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INSIDE COVER P. 13 Taproom culture is exploding in Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma Gazette can help you navigate the local breweries and discover what’s on tap. By Gazette staff Cover by Ingvard Ashby Photos by Alexa Ace
NEWS 4 ELECTION councilwoman Nikki
Nice loses DJ job
6 ELECTION elected teachers 8
THE HIGH CULTURE Blue Collar Criminals Collective
10 CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS
STREAMING ONLINE NOW
PLAYITLOUDSHOW.COM
EAT & DRINK 13 COVER taproom crawl
16 REVIEW Ice Event Center and Grill 18 FEATURE Maples Barbecue
20 GAZEDIBLES booze-infused drinks
ARTS & CULTURE 23 ART Cowboy Crossings at National
Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Box Theatre
24 THEATER The Game’s Afoot at Jewel
NOV 24 7PM
Holiday Gift Guide 27 THEATER An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf at Carpenter Square Theatre 25
28 COMMUNITY Red Earth Treefest at
Red Earth Art Center
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29 COMMUNITY Sunbeam Family
Services infant mental health screenings
Leadership Square
31 SHOPPING Deluxe Winter Market at
dec 29 rodney carrington
32 CULTURE Sweets on the Side owner
Lan McCabe on Food Network show
33 CALENDAR
MUSIC 35 FEATURE ACM@UCO turns 10
36 EVENT Amy Helm at Tower Theatre 37 LIVE MUSIC
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I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | N OV E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 8
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NEWS
ELECTION
Nikki Nice is Oklahoma City’s newest city council member for Ward 7. | Photo provided
Election penalty
Soon after her victory, Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice lost her job with Perry Publishing. By Nazarene Harris
The Nov. 6 election night results were cause for many across Oklahoma, including 38-year-old winner Nikki Nice, who won the open Ward 7 seat on Oklahoma City Council, to celebrate. However, no more than 24 hours later, Nice found herself the recipient of bad news as her former employer, Perry Publishing & Broadcasting Company, fired her due to what they foresaw as a potential conflict of interest between Nice’s responsibilities as a councilwoman and her role as one of the station’s hosts. “I was shocked,” Nice said. “I had been there for 11 and a half years, and I didn’t see this coming.” A spokesperson for Perry Publishing said Nice’s dismissal from the company was due to the chance that a potential conflict of interest could arise. It was the loss of a beloved career but also the loss of an annual salary. Her new position on the council gives her the chance to serve a community she loves dearly and a $1,000 monthly salary she knows no one could live on. Days before Nice is set to be sworn into elected office, she is removing campaign flyers and signs from the backseat of her car and preparing to become an Uber driver if necessary. 4
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“I’m not above doing that,” she said. “I believe in hard work.” The Oklahoma City-born and bred Langston University graduate said her experience is an example of why young voices are often not included in politics. “Young people don’t run for office because they can’t afford to run for office,” she said. “The low pay of elected officials limits those who can serve to retirees or business owners.” Being anything else, Nice said, is risky business. Norman city councilwoman Alexandra Scott agrees. “The only reason I’m able to serve on city council is because I found a job where I can work from 6:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.,” Scott said. Scott works full-time as a computer support system specialist for Dell Technologies in Oklahoma City. At 24, Scott is the youngest person to ever serve on Norman’s City Council. As a council member, her salary is $100 every month. It’s a figure Scott said she hopes to challenge when charter changes are discussed in upcoming meetings.
Service vs. salary
While salaries of elected officials are
above $50,000 in some cities outside Oklahoma, pay for city council members in the Sooner State remains low. In Dallas, Denver and Orlando, city council members all get paid over $50,000 a year. The annual salary for city council members is $12,000 in Oklahoma City, $1,200 in Norman, $1,200 in Moore and $4,200 in Edmond, according to city clerks.
Young people don’t run for office because they can’t afford to run for office. Nikki Nice Oklahoma City clerk Frances Kersey said council members are offered health insurance even though they are considered part-time employees. The salaries of Oklahoma City’s council members are not accidental or outdated, Oklahoma City Ward 3 councilman Larry McAtee said. Rather, he said, salaries are strategically placed low to protect the purpose of the city’s elected officials. “We’ve kept the salaries low because we don’t want people to do this for the money,” McAtee said. “The idea is to ensure that a volunteer citizen will run for city council purely to be a voice for their community.” McAtee was first elected to Oklahoma City Council in 2001 when
he was 65 years old. He is president of OKC-based financial consulting firm Ironsharpeners Inc. and the author of the book Rebuilding Your Financial Wall God’s Way. He has been on the council long enough to remember when members got their last pay raise. Starting in at least 1957, Kersey said, council members received $20 per meeting. In 2000, a proposal to increase that amount to $1,000 a month was approved by city voters and the current salary was set. While McAtee takes no issue with the current pay rate, he said it does not accurately convey to the public the amount of work that council members do. “This is not a one-day-a-week job,” he said. “With the meetings we attend and community education we provide, this is a full-time job in and of itself.” He said he and his colleagues understand that balancing a full-time job with city council duties can be difficult. Kersey said all Oklahoma City councilmembers hold full-time jobs outside. Ward 1 councilman James Greiner is a graphic designer at Hobby Lobby, Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid is a physician, Ward 4 councilman Todd Stone is a family business owner, Ward 5 councilman David Greenwell is an accountant, Ward 6 councilwoman Meg Salyer is the president of a financial staffing business in OKC and Ward 8 councilman Mark Stonecipher is an attorney. While employers like Scott’s don’t seem concerned over a potential conflict of interest when an employee works full-time for them while holding public office, media companies traditionally have been. “Dell doesn’t care about my city council responsibilities; they care about my Dell responsibilities,” Scott said. Before former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett began his tenure on Oklahoma City Council in 2001, he parted ways with Oklahoma City’s News Channel 5 (KOCO), where he worked as a news reporter covering city politics from 1997 to 1999. McAtee said he looks forward to serving on the council with Nice and has no doubt she will have job offers coming in even if she has to change the focus of her career. Nice said she has leaned on her faith since being fired from Perry Publishing. “I know everything happens for a reason, and I know I’ll be OK,” she said. Nice graduated from Northeast High School and Langston University with a degree in journalism. She is actively seeking employment within the communications industry. While neither Nice nor Scott ran for elected office for the money, they said a pay raise would be nice.
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In session
Nearly two dozen teachers from across the state won campaigns for office Nov. 6 and will fight to make education a priority. By Nazarene Harris
Long before an estimated 30,000 teachers marched at the state capitol for 10 days in April, educators met with their state representatives and urged them to enact legislation that would increase school funding. Oklahoma was ranked one of the lowest in the nation for perpupil spending and teacher pay, and the damning statistics could be felt within classrooms across the state. Efforts paid off March 29 when Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law the biggest teacher pay raise in Oklahoma’s history and outlined the tax hike that would pay for it. Fallin said taxes on cigarettes, motor fuel, oil and gas production and lodging would account for the estimated $450 million lawmakers would spend to raise teacher pay by an average 15 to 18 percent. A closer look at the bill revealed that the pay raises that began on July 1 were based on salary and tenure. Teachers who made $40,000 or less got a $2,000 raise; those who made between $40,000 and $50,000 got a $1,500 raise; and those who made $60,000 or more got a $750 raise. The average raise was about $6,000 according to data from the state’s largest teacher union, Oklahoma Education Association (OEA). The collective response was that the pay raise, like the march at the state’s capitol, was just the beginning of what was to come. OEA issued its Together We’re Stronger campaign, a three-year four-prong approach to curing classrooms across the state. “The pay raise was a good start,� OEA spokesman Doug Folks said. “But we need to remember that it was just the start and that we still have a long way to go.� To ensure their voices would not be silenced, teachers banned together to form a caucus supported by OEA and other education advocacy groups and ran for office in unprecedented numbers. John Waldron was a public school history teacher in Tulsa. He now represents District 77 in Oklahoma’s House of Representatives. | Photo provided
2p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, 2018
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The names of 65 teachers and education professionals from every county in Oklahoma graced ballots on Nov. 6. Seventeen members of the Educator Caucus were elected into office on Election Day, bringing the total number of lawmakers who are educators to 26, the highest number in the state’s history. With more seats at the table, teachers turned lawmakers said will ensure the momentum to better fund classrooms and teachers continues.
Moving forward
Those elected into office on Nov. 6 included David Bullard, Mary Boren, Carri Hicks, Brenda Stanley, Lundy Kiger, Randy Randleman, Sherrie Conley, Ronny Johns, Trish Ranson, Ty Burns, Jacob Rosecrants, Toni Hasenbeck, John Waldron, Melissa Provenzano, Kelly Albright and Dean Davis. For Deer Creek Public Schools math teacher turned state senator Carri Hicks, the change in profession is not one of promotion but one of sacrifice. “I’ve loved being a teacher,� Hicks said. “I’m incredibly thankful that I was elected to represent teachers and students. I know the struggles that are faced in the classroom. That will be the motivation I’ll carry with me every day. I may have to stop teaching professionally, but I’ll never stop having a teacher’s heart.� Because both teachers and elected officials receive compensation through government funds, Hicks said, they are prohibited from holding both titles at the same time. Hicks signed up to be a volunteer substitute teacher for Deer Creek Public Schools. “When I met with my legislator before April, I was told that I was lying about the overcrowding of our classrooms and the shortage of teachers,� she said. “If there really wasn’t a problem, I wouldn’t have ran for office. I know that when a teacher is sick, it means another teacher has to step in.� Becoming a senator does not mean Hicks will abandon what she views as her teaching responsibilities. Tulsa Public Schools history teacher turned state representative John Waldron agreed. “I made a promise to my students to give them the best education I could,� he said. Waldron said he will continue to teach as a volunteer until the end of the academic school semester and before the legislative session begins in 2019. Both lawmakers said they will advocate for a reduction in classroom
sizes, increased teacher pay and an increase in per-pupil spending, all of which are objectives included in OEA’s Together We’re Stronger campaign. By the year 2020, OEA expects lawmakers to ensure that teachers are given a combined $10,000 pay raise and education support employees, including school bus drivers and cafeteria workers, are given a $5,000 raise. Together We’re Stronger also asks lawmakers to restore public education funding by depositing $200 million into a classroom general operations fund, increasing the cost of living for retired teachers by adding 5 percent to the existing pension system and fully staffing state agencies who support schools and education. Anything short of compliance with OEA’s requests, Waldron said, would be shortchanging Oklahoma’s children. “I think if more of us had been in the state Legislature years ago, we might not have seen the massive cuts to educational funding that we’ve seen,” Waldron said. “But the important thing is that we’re here now and we’re not going to let that happen again.”
I may have to stop teaching professionally, but I’ll never stop having a teacher’s heart. Carri Hicks In September, U.S. senator, former teacher and Oklahoma City Public Schools graduate Elizabeth Warren, met with teachers at Northwest Classen High School to show her support for Oklahoma’s Educator Caucus. “We are fighting to change a system where teachers have to work two to three jobs just to make ends meet ... where teachers are drowning in student loan debts ... where outdated history books don’t go beyond the 43rd president of the United States and where wasp nests can be found in the cracks of the floors,” she said. “If politicians won’t hear us at the Capitol, then we’ll make damn sure they’ll hear us at the ballot box.” Carri Hicks was a Deer Creek Public Schools teacher. She now represents District 40 in Oklahoma’s State Senate. | Photo provided
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The folks at B.C.C. Collective hope to secure the spot at the top of the medical cannabis pyramid in Oklahoma with their unique, in-your-face image. By Matt Dinger
9658 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City
405-261-5179 DarbiT@theFRSgroup.com
Join us on Sunday, December 2nd, 2018 for SONIC Free Family Day at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The theme of the day is Victorian Stories, inspired by the special exhibition VICTORIAN RADICALS: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement.
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On a quiet block on the western edge of downtown Oklahoma City, street artist Jeks stands atop a scissor lift, painstakingly filling in the wrinkles on Albert Einstein’s face with cans of spray paint. A door bursts open and out walks model Christy Mack with a group of girls wearing identical outfits, a photographer and videographer on their heels. A line of workers trickles in behind them in the parking lot for a look at the work in progress. Another man walks up, blending quietly into the crowd, admiring the enormous mural, no small feat for a man standing over six feet tall with nearly every visible inch covered in tattoo ink. His name is Darin Delaney. If the rest of this crew are the fingers of the B.C.C. Collective, he is its hand. B.C.C. stands for “Blue Collar Criminals,” and it’s no misnomer. The inside of the building, 1015 NW First St., is a flurry of labor. Beyond the area that will serve as the storefront for OKC’s first hydroponic growhouse, a massive undertaking is unfolding in the nearly 11,000 square-foot building. Hundred-gallon water tanks sit on the other side of a wall for what will be the center of a clinically clean grow operation. Inside a small room in the heart of the building, several dozen cannabis plants are currently growing, the first batch of the company’s product. Many of the strains being cultivated will be exclusive not only to B.C.C., but the world.
“There is going to be a lot of what we refer to in this industry as ‘mids,’ meaning mid-grade, in this state. I guarantee it. And for some people, that’s fine. For a lot of people, that’s cool. But for the others, it’s not. And we want to be synonymous with a very high quality,” Delaney, 38, said. He expects to have samples of what’s to come available for a soft opening around the first of December. He said the operation will be running on all cylinders early next year. What once was the factory floor of the Boaz Candy & Tobacco Co. will be a veritable jungle of cannabis plants. Delaney purchased the building in August and loves to tell its story. For decades, it served as a cigarette-rolling and candy factory. He plans to honor the life of the site by framing and mounting several pieces of its history, including the first tobacco order from R.J. Reynolds in 1947. Pre-rolled smokeable cannabis and marijuana edibles will replace the cigarettes and confections of last century. “It just made this place absolutely perfect for a segue into our industry, the cannabis industry,” Delaney said.
