will also adjust grade bands and feeder paths; some school names will change due to reconfigurations. McDaniel and board members said they have received many questions from concerned parents who want to know details like what the bus routes will be. They said uncertainty and change causes anxiety for parents. “We knew it going in that there were going to be uncomfortable people until they know the answers to all these questions,” McDaniel said. “So we’re trying to go through this checklist right now to bring answers. The vote was on [March 4]; the next day, by the end of the day, we had named principals for every school. The Thursday of that week, we had put our school locator up online; so I can go in and type in my address, and I know exactly what school I’m going to. By the end of this month … we’ll have all our assistant principals named. By the time they go home from school, they will know where their bus stop is, they’ll know what bus number, they’ll know how far it is to their school and they’ll know their teacher. We’re trying now to go through this checklist, and every time we can check something off, we’re hopeful that it will bring some anxiety down.” In closing schools, the district projects it will save more than $4 million annually in operational and staffing

Closures to be repurposed • Andrew Johnson Elementary 1810 Sheffield Road • Edgemere Elementary 3200 N. Walker Ave. • Edwards Elementary 1123 NE Grand Blvd. • Gatewood Elementary 1821 NW 21st St. • Green Pastures Elementary 4300 N. Post Road • Horace Mann Elementary 1105 NW 45th St. • Linwood Elementary 3416 NW 17th St. • North Highland Elementary 8400 N. Robinson Ave. • Oakridge Elementary 4200 Leonhardt Drive • Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High 1301 NE 101st St. • Pierce Elementary 2701 S. Tulsa Ave. • Putnam Heights Elementary 1601 NW 36th St. • Sequoyah Elementary 2400 NW 36th St. • Telstar Elementary 9521 NE 16th St. • Westwood Elementary 1701 Exchange Ave.

Reconfigure to middle schools • Capitol Hill Elementary 2717 S. Robinson Ave. • Classen School of Advanced Studies Mid-High 1901 N. Ellison Ave. • Greystone Elementary 2401 NW 115th Terrace • F.D. Moon Elementary 1900 NE 13th St. • Mary Golda Ross Elementary 2601 S. Villa Ave. • Parmelee Elementary 6700 S. Hudson Ave. • Wheeler Elementary 501 SE 25th St.

Reconfigure to high schools • Frederick Douglass Mid-High 900 N. Martin Luther King Ave. • John Marshall Mid-High 12201 Portland Ave.

Other reconfigurations • West Nichols Hills will house Belle Isle 5-6 grades • Rancho Village will house Emerson South • Northeast Academy, 3100 N. Kelley Ave., will house Classen SAS High School

expenses. However, the district also projects it will pay more than $11 million in one-time implementation costs for things like athletic fields, room remodels, equipment movement and any additions. Some of that work is already underway for changes considered high priority, which are scheduled to be implemented by the first day of classes. “We know exactly how many sinks and water fountains and toilets in these elementaries need to be raised to accommodate larger, bigger kids,” he said. “Project teams are in place. We know exactly where they are, how many each school needs; that’ll be done. A school like [Northeast Academy] where we’ll bring in Classen School of Advanced Studies over here, well, they need the same things here that they had at the other building. At the other building, they have dance studios; we don’t have a single dance studio here. So we’ve got to convert classrooms into dance studio. So mirrors and wood floors and all those things that they need; we’ve got a project in place to do that. So we feel really, really good about what we’re calling Day One Ready.” In terms of repurposing schools that will close, McDaniel said they have a list of community partners who are interested in occupying those buildings. “We have said to our community, ‘We don’t want to board them up and devalue the neighborhood. We want to bring

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partners into the schools.’ We’ve got about 40 potential partners,” he said. “Right now, we’re working on finalizing the contracts so our partners know exactly what the terms are. As many of those 15 as humanly possible, we hope to have people in those buildings so that they remain open.” Some of those buildings will be occupied by district charter schools that are being relocated under P2G. McDaniel said they have been in conversations with school leaders about potential locations, most of which have been generally agreed on but not finalized. “We’ve got KIPP, and we intend for them to go to North Highland; we’ve got Harding Charter Prep, and we intend for them to go to Centennial; we’ve got Seeworth, and Seeworth is going to Edwards,” he said. “[Harding Fine Arts Academy’s] idea right now is that they don’t think that the schools we’ve toured them through meet the needs of their high school. … They sent out a letter suggesting that they would like to purchase the Harding building. … So we’re looking with our legal department at our options and what we need to be able to do to entertain that.” Some changes will be completed after schools open, but those focus more on improving spaces that can already accommodate students like auditoriums and STEM areas.

“That will be kind of work in progress but probably won’t be ready [by Aug. 12]. We don’t have to have that to have school, but those are things that are important to us,” McDaniel said. “We have designated a classroom in every elementary school as a STEM or STEAM space where, by the first day, we may not have it fully equipped, but we’ll have the room designated. And then we have partners that are coming on board, saying, ‘We’ll outfit it with equipment and software programming.’ … So some of those things are just building out the spaces and then equipping those spaces.” Other changes still need to be ironed out, but McDaniel said they have a comprehensive list of all things that need

Community members examine the final district path map after the final recommendation was made Feb. 21. | Photo Miguel Rios

to be done. Budd is also confident that they are on the right track and have even exceeded some of their early goals. “There’s a difference between doing a great job and being perfect,” she said. “There’s still going to be a bus driver that’s new that’s late; there’s still going to be families that for whatever reason go to the wrong school. … People forget that it’s never perfect the first day of school before Pathway to Greatness so we definitely shouldn’t expect it to be perfect.”

continued on page 6

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E D U C AT I O N

Across the river from Devon Boathouse, Riversport Adventures OKC & Regatta Park This property is located immediately south of the Oklahoma City central business district, on the south side of the Oklahoma River, due east of the Core to Shore public park area (across the river). Located in TIF District 4 Oklahoma River and an Opportunity Zone (Reduce or eliminate capitol Gains Tax) Some market observers believe intensive commercial development will eventually spread to this area. Currently zoned R-1 Single Family Residential, could be rezoned Commercial.

The reaction

Some of the community engagement meetings following the announcement of the three paths lasted upward of four hours. Parents, teachers and students attended the meetings to provide feedback on the plans. McDaniel said they talked to more than 6,000 people collectively throughout the meetings and stayed until people had no more to say, but Henry does not feel like they answered everyone’s questions adequately. “We did not answer their questions like we should have, even though there were community meetings. … So for some parents, it seems like it’s being rushed. They feel like they’re not being heard, and I wanted to emphasize that we as a board were voted to this position by the public,” he said. “We should make sure that those questions are answered.” The Friday before the final vote, Alliance for Better Community Schools held a press conference outside Northeast Academy to “demand a time-out.” About 20 parents, teachers and community members attended with signs asking education officials to save schools. T. Sheri Dickerson, head of the organization, said the school board made decisions without actually listening to the community. She said they knew changes had to happen but wanted more time. “We sat until sometimes after midnight in schools,” she said at the conference, “listening to the pleas of the parents and the community members saying, ‘We need more time. We don’t understand. We don’t agree with some of the choices. Aren’t there other options?’ And it didn’t seem like there were any other options besides those three presented. … This is going to deplete and defeat the successes that we’ve already made.” Some parents at the press conference expressed concern with their children riding school buses, which they feel can be unsafe. “I’m so passionate about this because I’m a byproduct of OKCPS. I am MAPS 1,” said Christina Simmons, who has five children in public schools. “I moved

Horace Mann teacher Maria Ramirez holds a sign during Alliance for Better Community Schools press conference March 1. | Photo Miguel Rios

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to a specific location so my kids could walk two blocks to their schools. As a single parent, that’s a luxury. Now they’re telling me that they’re going to have to take a bus and go all the way, two or three miles. That’s absurd.” Pela Calderon, a mother with children in high school and elementary school, told Oklahoma Gazette she thinks McDaniel’s heart is in the right place but also feels like officials went about the plan in the wrong way. “In my opinion, it’s affecting more of the low-income families, the ones who might not have vehicles,” she said. “I think that what hurts the most to most parents is not only the distance and how it will be affecting them every day of their lives, but another factor to this is just that neighborhood schools served a lot of functions and that’s what really kept communities together. … We really have to watch out to be able to hold [education officials] accountable for all these promises that were made.” Jose Sanchez, a longtime OKCPS volunteer and community activist, felt the community meetings were a waste of time and education officials were moving too fast. His interview is translated from Spanish. “What I didn’t like was all the wasted time of us going to meetings, giving suggestions and asking them not to close schools, for them to go ahead and do it anyway. … If people were opposed to it, why did they do it?” he said in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “They didn’t listen to the community. … I attended three meetings and 99.9 percent of people who spoke opposed the superintendent’s plan.” OKCPS hosts a districtwide open house at all schools May 4 so students, parents and teachers can meet their new school communities and familiarize themselves with the facilities. “The kids are gonna be absolutely fine. On the first day of school, you will walk into any school in the district and kids are going to be playing and laughing and making new friends and going to class,” McDaniel said. “It’s the adults who are really struggling with this right now, and fairly so. I get it. We’re trying to bring as many answers as quickly as we can to help our families.” Visit okcps.org.

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Building history Oklahoma City Council is making decisions on the historic and cultural significance of two properties with long histories. By Miguel Rios

City council members brought forth resolutions to acknowledge the historic and cultural significance of two properties. One resolution was approved, bringing two organizations together in compromise, while the other was deferred for a month.

Merging support

After being deferred three times, Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice’s resolution on Brockway Center and Child Abuse Response and Evaluation (CARE) Center was passed. Representatives from the Oklahoma state and city chapters of National Association of Colored Women’s Club (NACWC) and CARE met last Monday to come up with a plan they could present to the council. “They put together a new resolution statement for us to review, and they even drafted a memorandum of understanding for us,” Stay McNeiland, CARE chief executive officer, told Oklahoma Gazette. “We really did not have that many changes as the CARE Center because our whole intent behind wanting to work Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid presented a resolution to start the process of designating First Christian Church and Jewel Box Theatre historic landmarks. | Photo Oklahoma City Council / provided

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with them has always been so they could be honored in the ways they wanted to be honored and remembered.” Jackie Gates, president of the state NACWC chapter, and Sandra Finney, president of the city NACWC chapter, spoke at the city council meeting. They both said the most important thing was that their history did not get erased. “We still prefer they not demolish it, but that’s not up to us. We don’t own the property,” Finney told Gazette. “But we were able to talk to the CARE Center parties, and we came to this conclusion that they will work with an architect and the historical preservation group to make sure it’s not a big old fancy place but something that’s commensurate with the whole community and fits in. … We’re happy that they were able to compromise and we were able to compromise; I think each side got a little bit of what we really wanted to see.” The memorandum of understanding states that both parties agree to support the goals of each entity while maintaining a “commitment to the historic testament of the merging of the old and the new.” It also lists five provisions, which include installing two historic markers, a placard describing the house’s history and a memorabilia wall inside one of the boardrooms. “We’re also giving them the ability to use the facility whenever they want. They’re going to be having their board meetings there and have the ability to use that as an event space or get together space anytime they want,” McNeiland said. “They’re also going to send a designee or one of them will join our board as well as our future planning committee.” CARE’s next step is to get the property rezoned as a business within a residential area, which McNeiland said

CARE Center will demolish Brockway Center but plans to memorialize the house’s history and welcome a local member of National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs to its board. | Photo Alexa Ace

CARE is confident will happen smoothly and allow it to move forward with its expansion plans. Construction is scheduled to begin this year.

Historic designation

Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid presented a resolution intended to start the process of designating First Christian Church and Jewel Box Theatre a historic landmark overlay district, which would require a review process before any demolition could happen. Shadid said taxpayers have essentially subsidized the church for 70 years through funding the maintenance of streets and the park across the street. “We as taxpayers are subsidizing these religious institutions, and we do so because we believe there’s a communal benefit,” he said. “So now we’re asking for, not necessarily for complete preclusion of the demolition, but just for a time-out — ultimately, that’s what’s being asked for. What we’ve learned and what the Donnay Building has proved, and I think what this building is going to prove, is that having a timeout, having a public discussion potentially brings bidders to the process that weren’t previously involved.”