Big plans
Delaney is a man who has worn many hats. Born in Osage County and a Ponca City High School graduate, he has lived alternately here and in California, working in a variety of ventures, including the oil and gas industry, as a real estate flipper and as the co-founder of the clothing line that gave B.C.C. its name.
C
“It was just kind of more like a glorified hobby. We barely made enough to keep it alive, but people liked it a lot, people always liked the name. When we first opened up in L.A. and whatnot, dispensaries were some of the first people that emailed us and reached out to us and said, ‘We’d like to carry your brand in our store,’” Delaney said. Expecting a future federal rescheduling of marijuana, Delaney decided to reboot his brand at home. It now bills itself as “Oklahoma’s premier cannabis company.”
They’ll line up like they would at a Foot Locker to get a new pair of Jordans. Darin Delaney “I keep seeing this thing in two, three, four, five years. Ultimately, I’d love to have a Blue Collar Criminals cannabis product on a shelf in all 50 states one of these days,” Delaney said. “For a long time, states were still giving people who were in our industry legally a hard time for a long time in the beginning. ... I think it starts to grow on you after you hear it, and then you realize you’re kind of reclaiming the name in a sense. There’s a lot that was illegal before that’s now legal, and all those people were criminals at one point, and on these federal levels, it’s still kind of this gray area, we’ll say.”
Cultivating talent
He has brought in Cesar Herrera, a wellknown and highly respected grower from northern California. Among others, he’s credited for the popular DoSi-Dos and Mendo Breath strains. Delaney and Herrera met about a decade ago. “It always stuck in my mind, if it ever became legal in Oklahoma, I would definitely want to partner with him and do this thing,” Delaney said. “So, lo and behold, it happened and I called him up a few months ago.” “I’ve never had a job,” Herrera, 35, said. But if you ask him a question about cultivating cannabis, prepare to take notes. Herrera’s work is a labor of love. Taking a semester off after high school, he first smoked marijuana with some friends. That quickly led to him doing research on underground internet forums and then to experimenting with plants in his closet at his mom’s house before moving out and starting a larger operation. He has brought that experience with him and will debut some strains he has from left Cesar Herrera and Som Kiani | Photo Out Here Visuals / provided
been working on at B.C.C. When asked whether they’ll be some of the best the world has ever seen, Herrera refuses to brag. “It’s an agricultural crop,” he said. “You have some that are better and some that are worse, but as you go on — 17 years I’ve been doing this — you definitely learn how to avoid having problems.” Delaney’s other local business, Premium Hemp & CBD Company, will be rolled into the B.C.C. Brand. “I think it helps a different group of people,” Delaney said. “I know it helps people that are getting up there in age just because of the aches and pains that come with making it that long in life. You have a cannibinoid system; you don’t have a Pfizer system.” The Blue Collar Criminals Instagram has now been wiped of nearly five years of clothing content, but its more than 11,000 followers are growing rapidly. Delaney has given his girlfiend, Mack, carte blanche to run the account. With planned weekly videos, it will also be the place to get up to speed on B.C.C. product. “They’ll line up like they would at a Foot Locker to get a new pair of Jordans,” he said. “It’s the same way. Because now you have connoisseurs and collectors. Delaney loves to drop names, not to impress people with who he knows but because he likes to praise his friends. “A lot of us — my friends, my team, my group — which again, I’m so proud of every one of them, they’re all from kind of rougher backgrounds. Most of them. Almost all of them,” Delaney said. “And I kind of take pride in that. Because if we can come from that background and really make something out of this industry, well, then that changes the stigma.” They’re his friends. They’re his employees. But above all, they’re his family. “I’ll never use the term ‘self-made’ because I’ve had help along the way,” Delaney said. “I just want to see all my homeboys eat. I just want to see everyone eat and do well. I’m excited to put money in everyone’s pocket.” He has other plans for B.C.C., including block parties. And Jeks will be back to put more art on the building. Delaney said to expect big things. “We want them to be like, ‘That B.C.C. Collective, that place is like the top. That’s the premier spot.’ That’s what we’re after. We’ll let everyone fight over what’s left. I’m coming for the top spot,” Delaney said.
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George Kaiser Family Foundation funds many community and philanthropic programs and initiatives in and around Tulsa. The Kaiser Foundation celebrated the opening of the 100-acre Gathering Place earlier this year with a free concert by The Roots. Now the foundation is making national headlines with the announcement of the Tulsa Remote program, which offers $10,000 in grants and additional incentives to remote employees if they move to Tulsa for a year. The program is similar to one funded by the Vermont state government earlier this year and is designed to attract a younger workforce from outside Tulsa County that is either remotely or self-employed with the hopes that they set up in the city long-term. Each grant will be distributed over the course of the year. Participants will receive $2,500 for relocation expenses, a $500 monthly stipend and $1,500 after the end of the calendar year. Those eligible will have the option of living in a furnished Tulsa Arts District apartment a third below its base price and free utilities for the first three months. The focus on remote or self-employed workers makes sense because you don’t want new employees to compete with already-employed workers in the community. It sounds like a great idea in theory, but don’t ignore the obvious subtext of this initiative: Tulsa is coming for Oklahoma City’s No. 1 spot. The only requirement is that those eligible for Tulsa Remote move from outside Tulsa County. That means they could be targeting those of us who already live in the Oklahoma City metro area. The next logical solution is to create a rival program funded through Oklahoma City-based Kirkpatrick Family Foundation and definitely target out-of-state workers but also those in Tulsa. That’s just how we do things. We won’t allow our good-natured rival city to attempt to attract a larger population without fighting back. It makes more sense than annexing more territory to increase Oklahoma City’s tax base.
Bullying is not cool. Even we here at Chicken-Fried News, despite seeking out stories where the amount of ridiculousness is glaring, try to refrain from harshly criticizing any one individual whose poor choices land their names on front-page headlines. The exception to this rule occurs when the persons under the spotlight are bullies themselves. Some people, especially those who commit atrocious crimes, simply deserve to be called out, reprimanded and, when appropriate, titled lame assholes. Such is a case that occurred recently when three teenagers from Moore decided to get drunk, drive to Oklahoma City, throw beer bottles and rocks at parked and driving cars and record the whole thing on social media. Oklahoma City police identified the suspects as being 18 years old and said if the damage accrued during their drunken shenanigans totals more than $1,000, all three suspects could face felony charges. Logan and Jake Paul, can you account for your whereabouts? Here’s the thing: High school
pranks are still relevant and they can still be done tastefully. Stealing a rival school’s mascot or TPing the prom queen’s front lawn are classic examples of non-upstanding behavior done right. But when you drive your ass to another city and hurl rocks hard enough to kill a man at the cars of random people, not only do you get eye rolls from your peers, you properly get shunned from any person who respects human life. Not to sound too much like what I can only hope your parents actually sound like, but you could have literally killed someone. You give millennials a bad name. If you thought you were too cool for oldschool high school pranks and you wanted to join the bigleaguers of hooliganism, then congratulations, you might have just been promoted because guess what else you get when you break the windshields of hard-working Oklahomans? You get a felony and possibly some jail time. Enjoy your cells, punks.
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Burnt offerings
Life thrives on symmetry, and if our endlessly annoying End Times cacophony of hysteria has taught us anything, it’s that every point has a counterpoint. You want to protect your kids from contracting diphtheria? Governorelect Kevin Stitt has a different idea. On June 26, an overwhelming majority of Oklahomans voted to legalize medical marijuana, and by overwhelming majority, we mean 56.8 percent to 43.2 percent of the electorate. This is settled law, yet Oklahoma’s Southern Baptist leaders are still trying to scare us, much like they did when they were youth ministers and they told us The Beatles were way into Satan, lil’ bro. Perhaps sensing that the booming medicinal cannabis economy might lead to Oklahoma going full-blown recreational and turn the entire state into one big Wiz Khalifa concert, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma adopted a resolution Nov. 13 calling on Oklahoma’s faithful to resist the temptation of recreational sticky icky. “We pray that the citizens of Oklahoma will oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana and that the church will be proactive through Christ-centered ministries to reach people who are addicted to substanc-
es,” the resolution said. Here we go again. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government organization that hopes Stitt will start vaccinating all his kids someday, one in 10 marijuana users will become addicted. Meanwhile, half your congregation is stumbling into church bleary-eyed after a long night of trying to take out Dutch in Red Dead Redemption 2. At Chicken-Fried News, our only concern about possible recreational marijuana in Oklahoma is the inevitable pandemic of ocular irritations from burners rubbing their eyes after eating too many Takis.
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OKCU FILM INSTITUTE & THE BASS SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENT A FREE PUBLIC EVENT
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COV E R
EAT & DRINK
Tap dance
Get hopping with Oklahoma City’s taproom culture. By Nazarene Harris, George Lang, Jeremy Martin and Jacob Threadgill
On Oct. 1, the game changed for Oklahoma breweries. Not only could they sell their full-strength beers in supermarkets and keep them cold at liquor stores, but the breweries’ taprooms could stay open until 2 a.m. and allow guests under age 21 to hang out while their parents sample the latest local beers. Fewer restrictions plus food on the menu in many locations mean more people, more families and more inclusion — more of everything! With so many taprooms proliferating in Oklahoma City and the holidays in full swing, Oklahoma Gazette implores you to step away from the turkey and venture out on your first taproom crawl through OKC’s burgeoning brewery scene. Check them all out, but please, please, please get a rideshare.
Brewer’s take: “From the start, our goal was to bring vivid, progressive beers to Oklahoma,” Simmons said. “Our owner Joel [Irby] and head brewer Nate [Roberts] got most of their brewing chops in the Colorado beer scene and hope to use what they’ve learned to create a unique craft beer experience to Oklahoma.”
1279 N. Air Depot Blvd. roughtailbeer.com Number of beers on tap: 14 Current special: Bice is Right and Spoonbender The standout beer: Everything Rhymes With Orange Atmosphere/size: 550 square feet Brewer’s take: “We do a lot of special releases and tap house-only stuff to get people out. Although it feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere, we’re only 7 miles east of downtown,” said owner Blaine Stansel.
Prairie Artisan Ales
Anthem Brewing Co.
Twisted Spike Brewing Co.
Roughtail Brewing Co.
Stonecloud Brewing Co.
1012 NW First St. stonecloudbrewing.com Number of beers on tap: 17, with additional beers available by the bottle Current special: “We feature a new beer almost every week,” said head brewer Colton Simmons. “Some of our current favorites are: Havana Affair — German Pilsner, the newest addition to our year-round lineup! Amarilla Thrilla — single-hop pale ale Fat Tony — rum barrel-aged stout with malted milkballs and coconut (releasing Saturday) Look for seven specialty stouts releasing for Christmas!” The standout beer: Neon Sunshine — A bright Belgian Wit brewed with orange peel and coriander; it’s fullbodied and easy drinking. The name pays homage to the original neon laundry sign that sits atop the historic building Stone-cloud calls home. Atmosphere/size: The taproom, built where the dry-cleaner drive-thru originally operated, is filled with natural light and warmth.
peanut butter roasted coffee aged in bourbon barrels. Atmosphere/size: A bright, colorful Scandinavian vibe in a warehouse setting. Brewer’s take: “We are constantly rotating the beers, so there is always something new and exciting,” said taproom manager Greg Powell. “We keep a good mix of fruited sour beers, IPAs, stouts and pilsners.”
1 NW 10th St. twistedspike.com Number of beers on tap: 24 Current special: Two Bean or Not Two Bean, a vanilla coffee robust porter with 5.8 percent ABV. The standout beer: Dirty Blonde, a Belgian blonde with 6.2 percent ABV, has been winning awards since owner Bruce Sanchez was brewing it in his garage in the 1990s. Each barrel of Holy Beer, a smooth dark Belgian quadruple with an ABV of 9.8 percent, is reportedly blessed by a priest. Atmosphere/size: Twisted Spike features several TVs for watching sporting events, including a 70-inch screen in the back event space. In addition to beer, it also offers several wine selections and food from Calico Joe’s Sports Grill in a casual, family friendly environment. Brewer’s take: “Everything’s growing and migrating back downtown, and we just wanted to be part of that growth and make things a lot more fun in downtown,” Sanchez said. “We’re the first brewery with an in-house restaurant. … A lot of these beers started out as my home brew favorites. They’re like my kids. I love them all. Sometimes I’ll walk into the taproom after a few weeks of not having tasted one for awhile, and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah! I love this beer!’ I do that constantly.”
908 SW Fourth St. anthembrewing.com Number of beers on tap: 12, with plans to expand to 16-18 at the beginning of next year Current special: Anthem recently rereleased its popular Rye’d or D’ipa Double IPA and plans to release a special Festivus-themed ale (after the non-religious holiday “for the rest of us” invented by George Costanza’s father on an episode of Seinfeld) with hints of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon in December. The standout beer: Federal Level, a sour dark cream ale with an ABV of 8.8, was developed to celebrate the anniversary of Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 424, which allowed brewers to sell highpoint beer on their own premises. FarmHouse, with an ABV of 7 percent, is aged for a year in a chardonnay barrel for a crisp, tart taste. Atmosphere/size: Head brewer Shaun Wright said the minimalist taproom with its small bar area will be expanded in early 2019 when Anthem enlarges its operations to meet the growing demand for its products in stores and bars. Brewer’s take: “We have a very wellrounded, diverse group that enjoys our beer,” said brand ambassador Jesse House. “People from everywhere come in all the time. There was one weekend where I had nothing but Alaskan people coming in, and I was like, ‘Why are you all here and wearing shorts when it’s 30 degrees?’ … At the end of the day, we’re all just boiling some water and throwing some flowers into a pot, just trying to have a good time with what we can make out of it.” continued on page 14
3 NE Eighth St. prairieales.com Number of beers on tap: 16 Current special: Rotates weekly The standout beer: Barrel-Aged Nigerian Prince. An imperial stout with O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | N OV E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 8
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EAT & DRINK Angry Scotsman Brewing
COV E R
continued from page 13
Brewers Union
520 N. Meridian Ave. buok.beer Number of beers on tap: 18 Current special: Night Ops American Stout by Crossed Cannons Brewery, with an 8.7 percent ABV, and Bourbon Barrel Mashie by Elk Valley Brewing Company with a 10.9 percent ABV are both currently available in the taproom. The standout beer: Steel Beach Picnic by Crossed Cannons, a session IPA with a 5 percent ABV and Magic Juice, a Northeast-style double IPA with an 8.2 percent ABV by Elk Valley. Atmosphere/size: The taproom features draft beer from multiple local breweries and seats a maximum of 49 people. Customers can sign up for a weekly pingpong tournament on Wednesday nights. Brewer’s take: “We’re a cooperative, and we have multiple startup breweries working under our roof,” said owner Brad Stumph. “We provide the setup, and then those other guys come in and basically work in the space and are able to produce their beer. Our goal is to lower that barrier of entry for startups. Of course, if they’re not purchasing equipment and real estate and things like that, it allows them to come in and basically just brew for the price of rent and ingredients and they can get their brand started. … If I can help some other entrepreneurs get going and start a business, that’s definitely pretty fulfilling for me, and I think it helps grow our craft beer industry here in the city as well.” 14
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704 W. Reno Ave. angryscotbrew.com Number of beers on tap: 10 Current special: The Fall Back Pumpkin Dunkelweizen is a German dark wheat beer that Angry Scotsman owner Ross Harper offers during the fall. Common People, a California lager, is a year-round special. The standout beer: Rusty Kiltpin is a malty Scottish export beer that Harper describes as “easy to drink.” Atmosphere/size: Harper said the brewery’s patio is one of the largest downtown. When the weather permits guests can get toasty outside by relaxing near the bar’s fire pits and patio heaters. Brewer’s take: “When I came to the States for college, I learned that even though Americans speak English just like the English speak English, there are many differences in our interpretations. One night when I was drinking with my college roommates, I told them I was pissed. In England, the expression means that a person is drunk or tipsy, but in America, it means that a person is mad. So I became known as the Angry Scotsman. When the liquor laws in Oklahoma changed, I thought it was time I had fun with that name, so I opened this place up. The atmosphere here is fun and lighthearted, but we like to say that everyone gets angry from time to time.”
New England-style beer with tropical notes. A 4 oz. pour is $3.50 and a full 16 oz. glass is $7. Customers can also buy four-packs to go. The standout beer: 401 Cream Ale is an old-style American beer that contains no cream despite its name. It has a smooth taste, bar co-owner Andrew Carrales said. Another flagship beer is Broken Tile, which is a double IPA and has the hops grapefruit flavor with a bittersweet back end. Atmosphere/size: The atmosphere includes a throwback to Automobile Alley with a superhero mural on one wall painted by local artist Jack Beeson. The atmosphere is intentionally bright in every sense of the word. “We wanted this to be a very open place with lots of natural light,” Carrales said. Bar owners and staff strive to implement a bright attitude as well, and the element of fun is apparent. Brewer’s take: Vanessa is not so much about a woman as it is about friendship, Carrales said. “There are five of us who own this bar, and we all grew up together. In college, we lived on Vanessa Street in a rental house we called Vanessa’s House. We had so much fun. Later, we graduated, got married, had kids and realized that we hardly hung out like we used to, so we started brewing beer together on Saturdays at Zac’s house. One day, we had the idea to make a business out of our hobby, and here we are.” Vanessa House’s owners are Carrales, Nick White, Justin Wright and brothers Zac and Evan Smith. “We like to say that we take our beer a lot more seriously than we take ourselves,” said Carrales.
Elk Valley Brewing Co.
Vanessa House Beer Co.
118 NW Eighth St. vanessahousebeerco.com Number of beers on tap: 12 Current special: T-Shirt Co. is an IPA
1210 N. Hudson Ave. elkvalleybrew.com Number of beers on tap: 17 Current special: Specials will be offered when Elk Valley’s Midtown location opens in December according to owner, John Elkins. The standout beer: Magic Juice is a double IPA Northeast-style beer with Mosaic and Comet Hops. The beer has a strong citrus flavor, Elkins said. The Tenkiller Pilsner is an American Pilsner with malt, barley, flaked corn and American hops. Atmosphere: Inclusive.
Brewer’s take: “This has been a vision of mine for a long, long time,” Elkins said. The Midwest City born and bred 44-year-old went to tech school after high school and worked as an aircraft mechanic for the Department of Defense years before he ever made his dream a reality. When his wife finished nursing school, she advised Elkins to pursue his beer-brewing hobby full time and open the brewery he always hoped to. “I am a family man,” he said. “Everyone is welcome into my bar, and you can bet the beer is good. My motto is simple: I brew the beers I love to drink.”
COOP Ale Works
4745 Council Heights Road coopaleworks.com Number of beers on tap: Seven handles are dedicated to COOP’s core line of beers, one dedicated to seasonal beers, one or two handles for barrel-aged beers and eight handles for experimental beers that are being market-tested. Standout beer: Green Room IPA is a variant on the F5, double dry-hopped with Citra hops. Atmosphere: Relaxed and casual — the better to sample some future favorite beers and provide a little feedback. Brewer’s take: The new COOP Ale Works location scheduled to open in late 2020 at the former 23rd Street Armory, 200 NE 23rd St., will broaden visitors’ beer-tasting experience. “There will be multiple bars instead of a single taproom, and each of those bars will have a unique quality to it,” said Sean Mossman, director of sales and marketing at COOP Ale Works. “We know we’re having a full-blown brewpub in the space, and we’re working on what the menu will be. There could be as many as three bar locations on the site.”
Oklahoma Gazette 11-21-18 M18NA580 RFTE Projects.indd 1
Oklahoma Gazette 11-21-18 M18NA580 RFTE Projects
O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | N OV E M B E R 2 1 , 10:35:34 2018 15 11/2/2018 AM
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EAT & DRINK
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Community grill Ice Event Center and Grill offers a variety of entertainment and affordable food. By Jacob Threadgill
Ice Event Center and Grill 1148 NE 36th St. | 405-208-4240 WHAT WORKS: The catfish is delicately fried and well-seasoned. WHAT NEEDS WORK: It would be nice to see additional vegetable side dishes. TIP: Check out Jazz and Blues Mondays or live music Thursdays.
Quirky independent psychedelic rock act colourmusic preps new music and favorites for this anticipated show.
COLOURMUSIC APPLIED MUSIC PROGRAM WITH
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7p.m. Friday, November 30, 2018 · $10 Public welcome. All Performance Lab tickets available at eventbrite.com
Fried catfish and chicken wings are the reason Ice Event Center and Grill became successful, but it has been elevated in recent years by focusing on becoming community space for Oklahoma City’s African-American community, according to co-owner Marc Flemon. When it opened about seven years ago at 1148 NE 36th Street, in the northeast corner of the Northeast Town Center shopping center, Flemon said that the initial concept for Ice was purely social in nature, to be a bar space where people could dance, host parties and have a few late-night food options. “I saw an opportunity to be more than that,” Flemon said. “I saw an opportunity to be a central gathering place for black culture, education and all things that are important to the community but was missing. We already had bars and restaurants, but we didn’t have a gathering place where you could take a dance class or have a community forum, attend dinner theater or host a gospel concert.” Ice now offers dance classes Monday-Saturday led by instructors who teach swingout — a style that combines traditional swing dance with stepping and other disciplines — and line dancing. “There are so many variations of line dancing, but it’s great cardio and good networking,” Flemon said with a laugh. While dance classes with trained instructors cost $5, most events at Ice have free admission.
ACM@UCO PERFORMANCE LAB 329 E Sheridan Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
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(405) 974-4711 | acm-uco.com
Metro Music Series Sponsors A lunch catfish plate with french fries and bread | Photo provided
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Last December, Ice began hosting a free jazz and blues night every Monday at 8:30 p.m., which is led by a house band featuring keyboardist Adam Ledbetter (of Adam & Kizzie) and Chanda Graham. “They are powerhouses in Oklahoma City for jazz and blues. They understand how important it is to promote jazz music on the northeast side. You can go to Plaza District, Edmond or downtown and see the same artists, but there’s never been a conscious effort to promote it in this neighborhood. Jazz is an original contribution to African-American and American music, and we want to make sure to promote it.”
I saw an opportunity to be a central gathering place for black culture, education and all things that are important to the community. Marc Flemon Jazz and blues night begins with an opening set by the house band, but then the night opens up for advanced musicians to join the group and jam. Flemon said artists routinely drive from Edmond and Shawnee to perform, and he has gotten artists from Tulsa and Dallas to create a unique and organic jam session that can last all night.
I
Kaiser’s
Real Jewish Rye “If the music is moving and the spirit is high, I’ll let them play all night,” he said. “It’s becoming a major event for us.” On Mondays, the grill offers a dinner plate with a choice of fried pork chop or chicken wings with mashed potatoes and gravy, stewed cabbage and a dinner roll for $12. It’s indicative of how the menu has cha nged over t he yea rs. Hamburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, shrimp and loaded baked potatoes, the latter of which can be filled with chicken, chili or cheesesteak, are available for $6 on Wednesdays and Thursdays for lunch. On Tuesdays, Ice hosts an adult game night with cards, jumbo Jenga and $2 margaritas. Wednesday is Dope Poetry Night, which Flemon said might be the largest open mic poetry night in the state, regularly attracting over 100 attendees. Thursdays are for live music with the R&B Ice house band that features four singers, including Thaddeus Johnson, who was a semi-finalist on the most recent season of American Idol on ABC. The event is free, but Flemon does recommend calling ahead to reserve a table because Thursday is Ice’s most popular event. On Fridays, Ice alternates between hosting a stand-up comedy night with a nationally touring comedian and karaoke. Ice is open for private events on Saturdays and hosts a made-to-order brunch with an omelet station, shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles the first Sunday of every month that features a pop-up store comprised of
Ice Event Center and grill is known for its jumbo chicken wings. | Photo provided
local vendors. I heard about the food at Ice Event Center from Apollo Woods, who runs the great resource OKC Black Eats, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the food, but I became excited about the center after speaking with Flemon. Jazz and Blues Mondays sound like a blast, as does the Thursday night performance. I also like the ability to go to a comedy act right down 36th, rather than having to fight tons of traffic to go to other comedy clubs. I went to Ice for lunch recently, and even though I arrived before noon, I was comforted to see a handful of other patrons in there. I knew it was more popular as a late-night option, but it opens at 10:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and offers lunch specials. I got catfish, and I was very pleased with my lunch but would’ve liked to see a vegetable option other than fried okra. I’d like to see them add some green beans, black-eyed peas, collard greens or even some coleslaw with the fish. The catfish plate with french fries and a water is only $9. The catfish filets were delicately fried. I could hear the cook drop them in to order; it wasn’t too greasy, and there was plenty of seasoning on the corn meal batter. Each table is equipped with tartar and hot sauce, ketchup and mustard. Flemon said that the kitchen is at its busiest at 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. For the most part, those kind of alcohol-fueled late nights are behind me, but I’m glad Ice is serving the same food all day and it has such an interesting and affordable event center.
Kaiser’s Grateful Bean Café N Walker & 10th • 236-3503
Mon – Thurs 11a-6p • Fri – Sat 11a–8p General Manager - Alberto Fonseca personally prepares our NY Jewish sourdough rye using old-world methods; he also personally creates our corned beef, sauerkraut, spicy mustard, guacamole, salsas, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk...and lots of other great fermented foods.
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F E AT U R E
EAT & DRINK
Plaza BBQ
Maples Barbecue opened its brick-and-mortar location Nov. 20 in 16th Street Plaza District. By Jacob Threadgill
The metal cage sitting outside at the corner of 16th Street and Indiana Avenue filled with post oak wood lets the Plaza District know that Maples Barbecue is serious about Texas-style barbecue. A journey that started two years ago with the Maples Barbecue food trailer came to fruition Nov. 20 with the opening of the brick-and-mortar location at 1800 NW 16th St. in the former Chiltepe’s Latin Cuisine location. The same 1,000-gallon, 3,500pound smoker that produced Maples’ beef brisket and pork ribs was lifted by crane along with a brand-new identical smoker into the restaurant’s new smoker room that operators want to be a sight to behold for guests. “We want to make the pitroom a showpiece. We want people to come back here and see and get a connection on where their food is coming from, who is cooking it and how it is being prepared,” said Maples pit master Zach Edge, noting that the room will be staffed 20 hours a day to monitor the 14-hour smoking process for brisket. “In the summertime, they’re going to see how hot it gets in here. We’re going to have people sweating in here just to make sure you have good barbecue.” Edge joined the Day One Concepts team (Waffle Champion, Nonesuch, Buttermilk) as Maples got its start in the food trailer. Edge said he was looking for a job that would help him embrace his 18
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family’s roots in southeast Texas after working as a sous chef in fine dining. “As a kid, I always went down and my grandfather cooked brisket for family get-togethers,” Edge said. “I’ve been around barbecue my whole life. I was looking to get into barbecue, and this worked out perfect.” Maples fashions itself as a Texasstyle meat market where customers order from a selection of beef brisket, pork ribs, chicken and local sausage by weight. It is sliced in front of them at the counter and sides are brought to the table by wait staff. All of the meat used at Maples is primegrade, and Creekstone Farms in Kansas supplies Angus beef for brisket and beef ribs and Duroc pork, and Stilwell’s Mountain View Meat Company supplies fresh sausage for the smoker. Manager Shane Biggers said the staff is looking for an Oklahoma brisket supplier and will incorporate more items as specials and menu expansion come into play. There are three sauces: a sweet house sauce, a spicy version and an undecided third sauce. Edge was playing around with the idea of an espresso barbecue sauce to balance the sweet and spicy versions. Pie Junkie supplies fresh pies, and kitchen staff makes banana pudding in-house. Sides include brisket burnt Beef brisket and pork ribs from Maples Barbecue | Photo provided
EATERY & COCKTAIL OFFICE @ THE UNION A brisket sandwich topped with coleslaw from Maples Barbecue | Photo provided
end baked beans, lemon coleslaw, potato salad and custard macaroni and cheese. The custard version differentiates from the béchamel-based sauce version by using egg and milk base with cheese to bind the noodles together for an end result that rises and firms up in the oven.