David Box, attorney for First Christian Church, said the city council should not impose its will against church leaders’ wishes. | Photo Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard, P.C. / provided

About 10 community members signed up to speak at the city council meeting, including representatives from Okie Mod Squad, Crown Heights-Edgemere Heights Neighborhood Association and Preservation Oklahoma. Only three speakers were against the resolution: the church’s senior minister Rev. John Malget, the church’s lawyer David Box and Rev. Pam Holt, a regional minister for the church’s denomination. “We still believe that we are the Church of Tomorrow, but we’re not tied to a building. I’m trying to save a community of faith that is doing good work in Oklahoma City right now,” Malget said. “We are community of faith trying to survive, and putting this designation

on our property will cause some problems even if we sell to someone who wants to keep the building. And please hear me; we want someone to buy the property that wants to keep the building. … We want the building to be saved, but we want to move forward as a community of faith.” Jewel Box Theatre is not ADAcompliant, Malget said, but current owners were grandfathered in. New owners would need to make the venue ADA-compliant. The only way to do that is to knock out walls and expand it out, and Malget said that is only one of many issues. “This would be an extraordinary measure by the city council to impose their will against the desire and against the rights of the current property owner,” Box said. “This is not a fight about whether or not to demolish the building. As you heard the reverend say, they don’t want to demolish the building. What this designation would do is reduce the pool of potential buyers; it would limit the ability of the church to continue their mission of faith.” Two council members expressed their desire to preserve the church but wanted to take more time to find a win-win solution. Ward 8’s Mark Stonecipher wants to meet with lawyers to see if the council is setting itself up for potential lawsuits. Ward 6’s Meg Salyer said she has personally spoken with two individuals interested in buying the church and thinks it would be a good idea to bring the parties involved together to find a compromise. Ward 5 councilman David Greenwell cited property rights to express his complete opposition to the resolution. “I know there’s a lot of fascination with socialism, which leads to greater government control,” he said, “but so far, we’re still a republic, and we have private rights to property that we own. But more importantly, for government to come in and interfere with the church, we have no right to do that.” City council members felt they needed more time to assess the situation, so they voted to defer the resolution with a verbal commitment from church leaders to not move forward with potential sales or demolition. The resolution will be heard again April 9, which is also the first meeting where Ward 2 councilman-elect James Cooper and Ward 6 councilwoman-elect JoBeth Hamon will take their seats. Both Cooper and Hamon have told Gazette they are in favor of making the church a historic landmark. Historic Preservation Commission meets April 3, and Shadid said it is likely to start the process of designating the church a historic landmark itself. If this is the case, city council could strike the resolution from the agenda. However, the final decision will still be voted on by council members and the mayor. Since church leaders oppose the zoning overlay, seven votes will be needed to approve the designation. O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

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Bag men

Wake-up calls

One of 2018’s most popular memes took a screen shot from a bespectacled anime character looking at a butterfly and asking the question, is this a pigeon? As Norman mayor-elect Breea Clark made the push to tax single-use plastic bags in the city, the Oklahoma Senate is looking at that attempt with the question, is this the Green New Deal? Senate Bill 1001, proposed by state Sen. James Leewright, R-landfill, sailed through the Senate and is up for consideration in the House. The bill would prohibit cities from banning or taxing containers including plastic bags. Leewright’s argument for a preemptive ordinance against an ordinance is that businesses will not move to Oklahoma due to the lack of litter consistency. Why would a company do business if it is not allowed to use plastic bags in certain areas? Keep in mind that cities all over the country have banned plastic bags outright. That makes as much sense as the conservative talking points surrounding the Green New Deal alleging that GND bans air travel and outlaws hamburgers. Both of these points are not true because it’s not a piece of legislation and doesn’t actually advocate for the full elimination of those things. Clark told The Norman Transcript that Leewright’s argument is “insane and completely unreasonable.” “Tell me one business that’s not going to move here because we don’t have a preemption bill in place. I’ll listen, but I don’t think you’ll find one,” Clark told the Transcript. Clark said the bill emerged from the carpeted walls of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative lobbying firm that treats states like Oklahoma like guinea pigs for its prewritten legislation promoting deregulation like it’s a new Ayn Rand novel. Under Leewright’s thinking, businesses will be turned off from coming to Oklahoma if they cannot get uniform container rules? Is that seriously more of a deterrent to commerce than turning back the clock to the Wild West with constitutional carry?

Body count

With 1,079 of every 100,000 people behind bars, according to a study released by Prison Policy Initiative last year, Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate in the U.S., and even under the most draconian application of state laws, some of those people might not even belong there. Earlier this month, Judge Tom Price ordered Oklahoma County Detention Center to check all of its inmates after discovering that Charles E. Lemons had been detained for nearly eight months without being arraigned. This happened despite a county court policy mandating defendants appear before a judge to be formally notified of charges within 10 days of being taken into custody. “I was thinking, ‘They forgot me,’” Lemons, who was arrested in July for failing to register as a sex offender, told The Oklahoman after his release. “I really didn’t know what to do.” Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office public 10

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information officer Mark Opgrande, meanwhile, told KOCO News 5 that Lemons never complained about the situation and the squeaky wheel gets due process. "Under a normal circumstance, what would happen is someone would make a request and say, 'Hey, I've been here a certain amount of time and I see I do not have a court date set,'” Opgrande told KOCO. “Then, that would've alerted us immediately to find out, 'OK. Why does he not have a court date right now?'" Opgrande went on to say that Lemons, reportedly homeless, “was actually going to wait until it got warmer out” before he alerted anyone. Whether you blame administrative oversight or someone gaming the system in just about the saddest possible way, it is a mix-up worthy of an episode of Seinfeld scripted by Franz Kafka.

We all get them and we all hate them because both impostor scams and robocalls intend to take your hard-earned money. Thankfully, Oklahoma's own team of crime fighters are assembling to take down robocalls and prevent consumer fraud scams. Last year alone, 50 billion illegal robocalls were made, according to KFOR. Believe it or not, those were not all in Oklahoma. It does feel like everyone's Okie grandparents have been scammed at least once — fine; maybe five times — but they really thought they had outstanding student loans from the ’80s, OK? That is why top prosecutors across the nation are pushing the TRACED Act, which would force carriers to establish that an incoming call is legal before it goes through to your phone. "There is technology that telecommunications companies can deploy that will intercept these calls if they can get authority to deploy that technology, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter told KFOR. In addition to the high number of pesky robocalls, impostor scams became the top consumer fraud report received by Federal Trade Commission (FTC), so FTC is teaming up with the attorney general's office and even AARP to address the issue.

Last year, 1.4 million consumer fraud reports were filed with reported losses of $1.5 billion, according to KFOR. Impostor scams are like robocalls but with real people actually putting in some effort. They pretend to be from the government or even distant family members who need thousands of dollars right now. There is usually no time to explain. "What they're trying to do is keep you from thinking through the issue and recognize that you might be victimized by a fraud," Dama Brown from the FTC said about impostor scams, though the same could be said about many Oklahoma politicians. The AG's office has a consumer protection unit, so go tell your grandparents that $5,000 they sent a long-lost cousin could still be recouped.

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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.

Schools tied

Pathway to Greatness offers hope for Oklahoma City Public Schools, but the state’s public education system needs more than just hope. By Nikita Lewchuk

If there were ever a school dedicated to achieving Horace Mann’s dream of making education “the great equalizer,” Harding Charter Preparatory High School would be it. Harding’s mission statement reads, “Provide every student with an academically challenging educational experience through an advanced placement (AP) curriculum, which will prepare students for success at a fouryear university.” The biggest point of pride at Harding is being named the No. 1 public school in Oklahoma by US News & World Report five years running. A close second is being able to serve disadvantaged communities — over half the student body is on the free or reduced lunch program. I’m wrapping up my senior year at Harding, one of 20 schools in Oklahoma City Public Schools District to be impacted by the Pathway to Greatness initiative. Harding has undeniably served me well throughout my four years there. I’m set to graduate in the fall with several more credits than the state requires in subjects like science

and foreign language, and I’ve earned enough AP credits to test out of nine classes at University of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I am not the type of student the school was designed to serve. I was fortunate enough to attend a private school from kindergarten through seventh grade. While I was there, I had access to incredible resources, both materially and from teachers. The day I set foot in Harding, I could already do basic algebra and write essays and had experience in lab science. Harding is a charter school, which means admission is determined through a lottery system, not through an entrance exam. This is both one of Harding’s greatest strengths and its fatal flaw. Serving students who need help the most means filling in all the gaps these children have in their education. Remember, this is Oklahoma City Public Schools — 48th in the nation, 47th in terms of K-12 achievement. Each year, there are students in freshman English who have never written an essay before or are unable to identify basic parts of speech. Through

no fault of their own, they have been let down by Oklahoma’s public school system and simply cannot learn at a ninth-grade level. Incredibly, Harding offers no remedial courses. If a student fails a class, they come in during the summer and “relearn” the material in a program called A+. However, this program is woefully inadequate when it comes to fundamentals like writing or basic arithmetic and algebra skills. This is where Harding’s current policy of offering only AP and pre-AP classes might do these students more harm than good. They should absolutely have the chance to take AP classes and be exposed to this level of material, but you cannot treat students who transfer from public schools one step above babysitting services the same way you treat kids like me. There is a mantra I’ve heard repeated by teachers and administrators at Harding that goes, “The workload at Harding is more challenging than other schools to prepare you for college,” which I can buy into. The second part is, “Your Cs and Ds are like getting As and Bs in the public school system. Colleges will see this and accept your grades over a public school student because they will see you went to Harding.” This part I find much harder to swallow for a couple of reasons. First, any student who chooses to go out of state won’t benefit from Harding’s name recognition. Second, many scholarships that these students are so in need of are based on grade point average (GPA). What are they going to do, staple a copy of the US News & World Report article to every scholarship application? Though they might be getting a much better education at Harding, their achievement doesn’t translate to the transcript. And make no mistake; these students are working incredibly hard for 2.5 GPAs. Two Saturdays a month, the school is open 9 a.m.-noon for students who need help in math and English, but if you cannot tell a noun from a verb and your homework is to read two chapters of Charles Dickens by the end of the week, there’s only so much two Saturdays can do. This also means that twice a month, certain teachers and administrators spend their entire Saturday mornings at schools. The majority of teachers make a real effort to keep office hours and will gladly talk with students who need help before or after school, but remember, the kids who are struggling at school

are many of the same kids who work to support their families. The faculty attrition rate at Harding is on par with that of Star Trek extras. Teachers simply cannot afford to raise or start a family on their salaries, so it is no wonder the state is approaching 3,000 emergency-certified teachers. The fault does not lie with the teachers, most of whom put in many hours a week on top of the time they are at school, nor with the administrators who were having a hard enough time finding qualified teachers to teach in this state before all the budget cuts hit. The fault lies squarely on the shoulders of our state government, which never made school funding a priority and will not do so anytime soon. I’m still proud to go to Harding despite all of this. Going to a majority-minority school was life-changing for me in ways I’m only now beginning to realize. We as a country cannot afford to remain segregated by race and class, but also we cannot treat students with different needs the same way. Schools like Harding serving kids from all economic and racial backgrounds are the first step to creating a more inclusive and open society, but they need help. This is where I see the Pathway to Greatness as an incredible opportunity. The incoming class of freshman is set to increase from 135 to 170 students, and the space available allows for more growth if the increase goes well. A bigger student body means more per-pupil funding, and a newer building means far fewer repair costs, which could add up to a lot of new resources, but it’s still not enough. Change needs to come from the state level, and usually this is where I would also call for federal funding, but with Betsy DeVos at the helm, we will be lucky if we still have paid teaching staff by next year’s elections. Last November, a record 16 educators were elected to positions in the state Legislature. But before you get too hopeful, remember that everything I have just described is coming out of the No. 1 public school in the state five years running. No, that sound you’re hearing isn’t Gov. Kevin Stitt brushing yet another education reform bill off his desk. It is Horace Mann rolling over in his grave. On second thought, maybe it is both. Nikita Lewchuk is a senior at Harding Charter Preparatory High School. They are currently a reporting intern at Oklahoma Gazette. | Photo provided

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M A R I J UA N A

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Unified plan

The governor signed into law the first major piece of medical marijuana legislation this session. By Matt Dinger

The first piece of medical marijuana legislation is now law. House Bill 2612, also known as the “unity bill,” was authored by Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada. It cleared the state House of Representatives on Feb. 28 with 93 voting yes and five opposed and then passed the Oklahoma Senate with a 43-5 vote March 11. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill Thursday afternoon. The bill outlines an expansive array of powers and authorities relegated to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) under the Oklahoma State Department of Health, including appropriating monies, establishing guidelines for inspections, packaging and labeling requirements and product testing. The bill — 55 pages in length — is comprised of 24 sections. The first and second sections define terms used therein.

Sections 3-5

OMMA codification and functions Sections 3 and 4 codify OMMA and its functions. Section 5 creates the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Revolving Fund, which will receive all the fees, fines and taxes collected.

Section 6

Monitoring and disciplinary actions Section 6 addresses monitoring and disciplinary actions relating to the medical marijuana program and states that inspections of medical marijuana businesses shall be limited to twice a year. If violations are found, additional inspections might occur without notice if it’s believed that evidence will be destroyed. This section also states that alleged criminal activity will be referred to state and local law enforcement. “Disciplinary actions may include revocation, suspension or denial of an application, license, or final authorization and other action deemed appropriate by the department,” the bill states. Disciplinary actions might be imposed for failure to comply; falsifications; impeding a monitoring visit; failure to submit or disclose required information; diversion of medical marijuana and its products; a failure to pay monetary penalties; threatening or harming a patient, medical practitioner, or a health department employee; or “any other basis as identified by the Department.” The initial fine for selling medical marijuana to anyone not allowed by law 12

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to possess it is $1,000. Subsequent violations are punishable by a $5,000 fine, and businesses might have their licenses revoked if the violation was shown to be willful or grossly negligent.

Section 7

Patient and caregiver registry Section 7 creates a registry for patients and caregivers that complies with state and federal laws, including HIPAA. The registry will be accessible by licensed dispensaries, but all other records maintained by OMMA are deemed confidential. No personally identifiable information shall be stored, according to the bill, and a log will be kept of any event in which the records were made available and to whom.

Section 8

Patient rights Section 8 prohibits municipal and county governments from restricting or interfering with the rights of a licensed patient or caregiver to possess, purchase, cultivate or transport marijuana within the legal limits. “Nothing in this act … shall prohibit a residential or commercial property or business owner from prohibiting the consumption of medical marijuana or medical marijuana product by smoke or vaporization on the premises, within the structures of the premises or within 10 feet of the entryway to the premises,” the bill states. Patients will not be denied by landlords the right to consume medical marijuana products in forms that don’t involve smoking or vaping, and patients and caregivers will not be denied eligibility in public assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP or WIC unless required by federal law. A medical marijuana patient or caregiver will not be denied the right to own, purchase or possess a firearm or ammunition solely on their status. Employers will not be allowed to refuse to hire, discipline, discharge or penalize an employee based solely on their status as a patient or caregiver, unless the employee consumes or is under the influence of medical marijuana while on the job or is involved in “safety-sensitive job duties.” Those jobs include but are not limited to: commercial drivers, heavy machinery and power tool operators, machine repairmen, utility workers, law enforcement officers and armed security officers, firefighters,

those involved directly with patient or child care and those involved with the transport, processing, storage or disposal of hazardous waste and flammable or combustible materials. The section also sets the same restrictions for smoking or vaping medical marijuana as tobacco under state statutes.

Sections 9-12

Physician and caregiver regulations Section 9 allows OMMA to contact the recommending physician of a medical marijuana patient applicant to verify the need for the license and also sets a reduced application fee for veterans of $20. Section 10 states that only licensed Oklahoma allopathic and osteopathic physicians may provide medical marijuana recommendations; no physicians will be subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty for issuing recommendations; and a physician may revoke a patient license. The physician also cannot have a physical address as a dispensary. Sections 11 and 12 authorize caregivers to be in possession of the sum of the possession limits of the number of patients under their care but are limited in cultivation for no more than five patients. Medical marijuana may only be grown on owned property or with the landlord’s permission and may not be accessible to the public or visible from an adjacent street.