Having a room full of people all eating really good barbecue and having good drinks is what gets me excited. Shane Biggers Maples will feature an alcohol selection that includes local craft beer and a cocktail program that will have a few berry-flavored mixed drinks that pair with the barbecue, but Biggers said it will be primarily whisky-based. In March, Stonecloud Brewing Company — with whom Maples partnered to host pop-up dinners leading up to the brickand-mortar location — will unveil a beer exclusive for the restaurant. Biggers looks forward to seeing Maples’ large family-style picnic tables in the dining room and on the covered patio filled with happy patrons. “The hospitality and to have some comfort food like this that will make a lot of people’s day,” Biggers said. “Having a room full of people all eating really good barbecue and having good drinks is what gets me excited.” There are no specialty spice rubs on the meat. Edge prefers to let high-quality meat be showcased with a slow cooking time derived from indirect heat, a subtle wood flavor and standard salt and pepper. Edge, like many people, used the Franklin Barbecue book from Austin’s famous location as a guide for his brisket. “One person is not going to get the same results the next person gets,” Edge said. “I’ll tell them exactly what we do — time, temperature, every step — but for them to recreate that is almost impossible. That’s what’s so cool
about barbecue; every pit master has their own unique touch and every smoker is different.” Edge takes pride in the progress he has made in perfecting brisket since taking over the Maples food truck two years ago, noting that it takes a year to develop the identity of the smoker. “That’s not to say what we were doing before wasn’t any good, but we were learning how to be better,” Edge said. “The only way to do that is by constantly trying and messing up. The best processes are to overcook a brisket and undercook a brisket and find that middle ground.” He tested the cooker for cold spots by lining the inside with raw biscuit dough, closing the lid and checking an hour later. He found that it cooked evenly and a smoked biscuit is actually pretty good. “It was like cowboy cooking,” Edge said, laughing. “I was surprised that it wasn’t overwhelmed with smokiness.” The test with the biscuit is an example of why Edge uses white oak as opposed to mesquite, which burns quickly at a high temperature, or an overpowering fruit wood like cherry. “[The opening has] been a long time coming. In the summer out there [on the food trailer], dealing with Oklahoma weather was pretty tough on us,” Edge said. “This is justification to know that we want something great and it’s something Oklahoma City wants.” Visit maplesbarbecue.com. Zach Edge stokes the fire at Maples Barbecue. | Photo Alexa Ace
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GAZEDIBLES
EAT & DRINK
Festive sips
The weather outside might be frightful, but these drinks will be a delightful way to warm up this holiday season. By Jacob Threadgill | Photos Gazette / file and provided
Ponyboy
423 NW 23rd St. ponyboyokc.com | 405-602-5985
Six new winter cocktails popped up on the Ponyboy menu recently — in addition to its new food menu — and they take advantage of seasonal ingredients like pears, butternut squash and maple. The Fire Pit Sipper is cognac, cinnamon, raisin, bitters and maple syrup that will be sure to warm you up on a cold night.
Good Times
Bar Arbolada
Good Times might have gained popularity in its first year for its large, colorful patio, but just because the weather is getting cooler doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a selection of warm cocktails under heaters on the patio or inside. Good Times offers homemade cider in addition to Mexican hot chocolate, a hot toddy, Irish coffee, mulled wine and hot buttered rum.
This new Arts District bar with inventive small plates will have a new drink menu this month, highlighted by The Sun Also Rises, which is tart cherry and sage syrup with Spanish brand blended scotch and Pedro Ximenez sherry that is garnished with fresh sage.
1234 N. Western Ave. facebook.com/goodtimesok 405-609-3647
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Kitchen No. 324
The Manhattan OKC
324 N. Robinson Ave. kitchen324.com | 405-763-5911
210 Park Ave., Suite 150 themanhattanokc.com | 405-605-5300
If you think of Kitchen No. 324 as breakfast or brunch spot, then you should consider checking it out for dinner when its cocktail program expands with the menu. It has added a pair of seasonal cocktails including the Fountain (pictured), which is a bourbon and cream-based drink with cinnamon, and Pyrus Tea, a rum drink with pear and fall spices.
The name says it all: The Manhattan offers 14 variations of its eponymous drink. Rye whiskey tastes better with the weather gets cold (it’s science, OK?), and you have your choice on The Manhattan’s menu, but the ultimate version ($14) includes Bulleit rye, Vya vermouth, Angostura bitters and Luxardo cherry.
Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub
2201 NW 150th St. mattymcmillens.com | 405-607-8822
The holiday season is in full effect, and that means you might have a peppermint craving. Scratch that itch with a Peppermint Matty cocktail or shot at Matty McMillen’s. The drink combines Pinnacle chocolate whipped vodka, crème de menthe, crème de cocoa and cream for an adult version of a Peppermint Patty.
Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar
1100 N. Broadway Ave. sidecarbarleyandwine.com 405-421-0203
Much like The Manhattan OKC, Sidecar offers a great selection of whiskey showcased in drinks like the classic Sazerac and its take on the Old Fashioned. It also has aged whiskey from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. for high-end cocktails, but if you’re looking for something fun, go with the Toasted Marshmallow. It is vanilla vodka with Buttershots schnapps, simple syrup, cream and vanilla extract.
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Our lasagna, meatballs, ravioli and Italian sausage are prepared in house, house made mozzarella. Sauces are made from scratch. • We dry age and hand cut our beef. • We feature an amazing selection of seafood. • Also get your deli meats and cheeses here to take home! • Weekly Lunch Feature.
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Lunch Tues - Sat from 11:30 to Close Dinner Tues - Sat from 4:00 to Close Phone 405.478.4955
1226 NE 63rd St., OKC, OK 73111
www.gabriellasokc.com
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ART
ARTS & CULTURE
Cowboy craftsmen
Two associations join forces for an art exhibition highlighting contemporary cowboy culture. By Joshua Blanco
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is hosting the 53rd annual Cowboy Crossings exhibition, an art show that captures the imagery and sentiment of the Old West while expressing its resilience as a rich piece of American history that continues to endure in modern times. The exhibit is a combined effort of two groups, Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) and Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), who have come together through painting, illustration and handmade works to elucidate the significance of cowboy culture in the present day. “The two shows are just really showing a lot of the contemporary art scene in the sense that Western culture is alive and well,” said Nathan Jones, associate curator of cowboy culture. Founded in 1964, CAA is the longest running art organization of its kind. Its mission was simple: protect and preserve Western culture while continuing to uphold a standard of quality essential to its lasting influence. For the last 53 years, it has seemed to have accomplished just that. After its debut in Oklahoma City, its exhibit was featured in other cities across the United States before returning home to its original location at The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Featuring the works of 19 artists, the CAA side of the exhibition offers a combination of images and sculpture to conjure a realistic representation of life
in the West. On average, the artists each show five pieces, making up a display of around 100 in total. “There’s a lot of … different ways for the West to be portrayed,” said CAA president Jason Rich. “Each artist brings a very unique perspective depending on their life experience and their history, and it shows up in their art. So it’s kind of fun to see a group of like-minded individuals portraying the West, but they can do it in such a neat variety and interesting way.” The organization uses a three-man jury to approve the pieces brought forth by the members to ensure each one meets the quality requirements expected of CAA. Membership is invitation-only and is extended to artists they feel would be beneficial to their mission — one way to ensure the organization’s displays are an accurate representation of its group and vision. “We are a really close-knit group and a family of sorts and good friends and kind of a brotherhood,” Rich said. “You’ve kind of got to be like-minded in your love for the West and its culture and desire to support that and perpetuate it through your art. … We want people that love what we do and want to be a part of it.”
Contemporary cowboys
Twenty years ago, a few TCAA members got together with similar interests in mind. In search of a way to display their works, the members of TCAA had the opportunity to meet Don Reeves, who worked as a curator for The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, at a conference in Elko, Nevada, in 1999. Both the museum and TCA A members felt they were a good match for one another, and shortly thereafter, their works were on display. “Their mission statement to preserve and promote Western culture was the same as ours. So there was compatibility right there,” Cary Schwarz said. Schwarz is a saddlemaker and one of the original TCAA founders. As a nonprofit organization, a lot of its activities tend to be centered on education. Cowboy Crossings provides an outlet for TCAA to inform the public about a historic culture flourishing in a contemporary era, a pursuit it has been committed to from the moment of its inception. “Part of what we’re trying to do is to showcase these pieces so that there’s a higher level of appreciation and value ascribed to these works so that when “Strike Lightning II” by Harold T. Holden | Photo National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum / provided
you read between the lines of preserving and promoting, part of it is to restore economic stability to the trades — visibility and economic stability — so that younger folks could look at this as a trade that they could get into and hopefully feed a family,” Schwarz said. “But that’s a tall order. That’s not easy to do.” In contrast to CAA, TCAA is a group of craftsmen who communicate their message through pieces that demonstrate their handiwork and, often, their profession. Schwarz will be demonstrating both with the saddle he submitted for display, hoping to encourage aspiring craftsmen while instilling in his audience a sense of appreciation not only for these works, but “for the Western culture at large.” On the TCAA side of the exhibit, viewers will find a variety of handmade works from bit spurs and silverworks to rawhide and saddles, all carefully crafted symbols that pay homage to the seemingly immortal spirit belonging to the Old West. “They’re putting a new spin on very old traditions,” said Michael Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture at The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. “As Grant Wood once said, a new spin on an old fable.”
Western value
Regardless of the differences between groups, both CAA and TCAA have come together for the purpose of promoting a sense of preservation for the ideals born from the American West. As Grauer puts it, “One plays off the other.” Though the pieces might be different, the diverse set of art forms on display
“She Awaits Her Warrior” by Martin Grelle | Image National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum / provided
give its audience a deeper look into the commonalities prevalent among these artists. Underlying their passion for the West is a lifelong admiration for the places they have grown to be part of. “That’s kind of how I grew up — riding, training horses — and so it’s just always been a love of mine as far as subject matter, and so that’s what I’ve drawn and painted for as long as I can remember,” Rich said of his paintings. “It’s just been a wonderful opportunity for me to blend two of my passions — art and Western culture and lifestyle — into one.” When touring the exhibition, Jones hopes the audience will take time to enjoy the pieces around them, a characteristic that complements the museum’s atmosphere. “It’s kind of a Western value to slow down and appreciate things,” he said. The works provided by CAA will remain on display through Sunday. TCAA pieces will remain in the museum for a longer duration and will be taken down after Jan. 6, 2019. All submissions are available for purchase. Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Cowboy Crossings through Jan. 6, 2019 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St. nationalcowboymuseum.org | 405-478-2250 Free-$12.50
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Holmes stretch
Jewel Box Theatre moves onto Baker Street with The Game’s Afoot (or Holmes for the Holidays). By Jeremy Martin
The first mystery to solve in Ken Ludwig’s Sherlock-inspired farce The Game’s Afoot (or Holmes for the Holidays) is what exactly is going on. “This is so confusing,” said Billie Thrash, director of the production playing through Dec. 9 at Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., when trying to describe the plot. “It will hopefully become clear.” The Game’s Afoot, which won the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best play from Mystery Writers of America, begins with the ending of another play, a production of William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes, adapted from the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. Gillette, a playwright and actor known for his stoic-yet-enthralling stage presence, “created the iconic Sherlock Holmes that we all think of today,” Thrash said. In Ludwig’s play, Gillette has just finished a performance of his Sherlock Holmes when he’s embroiled in a mystery of his own. “The play actually starts with somebody not in the play firing a gun and wounding the lead actor, and that person escapes,” Thrash said. “A crime occurs, but who did it? And it’s actual, as far as the quote ‘fake play’ is concerned.” While Gillette was a real person, Thrash said, Ludwig invented the “big intricate murder mystery” at the heart of The Game’s Afoot. “Ludwig had this crazy idea of 24
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making Gillette one of the main characters in a play, but it’s not based on any actual incident,” Thrash said. “He just made it up. … He based it on this idea of ‘What if William Gillette had invited his cast of the current Sherlock Holmes play to his home for Christmas?’ and what happens is, of course, murder ensues.” The play, set in December 1936 when real-life Gillette was 83 years old, takes significant liberties with his life story. For example, the script describes Martha, Gillette’s mother in the play, as “a smartly dressed, somewhat vague and dithering woman in her mid-70s.” Gillette’s actual mother, Elizabeth, died in 1893. One true detail included in the play is Gillette’s lavish house modeled after a European castle. “Gillette was known in real life for entertaining,” Thrash said. “He had a big, plush home in Connecticut, and so when his casts would be performing one of his plays, particularly the Sherlock Holmes play, on Broadway, he would always entertain them in his home.” When one of his guests is killed, Gillette decides to draw on his years of experience playing the world-famous fictional detective to crack the case. “Everybody is starting to put their two cents’ worth in solving the mystery and how it happened and whodunit,” Thrash said. “But does his familiarity with the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes
from left Tad Thurston and Don Taylor star in The Game’s Afoot, playing through Dec. 9 at Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave. | Photo James Beckel / provided
help him with solving the mystery?” While Gillette’s mansion serves as the setting for most of the play, Ludwig’s script notes, “It does not look like the real Gillette Castle interior, which is stone and wood. There is nothing dark or medieval about this room. It looks like an art deco dream world.” Madge, one of Gillette’s houseguests in The Game’s Afoot, offers a different description. “It would be excellent for a murder,” Madge says. “It’s isolated, there are loads of rooms for hiding the body and it’s on a river so you can drown people. What more do you want, an ax?”