Section 13

Purchase and tracking regulations Section 13 states that all medical marijuana must be purchased in the state and grants OMMA oversight and auditing authority to ensure that is being

House Bill 2612 was passed by both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature and signed by the governor. | Photo Alexa Ace

followed. It also requires each marijuana business to keep records of transactions with other businesses, patients and caregivers. A seed-to-sale inventory tracking system will require records of when seeds are planted, harvested or destroyed and when marijuana is transported, sold, stolen, diverted or lost. A “complete inventory of all marijuana, seeds, plant tissue, clones, plants, usable marijuana or trim, leaves and other plant matter, batches of extract and marijuana concentrates” will also be required in addition to records of samples sent to testing laboratories and sales samples. Businesses will be required to keep the names, addresses and phone numbers of the growers, manufacturers or sellers of marijuana and its products as well as the date, batch number and dollar amount spent, among other records.

Section 14

Business applications Section 14 outlines the types of business licenses required and their costs. Additionally, 75 percent of all management or ownership must have resided in Oklahoma for at least two years immediately preceding the application or for five continuous years in the past 25 years. All business applicants will also be required to register with Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBN), and cannot have a nonviolent felony conviction in the last two years or any other felony within five years. Applications may only be rejected for not meeting the requirements or for being incomplete. All licensed businesses must be in compliance with the Oklahoma and international build-

ing codes, and the International Fire Code unless granted an exemption by OMMA or a municipality.

Sections 15-17

State Department of Health Transporter licensure Testing licensure Section 15 is one sentence. It reads, “The State Department of Health is hereby authorized to develop policies and procedures for disclosure by a medical marijuana business of financial interest and ownership.” Section 16 outlines the requirements for a standalone transporter license, which is valid for one year. The transporter must conform to all seed-to-sale tracking requirements as well as have a vehicle equipped with GPS. Transported marijuana must be in a locked, labeled container. Section 17 sets up licensing for medical marijuana testing laboratories. It prohibits lab owners from being a “direct beneficial owner or an indirect beneficial owner” of a dispensary, grower or processor. A medical laboratory director must be on-site during operational hours. Laboratories can accept samples from licensed patients. Labs will be required to keep test results for at least two years. Samples will be tested for microbials, mycotoxins, residual solvents, pesticides, THC and other cannabinoid potency, terpenoid potency and heavy metals.

Sections 18-24

Packaging requirements Research and education requirements Advertising restrictions Section 18 sets packaging requirements for medical marijuana, including childproofing and “shall not depict images other than the business name logo of the medical marijuana producer and image of the product.” Cartoon characters or similar images that appear to target people under age 21 are prohibited. Packaging will also require a universal symbol indicating that the product contains THC and the THC and other cannabinoid potency. Section 19 and 20 outline the requirements for a medical marijuana research and educational facilities. Section 21 prohibits deceptive, misleading or false advertising as well as advertising or signage that specifically targets those under 18, including cartoon characters and similar images. Section 22 establishes that all patient information, including financial details, and dispensary records with patient information is confidential and exempt from the Oklahoma Open Records Act. Section 23 outlines authorities that can implement provisions of the legislation, and Section 24 is a set of amended definitions. View the bill at oklegislature.gov.

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Criminal uprising

BCC Collective is celebrating the close of its first quarter in business with its first major harvest. By Matt Dinger

Four months after street artist Jeks put the finishing touches on the iconic Albert Einstein mural on the former cigarette and candy company wall, he is back in action on the southern wall. Inside BCC Collective, 1015 NW First St., the gears steadily grind. The “Blue Collar Criminals” have been growing in number and putting in continuous work at the “factory,” as they have come to call it. The planted seeds have borne flowers, and plenty of them. St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the collective unleashed its first major harvest with more than 20 strains. The hive is buzzing with a dedicated team of professional trimmers getting the product ready for sale days before it hits shelves. Since opening New Year’s Day to a line of curious patients waiting under gray skies in freezing temperatures, the dispensary has only been picking up steam. Young adults steeped in street culture and weed nerds stand beside patients who qualify for AARP membership at the counter. The smaller crops they have harvested over the past few months have steadily sold out, many of them in a matter of hours. “I never expected it. I just hoped,” said owner Darin Delaney. “I knew we were growing some really good genetics and some good product, so I’m stoked that people are liking it.” Being a vertically integrated company, they can afford to charge lower prices than some other dispensaries. Prices start at $10 a gram with all taxes included, with a pricier “platinum shelf” available. Delaney initially set prices based on what he had seen in California for cannabis of similar quality but realized that Oklahoma had a smaller market and a much lower cost of living and adjusted accordingly. “I’m trying to make it where everyone can check it out, sample it and see what

Street artist Jeks lays down the foundation for his second mural on the southern wall of BCC Collective. | Photo Alexa Ace

a Blue Collar Criminals product is, what a BCC Collective product is,” he said. “When I did the math and realized I could still do all right with those prices, at the end of the day, I was going to get to let a lot of people try it.” The collective blurs the lines between the recreational and medicinal markets, much to the chagrin of some patients who feel the company has gone too far in its marketing. Delaney has listened and reeled in some of the company’s image, making converts of some critics. Its website and listings on Weedmaps and Leafly have been rebranded under BCC Collective. The meaning remains the same and the scantily clad women have been reduced on the company’s social media, but the dispensary has not strayed from its core mission, with lab testing sheets available on the counters and a menu detailing the effects of each strain and which ailments it can treat. “That’s what’s been happening in marketing for a long time,” Delaney said. “I didn’t invent that. It’s not uncommon or unusual to use an attractive person to sell your product. If it looks like we’re having fun, it’s because we are. It doesn’t have to be uptight, and just because it has the title ‘medical’ attached to it, it doesn’t have to be some stuffy environment or white walls only or anything like that. Like everyone has seen, we’re pretty high-tech, we’re pretty state-of-the-art. We’re extremely sterile. We’re extremely clean. We run a really tight ship.”

Growing business

Cesar Herrera has brought his genetics continued on page 16

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continued from page 14

and knowledge to the dispensary, but grower Som Kiani has been putting in the hours from dawn until past dusk every day since September, caring for hundreds of cannabis plants. “It’s like babysitting, you know, but a little bit more intensive and it’s a lot of plants to babysit,” Kiani said. “I don’t leave until maybe 9 or 10 o’clock. Even when the lights go off, there’s still things that need to be done.” Though Kiani still uses the royal “we” in the spirit of the collective, he is a one-man team. His last day off before March was in October. “I love this, and I love Darin to death,” he said. “He’s been such a big brother to me. It’s like I’ve told everyone else; if this was a fucking chocolate factory, I’d be down with it.” Kiani’s family has owned a restaurant for 30 years, and for years, he has grown herbs and vegetables for it. The transition from a produce farmer to a cannabis farmer has been relatively easy. “Darin, I’ve known him since I was about 18, so 14 or 15 years; he kind of thought of it in his head,” Kiani said. “He’s like, ‘You know how to grow a few things. You want to give this a shot?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, it should be about the same.’ It’s like that. They’re all the same. Light, attention, water, making sure what you put into the cubes is the same thing that comes out. It’s not too hard, man. It’s the old saying, ‘If you love what you do, it’s not really work.’” Delaney, who has both a background in construction and experience with the California cannabis industry, knew it was best to start slow and then ramp up production rather than hitting the ground running. The facility was built in the 1940s, and much of the plumbing was old.

The massive amount of water that hydroponic growing requires put strain on BCC and caused issues, which the collective was able to correct before it started building additional, larger grow rooms. “There’s kind of three phases to this facility,” Delaney said. “The first one was just getting up and off the ground. We wanted to get one room going and just see kind of what the environment gave us, what the facility gave us, just how everything worked out.”

If it looks like we’re having fun, it’s because we are. Darin Delaney BCC will soon begin construction on the second grow room and has converted the vault into a cellar for curing cannabis, which was designed and built by BCC’s resident jack-of-all-trades construction whiz Mike Madden. “His nickname is ‘Madman,’” Delaney said. “He’s mad. He’s crazy. He’s my ace in the hole. He can build anything. This would not happen without all of these people. That’s the thing. I would only be able to carry it so far, but not as big as it is. Every single person that’s involved plays a really big role, and I’m just extremely fortunate to have these people help me out. That’s what’s really pushed everything to be bigger and better. The team is just kind of unmatched as far as I’m concerned.” Visit bcccollective.com.

Brian Lewis, aka Jeks, is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and painted BCC’s mural of Albert Einstein. | Photo Alexa Ace

EAT & DRINK

REVIEW

Chicken varutharachathu with basmati rice and garlic naan. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

Naan rising Naan Cuisine of India delivers with south Indian dishes in the old Ajanta location. By Jacob Threadgill

Naan Cuisine of India 12215 N. Pennsylvania Ave. naancuisine.com | 405-752-5283 WHAT WORKS: South Indian entrees and the kerala paratha are very good. WHAT NEEDS WORK: The papadums were slightly bitter. TIP: It closes between 3 and 5 p.m.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Naan Cuisine of India has been reborn at the former Ajanta Cuisine of India location and quickly become a hit in the Oklahoma City Indian community for providing dishes from the southern part of the country. Naan, 12215 N. Pennsylvania Ave., opened late last year and has replaced Ajanta’s buffet with lunch specials built around the standards of butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chana masala (chickpeas) and tandoori chicken. I never ate at Ajanta, but I know that it served north Oklahoma City for decades and was likely many people’s first experience with Indian cuisine. Judging from many less than stellar reviews on Yelp, Ajanta’s consistency had fallen in recent years. After a pair of visits to Naan, I can say that it is likely a marked improvement for that area of the city and diners who might be craving a few Southern Indian dishes. India is a massively diverse country, but most of the U.S. Indian food at restaurants is limited to standards like tikka masala and vindaloo. “Most Indian restaurants serve what South Indians refer to as ‘North Indian’ food,” wrote Alan G. on Yelp.

“Was excited to hear of an Indian restaurant opening up in OKC that offers South Indian food,” said Danny on Yelp. “… This is great for OKC as it fills a much needed void.” Naan offers its full menu at both lunch and dinner, which features north and south Indian dishes. The menu appears large, but it’s actually just split into different protein and vegetarian options with the same preparation options. It offers roganjosh, khomra, saag and kahdai from the north. Varutharachathu, kerala stew and Malabar curry are on the menu from the Indian state of Kerala, on the country’s southwestern coast that is famous for tropical Malabar Coast. Most of the Yelp reviews from Keralites expressed hope that the restaurant would add more southern dishes, but that will probably come with time. I was excited to check out Naan and used both my visits to try a few south Indian dishes for the first time. I went around noon on a Monday and found a solid lunch crowd there, many of whom were taking advantage of its lunch specials, which include naan and a samosa in exchange for smaller entrée portions. I told the server, who was also in charge of seating people, that I wanted to try something new. After initially ordering the chicken kerala stew, she came back a few minutes later to tell me that it was not available that day. Instead, I ordered the chicken varutharachathu, which is a stewed dish with coconut flakes blended in. It arrived after about 25 minutes with a side of basmati rice and a portion of garlic naan. The naan lived up as the

restaurant’s namesake, but the varutharachathu was the real winner. It was solidly spicy, and the presence of whole cumin seeds in the slightly red sauce showed me that they’re making their own garam masala. The next time I order the dish, I will probably go with lamb only because Naan used chicken breast, which was slightly dry, even after cooking in the sauce. That’s a personal preference and nothing the restaurant did wrong per se; I almost always buy thighs over breasts when cooking at home. I returned a few days later late in Naan’s lunch service (it closes between 3 and 5 p.m.) and received swift and friendly service. I ordered Malabar fish curry with a side of kerala paratha instead of naan. I wasn’t familiar with the

paratha, but it is native to southern India and similar to naan but layered and much thicker. I’m still thinking about it days later. As good as the naan was, I greatly enjoyed the kerala paratha. It was perfect for soaking up the tasty curry. Before the main course arrived, they brought out two papadums, a thin baked dough that is almost like a cracker. It’s served with three sauces: mint, tamarind and coconut chutney. I enjoyed all of the sauces, but I wasn’t as big of a fan of the papadum only because the whole cumin seeds in the dough were slightly bitter. The Malabar curry arrived with the fish covered in onions and peppers. I ordered it medium spicy and could’ve handled more. It was flecked with black mustard seeds, and the fish flavor went throughout the dish. As I mentioned earlier, I will return just for the kerala paratha. After I finished the fish, I kept dipping the dough into the sauce. Between the two dishes, I preferred the flavor of the varuthrachathu. Since I tried two south Indian dishes, I’m not sure how Naan’s other dishes stack up against other Indian restaurants in the metro area. A few of the Yelp comments mention that the tikka masala was too sweet for people’s taste. I’m very glad to have made the trek up to north Oklahoma City to check out Naan and try some south Indian dishes for the first time. It’s nice to have more options in the city, and my dreams the next few days will be as layered as the dough in the kerala paratha. Visit naancuisine.com. Malabar fish curry with kerala paratha, a layered flatbread from southern India. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

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F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Baja bus Taco Nation dishes California-style tacos from the windows of an old school bus. By Jacob Threadgill

Cooking for friends helped heal Tim Ulrich at his lowest moment after he and his wife Leanne moved to Oklahoma City from Southern California more than a decade ago. He is now returning the favor with his “weapon of love,” a former school bus. Taco Nation might be Oklahoma City’s most unique mobile eatery, not just because food is served through a 1988 Ford V700 bus that once transported up to 72 kids, but also with its commitment to serving fresh, fromscratch Baja California-style tacos with an emphasis on local ingredients. “It’s really fun having the bus because there’s room for people to eat on there,” Leanne Ulrich said. “We have so many conversations and connections that we can facilitate via the food.” With the tagline “for the people. by the people.” painted on the side of the bus, Taco Nation is routinely set up Tuesdays at Stonecloud Brewery, Fridays at Wheeler Park beginning Memorial Day and a variety of other hours and venues across the Oklahoma City metro. Its most popular item is the Baja taco, which is carne asada with housemade pico de gallo and guacamole sauce. “People get confused because they associate Baja with fish, but it’s a carne asada,” Tim Ulrich said. “We call it the Baja because we wanted to emphasize the difference between it and Tex-Mex.” Baja Mexican food or Cal-Mex differs from Tex-Mex with its emphasis on lighter ingredients, vegetables, avocado and perhaps its signature item, the fish taco, which was popularized in the U.S. below Tacos from Taco Nation feature microgreens from a local farm and fish from Edmond. right Taco Nation retrofitted a 1988 Ford school bus. | Photos Alexa Ace

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by the chain Rubio’s Baja Grill in the late 20th century. The fish taco, which is made with beer-battered fish from Edmond and paired with a spicy pink “magic sauce,” cabbage and pico de gallo is Taco Nation’s second most popular item, Ulrich said. It also offers shrimp, carnitas, surf and turf (shrimp and carne asada), chicken and vegetarian tacos, all of which can also be ordered as nachos with housemade chips. Taco Nation relaunched for its second season in early March with a new taco, The Okie, which pairs braised pork carnitas with pinto beans, queso fresco, sour cream, pico de gallo and microgreens from local Rooted Farm on a flour tortilla instead of corn. It has also added the option of ordering any taco as a “tacodilla,” — a cross between a taco and quesadilla — for an additional $2. “We love where the culture is going with a move to more vegetarian options, so we don’t put any animal product in our beans,” Ulrich said. “We added The Okie because there is a real pork and bean culture here. We’re calling it ‘midcoast,’ instead of left or right coast.”