Game theory
Thrash said Ludwig is known for writing comedic plays such as Lend Me a Tenor, but the playwright wanted to combine humor with the thrills of a classic whodunit. “Ludwig basically is a writer of comedy and farce, but he is totally fascinated by murder mystery plays,” Thrash said. “Since Gillette was a playwright who dealt with one of the greatest mystery heroes of all, which was Sherlock Holmes, he decided to make it him and combine the comedy, farce and mystery elements.” In the foreword to The Game’s Afoot, Ludwig describes his efforts to write a “relentlessly entertaining” murder mystery after seeing Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap with his family. “The greatest mystery plays are plotted meticulously,” Ludwig wrote. “They’re not character studies of a freewheeling nature; that’s not their territory. … A mystery play that lacks a good plot in this sense — that is not well-plotted architecturally — is never a very good one.” Thrash said the play’s combination of
comedic dialogue and meticulous plotting requires a challenging balancing act. “It’s a really fun combination of both farcical comedy and a real intricate murder mystery,” Thrash said. “You don’t want to get too silly with it, and you’ve still got to walk that fine line between these highly amusing characters and the fact that a crime has been committed that has to be solved.” Set design and prop placement become crucial as well because seemingly insignificant details might become important later on, but placing evidence and hints too prominently can give away too much too soon. “Any good murder mystery provides clues along the way to help the audience try to form their own opinions on whodunit,” Thrash said. “Most of these things start with the murder or with an incident of some sort, a crime of some sort, and then the people at the party or wherever this thing is set try to figure out what happened and are themselves in danger. That’s an added element. So you have to keep the clues clear but not obvious because pretty soon you’ve got a big, wide body of suspects and the trick is to make the audience, in addition to enjoying the comedic elements and the fun stuff, … be able to clearly follow and start forming their own opinions. … You can’t leave the audience out of this even though they’re not an actual participant.” Don Taylor, who plays Gillette in the Jewel Box production, benefits from having previously played Sherlock Holmes onstage. Though Gillette is his own character, he becomes more influenced by the fictional detective as the play progresses. “He doesn’t really take on the persona of Sherlock, but he does,” Thrash said. “He uses everything he ever found out when he was writing about him supposedly, in this scenario that Ludwig has set up. And he has delusions of being Sherlock himself, not actual delusions, but he thinks he knows more than he does.” Thrash has previously directed Christie murder mysteries as well as Ludwig’s farce Leading Ladies, but she said she still finds The Game’s Afoot’s specific demands challenging. “It’s an interesting puzzle to work out,” Thrash said. “Let me put it that way. And that’s what it is, a puzzle.” Tickets are $20-$25. Visit jewelboxtheatre.org.
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Art: The Gift that keeps on giving! Featuring all CMG artists in November & December Paseo/Homeless Alliance Donation Drop-Off Location Featuring artwork from 20 artists’ in clay, metal, glass, wood and more www.cmgartgallery.com 405.256.3465 1104 NW 30th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Thursday – Saturday 11am – 5pm
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The Game’s Afoot (or Holmes for the Holidays) Through Dec. 9 Jewel Box Theatre 3700 N. Walker Ave. jewelboxtheatre.org | 405-521-1786 $20-$25
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ARTS & CULTURE
T H E AT E R
When the chef’s dish of sorbet turns out to be a revolver, the staff is taken by surprise in An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. (from left C.W. Bardsher, Glen Hallstrom, Cam Taylor, Kevin Moore and Holly McNatt) | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided
Table for one
A wealthy expatriate considers suicide in his French cafe after Hemingway’s death in an absurdist comedy at Carpenter Square Theatre. By Joshua Blanco
“I’ll probably go the same way,” Ernest Hemingway wrote shortly after his father’s suicide. Years later, on July 2, 1961, the acclaimed novelist died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Ketchum, Idaho. Mourning the death of his beloved hero, expatriate Victor Bullard reroutes his trip to Milan, traveling instead to Madrid to take part in the famous bullfights Hemingway often recounted in his stories. After he returns to his home in Paris, Victor takes it upon himself to end his own life. And the story begins. Written by playwright Michael Hollinger, An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf is a tragic comedy unlike any other. From Broadway to Oklahoma City, the show arrives at Carpenter Square Theatre just in time for the holiday season and runs Friday-Dec. 15. Though it’s not a traditional holiday play, artistic director Rhonda Clark and her team felt it was a fitting time to add the installment to the theater’s repertoire. “People come from different backgrounds, different perspectives,” she said, referencing her committee. “We all don’t necessarily love the same thing, but we care about finding unique stories. And it’s definitely a unique story.” A successful journalist in his own right, Victor leads a life lacking the joy and fulfillment he had one day hoped to attain. Feeling as if his dreams and aspirations of writing the next great American novel have been snuffed out, his accomplishments provide him no comfort. In An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, Claude tries to tempt Victor with the chef’s succulent Chateaubriand after Victor announces he’s going to quit eating. (from left Glen Hallstrom, Kevin Moore and C.W. Bardsher) | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided
The son of a wealthy newspaperman, Victor finds himself in a state of distress following the death of his father. Left with an inheritance of several million dollars plus investments, he decides to give up his career and move to Europe. After his relocation, he uses a portion of his money to purchase a Parisian cafe, where he acts as the sole patron of his own establishment, the place at which the entire play is set. Despite the French setting, audiences should be aware the show was cast with English-speaking individuals using an American accent, a feature Hollinger made clear to include when writing the script to avoid having his name attached to a dialogue sounding less like a professional production and more like a Pepé Le Pew rendition. “It’s French with a real American kind of sensibility in a way,” Clark said.
Still, it maintains a uniquely Parisian quality carried over in part from the Lost Generation and the angst they brought about with them. Of all the characters, Victor is perhaps the most angst-ridden. Living in a world of broken dreams, the fatherless writer sits down in the cafe after losing his girlfriend, Miss Berger, while on their trip to Madrid. Sitting alone at the cafe, Victor informs the staff of his plan to take his own life. With the intention of starving himself, he requests no more food be brought to his table. The waiters fulfill his request, and Victor is served an empty plate. “This man, he has everything he needs but nothing he wants,” said Glen Hallstrom, the actor playing the role of Victor. “He’s just this one big ball of frustration in longing.” Meanwhile, the chef continues his duties in the kitchen, preparing the food Victor has no intention of eating. Rather than carry each course to the table, the reluctant patron is served an illustrative account describing what awaits him on the off chance he experiences a change of heart. It’s during these moments the audience is given a snapshot of Victor’s life and the lives of those around him. For example, he recalls the bullfight in Spain while the other characters reveal some of their own motivations and interests.
Absurdist comedy
Though it might not sound like a laughing spree just yet, there are certain elements prevalent throughout the entirety of the show lending to its comedic twist. According to Hollstrom, the show is a “precarious balance” that will “go right into big drama and then undercut it with a little comedy and then go right back” and “a roller coaster.”
“It’s sort of an absurdist comedy. It’s very beautifully written, actually. … All the characters are real and in each their own way, they’re kind of all sort of clinging to some type of desperate notion as to what they want out of life,” said Holly McNatt, the actress playing Mimi. As she puts it, Mimi is the “the solitary female presence in the cafe” and “the heart and soul of the show.” Married to one of the cafe staff members and dressed in a suit topped with a pillbox hat, Mimi idolizes Jackie Kennedy, adding to the drama of the show when she becomes the love interest of the Grand Boeuf chef. “What makes it so wonderful is to see these angst-ridden, very sophisticated Parisian people who basically see themselves in pain and, you know, the world is really horrible to them,” said Linda McDonald, director of the play. “And of course, we can see that it’s not, but that’s the way they see it. And so it makes a lot of the little things that they do particularly funny.” Meanwhile, Victor works through his own flurry of emotions while finding himself surrounded by the preoccupations of the others in the cafe. Hallstrom recalled his initial reaction after being assigned the role. “So I look at the book, and I read through it, and I’m going ‘God, this guy is screwed six ways to Sunday,’” he said. “You know, all these emotions going on around him … I think he enjoys it in one sense, but on the other side, it’s even more provoking to him.” Hallstrom admits that despite being one the greatest challenges he has faced as an actor, he thinks the show will be one the audience will truly appreciate. With dedication, he’ll “break [his] back to make sure they’re entertained.” But entertainment isn’t the only thing this show has to offer. “[I hope viewers will be able] to see that we’re all sort of insulated in ourselves but be able to see that as something that we can also smile and even laugh at and see how easy it would be to take a step to another side of ourselves and perhaps find we’re not so unhappy after all,” McDonald said. Whether or not Victor learns this lesson is something we’ll save for the show. “The ending is rather bittersweet,” Hallstrom said. “Some people say more bitter than sweet, but I think it’s bittersweet.” Visit carpentersquare.com.
An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf Friday-Dec. 15 Carpenter Square Theatre 806 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com | 405-232-6500 $5-$25
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ARTS & CULTURE
CO M M U N I T Y
Red Earth Treefest showcases tribal culture through individual Christmas trees. | Photo provided
Native nativity
Red Earth Treefest celebrates individual tribal cultures through meticulously decorated trees. By Joshua Blanco
Shining bright with the holiday spirit, Red Earth Art Center welcomes visitors to join them for Treefest, a gleaming display of 23 Christmas trees decorated with handcrafted ornaments representing Native American cultures from across the state. Unlike holiday events that often take a more conventional approach in bringing people together for the holidays, Treefest features handmade ornaments from 19 Oklahoma tribes showcasing the traditional customs integral to their way of life. “Everybody loves Christmas trees, and everybody loves Christmas ornaments,” said Eric Oesch, Red Earth Art Center co-director. “Each of the trees are so different, and it reflects how each of our tribes are different.” A few years after the transition to Red Earth’s new gallery space, Oesch and his colleagues thought to create an event tailored to the holiday season. Inspired by the Holiday Treefest housed in its former location, now Oklahoma City Museum of Science, the Red Earth team decided to put a unique spin on an old holiday favorite. What used to be a display of trees paying homage to the vast array of countries essential in their contribution to the statewide melting pot quickly transformed into a spectacle expressing the range of native cultures that weave “the fabric of our state,” Oesch said. “We’re not a bit ashamed to say we 28
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took a great idea,” he admitted. “We just gave it a new name and called it Red Earth Treefest.” Four years after its debut, the festival is still going strong. Last year, the art center had over 2,000 visitors walk through its doors, feasting their eyes on the spectacle of trees that stood before them. They expect an even greater attendance in 2018. However, the event doesn’t operate for the sole purpose of entertainment. Red Earth hopes the experience will be as educational as it is dazzling. Drawing in crowds from across the nation, Oklahoma City offers an abundance of Christmas events for travelers and their families, many in search of an authentic experience only Red Earth Treefest can offer. Oesch recounts the times visitors have entered expecting to find the archetypal Native American or, as he puts it, the Hollywood representation that doesn’t necessarily hold true for all tribes. “We have people come in here all the time that go ‘Where can we go to see the Indians that live in the teepees?’ or ‘Where can we go to meet a real Indian?’” he said. “Well, chances are half the people that you’ve met while you’ve been here have some type of Indian heritage, whether they have blue eyes or brown eyes, because Native culture is so prominent in our state.” A friendly host happy to educate his audience on the reality of Oklahomabased tribes, Oesch feels the trees act
as an easy and intriguing way to tell their stories. All people have to do is slow down and enjoy. “[The audience] could learn about the culture without really even having to try — by just looking at the ornaments on the trees,” Oesch said. According to Oesch, both Indian and non-Indian viewers alike will often take time to stare at the trees and reminisce, conveying an obvious sense of authentic appreciation. Those hoping for a warm Christmas sight aren’t the only ones who appreciate the event. Members of the participating tribes also come to see the trees symbolizing their heritage. “Some of these tribes, they’re just so proud to say, ‘Here we are. We’re here today, and we’re not just a faded memory,’” he said. “‘We’re here, and our Christmas tree proves it.’” Anticipating the event to come, many tribes will begin working on their ornaments as early as July or August. For them, the idea is to put on a quality display of aesthetic appeal that serves as an honest representation of their culture. Each participant is given a tree that acts a blank canvas for their creative adornments. Sometimes the ornaments will be recycled from the year before, while at other times the display might be entirely different from the ones in the past. “They go to town on decorating the tree,” Oesch said. “We never know what to expect, but every year, it turns out real pretty.” Most of the tribes featured are originally from other regions across the United States, moving to Oklahoma after their relocation was mandated in the 1800s. Each of these tribes — like the Delaware Tribe of Indians, who originated in New York City; the Seminole Nation from the Florida Everglades; and Citizen Potawatomi
Nation from the Great Lakes territory — bring to the table a rich collection of ornaments bound to the historical roots of their ancestral traditions. For example, Citizen Potawatomi Nation reflects on its Great Lakes origins with birch bark canoes that hang from the branches and glass ornaments filled with ceremonial plant material like cedar, sage and tobacco. They’ve even added decorations with pictures of eagles they’ve rescued at their aviary. Also hailing from the Great Lakes region originally, the Sac and Fox Nation took a somewhat different albeit unique approach, opting to cover their tree with sock monkeys donned in their native regalia. Though other tribes who have been in Oklahoma for hundreds of years might offer a more familiar display, that’s not to say their work is any less interesting. Take, for example, the Comanche Nation, which took extreme care and diligence with its intricate beadwork and treetopper made of eagle feathers. “What we’re able to showcase,” Oesch said, “is how diverse our Oklahoma Indian heritage is, and it’s reflected by how diverse each of the Christmas trees are that are featured at Red Earth Art Center.” Each tree may contain either a few big ornaments or up to a couple hundred smaller pieces contributing to a grand total of roughly 2,000 decorations. In addition to the 19 tribal trees, Red Dirt will have four other trees filled with items available for purchase. The funds will be split between the art center and the tribes who designed them. For those planning to set their sights on the alluring demonstrations the festival has to offer, it might be worth looking into the Stay & Play in OKC Holiday Getaway Package, which gives a discounted rate on a room at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 15 percent off Oklahoma City Ballet’s The Nutcracker when purchased in advance and 20 percent off a group ticket package to The Christmas Show presented by Oklahoma City Philharmonic. “Oklahoma City is kind of a mecca for Christmas activities,” Oesch said. “Our hope is that we can get people from other places to come into Oklahoma City to spend a night or two and take advantage of all the holiday offerings that are here in town.” Those interested in Treefest can visit Red Earth Art Center located at 6 Santa Fe Plaza in Oklahoma City. The exhibit is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays. Visit redearth.org.
Red Earth Treefest through Jan. 4 Red Earth Art Center 6 Santa Fe Plaza redearth.org | 405-427-5228 Free
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE unique and local ideas for holiday gifts
C.C. BE A NIE S, SCA RV E S A ND GLOV E S
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Lush Fashion Lounge 14101 N. May Ave. #114 lushfashionlounge.com (405) 936-0680
ROCOCO HOLIDAY GIF T CA R DS
To give is to receive is never more true! Purchase a $100 gift card at Rococo Penn or Rococo Northpark and receive an additional $20 gift card absolutely free! Just our way of saying ‘Happy holidays!’
Rococo Restaurant & Fine Wine
COMMEMOR AT IV E POS T ER
Commemorative Poster made in 1989 marking the Centennial of the 1889 Oklahoma Land Run as a joint project of Pratt Foods & Oklahoma TODAY Magazine. Mural by Charles Banks Wilson. Shrink wrapped. Price $25
Two Locations: 2804 N. Pennsylvania Ave 12252 N. May Ave. rococo-restaurant.com (405) 528-2824 and (405) 212-4577
HOLIDAY SCULP T UR E A R T
Tin Lizzie’s has a large selection of holiday accessories guaranteed to add just the right touch to your holiday home or office festivities. Dress your table, yard, body or find a unique gift for the hardto-shop-for person in your life all under one roof!
Tin Lizzie’s 905 N. Broadway Ave. (405) 228-1014
The Junkyard Diva 116 S. Rock Island, El Reno (405) 345-8076
POINSE T T I A BA SK E T S Hand crafted holiday ornaments now in store! Visit CMG Art Gallery to find unique works from over 20 artists specializing in clay, metal, glass, wood and more.
Make this holiday fabulous! Select from a wide assortment of arrangements for home, family and friends to deck the halls. Add a touch of color with poinsettias, garland, mini holiday trees and more! They’re sure to look great and add a special touch to every holiday gathering.
CMG Art Gallery
Tony Foss Flowers
1104 N W 30th St. cmgartgallery.com (405) 256-3465
7610 N. May Ave. tonyfossflowers.com (405) 302-8845
H A ND CR A F T ED OR N A ME N T S
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SHOPPING
ARTS & CULTURE
Crafty holidays
Deluxe Winter Market invites holiday shoppers to support local artists and businesses on Small Business Saturday. By Jo Light
Saturday, local artists, crafters and business owners will gather at the 10th annual Deluxe Winter Market in downtown Oklahoma City, where shoppers will have the chance to peruse handmade goods and support a vibrant creative community. The weekend following Thanksgiving is traditionally a hectic time in the retail world, but Deluxe Winter Market will feature around 70 local creators and a variety of products, aiming to be the only stop needed for shoppers to find all their holiday gifts. Admission is free, and the first 50 attendees in line get goodie bags. Deluxe Winter Market began in 2008 as a craft fair by a group of Oklahomabased Etsy sellers, including founders and artists J.D. McCoy and Sara Cowan. Since then, McCoy has stepped down and the market has continued to grow and change. In 2013, Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership agreed to sponsor the event. In 2014, the market was included on a Buzzfeed list of the country’s top 35 craft fairs. Now in its 10th year, the market has since moved to Leadership Square and is part of Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership’s Downtown in December holiday event series. Several artists, including Sarah DayShort, are participating in this year’s market for the first time. She creates colorful paintings on canvas, mixed media on wood and functional resin pieces like coasters and trays. She strives to create affordable custom pieces for those who might be intimidated by the art world. “Black Friday is horrible, but Small Business Saturday is amazing!” DayShort said via email. “I think
OKC wants to support local businesses, and this gives them kind of a one-stop shop. Deluxe not only gives the people of OKC a place to shop for local gifts and art, but also brings artists and makers together. I’ve already connected with so many people and heard about other art opportunities!” Day-Short will create handmade resin ornaments for sale exclusively at the market. They will come in star and circle shapes in various colors, complete with gold- or silver-leaf trim. Another first-time artist is Skip Hill, who works in mixed media and creates rich, graphic, dreamlike works featuring various flora and fauna. Hill has lived all over the world but said he returned to Oklahoma seeking “connectedness.” He said he was collaborating with Cowan when she invited him to participate in the market.
Black Friday is horrible, but Small Business Saturday is amazing! Sarah Day-Short “I’ve approached it like a pop-up gallery and a great chance for people who love it to collect some original Skip Hill art at a price that makes it possible,” Hill said via email. “It’s also a unique opportunity for shoppers to meet and support their local artists.” Hill plans to bring several exclusive items to the market, including small mixed-media paintings on cigar boxes and painted handbags and leather bracelets.
Rent-a-tree
Visitors will find more than art at t he ma rket . Another unique vendor participating for the first time this year is Green Tree Project, an Oklahoma City business that rents live Christmas trees for
Deluxe Winter Market offers a variety of unique, handcrafted gifts. | Photo provided
the holiday season. Business owner Samantha Walker said she was inspired to start the rental service when one of her foster children was upset that their beloved Christmas tree ended up tossed on the curb. Walker realized a more sustainable idea would be to locally source live trees for rent. The trees are delivered to customers in pots and then returned and tended the rest of the year to continue growing. After several years, customers can purchase or donate them for planting. There’s even a Grow with Me subscription, which allows customers to take a tree from sapling to fully grown. The company is in its second year of operation. Walker said Deluxe Winter Market is an exciting opportunity for them, and she plans to have several examples of trees at the event. Reservations are currently open on Green Tree Project’s website. Varieties of tree include Leyland cypress and blue spruce. “I think it’s important to celebrate local makers and people who are lifting up this idea that you can create something special and unique,” Walker said. “We don’t have to go to big-box stores. We don’t have to order things out of catalogs.”
Developing ideas
There will also be photo opportunities at the event. Ry Dalee’s photography studio, The Cimarron Dove, joined the market for the first time last year and is returning again in 2018. He specializes in tintype and ambrotype photographs and has been running his business for about three years. The photographic method Dalee uses is sometimes called Victorian Polaroid, and the process of capturing and developing the image on a plate is done completely by hand. It takes about 10 minutes. Dalee said Deluxe Winter Market’s atmosphere is supportive and enthusiastic and there is a camaraderie between the artists and buyers. “[Cowan] curates a really great group of people, and so everywhere you look, you’re going to be impressed with the
Erin Merryweather is one of the regular artists at Deluxe Winter Market. | Photo provided
handiwork of the people that are there,” Dalee said. “High levels of craftsmanship around every corner. She has such a diverse field of people; it’s really nice. We feel honored to be there.” Dalee will be available to shoot customers’ portraits in various sizes the day of the market. Dalee said those interested should avoid wearing white clothing and instead opt for midtones or patterns. The portraits will be available at a special reduced price exclusive to the event. The market is also kid-friendly. The Elf Market, which was introduced in 2015, is a special children-only area, where shoppers under 14 can shop for goods all marked $10 or less. Artists donate these items, and proceeds of Elf Market sales will benefit The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools will also set up a reading room at the market. The event relies heavily on volunteer contributions for setup, artist check-in, visitor relations, cleanup and more. Volunteers are also involved in the event’s Elf Workshop, where additional handmade items are created for Elf Market. Admission to Deluxe Winter Market is free. For more information or to volunteer, visit deluxeok.net.
Deluxe Winter Market 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday Leadership Square 211 N. Robinson Ave. deluxeok.net Free
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ARTS & CULTURE
Cookie artist
Cookie baker Lan McCabe designs cookies for nearly every holiday and event. | Photo Lan McCabe / provided
Local cookie baker Lan McCabe takes her skills to the Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge. By Joshua Blanco
Oklahoma City-based cookie artist Lan McCabe was in for an unexpected treat when Food Network called requesting her participation in the second season of Christmas Cookie Challenge. Her debut, which aired Nov. 12, featured McCabe alongside four experienced bakers in a race against time to create the most delectable advent calendar they possibly can. And the only thing sweeter than the cookies she baked was the award offered to the first-place winner — a grand prize of $10,000 — just in time for holiday shopping. “Host Eddie Jackson brings down his box of Christmas cookie cutters from the attic only to realize that it’s actually his Halloween box,” said Seth Hyman, Food Network public relations manager. “Now, five gifted cookie makers must hack the Halloween cutters into classic Christmas cookies.” Mix time constraints with five people competing for a cash prize of that size and you’re left with what could potentially turn out to be a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, we know McCabe makes it out all right, even though she didn’t win. The show is airing multiple times on Food Network. Though a seasoned baker in her own right, McCabe admits it was no easy challenge. “I didn’t know what being on a competition would really entail, and it’s hours of a lot of hard work,” she said. “You don’t know what to expect, so you’re just like, ‘I hope I can handle whatever is thrown my way.’ You just never know.” Then again, hard work is the reason she has made it this far. After leaving Vietnam in the summer of 1974, McCabe’s parents, accompanied by other members of her family, arrived in America six days shy of her first birth-
day. Following a brief stay in Guam, the family eventually made landfall in Arkansas, leaving shortly thereafter to begin a new life in Massachusetts. “I think you make of it what you want, but you definitely gotta work hard; that’s the one thing I’ve learned,” McCabe said regarding her experiences growing up in the United States. “Nothing came for free; that’s for sure.” The granddaughter of entrepreneurs back home and abroad, she and her family decided to make the move to Oklahoma, a place that “just seemed to be the right fit for our family.” After attending Oklahoma State University, where she majored in chemical engineering, McCabe eventually found work as a construction estimator, a demanding job requiring her to work between 60 and 80 hours a week.
I didn’t know what being on a competition would really entail, and it’s hours of a lot of hard work. Lan McCabe After cutting back on her hours at work to spend time with her family, she looked for ways to make some extra money on the side. Drawing upon her experience baking for her daughter’s birthdays, she started branching out to “friends of friends of friends and families” who had an obvious preference for her sugary delicacies. In 2013, she opened Sweets on the Side, officially launching her career as a professional baker.
Cookie demand
Following the birth of her second child, McCabe decided it was time for a change of pace. Focused entirely on baking, she found a way to turn her hobby into a full-time job. Leaving construction altogether, she channeled her energy into her new line of work: baking cookies with a unique and personalized touch. McCabe believes a combination of personal touch and carefully made goods keeps buyers coming back for more. She takes the orders directly and fine-tunes them to go above and beyond the customers’ expectations — a rarity in the cookie industry. While other bakers will often produce a cookie that either looks good or tastes good, Sweets on the Side consistently delivers the best of both worlds. “Customers range from wedding planners and party throwers to Thunder superstars, who get fresh, handmade personalized sweets almost too exquisite to nibble on,” wrote Tim Oden, McCabe’s next-door neighbor in an email to Oklahoma Gazette. Now that business is booming, McCabe churns out between 20 and 40 dozen cookies during her busiest times. Though she’ll take the summers off to be with her children while they’re not in school, her usual schedule isn’t as relaxed. Running on anywhere from three to five hours of sleep, McCabe realizes she only traded one demanding job for another. “The challenge I’m finding now is … just finding another me if I could,” she said. “I’m gonna be in big trouble if I don’t have a helper.” As of now, McCabe’s mother is the only help she has, but this doesn’t seem to be of too much concern. Though her stint on Food Network has already attracted the attention of several prospective customers, she’s not looking to push the natural course of the business toward a booming enterprise. “I’m really not looking to blow up fast. … Slow and steady wins the race,” she said regarding the future of her business. “It’s just who I am. I just love Christmas Cookie Challenge host Eddie Jackson observes Oklahoma cookie artist Lan McCabe pouring flour into a mixer. | Photo Food Network / provided
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enjoying the moment rather than capturing it. … I just kind of walk to the beat of my own drum.” Her dream is to expand her workspace and one day have a studio all to herself to better help serve the diverse and seemingly endless clientele who want a taste of what she has to offer. Until then, she’s focused on the here and now, feeding dough into the oven, cranking out cookie after cookie only to repeat the process the following week. But that’s not how she views it. On the contrary, she’s just doing what she loves most: baking cookies. “I just love it because it’s kind of a blank canvas that you can do whatever you want,” McCabe said. “I feel like that’s why I call myself a cookie artist a lot — ’cause it’s just fun. It’s art. It’s not work, and it’s something I just love to do.” Affectionately referred to as the cookie whisperer or other nicknames depending on who you talk to, McCabe isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Not all cookies crumble, after all. “You just got to go in there and do your best,” she said. “You never know what can come from one little ripple in the stream.” Visit sweetsonthesideokc.com.