Life-changing recipe

Ulrich works with local producers whenever possible, and even when he is buying ingredients from the local U.S. Foods Chef’s Store, he places an emphasis on building what he calls “relationship capital.” “I want people to taste the love,” Ulrich said, referencing how cooking first made him feel when he and his wife first moved to Oklahoma City about 12 years ago after refocusing property acquisition from California to Oklahoma in 2005 on the advice of a real estate agent. “I was living in my Southern California

bubble, and I didn’t even exactly know where Oklahoma City was on the map,” he said. During a trip to the state he bought property in downtown Oklahoma City, The Paseo Arts District and Guthrie. “One of the acquisitions that day was what ended up being the largest crack house and prostitution ring in the state of Oklahoma; so began the process of losing large, large sums of money,” Ulrich said. “I lost $50,000 in the first three months and went into a year-anda-half-long depression. I ended up having a crazy weekend in this crack house. It was a week where these pimps, prostitutes and I were weeping in a hall. I went from hating everyone to eventually moving into it.” Working on a tight budget, the Ulrichs stopped eating out and gravitated to cooking tacos in a Southern California style in the middle of the land of Tex-Mex. They started to make friends in the neighborhood and eventually moved about six blocks south to what is the former Orndale neighborhood just north of Interstate 40 and east of Western Avenue. “It started with five or six of us and turned into like 50 or 60 of us who began

Taco Nation founder Tim Ulrich | Photo Alexa Ace

to grapple with how you love your neighbors,” Ulrich said. “We wanted to bring neighbor back to the hood. It means loving the hell out of it and bringing heaven to it, which to us means peace, joy and righteousness. We started to eat together and saw the power of food and how it unifies people.” They started hosting group gatherings, and it was there that Taco Nation was formed. “It was one of those parties and it was 100 people, and our next-door neighbors were helping us cook and we looked at each other [after it was over] like, ‘Man, that was so fun. How do we get the truck going?’ I wasn’t sure at first,” Ulrich said. He told them he would need a generator to even consider opening a food truck. The next day, a neighbor found a Craigslist listing for the bus in Anadarko. “The bus and everything was cheaper than what I had budgeted for just the generator,” Ulrich said. “It was a poker room for some guy’s lake house retreat, like a mobile man cave, so we turned it into a taco bus.” Visit taconationokc.com.

Yukon 20th Annual

RESTAURANT • EVENTS • PRIVATE DINING

PRESENTED BY:

Over 20 local restaurants will be serving up a “taste” of their best! There’s something sure to please everyone.

Thursday, March 28, 2019 Dale Robertson Center - 1200 Lakeshore Dr. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Adults $15 in advance $17 day of event

Children 10 & under $10 in advance and day of event

Prices include tax.

Ticket Outlets: Yukon Community Center | Dale Robertson Center Jackie Cooper Gym | www.yukonok.gov

405.350.8937 cityofyukonokgov

www.yukonok.gov @cityofyukonok

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People THURSDAY, MARCH 28 TH

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ENJOY ARGENTINIAN & CHILEAN WINE TASTING, SMALL BITES, AND UNLIMITED VIEWS OF OKC! PURCHASE YOUR TICKET AT VASTOKC.COM/SPECIAL-EVENTS

$40 PER PERSON (INCLUDES TAX) 50TH FLOOR OF DEVON TOWER

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Delightful dips

There are many classic dips like pimento cheese, spinach and artichoke, and hummus that you can get at the grocery store, but these seven restaurants offer different takes on those classics. By Jacob Threadgill with photos Gazette / file and provided

Empire Slice House

The Jones Assembly

Iron Star Urban Barbeque

The menu at Empire is full of music pop culture references, including nods to Notorious B.I.G. and David Bowie. The When I Dip is an homage to the dance craze started by the 1996 Freak Nasty song “Da Dip.” The Empire version combines melted cheese, roasted artichoke, marinated spinach and red pepper for a combination that is as timeless as the dance craze.

In addition to turning out tasty pizzas, The Jones Assembly’s wood-fired oven creates the flatbread that is the star of its dip trio. The Jones takes the decision out of your hands with excellent takes on classic garbanzo bean hummus, refreshing tzatziki and pimento cheese elevated with its fluffy and slightly charred flatbread.

According to Serious Eats, pimento cheese got its start in New York as manufacturers started combining an early form of cream cheese with Spanish pimento peppers. It became associated with the South after pimento started being grown in Georgia and combined with grated hoop cheese. Iron Star adds a kick to the classic spread with charred jalapeños, and it is served with celery and plenty of marinated veggies.

1804 NW 16th St. empireslicehouse.com | 405-557-1760

901 W. Sheridan Ave. thejonesassembly.com | 405-212-2378

3700 N. Shartel Ave. ironstarokc.com | 405-524-5925

buffet option available all day!

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whiskeybiscuitokc.com 20

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Charleston’s Restaurant 224 Johnny Bench Drive charlestons.com | 405-778-8868

Charleston’s is known for its awesome spinach and artichoke dip that always delivers, but the Shrimp Cargot provides all of the fun of eating escargot (garlic, butter and cheese) with a much more accessible protein than snails. When done correctly, escargot is delicious but it is not for everyone. Shrimp Cargot is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Pub W

10740 S. May Ave. pubdub.com | 405-286-6970

The combination of onion dip and potato chips can be found at most casual get-togethers because it is always a tasty treat. Pub W takes that snack standard to another level with housemade potato chips, caramelized onions and plenty of creaminess.

Hummus Mediterranean Café

Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes

This Moore favorite opened a north Oklahoma City location recently, and in addition to its eight great hummus varieties, Hummus offers some other excellent dips. Muhammara is a dip that originates from Syria and blends roasted red pepper and walnuts into something that is completely different from hummus or baba ghanoush.

Oklahoma’s love of queso is so important that many restaurants provide it along with salsa. Barrios takes that complimentary version to a higher level with its cheese and chorizo. Another A Good Egg Dining restaurant, Cheever’s Cafe, also provides queso on steroids by combining avocado, salsa and beans.

3000 W. Memorial Road hummusmediterraneancafe.com 405-216-5468

1000 N. Hudson Ave. barriosmexicanokc.com 405-702-6922

connect to

Central UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

uco.edu

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

GazetteQtr.pdf

3/7/19

11:19 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2018-2019 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES presented by the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation

A p ri l 1 1 • 7 : 3 0

CMY

Lee Rocker made his mark singing, playing, standing on, spinning and rocking his giant upright bass in the legendary music group The Stray Cats, which repeatedly brought rockabilly music to the top of the charts. He was also in the cast of Broadway’s hit musical “Million Dollar Quartet,” playing the role of Carl Perkins’ brother, Jay.

OCCC VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER THEATER • 7777 SOUTH MAY AVENUE

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tickets.occc.edu • Box Office: 682-7579 • www.occc.edu/pas Oklahoma City Community College

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OKCU Behavioral Studies and Counseling Master’s OKCU’s long-standing Applied Behavioral Studies program focuses on improving mental health in Oklahoma. Program offers a one-year master’s degree and, for those qualifying, a two-year track for master’s degree plus the Licensed Professional Counselor requirements.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OKLAHOMA.

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EST. 1904

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ART

ARTS & CULTURE

Holocaust visible

Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman explores one artist’s experience with genocide. By Jeremy Martin

Miriam Friedman Morris grew up surrounded by her father’s artwork, but many pieces were missing and the work that was most important to him was the work he did not discuss. Born in Austria in 1893, David Friedman moved to Berlin in 1911 to study art. He began publicly exhibiting his works in 1919, and his paintings and portraits were published in newspapers and journals. However, most of this work was confiscated or destroyed when he, his wife and their infant daughter escaped from Nazi Germany to Prague in 1938, and still more was lost in 1941 when the occupying German forces deported his family from Czechoslovakia

David Friedman’s “Roll Call in Camp Gleiwitz I” | Image Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art / provided

to Poland’s Łódź Ghetto. The sketches he made of life there were also confiscated and destroyed, and when the ghetto was evacuated, he was separated from his wife and daughter (neither of whom would survive) and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. There — and in the Gleiwitz I labor camp and on a death march to Blechhammer — Friedman saw unspeakable horrors with his artist’s eyes that he began to depict after the Russian army liberated him in 1945. He continued his lifelong work after marrying fellow Holocaust survivor Hildegard Taussig and moving with their daughter Miriam to the United States. “I always knew my father was special, but as I got older, I learned he lost all his artwork, had nothing to show me of his pre-war fame,” Morris said. “So all I knew about him, really, was that he was painting the Holocaust. … Of course, he painted not only the Holocaust; he painted everything that captured his

imagination. He loved nature, he painted landscapes, he loved to paint still lifes. He painted portraits. My house was filled with paintings from the floor to the ceiling, down the hallway, down the stairs, everywhere. … Upstairs were landscapes and portraits and happy things and still lifes, but when you went downstairs, you were facing the Nazis, actually. You could just sit and stare at it, wondering, ‘How could this happen?’” Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman is on exhibit through May 26 at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, 555 Elm Ave., in Norman. The exhibition includes some of the artist’s portraits and landscapes along with Because They Were Jews, a visual diary of his Holocaust experiences featuring vivid illustrations with brief text descriptions. Friedman’s caption for the charcoal drawing “Cattle Train to Auschwitz,” for example, reads, “This cattle train will go to Aushchwitz-Birkenau for the annihilation of all the people seen in this drawing. We were pushed and pressed like sardines and the conditions inside were terrible; we could hardly breathe. Three days without food too. I will never forget this trip. It was like a hell and this was only the beginning.” The caption for “Roll Call in Camp Gleiwitz I” reads, “At six o’clock in the morning, everyone had to be in line and call his name. The block doctor would state the names of his sick prisoners. If anyone came late, they were beaten with an ox whip at least 25 times or had to walk on their knees for 50 yards in the snow. If anyone fell, they were also beaten. After roll call, the punished prisoners were transported to the barrack-hospital and were never seen again.”

Posthumous perspective

Though Morris remembers watching Friedman work on these and other drawings in his studio when she was a child, the scenes they depict were never a topic of conversation. After Friedman died in 1980, Morris discovered many of the unspoken details of his life by

reading his diary. “He didn’t talk about the Holocaust with me,” Morris said. “It’s not like we sat down and we were talking about that. He never talked about it, quite frankly. He didn’t need to talk about it because it’s all in his work. It was much too painful for him to talk to me about his first family. I learned most about my father from my mother, and then I learned more about my father after he died when I read his testimony, his own writing. It was very, very intriguing to me. I felt it very important to share what I could, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been sharing his mission to show his artwork to the world.” Using information from Friedman’s diary and with the help of art historians and collectors, Morris recovered many of her father’s pre-war artworks on several trips to Berlin, including hundreds of portraits he had drawn for German newspapers. “He, in his lifetime, didn’t know about all the things that I found, and it’s kind of sad because I have so many questions that will remain unanswered,” Morris said. “My father is an example of a Jewish artist, not the only one, of course, who lost his profession because of the German Reich, and it nearly eradicated every trace of him. But because he was able to survive, he was able to paint again. … After the war, like many other survivors, he had to start from scratch. They had no identity. They had to prove who they were. They had to get new birth certificates. They had to worry about everything. They had nothing. They came out with nothing.” Nothing but, in Friedman’s case, a mission to use his art to tell the world David Friedman’s “Prisoners Carrying Bricks” depicts the artist as the prisoner with glasses. what he witnessed. | Image Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art / provided In a diary entry

David Friedman’s “Cattle Train to Auschwitz” | Image Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art / provided

dated Sept. 23, 1945, Friedman wrote, “I saw something new, something that never happened before in this century. I experienced this tragedy not only with my eyes but buried it into my inner being, into my memory to tear out at a more peaceful time. These were powerful images that I saw — to give form to all that misery — to show it to the world — this was always my intent.”

Upstairs were landscapes and portraits and happy things and still lifes, but when you went downstairs, you were facing the Nazis, actually. Miriam Friedman Morris Morris will discuss her father’s life and art at A Night of Testimony 7-9 p.m. April 18 at the museum. Lorne Richstone, associate professor of music at the university, will lead an ensemble in a performance of five excerpts from works by Jewish composers whose careers were lost in the Holocaust. “We have to remember my father survived so he was able to write his story,” Morris said. “We have to think about all those that didn’t survive and we don’t know their story. … Unfortunately, many stories will never be told, but I think everybody’s story is important.” The exhibit and the presentation are free. Call 405-325-3272 or visit ou.edu/ fjjma.

Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman Through May 26 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave., Norman ou.edu/fjjma | 405-325-3272 Free

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

ARTS & CULTURE

TRUMPET CLOUDS PERFORMANCE 7-8 p.m. this Saturday | Campbell Art Park Join us for a mobile, live performance that responds to and activates Whiteout. Trumpet Clouds is free and family-, kidand pet-friendly. 6-8:30 p.m. | Coffee Slingers Roasters truck | NW 11th and Broadway Campbell Art Park is located at NW 11th and Broadway. Whiteout is presented by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation with support from gold sponsor Farmers Bank. For more information, visit okcontemp.org.

oklahomacontemporary.org | 405 951 0000 | @okcontemporary

@okcontemporary | 30003000 General Pershing Blvd. |Blvd. Oklahoma City, OKCity, 73107 General Pershing | Oklahoma OK 73107

Join us for Oklahoma’s

FIRST ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS

ART

Building Momentum

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition holds its 18th annual Momentum art show Friday-Saturday. By Jo Light

Since 1988, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) has celebrated the work of Oklahoma artists. Its annual Momentum event honors artists age 30 or younger, and now in its 18th year, the event is 8-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday at The Womb, 25 NW Ninth St., Wayne Coyne’s psychedelic gallery. For many of the artists showing at Momentum, it will be their first time in an exhibition and will serve as an early opportunity to learn from professionals in the art world. OVAC executive director Krystle Brewer said the show is important to prevent artists from feeling lost the first time they jump into an exhibition. Selected artists are invited to attend one of OVAC’s Artist Survival Kit (ASK) workshops at no cost, which helps prepare them for the installation of their work. “Overall, Momentum is really a great way to highlight the young emerging artists in our state that are just getting started,” Brewer said, “and a way that we can offer some support services along the way.”

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M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

“Truth” by Rachel Davis | Photo Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition / provided

“Shades of Brown” by Madeleine Witt | Photo Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition / provided

Brewer pointed out that the show is also an opportunity for burgeoning collectors since these young artists’ work will be for sale at a lower price as they begin their careers. Additionally, the show is a unique opportunity for guests to see inside The Womb. “I think it’s really important for us to move the location from year to year when we can,” Brewer said. “One reason is that it puts art in empty spaces, which I think is always an interesting concept. I think also it adds to the mystery of Momentum. You never know where it’s going to be.” Last year, the show was held in the Gold Dome, 1112 NW 23rd St. Marketing and membership coordinator Allison Hix agreed that the show helps share important Oklahoma City landmarks with the public. “I feel that The Womb is a great place to have [the show],” Hix said. “It’s the first time that it’s been open to the public since 2017.” In the 2019 show, 41 general survey artists will be represented through 65 pieces of art. These participants were chosen from the 122 artists and over 300 pieces submitted. Momentum offers several awards including the curators’ choice award and viewers’ choice award. An additional component of Momentum is its spotlight program that selects three additional artists and offers them support through a $1,000 grant and curatorial guidance. This year’s spotlight

Oklahoma City 501 NE 122nd Street, Suite C 405.752.0142 expressionshomegallery.com

artists are Emily Chase, Cecilia Otero and Anna Thomas. Chase said Momentum provides support at a time that is often difficult in artists’ lives. “They may go to school for art and then graduate,” she said, “and then you have to bridge this gap between being a student and what that means for your time and your finances and then [learn] how to make art in the world as an adult that’s not a student.” Chase works primarily with paper as a sculptural medium and also creates hand-cut multilayered paper light boxes. Her work for Momentum is a walkthrough installation called “Memory Box.” A 2017 concussion and subsequent memory loss, along with her grandmother’s progressing dementia, led Chase to explore memory’s fragility. Although Chase’s experiences are deeply personal, she hopes visitors connect with and relate to her piece. “The thing that I hope for in my work is that it feels honest,” she said. Otero uses collage as a storytelling medium. Her Momentum installation is a series of 100 postcard-sized collages that repurpose and change nostalgic images, focusing on their most human elements. This is Otero’s third year in Momentum. “I was very determined to be a spotlight artist just because I wanted to have the chance to work on a larger body of work,” Otero said. “I thought it would be, as an artist, a challenge for me to do so, which it has been.” Otero is pushing herself to be more creative with her large quantity of pieces. She has appreciated OVAC’s guidance and professional critiques as well as the community formed around Momentum. “It’s important for me because it gives me, so far, more opportunities to connect with other artists,” Otero said.

Greenhouse grass

Thomas’ work is an installation called “To the Glory of Grass.” She will transplant Oklahoma’s tall prairie grasses into a greenhouse-type structure. “My real focus and goal for the project is twofold,” Thomas said. “The first part being that I want to create respect and awe for the landscape across Oklahoma as well as serving as a poetic warning about the possible future of how we could experience this landscape if we don’t fight to protect it now.” She hopes to bring awareness to this aspect of the state’s unique landscape, which could lead to activism. “It was interesting even just meeting with the curators,” Thomas said. “I had 10 or so grasses set up in my apartment. They were just so taken aback by how tall they are and how beautiful the forms were, and they were learning about them just through our conversation.”

KITCHEN & BATH SHOWROOM

“To the Glory of Grass” by Anna Thomas | Photo Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition / provided

The artists’ prior work was also on display at 21c Museum Hotel in February. The spotlight artists will give talks about their projects 6 p.m. Sunday. Artists are not the only participants who are learning from this experience. Momentum also offers a position to an emerging curator who works with an experienced curator to select pieces and organize the show. This year, the emerging curator is Samantha Rhodes, who partnered with Zoe Larkins from Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Rhodes is melding her area of study, Italian Renaissance art, with her professional goals in contemporary art. She credits Larkins with being a resource through the preparation. “Zoe said, ‘You’ll pick up on what you enjoy and what you have an eye for throughout this whole process,’” Rhodes said. “I’ve really learned a lot from her and a lot about what curators really do, especially in the contemporary art scene.” Rhodes worked closely with the spotlight artists, providing guidance and communicating extensively. “Going through that process, and especially going through that process with Zoe leading the way, has been a big learning experience,” Rhodes said. “I think we’re both very proud of what we’re going to have finished by the time Momentum gets here.” Flock of Pigs and Dustin Ragland are providing live music, and Perpetual Motion Dance will perform aerial dances. The event is volunteer-supported, and those interested in serving as art ambassadors or helping with installation can check OVAC’s Facebook for the sign-up page. Additional free gallery hours are 2-6 p.m. Sunday. The Momentum show coincides with the first phase of Mix-Tape, a new experience by art collective Factory Obscura, which opens Thursday in The Womb. Visit momentumoklahoma.org.

Momentum 2019

OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY - TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL

THATCHER HOFFMAN SMITH POETRY SERIES “The border is what joins us, not what separates us.” ~ A. Ríos

ALBERTO

RÍOS

WEDNESDAY April 3rd, 2019 KERR MCGEE AUDITORIUM OKCU MEINDERS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NW 27TH & N. MCKINLEY 10:00 AM & 8:00 PM POETRY READINGS

PREVIOUS POETS

7:00 PM PUBLIC OPEN MIC

8 p.m. Friday-Saturday The Womb 25 NW Ninth St. momentumoklahoma.org | 405-879-2400 $10-$15

For more info visit: www.okcu.edu/film-lit O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

T H E AT E R

ARTS & CULTURE

Star gazing

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma presents the regional premiere of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star. By Jeremy Martin

If not for Hamilton hogging the spotlight, Bright Star might have gotten a little more shine. The bluegrass-inspired musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell makes its regional premiere April 3-28 at Lyric at the Plaza, 1727 NW 16th St. Artistic director Michael Baron said he is convinced Bright Star, which closed on Broadway after 109 performances despite earning five Tony Award nominations, could have been a bigger success with better luck. “I’m confident that this is going to be a classic and be done all the time,” Baron said. “The only reason it had a shorter Broadway run is it opened the same year as Hamilton, which took up all the energy in the room, I would say. If it had opened any other year, it would have won the Tony Award for best musical. … I think you’re seeing one of those shows that theatergoers are going to start to love once it’s done more.” Baron said he knew he wanted Lyric to stage the show immediately after watching a performance in New York City. “I saw it on Broadway two seasons ago and fell in love with the story, the characters and particularly the music,” Baron said. The show’s unconventional score combines elements of traditional Broadway musicals with bluegrass and Americana instruments and influences, and Baron said getting the folksier features right is especially crucial for local audiences. “In New York, it might have been more of a novelty, but here it’s part of the fabric of Oklahoma,” he said. “It’s a pretty full sound once it gets going, but there’s definitely not a lot of belting like Wicked or The Phantom of the Opera. It’s real American music coming from a real place in their hearts.”

Bright cast

Casting Bligh Voth, also featured in Lyric’s production of Big River and a regional tour of Million Dollar Quartet, as female lead Alice Murphy was essential to give the music an authentic sound, Baron said. “She has been singing bluegrass and country her whole life,” he said. “She sounds like a mix between Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton and Faith Hill. It’s just a stunning, beautiful voice. … I said, ‘Hey, if I do this show, I’m only going to do it if you’re available.’ So we found out when she was available and then programmed it around her schedule.” The original Broadway cast recording of the show’s music is 26

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already becoming popular with actors and theater students. “When we started music rehearsal, we focused on the ensemble and the background vocals because all the principals already knew their songs,” Baron said. “A lot of people are auditioning with them and really love the music. I taught at [Oklahoma City University] last fall, and we did a bunch of the music from the show, and the whole class already knew the songs. They were excited Lyric was doing it, and a few of my students are in the show in the ensemble, so it’s exciting to see them actually get to do the real piece.” Set in North Carolina, Bright Star shows Alice during two periods in her life: as a rebellious teenager in love in the 1920s and as the editor of an influential publication trying to help young Billy Cane, an aspiring author recently home from war in the 1940s. Instead of attempting to dazzle with flashy song and dance numbers, Baron said the musical relies on Alice’s relatable charm to draw the audience into the yarn she spins. “Some shows you kind of wow the audience with, and this is

one of the shows where the audience comes to the story,” Baron said. “The first thing [Alice] says is ‘If you knew my story, you’d have a hard time believing me.’ … The curtain opens, and there’s a woman that you might recognize as your neighbor saying, ‘I’m going to tell you the story of my life,’ which makes it special and makes it work particularly well, even though it’s probably one of the biggest shows we’ve done in the Plaza Theatre. I could’ve done it downtown at the civic center. It’s better in the smaller theater because everyone has to be up close to the actors and get to invest in the story and the music.”

Period piece

New York Times critic Charles Isherwood said Bright Star “tells a sentimentspritzed story — of lives torn apart and made whole again — that you might be more likely to encounter in black and white, flickering from your flat-screen on Turner Classic Movies,” but Baron said Lyric’s production is not intended to mimic the style of an old film. “People aren’t so different in different time periods,” Baron said. “Their situation is different. So the scenes and where everything is set put us in that time period, but we’re not going to be talking like an old black-and-white movie. Back then the acting style, the accent was called ‘mid-Atlantic’ that actors were trained in, and it meant you wer e somewher e between New York and London. It was sort of how Bette Davis talked and Joan Crawford, and we don’t talk that way anymore. The accent for the show is North Carolina, but I say it’s more important that we tell the story honestly and give it a Southern flair.” Baron compared Bright Star’s “unbelievably beautiful” story to a “Southern novel set to music on stage,” continuing in the “great literary traditions of America” established by

Bligh Voth plays Alice Murphy in Bright Star, a bluegrass-inspired musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, making its regional premiere April 3-28 at Lyric at the Plaza. | Photo K. Talley Photography / provided

writers such as Tennessee Williams and Pat Conroy. “This isn’t a tap-dancing show. It’s really a character-based show with beautiful music to help tell the story,” Baron said. “It’s funny, but it’s also heartbreaking and hopeful.” The skillful scripting allows the story to span multiple storylines and timelines without becoming hard to follow. “It’s written so well and clearly that it’s actually not that difficult,” Baron said. “For example, she [Alice] starts out as an adult, as the editor of the Asheville Southern Journal newspaper. When she goes back in time in a memory to when she was a teenager, the song is called ‘Way Back in the Day.’ So there’s a song that purposely was written for us to, onstage, transform her back into that world. The show itself is very cinematic.” Though Bright Star’s Broadway producers would have doubtlessly been happier if more people had seen it during its initial run, Baron said he is confident new audiences will fall in love with the show just like he did. “I realize people in town haven’t seen it yet, but once they do, it’s going to be one of their favorite shows ever,” Baron said. “This is one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen, and I’m excited to work on it. It’s so wonderfully moving and beautiful. It’s one of the shows I think people will be talking about for years that Lyric has done. The cast is wonderful, and the story is really, really heartwarming.” Visit lyrictheatreokc.com.

Bright Star April 3-28 Lyric at the Plaza 1727 NW 16th St. lyrictheatreokc.com | 405-524-9312 $25-$55 from left Ken Singleton and Voth in Bright Star | Photo K. Talley Photography / provided

T H E AT E R

Swing shift

Swingout OKC carves out a space to enjoy the rich tradition of swing dance in social, communityoriented ways. By Ian Jayne

“We just want people to dance.” That was the generating maxim behind Swingout OKC from its origins in 2016, and it remains the organization’s guiding principle, according to two of the group’s council members, Hannah Berrett and Sarah Bacon Liem, who jointly corresponded with Oklahoma Gazette over email. Swingout OKC offers weekly programming and hosts the firstever Scissortail Swing workshop in April. The group was borne out of serendipity and the lack of an organized swingdancing community in the Oklahoma City area. “Swingout OKC began in February of 2016, when a handful of strangers who had found each other at a public city dance event decided that while there might not currently be a swing dance scene in OKC, there would be if we kept showing up for each other and for new dancers,” Liem and Berrett said. Both Berrett — originally from Tulsa — and Liem — from Texas — learned how to swing dance before moving to OKC. Upon moving, both said they wanted to help build a vibrant community. “Our mission is to facilitate, sustain and grow the swing dance community of the greater Oklahoma City area by providing educational and social swing dance opportunities,” Liem and Berrett said. “We strive to promote a forward-thinking scene while preserving the historical culture of the dance. It’s very appropriate to be talking about the history of swing dancing during Black History Month, as all forms of swing dancing originated from African-American social dancing.” Swing dance has existed for almost a century, first emerging as part of the Harlem Renaissance in the early decades of the 20th century. “Swing dance” is a broad term that covers a wide variety of styles still practiced today,

such as East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, St. Louis Shag, Balboa and Charleston. “Most of our classes focus on the Lindy Hop, which really got its start in the 1930s at the Savoy Ballroom, where the AfricanAmerican communities often gathered to dance,” said Liem and Berrett. Performers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway frequently headlined Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom, and its popularity increased when it got the Hollywood treatment in films such as Hellzapoppin’ and A Day at the Races, featuring the professional group Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.

Our vision is to become a community hub for all forms of swing dance. Hannah Berrett and Sarah Bacon Liem Although the Savoy was torn down in 1959, ending mainstream Lindy Hop, swing dance continued to evolve. Modern styles such as West Coast Swing and Chicago Steppin’ emerged. In the 1990s, when Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers were hired to hold workshops, there was a revival of vintage styles such as the Charleston and Lindy Hop. “It’s these revived vintage dances that we focus on teaching at Swingout OKC,” Liem and Berrett said. Swingout OKC offers weekly classes. On Tuesdays, there are intermediate lessons at 7:30 p.m., beginner lessons at 8:30 p.m. and a social dance that starts at 9 p.m. at 3Sixty Entertainment Powerhouse, 7312 Cherokee Plaza. On

Sundays, Swingout OKC holds classes 6-7 p.m. (excepting every third month) at Oklahoma City Swing Dance Club, 4361 NW 50th St., Suite 400. All classes are $5, but a five-class punch card is available for $20. Students and military members may purchase lessons for $4 each or a punch card for $15. “Our vision is to become a community hub for all forms of swing dance, spurring integration of the diverse people of the greater Oklahoma City area through intentional outreach and fostering a safe and welcoming community for education and expression in the form of swing and jazz dance,” Berrett and Liem wrote. Swingout OKC offers both social dancing and performing options. Social dancing, according to Liem and Berrett, is all about having fun and building community, not to impress other people. Performing, while it includes an element of impressing the audience, is also about connecting. “We think swing dancing is a lot of fun, so we enjoy performing so we can show people how much fun it is,” Berrett and Liem said.

Scissortail Swing

In addition to its regular class programming, Swingout OKC also hosts Scissortail Swing, OKC’s first Lindy Hop workshop and dance weekend, April 26-28. It features two days of classes by six nationally known instructors as well as music by three live bands, social

Swingout OKC offers weekly classes and social dances in a variety of styles. | Photo provided

dances and even secret competitions (serious and silly) in addition to a jazz brunch. A beginner track — the Baby Bird pass — offers an option for people interested in dipping their toes into swing dance. Tickets are $5-$140. Registration is open at swingoutokc.com. Liem and Berrett said Scissortail Swing emerged from their experiences attending similar workshops in other cities. “We know how valuable it can be to have a large group of people come together who all want to learn more about swing dancing and have fun,” they said. “We wanted to bring that big community experience to our own city.” The workshop weekend has been a goal of Swingout OKC for a while and marks a milestone for the group. “Most swing dance scenes would not be able to host an event of this size just a couple months after their third anniversary, but we have a growing and vibrant community of dancers who have helped make Scissortail Swing possible,” they said. For Berrett and Liem, Swingout OKC is, at heart, a place for communal appreciation of dance. “We love being a part of this city,” Berrett and Liem said, “and we’re excited about introducing more people to the fun they can have while social dancing.” Visit swingoutokc.com.

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Crunch time

A new fitness club in Norman aims to help patrons get healthy. By Matthew Price

The owner of a new fitness center in Norman, the latest expansion in a growing nationwide chain, said it’s a great time to look at getting back in shape, no matter where you are today. “My dad used to always tell me, ‘How do you eat an elephant? Well, you do it one bite at a time,’” said John Armatas, one of the owners of Crunch Norman. “What people have to do is make a conscious decision that they want to improve their life on the physical side, on the health side.” From there, it’s a one step at a time, day by day process, Armatas said, that could start by walking in the doors of the new fitness center. Crunch Norman’s owners are Brian Hibbard and Armatas. The 24-hour Crunch Norman fitness club opened March 11 at 2300 W. Main St., the spot formerly occupied by Hastings Entertainment. And whether you are a fitness newbie or a top-level athlete, the club wants to welcome you with open arms. In the case of assistant general manager Joshua Guerrero, a former Marine who has been both a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter, the arms are probably pretty well-toned. “We like to create a culture of fitness here,” Guerrero said. The club offers cardio and strength training equipment, half-hour circuit training, personal training, a functional training area with indoor turf, a dedicated group fitness studio, tanning beds and sunless spray options. 28

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“We’re very no-judgment,” Guerrero said. “We like to create a facility where anyone can reach their fitness goals.” Those goals are measured in a variety of ways, including a 3-D body scan. At times, weight loss will stall as muscle is being added, and Guerrero said the metrics at Crunch Norman allow people to see beyond the scale and not get discouraged if that number isn’t always moving down. But it’s not just about being fit; it’s also about having fun. Armatas told Oklahoma Gazette that a culture of friendliness, enjoyment and fun will help get people in the doors to work on their own personal fitness goals. “Our team members, they get it; they are all there for the same reason,” Armatas said. “It’s an important piece of what we do. Take the economics out of it — this is really about impacting people.” Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves over 1,200,000 members with over 250 gyms worldwide in 25 states, Puerto Rico and four countries. Armatas and Hibbard own seven Crunch facilities. Norman was specifically selected for multiple reasons, including the location of University of Oklahoma and the town’s interest in fitness as a category. “We want to make sure the community in general has an interest in fitness, which we believe in a town like Norman, just driving around, seeing people outside running, doing outside recreation, that kind of community is the place we want to be,” Armatas said. “So Norman was specifically selected. Some of our other

locations are in similar type towns, like Athens, Georgia, where the University of Georgia is, or Lubbock, Texas.” Armatas said each city they’ve opened a Crunch location in has been heavily researched. “Before we go into a city, we spend 90 to 120 days sort of on the ground, driving it, looking at where the traffic patterns are, seeing the community in general, the activities; spend time looking at the local newspapers, watching the local businesses,” Armatas said. “We want a community where we will get a strong sense of community, as that’s what Crunch stands for — it’s a no-judgment philosophy, so we want to be open to everybody.” That philosophy was echoed frequently by both Armatas and Guerrero. “We really do believe it and live it,” Armatas said. “We recognize that less than 15 percent of the population exercises on a regular basis. We recognize the escalating cost of health care. It is important for people to find an environment that they like going to so that they will go.” He said making the trip to the gym fun and social will lead to better health outcomes. And whether that’s making time for a short workout or following a more intense regimen, Armatas said Crunch staffers want to meet you where you’re at and make you feel welcome. “Take out the fact that you gotta strap on your shoes and get in the car and go. If you’re not having a good time while doing it, not meeting people or having fun engaging with staff or other members, you’re probably not going to go,” Armatas said. “You’re probably going to drop out. And we really, really do want people to stay with us. Because we know that it impacts them. And we’ve seen it.” To make things easier on parents, a babysitting service is offered inside the gym for children age 6 months to 12 years. That’s one of many services that can be part of your membership at Crunch, but there are also multiple levels so members don’t pay for services or amenities they don’t need or won’t use. Crunch offers proprietary classes in several 30-minute formats, including HIITZone, a high-intensity interval group training program. With a very open layout to the gym, those working out will see many of the other classes and offerings that are available, possibly demystifying the process. “When you get a couple thousand people working out in a day, people are talking about it,” Armatas said. “It becomes part of their life; it becomes part of what they do every single day. Some people pay for a gym membership and they have it with the hope that they’ll go one day. Well, we think one day is today. And if you don’t start, you’re never going to realize who you are and what you can actually do in the fitness environment.” Visit crunchnorman.com.

CALENDAR These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS C.H. Armstrong book signing the author will autograph copies of her young adult novel Roam, 6:30 p.m. March 26. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE An Evening with Brandon Hobson the author and National Book Award finalist will read from his work and sign books, 7 p.m. March 20. Oklahoma City University, 2501 N Blackwelder Ave, 405-2085000. WED Katherine Harmon Courage book signing the author will autograph copies of Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome, 6:30 p.m. March 21. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU

Around the

neighborhood

HAPPENINGS 3 2 1 Council Contact the hosts of local podcasts Let’s Fix This and We Apologize for the Inconvenience interview Oklahoma City’s City Council members James Cooper, JoBeth Hamon and Nikki Nice, 6-9 p.m. March 26. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. TUE Cosplay in the Park a meetup for photographers and costume enthusiasts, noon-3 p.m. March 22. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405943-0827, okc.gov. FRI Dust Bowl Dolls Burlesque the local burlesque troupe performs its monthly show, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. March 22. The Flea, 733 NW Fourth St., 405-6017256. FRI Exchange Rotary: Water Is Life hear about efforts to improve sanitation, clean water and hygiene worldwide, noon-1 p.m. March 20. The Paramount Theatre, 11 N. Lee Ave., 405-637-9389, theparamountokc.com. WED

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Heartland Husky Rescue Adoption Event meet puppies and adult dogs in search of homes and imbibe alcoholc beverages, noon-3 p.m. March 24. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., 405-879-

T H E M U S E U M S TO R E ’ S A N N UA L

Sidewalk Sale! To Kill a Mockingbird The subject of seemingly endless controversy in schools and out, author Harper Lee’s classic plea for human decency features all-too realistic acts of cruelty, but it should be less offensive to sensitive sensibilities than any 24-hour news cycle. Director Robert Mulligan’s 1962 film adaptation gives us Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch, a prototypical model for nontoxic masculinity in the face of mob mentality ignorance and systematic racism. Some parts might have aged better than others, but the major themes remain tragically relevant. TCM Big Screen Classics series screenings are Sunday and March 27 at Tinseltown, AMC Quail Springs 24, and Regal Spotlight 14. Tickets are $4.50-$13.59. Visit fathomevents.com.

U P TO

SUNDAY AND MARCH 27Photo provided

Teen Fiction Writing Workshop author Jennifer Latham offers advice on writing young adult novels at this workshop hosted by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators of Oklahoma, 6-7:30 p.m. March 21. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. THU

3808, bleugarten.com. SUN Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball an evening of dancing and dinner hosted by Winfred Burns, Q. Willis and Kellz Johnson from Scoop Radio, 7-10 p.m. March 23. Aja Bleu Cafe, 2222 W. Hefner Road, 405-607-0553. SAT Meditation Classes learn about zen meditation at this free weekly class, 7 p.m. March 13. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S. Anderson Road, 405-869-0501.

FILM Apollo 11 (2019, USA, Todd Douglas Miller) a documentary featuring newly discovered footage from the first manned moon mission, March 22. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI Chicago (2002, USA, Rob Marshall) rival death row inmates vie for publicity and a lawyer’s attention in the 1920s, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. March 25. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. MON The Providers (2018, USA, Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin) a documentary about three health care providers trying to combat the effects of the opioid epidemic in rural New Mexico, 7 p.m. March 26. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. TUE

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018, UK, Peter Jackson) a documentary featuring digitally restored and colorized footage from World War I, March 20-21. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456.

WED-THU

VHS & CHILL Presents: The Crow (1994, USA, Alex Proyas) a musician seeks supernatural revenge for his own murder in this cult thriller; costumes encouraged, 10 p.m.-midnight March 22. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI

WED

Music Industry Networking Night local musicians, promoters and fans are invited to socialize at this community meet-and-greet, 7-10 p.m. March 27. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. WED Mysteries of the Mansion Tour a unique tour that explores behind-the-scenes history and spaces not typically on a regular tour with interesting stories of the mansion and the Overholser family history, 7-9 p.m. March 21. Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., 405-525-5325, overholsermansion. org. THU

O F F S E L E C T D É C O R , A P PA R E L , BOOKS AND SO MUCH MORE!

March 18 – March 24 Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m. Shop The Museum Store anytime at store.nationalcowboymuseum.org

National Puppy Day dogs of all ages are invited to play at this canine meetup, 11 a.m. 2 p.m. March 23. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT OKC Home + Outdoor Living Show attend gardening and furniture-making workshops and shop for landscaping and home decor from vendors, March 22-24. Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3220 Great Plains Walk, 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com.

FRI-SUN

continued on page 30

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C A L E N DA R

CALENDAR continued from page 29

March 24. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-486-0701. SUN

OKC Town Hall auction appraiser Meredith Meuwly will discuss the methods of her job, 10:30 a.m. March 21. Church of the Servant, 14343 N. MacArthur Blvd., 703-481-0000.

What’s Growing On? learn how to convert your pop-up irrigation system into a more water efficient drip irrigation system, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 23. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SAT

Red Brick Food Truck & Art Festival listen to live music, view work by local artisans and sample offerings from food trucks, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. March 23. Downtown Enid, 114 W. Broadway Ave., 580-233-3643. SAT

FOOD

THU

Right Swipe Night Speed Dating a monthly meetup with music from DJ Cool Guy and food from the Krow’s Nest BBQ, 8 p.m.noon March 27. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-6026308, saintspubokc.com. WED Speaker in the City: Molly Ringwald the actress from The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and more will discuss her career in Hollywood as well as her music and writing, 1-4 p.m.

Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Family Festival learn about America’s agricultural heritage from the Revolution until modern times with hands-on activities and fresh food, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 23. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. SAT

YOUTH Spring Break in the Gardens children can learn about gardening and crafts through hands-on activities including fruit-and-vegetable stamping, making weather wind sticks and seed planting, 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 12-21. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE-THU The Story of a Tree learn about the life of a tree by studying slices and going on a scavenger hunt through the garden, 10-11:30 a.m. March 23. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Story Time with Britt’s Bookworms enjoy snacks, crafts and a story at this kid-friendly event, 10:30 a.m. March 21. Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16th St., 405-356-6262. THU

PERFORMING ARTS Lyricist Lounge an evening of hip-hop with live performances from local artists and food from the Krow’s Nest, 9 p.m.-midnight March 25. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. MON OKC Improv comedic performers create scenes based on audience suggestions, March 22-23. Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-456-9858, okcimprov.com. FRI-SAT

Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata Science fiction’s myriad warnings of the horrors of a robot uprising aside, we would wind up rooting for the mechanical men, women, animals and miscellany on display at this exhibit, which features new creations as well as 19th-century automata on loan from Morris Museum’s Guinness Collection. The only way these robots will take your job is if your job is being freaking adorable. The exhibit is on view through Sept. 29 at Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place. Museum admission is $12.95-$15.95. Call 405-602-6664 or visit sciencemuseumok.org. THROUGH SEPT. 29 Photo provided

Outré drag performers are encouraged to think outside the box at this monthly themed show, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. March 23. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT Pirates of the Mausoleum a pirate-themed dinner theatre murder mystery, 6:15-9:15 p.m. March 22. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew Ave., 405236-0416, cattlemensrestaurant.com. FRI Sooner Sinfonia the OKC-based chamber orchestra will perform works by Mendelssohn, Ravel and Beethoven in its inaugural concert, 7:30 p.m. March 23. St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, 2424 NW 50th, 405-843-5333. SAT Waitress a stage adaptation of Adrienne Shelly’s film about a pie-making waitress searching for ways to escape a loveless marriage, through March 24. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-2972264, okcciviccenter.com. TUE-SUN

ACTIVE Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon. gov. SAT Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own

Oklahoma Farm-to-Table Family Festival Once upon a time, people really used to make their own food using ingredients that weren’t shipped to them through the mail in loot crates but were actually — get this — dug up out of the ground. Revisit this magical time in human history at this agricultural education festival with demonstrations of Dutch oven and chuck wagon cooking, farmers market produce and appearances by live cows, chickens, oxen and ducks. (Pro tip: Don’t ask what these cuddly critters have to do with people food.) Bon appétit 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call 405522-0765 or visit okhistory.org. SATURDAY Photo Oklahoma History Center / provided water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

VISUAL ARTS Against the Grain an exhibition of artful furniture created from salvaged and reclaimed wood by Zach True Hammack, through April 28. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. THU-SUN Eggtion Figures an exhibition of sculptures by Norman-based artist Tomoaki Orikasa, through March 22. Paseo Studio Six, 3021 Paseo St., 405-5280174, thepaseo.org. FRI The Love of Color an exhibition of paintings by Oklahoma City artist Nancy Junkin, through April 28. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. THU-SUN Mike Wimmer artist talk and reception the artist will discuss the work in his exhibit Will Work For... inspired by the signs held by people on the street, 5:30-7 p.m. March 21. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory. org. THU Oklahoma Photographers exhibition view works created by NGHBRS, Sarah Black and Ian Spencer, through April 7. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU-SUN Roland Miguel exhibition view the artist’s oil paintings and pen-and-ink works, through March 30. Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI-SAT She Persisted an exhibition of works by six female artists presented by Red Earth Art Center, Through May 28. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place,

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405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. WED-TUE Skip Hill, Irmgard Geul, John Wolfe an exhibition of paintings and mixed-media artworks, through March 31. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-SUN Woodblock Carving 101 learn to carve and print a small wood block at this workshop taught by Alexa Goetzinger, 1-4 p.m. March 23. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. SAT

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OKG live music

see page 33

EVENT

MUSIC

Psych art A music and art festival in Norman explores what it means to be psychedelic. By Jeremy Martin

Organizing a three-day psychedelic music and art festival might be easier than explaining what the word “psychedelic” means. “Everybody has their own sort of opinion on psychedelic,” said visual artist Eric Piper, one of the organizers of Norman’s inaugural Psych Fest. “When I think of psychedelics personally, man, yeah, it’s a tricky sort of thing; I don’t know any of these kind of dictionary definitions of the stuff.” Psych Fest is scheduled March 28-30 at Resonator, 325 E. Main St., in Norman. Though every one of MiriamWebster’s definitions of “psychedelic” involves drugs, Psychotic Reaction guitarist and vocalist Robert Layton, who booked the bands for the festival, said mind-altering chemicals are not necessary for enjoying psychedelic music. “Whenever I listen to ‘Get Me to the World on Time,’ or ‘I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night’ by the Electric Prunes, that makes me feel high,” Layton said. “That makes me feel like I’m on a different level and a different feeling. It’s like the music is the drug. The music is the experience, is the trip. You don’t have to be on psychedelic drugs to enjoy the psychedelic music — although sometimes it helps.” The 18 acts scheduled to perform at the first Psych Fest, Layton said, go beyond the “cookie-cutter approach” to psychedelic music with “reverbedout vocals and reverbed-out guitars and crap and lots of fuzz and stuff.” Oklahoma bands Rainbows Are Free and Turbo Wizard and Austin’s Greenbeard, for example, play heavymetal-influenced “stoner rock,” while Norman’s Helen Kelter Skelter offers a more modernized take on psychedelic Helen Kelter Skelter is scheduled to play Psych Fest March 30. | Photo Dylan Johnson / provided

music and Austin-based Amplified Heat has a “’60s rock ’n’ roll edge” reminiscent of Blue Cheer. Layton said his own Psychotic Reaction combines punk with psychedelic rock influenced by The 13th Floor Elevators and The Velvet Underground. Another of the band’s influences, Chickasha’s Debris, released the cult classic album Static Disposal in 1975, which Layton described as “space rock, punk, proto-punk kind of record.” Wicked Shimmies — featuring Chuck Ivey and Johnny Gregg, the two surviving members of Debris — will perform March 29. Ivey said he wouldn’t classify Debris’ music as psychedelic. “I think we were more experimental than psychedelic,” Ivey said. “We weren’t even doing psychedelics. We were done with psychedelics by then. I’m not saying we never did them, but by the time the album was made, we were done with psychedelics. We weren’t doing anything like that anymore. I’ve heard people say, ‘What were you guys on when you recorded that album? What were you taking?’” The atmosphere at Psych Fest will hopefully be significantly different from the shows Ivey recalled playing in the early ’70s at a “sleazy redneck bar” in Chickasha. “We would play, and the audience would be rednecks and glitter kids,” Ivey said. “They were all sparkled up with platforms on, and on the other side would be these hard-dick rednecks just wanting to kill somebody. … So there was a lot of fights on the dance floor. That’s why we’d mix in The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top. We’d calm them down with those songs and then rile them back up with ‘Search and Destroy.’” Ivey — who said he was not aware of Static Disposal’s cult following until 1988, when he attempted to sell it on consign-

ment at Bebop Records in Reseda, California, and discovered Goldmine Record Album Price Guide valued a mint condition copy at $10 — remembers when the first review of the album arrived in a returned self-addressed stamped envelope from Creem magazine. “Someone took their ashtray and dumped it in the envelope, sealed it and mailed it back,” Ivey said. “I freaking loved it. I don’t think anybody else got it, but I got it and I loved it. I sent them my trash, they sent me theirs.”

I’m not saying we never did them, but by the time the album was made, we were done with psychedelics. Chuck Ivey But even that was not as bad as the response to one of the original lineup’s few concerts. “We only played three shows,” Ivey said. “We played Duncan, Oklahoma, and they ripped out our battery cables. They pulled out a distributor wire. They hated us. They just didn’t get it.” However, he remembers doing well in Norman. Psych Fest will also include a visual art exhibition titled A Congenial Hallucination, curated by artist Rachel Stout. “You can’t really have a psychedelic festival without there being something on the walls,” Stout said. Unlike Ivey, Stout said she considers her art to be psychedelic. “I definitely try to be thoughtful with my work,” Stout said. “A lot of it is very internalized, certain things that I might be thinking about or going through, whether it’s new growth or even feeling stagnant at times. I’m working on a piece right now called ‘Purgatory,’ and it’s just extremely repetitive imagery, just kind of connected. I think that in a lot of ways, people get caught in loops often and then that kind of coincides with psychedelic art and everything — not just super col-

Wicked Shimmies, featuring the two surviving members of Debris, is scheduled to play Psych Fest March 29 at Resonator in Norman. | Photo provided

orful, fractal-looking stuff but also maybe the pain states inside of a psychedelic outlook on things, wanting to move forward but sometimes feeling stuck in this position. It can be challenging, and then you finally have this experience of ego death.” Piper said El Paso author and artist J. David Osborne will also be on-site sculpting figures based on conversations with musicians and audience members for a piece titled “Channeling Spontaneous Narrative in Clay.” “He’ll be there kind of manipulating the clay and building different little human characters or imaginary forms and entities and houses and structures and environments based on his interacting with the audience and the bands right before they go on stage,” Piper said. “So his idea is kind of channeling this pre-show energy from the musicians and then using that to kind of build this little world and situations and story from the whole thing.” If the event goes well, Piper said, subsequent Psych Fests might help define “psychedelic” in Oklahoma. “The coolest thing that I think could happen with this is just the smallest first draft of the festival, and this could build over the years into a bigger thing, and we keep bringing bands in from all over the world eventually and sharing ideas of what this ‘psychedelic’ word means,” Piper said. “There’s a lot of conversations to be had and sharing music and art work with each other. … You can’t really predict how these things evolve, but I hope this grows into a bigger and better thing for everyone.” Admission is $10 for one day or $20 for all three. Visit resonator.space.

Psych Fest March 28-30 Resonator Institute 325 E. Main St., Norman resonator.space $10-$20

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

F E AT U R E

MUSIC

Power harmonies

The Lunar Laugh debuts new single “Waiting on a Sign” to gear up for a new album. By Jacob Threadgill

Three-part harmonies are a trademark of Oklahoma City-based band The Lunar Laugh, which is indicative of the way lead singer Jared Lekites and guitarists Connor Anderson and Campbell Young work as a unit. Lekites and Anderson first released Apollo as a duo in 2015 but have expanded to include Young and drummer Jimmy Jackson as core members with bassist John Stendal and keyboardist Peter Collins also lending their talents to live performances and in the studio on 2017’s Mama’s Boy. A new LP is scheduled for early summer 2019. “We all respect each other’s opinions, and it’s all a collaboration because no one is afraid to make a bold choice on a new song,” Anderson said of working together. The Lunar Laugh is making one of those bold decisions with the release of a new single and video for “Waiting on a Sign,” which will be released March 29. “It’s very different from everything else we’ve done as a band in terms of approach. The style, I guess you could say, is modern,” Lekites said. “The style is more repetitive than what I usually write, so I thought of trying something that would fit the production style that you’d be familiar with on the radio these days. It’s like our Ariana Grande phase.” “We’re not dating Pete Davidson yet,” Young said. “Waiting on a Sign” swells with a shimmering keyboard progression before tight three-part harmonies lead into a chorus with angular guitar parts that emphasize the power in The Lunar 32

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Laugh’s power pop sound. Although Lekites said he didn’t write the song with contemporary radio play in mind, that is where “Waiting on a Sign” ended up, and it isn’t exactly indicative of the rest of the new album. “We still love doing power pop, and the next album has the most power pop thing that we’ve done, but then it also has things like ‘Waiting on a Sign,’ which has weird melodies and reprises,” Lekites said. “It’s going to be more thematic than the other stuff we’ve done.”

We’re not dating Pete Davidson yet. Campbell Young The Lunar Laugh’s sweeping guitars work in conjunction with its harmonies and collaborative songwriting inside the large spectrum that is power pop. “Power pop is weird because it’s broad but also very narrow at the same time,” Lekites said. “You know what isn’t power pop, but you definitely know what is power pop. For me, it’s more about the artists than the actual style of music. Todd Rundgren is one of the main power pop people I think of, and every one of his albums is insanely different.” Letkites is the only one of the four core members of The Lunar Laugh that didn’t get music education at Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma

(ACM@UCO). He innately knew he wanted to make music, and his earliest memory was watching Garth Brooks perform. What The Lunar Laugh lacks are twang and songs about thunder, but the group wants to emulate Brooks’ showmanship. “Maybe one day we’ll all get one of those cool wraparound microphones,” Lekites joked.

Moon landing

The Lunar Laugh is a reference Lekites heard on The Zodiac’s Cosmic Sounds, a 1967 Elektra Records release that features early use of a Moog synthesizer. “There is a lot of poetry and weird … what a ’60s type of synthesizer music would be,” Lekites said. “It’s done with tapes and rooms full of computers. There is a guy reading poetry about astrology, and one of the phrases is ’laughing the lunar laugh’ that stuck with me.” Lekites began work on a solo album in 2014 and credited Oklahoma City musician and co-owner of The Jones Assembly Graham Colton with pushing him to start a band. Anderson joined first, and then Young came aboard while the group was working on Mama’s Boy. Jackson joined the band in 2017. “We had a revolving door of drummers,” Campbell said, and without skipping a beat, Jackson added, “Similar to Spinal Tap.” Jackson has stuck around in the band for over two years, and he now serves as its manager. “I’ve played with a lot of different bands, and what immediately drew me to this band from the first rehearsal is that it is serious, but not in any difficult sort of way,” Jackson said. “I’ve been in other bands where I’ve asked if they want me to do A or B, and they just say, ‘Whatever,’ and that doesn’t help me grow. If I look at any of these guys, they’ll tell me what sounds best. It’s

Campbell Young, Jared Lekites, Jimmy Jackson and Connor Anderson are the core group of The Lunar Laugh. | Photo Emma Grace Williams / provided

about having vision.” The Lunar Laugh does a lot of its recording at the coincidentally named Lunar Manor, a studio co-owned by Colton. “I’ve known the guys awhile,” Colton said. “You can really hear their growth as songwriters. I’m honored to be a small part of it.” Lekites said he doesn’t consider himself the main songwriter of the group because everyone contributes something and the new album also features songs written by Young and Anderson, but he has a knack for the medium. “There are quite a few songs I had fragment of an idea — a few chords that sounded cool — and I’d work on them with Jared,” Young said. “It’s crazy to watch Jared work and write a song. I’d show him the chords, and he’d have his notepad and he’d be like, ‘OK, I have two verses and a chorus,’ and I’d be like, ‘How’d you do that? It’s been like 18 seconds.’” The Lunar Laugh will play a semiacoustic set Friday at 51st Street Speakeasy with New Tribe and Sativa Prophets since Jackson will be on his honeymoon. The band also performs at Norman Music Festival 10 p.m. April 25 at Bison Witches, 211 E. Main St., in Norman. Visit thelunarlaugh.com.