CALENDAR are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
BOOKS Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT Dale R. Lewis book signing the columnist and film producer also known as “The Original Buffalo Dale” will autograph copies of his memoir Before the Dew, 6:30 Nov. 26, Mon., Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. MON Last Sunday Poetry Reading an afternoon of readings featuring former Oklahoma Poet Laureate Nathan Brown and followed by an open mic, 2 p.m. Nov. 25. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SUN Mid-Oklahoma Writers a meetup for local writers featuring guest speakers and literary discussions, 7-9 p.m. every other Wednesday. Eastside Church of Christ, 916 S. Douglas Blvd., 405-732-0393. WED
OKC Vintage Flea Market get your shopping done at the flea market with antiques, collectibles, vintage, crafts and more, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 9. Crossroads Event Center, 7000 Crossroads Blvd. SAT-SUN Oklahoma Theremin Society a monthly meetup and jam session celebrating one of the first electronic musical instruments ever invented, 7-10 p.m. Nov. 27. Trolley Stop Record Shop, 1212 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-208-8833, facebook.com/ TrolleyStopRecordShop. TUE Paper Sack Project prepare sack lunches to pass out to people on the streets at this event hosted by Debate Night OKC, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. the last Sunday of the month. NE OKC Community & Cultural Center, 3815 N. Kelley Ave., 405-401-3350. SUN Paseo Homeless Alliance Drive donate warm winter clothing, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils, toiletries and more to the community organizations seeking end homelessness in Oklahoma City, through Nov. 30. Smash Bangles Jewelry, 607 NW 28th St., Suite F, 405-628-7521, smashbangles.com. TUE-FRI Queen Mariah’s Variety Show a monthly stage show featuring various drag performers, 10:30 p.m. Saturdays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT
FILM
Sewing: Block of the Month Class make a different block each month to create quilt; bring your own scraps of fabric, a sewing machine and more, 6 p.m. Thursday. Mustang Parks & Recreation, 1201 N. Mustang Road, Mustang, 405-376-3411, cityofmustang.org. THU
The House That Jack Built (2018, Denmark, Lars von Trier) follow 12 years in the life of a serial killer (Matt Damon) from his point of view, 7-9:30 p.m. Nov. 28. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave, 405235-3456. WED
Territorial Christmas Celebration take a tour of Guthrie’s Victorian-inspired architecture in a horsedrawn carriage and enjoy holiday light displays, Nov. 24-Dec. 24. Wentz and Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie, 405282-0197, offbeatoklahoma.com/. SAT-MON
HAPPENINGS
Thrift Store Fashion Show contestants participate to see who can make the best outfit out of $25 worth of thrift store clothing, 3-9 p.m. Nov. 24. Vices, 1701 E Highway 66, 405-295-6426, facebook.com/vicesbar. SAT
Bricktown Tree Lighting Festival kickoff the holiday season at this annual event featuring live Christmas carols, face painting and Santa Claus, 5-7 p.m. Nov. 23. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000, okcballparkevents.com. FRI Enid Lights Up the Plains enjoy entertainment, wagon rides, a visit from Santa, shopping, fireworks and a holiday light parade, 5-8 p.m. Nov. 23. Garfield County Courthouse, 114 W Broadway Ave., Enid, 580-237-0232. FRI Holiday Lights Spectacular see more than 100 animated lights displays and a 118-foot Christmas tree on a 1.5-mile drive soundtracked by classic holiday songs, through Dec. 25. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. FRI-TUE Mindful Yoga Happy Hour practice mindful meditation with Bhante Santhapiya, followed by coffee, tea and conversation, 5-7 p.m. Fridays. Oklahoma Buddhist Vihara, 4820 N. Portland Ave., 405-810-6528, okbv.org. FRI Music Industry Networking Night meet up with musicians, promoters sound engineers, fans and more at this networking event, 7-11 p.m. Nov. 28. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. WED
FOOD Automobile Alley Walking Food Tour take a guided food-centric tour through a district that was once home to early pioneers and evolved into an auto-dealership hub, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. every other Saturday through Nov. 24. Automobile Alley, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405-488-2555, foodiefoottours.com. SAT Foodie Foot Tours Happiest Hour Cocktail Tour take a guided tour of historic Route 66 and visit local gems in this newly revitalized area with stops at local bars for cocktails, 6-8 p.m. every other Friday, through Nov. 23. Uptown 23rd Street, N.W. 23rd St., 405-831-0177, foodiefoottours.com. FRI Foodie Foot Tours Walking Food Tour explore African-American history on a food-focused tour in this district with deep jazz roots, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays. Deep Deuce District, 100 NE Third St., 405-2353500, foodiefoottours.com. SAT Frankie’s Friendsgiving Feast bring a favorite side dish to share with new and old friends; turkey and ham provided, 6:30-10 p.m. Nov. 22. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. THU
Cheering Away the Holiday Blues If you find the holidays difficult to navigate, or mental health self-care is your present to yourself this year, this weekly Monday group counseling session led by Kari Goines ( pictured ) offers cognitive behavior techniques for dealing with the added stress this time of year can bring to help you enjoy better the season. The group meets 5:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays from Nov. 26 to Dec. 17 at Access to Counseling, 3035 NW 63rd St., Suite 200. Sessions are $15 each to attend. Call 405-242-2242 or visit access2counseling.com. MONDAY, ONGOING Photo Brandy Nawaz/provided
YOUTH Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Explore It! get your questions answered of what, why and how about the natural world we live in, 11:30 a.m-noon Saturdays through Dec. 29. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman. 405-3254712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SAT School’s Out Day Camps children age 4-11 can learn about connecting and caring for wildlife at these camps; snacks provided but campers must bring their own lunches, 8:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Nov. 19-21. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com.
MON-WED
Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE
PERFORMING ARTS The Big Blues Show III hear live funk, soul and blues from Tim Austin, Steve Coleman, “Mr. Guitar” Kevin Drake and more, 6-10 p.m. Nov. 24. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. SAT Celtic Open Jam Session bring an instrument and play along or just come to listen to traditional Celtic music, 1-4 p.m. Nov. 24. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com. SAT The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Theater eat a four-course dinner while attempting to solve an interactive murder mystery, 6-9 p.m. Saturdays. Skirvin Hilton Hotel, 1 Park Ave., 405-2723040, skirvinhilton.com. SAT Gospel Brunch hear contemporary and classic gospel music performed by The Judge & The Jury accompanied by brunch cuisine and a Bloody Mary bar, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Sundays. Stella Modern Italian Cuisine, 1201 N. Walker, 405-235-2200, stella-okc. com. SUN
Wildlife There Will Be Blood actor Paul Dano’s directorial debut is set in Montana along the Canadian border, but it was partially filmed in Enid. The film chronicles the painful breakup of a marriage after a recently unemployed man (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves his wife (Carey Mulligan) and teenage son (Ed Oxenbould) to fight forest fires. Some critics are calling Mulligan’s performance Oscar-worthy, but Enid’s also clearly showing some impressive range. The film screens Friday-Nov. 29 at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Tickets are $5-$9. Call 405- 236-3100 or visit okcmoa.com. FRIDAY-NOV. 29 Photo provided
tive director at the Academy of Contemporary Music, 2 p.m. Nov. 26. ACM @ UCO, 25 S. Oklahoma Ave., 405-974-4700, acm.uco.edu/. MON OCU Wind Philharmonic in Concert the ensemble plays its final concert of the year with a program including works by Erica Muhl, Henri Tomasi, Julie Giroux and more, 7:30-9 p.m. Nov. 27. Bass School of Music, OCU, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-208-5227, okcu.edu. TUE The Oklahoma Nutcracker the Norman Ballet presents its 17th annual production of this version of the holiday classic, which combines Oklahoma state history with Tchaikovsky’s score and storyline, 3 p.m. Nov. 25. Nancy O’Brian Center for the Performing Arts, 1801 Stubbeman Ave., Norman, 405-364-0397. SUN
Scrooge in the Rouge a naughty cross-dressing quick-change adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Nov. 23-Dec. 23, Nov. 23. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI
Shelly Phelps Blues Revue a monthly variety show featuring music, comedy, performance art, drag and more, 7-10 p.m. Sundays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. SUN TeachRock Teacher Solidarity Tour workshop educators are invited to join Little Steven Van Zandt for a one-hour workshop offering suggestions and curriculum for arts integration and music education programs; attendees are invited to attend Van Zandt’s concert afterward for free, 6-7 p.m. Nov. 26. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. MON Tyler Spears Showcase of the Future an early evening comedy showcase featuring local standup, 6-8 p.m. Nov. 24. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. SAT With a Grateful Heart: Songs of Joy and Thanksgiving Brian Lamb, director of the School of Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, will perform songs intended to inspire gratitude and good cheer, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27. UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., 405-359-7989, ucojazzlab.com. TUE
ACTIVE
Heroes and Villians: an OKC StorySLAM share an anecdote about a force of good or evil in your life at this open-mic storytelling show, or just listen, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 25. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. SUN
Edmond Turkey Trot run a 5K or the 1-mile Family Wobble; strollers and dogs are welcome and there’s a prize for the best turkey-themed costume, 8-10 a.m. Nov. 22. 32 N. Broadway Ave., Edmond, 405-249-9391, downtownedmondok.com. THU
Home for the Holidays opera singer Leona Mitchell is scheduled to peform holiday favorites alongside the Enid Symphony Orchestra, 7 p.m. Nov. 24 and 2 p.m. Nov. 25. Enid Symphony Center, 301 W Broadway Ave., Enid, 580-237-9646. SAT-SUN
Full Moon Bike Ride and Run enter a 5K run in scenic downtown or bring your bike for a leisurely ride as the sun sets, 8 p.m. last Tuesday of every month, Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE
Lyricist Lounge an evening of hip-hop featuring food from the Krow’s Nest and hosted by Original Flow, 9 p.m.-midnight fourth Sunday of every month, Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. SUN
Learn-to-Swim Program Giving residents of all ages and financial situations the opportunity to learn to swim with proper technique and basic water safety at their own pace offered by the King Marlin Swim Club, ongoing, Through Dec. 31. Lighthouse Fitness (Front), 3333 W. Hefner Road, 405-845-5672, marlinswimamerica.com. SAT-MON
Lyric’s A Christmas Carol the annual production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic returns, Nov. 23-Dec. 24. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-5249310, lyrictheatreokc.com. FRI-MON Masterclass with “Little Steven” Van Zandt the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Sopranos actor, music historian and activist will discuss his career in a Q&A with Scott Booker, execu-
GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!
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CALENDAR
Come see us!
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C A L E N DA R
SHOP LOCAL! SMALL BIZ SATURDAY 11/24 IN DOWNTOWN BETHANY!
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 Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE
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American Indian Artists: 20th Century Masters an exhibition of Native art from the Kiowa Six, Harrison Begay, Tonita Peña and more, through May 12, 2019. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-THU Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage an exhibition of artworks created by people with dyslexia including students from Oklahoma City’s Trinity School, through July 14, 2019. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-THU Ceramics Sale view works by local artists, teachers and students at this showcase exhibition and fundraising event, through Dec. 23. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. FRI-SUN Cowboys in Khaki: Westerners in the Great War learn about the ways Westerners contributed to the US effort in World War I at this exhibit featuring military, rodeo and other historical memorabilia from the time period, through May 12, 2019. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-THU Daren Kendall: Threshold With Me view seven sculptural thresholds based on the seven terraces of Dante’s purgatory, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma/exhibitions1/threshold-with-me. FRI-SUN
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Fall 2018 Group Exhibition an exhibition of works from local artists including Kjelshus Collins, John Davidson, Shanina Graves and more, Through Nov. 30. The Art Hall, 519 NW 23rd St., 405-2315700, art.theriseokc.com. FRI Fresh stART an exhibition of artworks by artists currently experiencing homelessness, through Nov. 25. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo Plunge, 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org.
TUE-SUN
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GOBBLE DOWN SOME GREAT DEALS FOR SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY ON 11/24!
Ink & Draw a weekly meet-up for illustrators, artists and comic book creators, 4-6 p.m. Sundays. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo Plunge, 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. SUN John Brand view works by painter/photographer John Brand, through Dec. 31. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com. SUN-MON Josette Simon-Gestin view paintings by the French artist alongside works by Oklahoma artist Marc Baker, through Dec. 30. Nault Gallery, 816 N. Walker Ave., 405-642-4414, naultfineart.com. FRI-SUN
Scrooged The spirit-haunted Dickensian skinflint has probably never been as likeable, pre-atonement at least, than when Bill Murray plays Ebenezer Scrooge stand-in Frank Cross in this pseudo-cynical, slap-sticky Christmas Carol riff directed by Richard Donner and co-written by gonzo Saturday Night Live scribe Michael O’Donoghue. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of its 1988 release, presented by VHS & Chill. The movie starts 10 p.m. Saturday at Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave. Tickets are $7.50-$9.50. Call 405-815-3275 or visit rodeocinema.org. SATURDAY Photo provided Kick It & Create paint, draw, color or make other arts and crafts at this community event where everyone is welcome, including pets, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 26. Resonator, 325 E Main St., Norman, resonator.space. MON National Geographic Photo Ark a collection of images captured by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore to preserve current species for future generations, through Dec. 16. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. WED-SUN Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art an exploration of contemporary pop art inspired by Andy Warhol, Nick Cave, R. Luke DuBois and others, through Feb. 28, 2019. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SUN-THU Sandra Patterson and Paul White an exhibition of oils on canvas and porcelain and watercolor and acrylic paintings, through Nov. 30. Porcelain Art Museum, 2700 N. Portland Ave., 405-521-1234, wocp. org. MON-FRI Seeds of Being curated by students enrolled in the university’s Native American Art & Museum Studies Seminar, this exhibition examines the impact of art in indigenous communities, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE-SUN
Small Works VIII an annual exhibition featuring artworks by Carol Beesley, Carolyn Faster, Steve Hicks and more, through Dec. 23. Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. FRI-SUN Still Looking: The Photography Collection of Carol Beesley Hennagin an exhibition of selections from Hennagin’s extensive collection, including works by Edward Weston, Frederick Sommer and more, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. TUE-SUN Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts & Crafts Movement an exhibit exploring the revolutionary artworks of Victorian Engliand featuring many works not previously seen outside the UK, through Jan. 6, 2019. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT-SUN Whiteout at Campbell Art Park an outdoor artwork made by hundreds of transparent white spheres embedded with white LED lights and animated in large-scale patterns, through March 31, 2019. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-000, oklahomacontemporary.org. WED-THU
Furniture • Antiques Uniques & Collectibles
M - W - F - SA | 10A - 5P | 603.8878 TUES - THURS TIL 6PM | SUN 12P - 4P 3901 N COLLEGE | BETHANY Oklahoma City 501 NE 122nd Street, Suite C 405.752.0142 expressionshomegallery.com
KITCHEN & BATH SHOWROOM
Cast-Iron Cooking on a Budget Classic, durable and versatile, cast-iron cookware works equally well over an open fire or in your oven. Learn to use a cast-iron skillet to prepare a tasty and inexpensive meal and discover the proper way to maintain this time-tested kitchen workhorse to ensure your kids and grandchildren can go on repeating the recipe using the same piece of cookware. The class is 6-7 p.m. Tuesday at Norman Central Library, 225 N. Webster Ave. Admission is free, but registration is required. Call 405-7012600 or visit pioneerlibrarysystem.org.