The Lunar Laugh with New Tribe and Sativa Prophets 11 p.m. Friday 51st Street Speakeasy 1114 NW 51st St. thelunarlaugh.com | 405-463-0470 $3

LIVE MUSIC

List your event in

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

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 13

than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired

1GCrew, Life Organics Cannafe. POP

publication date. Late submissions will not be included in

Alexander Gregory/Maya’s Illusion/Bannister Chaava, The Root. SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC

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

Amelia White/Lachlan Bryan, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

THURSDAY, MAR. 14 Dead Voices, Lost Highway. ROCK Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ Neon Indian, Tower Theatre. ELECTRONIC Noah Davis/Amanda Cunningham/Tig Blues, The Root. SINGER/SONGWRITER Sarah Maud, The Blue Door. JAZZ Sarah Maud, Saints. JAZZ

FRIDAY, MAR. 15 Attalla/Black Road/Crobone, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Birdgangs/Acid Queen/Bobby Chill & the Wave, The Root. ROCK DJ Vince Lepeltier, Fassler Hall. ELECTRONIC Finkel/Dire Gnome/Tribesmen, Resonator. POP

Layers of Pink The End Is Coming came in February, summoning the Four Horsemen with layers of immaculate pop rock in lieu of trumpet blasts. Vocalist Mackenzie Pulse’s versatile voice mixes with multi-tracked guitars for an effect more soothing than anxiety-inducing. Live, the band is likely to lock into an extended dance groove with startlingly cerebral lyrics. At Layers’ last OKC concert before heading west for an interstate tour, the band shares a stacked bill with Sativa Prophets and Sophia Massad. The show begins 9 p.m. Saturday at Blue Note Lounge, 2408 N. Robinson Ave. Admission is $5. Call 405-600-1166 or visit facebook.com/bluenoteokc.

Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or email them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

SATURDAY Photo Haley Russell / provided

The Flannels, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER Ian Moore/Shane Henry, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road, CHK/Central Boathouse. FOLK/COUNTRY On a Whim, Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge. JAZZ Randy Cassimus, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tower Theatre. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stewart Wolfs, Legacy on Main Street. COVER

SATURDAY, MAR. 16 Abbigale Dawn/Bailey Gilbert Band, Bluebonnet Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER The Blend, Remington Park. COVER

Metro Strings Quartet, Full Circle Bookstore. CLASSICAL Samia/Donna Missal, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Steve’n’Seagulls, Tower Theatre. FOLK Weekend All Stars, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COVER Wino Browne, Newcastle Casino. COVER

MONDAY, MAR. 18 Black Belt Eagle Scout, 89th Street-OKC. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Crunk Witch/Kat Lock/Schat & the Skeleton Trees, Red Brick Bar. ROCK Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK

Born in November, Sanctuary Barsilica. SOUL

TUESDAY, MAR. 19

The Fey/Plainswalker/The Premontions, The Root.

BRD, The Blue Door. JAZZ

ROCK

Groovement, The Deli. ROCK Hosty, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. FOLK/ROCK Howard Brady Band, Full Circle Bookstore. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Marren Morris, The Criterion. POP Next Halen, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewing Company. COVER Sensible Shoes/Ry Dalee & Evangeline, The Basement. FOLK/ROCK Tiny Towns/Jr. Clooney, Bison Witches Bar & Deli. JAZZ/ROCK

Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY

Divided Heaven/Saturn/Make Out Spot, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Sugarpulp/The Velvet J’s, The Root. POP/ROCK

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 20 Eve to Adam/City of the Weak, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK

The Palmer Squares/Nymasis/S.Reidy, The Deli. HIP-HOP

Zen Okies, Katt’s Cove. ROCK

SUNDAY, MAR. 17 The Big News/The Holophonics/Younger Than Neil, Bison Witches Bar & Deli. SKA The Black Lillies, The Blue Door. ROCK Castle, Blue Note Lounge. METAL Elizabeth Speegle Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ HumdrumSun/Page9/CyanideHook, The Root. ROCK Jarvix/Eos/Chameleon Factory, Sauced on Paseo. EXPERIMENTAL

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.

Kent Fauss Trio, Coal Creek Vineyard. COUNTRY

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE THAT’S ANOTHER STORY | 0324 By Sophia Maymudes and Jeff Chen Puzzles edited by Will Shortz

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1 Most popular baby girl’s name of the 1960s, per the Social Security Administration 5 Squealer 9 Inside info 13 For fear that 17 Juul, e.g., for short 18 Old-time The Price Is Right announcer Johnny 19 Bit of greenery 21 Palindromic boy’s name 22 Ward of cinema 23 Biography of Ebenezer Scrooge? 25 Castaway director Nicolas 26 Bond tightly 28 Colleague of Gorsuch 29 Big name in chicken 31 Biography of Amelia Earhart? 33 “Decorates” on Halloween, say 34 Biography of Archimedes? 36 Beep-booping droid, for short 37 Two-year degrees, briefly 39 Tricked 40 Took out 41 Some endangered ecosystems 42 One-fifth of the Jackson 5 44 Jesus on the diamond 45 Note taker 46 Tip-off for an exam proctor 47 What the “sans” refers to in Comic Sans 48 Diaper : U.S. :: ____ : U.K. 50 Oil magnate Leon who once owned the New York Jets 51 Girls home 53 Only mildly sweet 55 Get a Venmo request, say 57 Go through a window? 60 Obvious answer 61 Recreational sailboats 64 Excelled 66 British miler Sebastian 67 Diner sign 69 Shrewd 70 Winged Greek goddess 72 Highest hand value in baccarat 74 Capital of France’s Côte d’Or 75 High points 76 Credit score, for short? 77 One side of the G.W. Bridge 78 Clever move 79 ____ monkey 81 Swimsuit material 85 “Step on it!” 86 Have a ____ for 87 Good name, informally 89 Xenophobe’s fear, with “the” 90 Pro 91 Verb that’s a homophone for a letter 92 Biography of the Venus de Milo? 96 One using a heater, say 99 Sound effects after some one- liners 103 Dramatic award 104 Pair of hearts? 107 Loudly project 109 Adidas competitor 110 & 112 Biography of Elvis? 114 With passion 115 Gate expectations, briefly? 116 Big dos

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117 Quad/glute exercise 118 Wear away 119 Dramatic rebuttal 120 Poetic conjunction 121 Lets go of 1 Picasso’s “____ Demoiselles d’Avignon” 2 Some Antarctic samples 3 They create soft c’s and g’s 4 Biography of Thomas Crapper? 5 Unvarying charge 6 Its national anthem is “Hatikvah”: Abbr. 7 Home to Bourbon St. 8 Showed allegiance, in a way 9 Some H.S. exams 10 “Yikes!” 11 Airport code for O’Hare 12 Elvis Costello hit that starts “I’ve been on tenterhooks / Ending in dirty looks” 13 Biography of Willie Mays? 14 Cajun dish of shellfish over rice 15 Increases in price 16 Dress (up) 18 Prefix with present 20 Major Argentine export 24 Chihuahua’s sound 27 Big features of reality TV 30 Model T competitors

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31 John Irving title character 32 Retreats 34 Like the signatures of outgoing people, it’s said 35 Altar exchange 38 Author Larsson 39 Fiery look 43 & 44 Biography of Walt Disney? 47 Star turn 49 Hitch together 52 Doesn’t go overboard? 54 “You may not have asked me, but …” 56 Certain green-energy producers 57 Part of a Vandyke, informally 58 The title characters of 1988’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, e.g. 59 Iron ____ 61 Kind of sheet 62 Tex-Mex offering 63 Stereotypical High Times reader 64 Lovecraftian 65 Pointers 67 Inky stone 68 Between: Fr. 71 Wham! 73 Nonreactive 80 Alaska Airlines hub 82 Suffix with doctor 83 Montreal is part of it: Abbr. 84 State on the Atl. coast 85 Onetime

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SUDOKU EASY | N° 2478540

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

Sophia Maymudes is a junior at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, studying computer science and math. She has been making crosswords since high school. For this one, her first Sunday puzzle, she teamed up with a fellow Seattle resident, Jeff Chen, who writes a daily crossword blog, XWord Info. They jointly brainstormed theme examples. Jeff laid out the grid. Sophia did most of the fill. They each wrote half the clues. Sophia says, ‘‘The entire puzzle took nearly a hundred emails back and forth to create.’’ — W.S. NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle No. 0317, which appeared in the March 13 issue. C P L S

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: What’s the thing you lost that should stay lost? What’s the thing you lost that you should find? FreeWillAstrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19)

During the coming weeks, everything that needs to happen will indeed happen only if you surprise yourself on a regular basis. So I hope you will place yourself in unpredictable situations where you won’t be able to rely on well-rehearsed responses. I trust that you will regard innocence and curiosity and spontaneity as your superpowers. Your willingness to change your mind won’t be a mark of weakness but rather a sign of strength.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In the animated kids’ film Over the Hedge, ten talking animals come upon a massive, towering hedge they’ve never seen. The friendly group consists of a skunk, red squirrel, box turtle, two opossums, and five porcupines. The hedge perplexes and mystifies them. It makes them nervous. There’s nothing comparable to it in their previous experience. One of the porcupines says she would be less afraid of it if she just knew what it was called, whereupon the red squirrel suggests that from now on they refer to it as “Steve.” After that, they all feel better. I recommend that you borrow their strategy in the coming weeks. If a Big Unknown arrives in your vicinity, dub it “Steve” or “Betty.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

I urge you to locate a metaphorical or very literal door that will give you access to a place that affords you more freedom and healing and support. Maybe you already know about the existence of this door—or maybe it’s not yet on your radar. Here’s advice from Clarissa Pinkola Éstes that might help. “If you have a deep scar, that is a door,” she writes. “If you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much that you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” CANCER (June 21-July 22) Musician Carole Kaye is the most famous bass guitarist you’ve never heard of. Over the course of five decades,

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she has plied her soulful talents on more than 10,000 recordings, including gems by Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beach Boys. Twenty-seven-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones has testified that Kaye has written “some of the most beautiful themes I’ve ever heard in my life” and that she “could do anything and leave men in the dust.” I trust this horoscope will expand the number of people who appreciate her. I also hope you’ll be inspired to become more active in spreading the word about the gifts that you have to offer the world. It’s high time to make sure that people know more of the beautiful truth about you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

“When you want happiness, what are you wanting?” asks aphorist Olivia Dresher. The repeat of an event that made you feel good in the past? A sweet adventure you’ve thought about but never actually experienced? Here’s a third possibility. Maybe happiness is a state you could feel no matter what your circumstances are; maybe you could learn how to relax into life exactly as it is, and feel glad about your destiny wherever it takes you. In my opinion, Leo, that third approach to happiness will be especially natural for you to foster in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

There are old traditions in many cultures that pay special attention to the first brick or stone that is laid in the earth to initiate the construction of a future building. It’s called a cornerstone or foundation stone. All further work to create the new structure refers back to this original building block, and depends on it. I’m pleased to inform you that now is a favorable phase to put your own metaphorical cornerstone in place, Virgo. You’re ready to begin erecting a structure or system that will serve you for years to come. Be sure you select the right place for it, as well as the best building materials.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Born under the sign of Libra, Ivan Kharchenko (1918– 1989) was a military officer and engineer for the Soviet army. His specialty was disarming explosive devices before they detonated. Over the course of his career, he defused an estimated 50,000 bombs and mines. Let’s

FREEMAN’S LIQUOR MART is accepting applications for full or part-time staff. Wine & Beer Knowledge a plus. Apply in person @ 4401 N. Western.

make him your patron saint for the coming weeks. Why? Because I suspect you will be able to summon a metaphorical version of his power: an extraordinary capacity to keep volatile situations from blowing up. You’ll be a virtuoso at waging peace and preventing strife.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

There was a time, less than a century ago, when pink was considered a masculine color and blue a feminine hue. In previous eras, many European men sported long hair, wore high heels, and favored clothes with floral patterns. Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of America’s most prominent twentieth-century presidents, sometimes wore skirts and feather-bedecked hats as a child. With these facts as your keystone, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to experiment with your own gender expressions in the coming weeks. It’s prime time to have fun with the way you interpret what it means to be a man or woman—or any other gender you might consider yourself to be.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

According to estimates by population experts, about 109 billion humans have been born on planet Earth over the millennia. And yet I’m quite sure that not a single one of those other individuals has been anything like you. You are absolutely unique, an unmatched treasure, a one-ofa-kind creation with your own special blend of qualities. And in my prophetic view, you’re ready to fully acknowledge and celebrate these facts on a higher octave than ever before. It’s high time for you to own your deepest authenticity; to work with extra devotion to express your soul’s code; to unabashedly claim your idiosyncratic genius.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

We don’t know as much about European history between the sixth and ninth centuries as we do about other eras. Compared to the times that preceded and followed it, cultural and literary energies were low. Fewer records were kept. Governments were weaker and commerce was less vigorous. But historians don’t like to use the term “Dark Ages” to name that period because it brought many important developments and activities, such as improvements in farming techniques. So in some ways,

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Why do some American libraries ban certain books, ensuring they’re unavailable to local readers? The reasons may be because they feature profanity or include references to sex, drug use, the occult, atheism, and unusual political viewpoints. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is one of the most frequently censored books. Others are Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. In my astrological opinion, these are exactly the kinds of books you should especially seek out in the coming weeks. In fact, I suggest you commune with a variety of art and ideas and influences that are controversial, provocative, and intriguing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

At the age of 97, Piscean cartoonist Al Jaffee is still creating new material for the satirical Mad magazine, where he has worked since 1964. There was one 63-year stretch when his comic stylings appeared in all but one of Mad’s monthly issues. I nominate him to be your role model during the next four weeks. It’s a favorable time for you to access and express a high degree of tenacity, stamina, and consistency.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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“Lost Ages” might be a more apropos descriptor. Now let’s turn our attention to a metaphorically comparable phase of your own past, Capricorn: an era that’s a bit fuzzy in your memory; a phase about which your understanding is incomplete. I suspect that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to revisit that part of your life and see what new evidence and insights you can mine.

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