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.
TUESDAY Photo bigstock.com 34
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For OKG live music
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F E AT U R E
MUSIC
Amplified knowledge
As it begins its 10th year, Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma grades the school’s success.
By Daniel Bokemper
This year, the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma celebrates its 10th anniversary. Built originally on a partnership with Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, England, the institution opened its Bricktown doors in 2009 to 160 students, a figure that would grow exponentially throughout the next decade. Curating a curriculum of technique, production, history and commercial practices, ACM@UCO keeps its finger on the pulse of trends in modern music while simultaneously preparing young professionals for an unyielding industry. The brainchild of CEO and manager of The Flaming Lips, Scott Booker, the concept for the school came together at a meeting between Booker and Governor Brad Henry orchestrated by Creative Oklahoma. “It’s all really here so I can just continue to buy records,” Booker said, laughing as his eyes wandered across a wall of framed albums autographed by music legends, many of whom once spoke at ACM’s master classes including Roger Daltrey of The Who, Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Nile Rodgers of Chic. Though his comment was in jest, Booker’s passion for music is represented throughout his career, from his humble beginnings working at Sound Warehouse and Rainbow Records to the conception of World’s Fair Label Group and his presence on the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ hall of fame committee. However, Booker’s inspiration for taking the helm of ACM and cultivating Oklahoma City as a ground for musical ingenuity and business is perhaps even more personal. “When you’re a parent, part of you always wants your kids close by,” Booker said. “But there has to be reasons for them to want to be here. You know the old axiom about grass? Well, I wanted to make the grass greener on our side, right here in Oklahoma.” The Flaming Lips and its willingness to serve as a proponent of the state and its creative community helped catalyze the notion of the heartland as a legitimate beacon of the music industry even before ACM. However, the process of harnessing that raw, creative energy into something productive required an institution with the means of fostering such growth. To cultivate such dreams also requires a dose of determination and realism.
“I found throughout my experience bands would far too often not succeed because they had either preconceived notions or incorrect assumptions about how the music industry worked,” Booker said. “They would break up early on, even after signed a record deal, simply because they didn’t get rich immediately.” ACM instructors abruptly shut down any needless feelings of grandeur. Despite already having influence on numerous, budding players within the industry such as Dante Jones of THEY., the school is not an incubator for stars. Rather, it’s an engine for individuals with the motivation and drive to make an impact in an industry, even if it does not involve performing music.
You know the old axiom about grass? Well, I wanted to make the grass greener on our side, right here in Oklahoma. Scott Booker “Our school is an entrepreneurial program about music,” Booker said, “not a music program that happens to involve business. Everyone that graduates from ACM is potentially a small business.” The mission of ACM could not be sustained without a curriculum that parallels the trajectory of the music industry itself. This involves professors still heavily involved with their craft. A quick glance at the school’s directory yields names synonymous with Oklahoma City’s creative community, such as rapper Jabee, multi-instrumentalist/ Flaming Lips member Derek Brown and Sephra Scheuber of Shmoe Creative. There might be few better representatives of the grit, determination and compulsion needed to make programs like ACM’s thrive than Nicholas Ley. Drummer of Colourmusic, one half of The Flaming Lips’ Brothers Grïïīn and program director of contemporary music business, Ley’s 15 years of experience in the industry readily parleys into the curriculum he helps curate. Though not initially expecting education to fall within his work’s journey, the encouragement of his cousin, Tyler,
helped Ley find parallels between his passion and the academic endeavor. “I began to notice a lot of similarities between teaching and a performance,” Ley said. “It’s insanely similar, actually. Just like you would never get on stage under-rehearsed, you wouldn’t want to get in front of a group of students underprepared for your own class. At the very least, you have to have a plan of what your rubric will entail and how you’re going to lead students through it.” Graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in finance, Ley acknowledges that very few professionals within the music industry had a specific program to help guide them. “You could curate your own mentors and curriculum, basically your own education in its entirety,” Ley said. “However, if you ask anyone who has tried to learn this industry on their own, you’ll discover it takes an exceptionally long time. Furthermore, just like with the music business, our program can’t afford the rigidity of other programs. As an entrepreneur, you must be self-driven, but you also need a toolkit. The toolkit is what ACM provides.” Considering ACM as a “blend of academia and industry,” Ley said the institution’s purpose of instilling a sense of decision-making and critical thinking is essential for any successful music professional. In tandem with UCO’s obligation to transformative learning, the power of ACM’s mission is evident in the school’s graduates. An alumna of ACM and an actively touring country musician currently living in Nashville, Mallory Eagle wasn’t particularly compelled by the typical collegiate trajectory many high school graduates gravitate toward. “I seriously wasn’t even planning on going to college,” Eagle said as she prepared for a cross-country tour. “I just didn’t think I was really of the mindset.
After 10 years, Scott Booker of ACM@UCO is seeing more musicians thinking of themselves as small businesses. | Photo Alexa Ace
However, I was encouraged to give ACM a chance. I toured the campus three times and just fell in love with it. It’s a creative space but also a college, just on the music industry’s terms.” Throughout her education, Eagle discovered a sincere willingness from her instructors to empower her class. Danny Hargis, for instance, insisted Eagle and her colleagues write their own music for their performances, forcing them to not only refine their technique but also their creative process. “At ACM, you are never just a musician, just producer or just a manager. Honestly, you really shouldn’t be,” she said. “There are so many variables that make up this industry that you need to understand, a lot of things I wouldn’t have been able to even grasp if it weren’t for my professors, all active musicians and professionals just like I aspire to be, taking the time to show me the ropes.” ACM is not founded on visions of fame and celebrity, but rather the need to produce professionals who can make meaningful, artistic impacts in Oklahoma and beyond. “Years ago, people were acting like the music industry was going to die,” Booker said. “However, more people were actually listening to music in different way. At the time, we just weren’t smart enough to see it. That’s what excited me about my work for ACM. I get to be a part of developing the next generation, the generation who will figure out how to harness the way we digest music moving forward.” Visit acm.uco.edu.
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MUSIC
EVENT
Amy Helm is scheduled to perform Dec. 2 at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., opening for folk trio The Wood Brothers. | Photo Ebru Yildiz / provided
Color spectrum
Amy Helm uses lessons she learned from her musician parents to hone her craft and help her on tour. By Jeremy Martin
One thing musician Amy Helm learned from playing with her father, The Band’s Levon Helm, was how to fail. “There were a lot of lessons,” Amy Helm said. “One of the main ones I took away was to not be afraid to fall flat on your ass and have to get back up the next day for the next gig. It was very inspiring.” Amy Helm, scheduled to perform Dec. 2 at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., played in her father’s Midnight Ramble Band until his death from throat cancer in 2012. She said watching him continue to perform while struggling with illness and its complications taught her to be brave, an important lesson for the music business. “Not that this is an example of falling on your ass, but it’s an example of faltering,” Amy Helm said. “My father was overcoming his throat cancer and in different stages of healing and remission and reoccurring issues with his voice directly connected to his cancer, so that was within everything that band did. It was underneath it, above it and inside it. Some days he could sing and some days he couldn’t, no matter what he did. He was a man like millions 36
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in the world who had gotten a little bit more time, who had gotten in a very scary situation and facing illness and facing the fear of death decided to move forward with what he could do. It was really inspiring as a musician to see somebody doing that and really, truly not giving a shit what anyone thinks and really just answering their own calling. That’s what I took away from that. … Being a musician can be scary sometimes. It’s not like you’ve got a regular paycheck. It’s a difficult ride, and you have to get a strong backbone for it.” This Too Shall Light, Amy Helm’s second solo album, was released in September. She recorded and re-recorded her debut album over a period of several years, but she recorded its follow-up over four days, following producer Joe Henry’s suggestion to record songs she and her backing band were mostly unfamiliar with to give the album a more immediate and improvised sound. “I would be discovering the song in the room with the players,” Amy Helm said. “I was nervous about that because when you’re doing This Too Shall Light, Amy Helm’s second solo album, was released in September. | Image provided
live gigs and you’ve sang the song a hundred times, that’s when, for me, I really start to get confident with it. I think it was a good challenge to try to sing it like you’re putting everything you’ve got into it and tell a story to somebody you haven’t told yet, and trying to find that in the moment was challenging and exciting.” Learning to play the songs in concert with a different set of musicians has given her a chance to do it all over again. “It’s been really interesting to do them live,” Amy Helm said. “It always becomes so different, but we’ve been really having fun rearranging, pulling stuff apart and adding cool little things, and that’s always the most fun of an album. We’re playing with tempos and trying to find that sweet, super slow groovy tempo from the album. I have such a great band, I cannot brag enough on the group of players I’m working with now, and the players on the record were so incredible, so it’s been exciting to find this material with two very different but very magical groups of musicians.” The album comprises songs by Rod Stewart (“Mandolin Wind”), Allen Toussaint (“Freedom for the Stallion”) and Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C. Taylor and Josh Kaufman (the title track) and at least one song with which Amy Helm was intimately familiar, closer “Gloryland,” which appeared on many of her father’s live set lists in the final years of his life, a tradition she has continued in her own performances. “I had been singing that one live,” Amy Helm said, “and I felt like that was one tune that I know touches people and I’ve enjoyed singing for my audiences. I think the arrangement we got doing it as an a capella three-part harmony was really beautiful, and that one just felt right to fold into the record. And if the story of the record was intended to be this free, spontaneous, community-driven song search, I knew
that song would hold itself well in that light. … We did it two times and took the first take and put it right on the record. That one was easy. That one I knew what I was doing.” The influence of Amy Helm’s father on her music career is evident, but the inspiration she has taken from her mother, singer-songwriter Libby Titus, is also important even if it’s not as immediately obvious. “It was the stuff that she played for me and the songs she insisted I learn that turned me around to this completely wide, broad, open other color spectrum of music,” Amy Helm said. “I was really drawn to soul and gospel music when I was young. I fell in love with Aretha Franklin as we all did. Once I got there, by age 13, I was really only listening to the Stax soul records and Ray Charles … and she played me Laura Nyro. She played me Joni Mitchell. She played me these delicate singer-songwriters who had this completely other exquisite branch that I needed to study and learn. It’s really important to learn the singers and the musicians that you don’t identify with the sound.” As a musician and co-producer on her father’s 2007 album Dirt Farmer, Amy Helm said she felt confident in the studio because she was so well acquainted with the material, which describes Levon Helm’s childhood as the son of Arkansas cotton growers. “That music was very familiar to me, and I really trusted myself to co-shepherd that project because I knew my dad’s story had to be told,” Amy Helm said. “And I was familiar enough with it but could step outside and be a good mirror for him in some of the stuff, but that was a very specific set of songs and situation.” Working on Dirt Farmer was another learning experience. “I think that it reminded me that I can be objective about other people’s performances but never about my own,” Amy Helm said. “If I could take the same objective, clear, pragmatic advice that I seem to be able to give when listening to someone else’s vocal, I’d be a wizard, but I don’t think I can. That’s really what I learned was a whole bunch of humility.” The show begins at 8 p.m. with folk trio The Wood Brothers scheduled to headline. Visit towertheatreokc.com.
Amy Helm 8 p.m. Dec. 2 Tower Theatre 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com | 405-708-6937 $24-$33
LIVE MUSIC
WE’RE SOCIAL.
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21 Broncho, The Jones Assembly. ROCK
AND NEVER MISS A TWEET
Cannibal Corpse, Diamond Ballroom. METAL DJ Rhyano, Fassler Hall. ELECTRONIC
@OKGAZETTE
Lip Service, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewing Company. COVER Liquid Stranger, Farmers Public Market. ELECTRONIC
Martha Odom, The R & J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ
With Confidence/Broadside, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK
THURSDAY, NOV. 22 Hosty, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. ROCK Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ Koolie High & the Tap Band, Ice Event Center & Grill. JAZZ
FRIDAY, NOV. 23 A2Z, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COVER Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, Diamond Ballroom. HIP-HOP Cara Black, Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge. JAZZ The Chad Todd Band, Okie Tonk Café. COUNTRY Chase Kerby & the Villains, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK
Grass Giant/19 Never, Your Mom’s Place. METAL Jack Waters & the Unemployed, The Weekend Saloon. COUNTRY JD Brower Band, Chisholm’s Saloon. COUNTRY Maggie McClure & Shane Henry, Bricktown Central Plaza. POP The New Women of Country, Frankie’s. COUNTRY Red Dirt Rangers, The Bottle Cap Barn. COUNTRY The Shortlist/Bloodfeather, The Root. ROCK Stoney LaRue, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY
SATURDAY, NOV. 24 A Beautiful End/Pulse, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Bermuda County/Plainswalker/Killer Strut, The Root. ROCK Casper McWade & HonkyTonk Rebels, Margarita Island. COUNTRY Coyette & the Haywire Band, Iron Horse Bar & Grill. COUNTRY
Kierston White, Bryon White and Derek Paul Shawnee singersongwriters (and siblings) Kierston White (The Tequila Songbirds, pictured) and Bryon White (The Damn Quails) are scheduled share the stage with Norman’s Derek Paul (The Handsome Devils) to swap songs in the round. The fun, informal atmosphere should give the show the feel of sitting around a campfire, listening to friends strumming their guitars — if all your friends happen to be talented and accomplished local musicians. The show starts 8 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley Ave. Tickets are $20. Call 405-524-0738 or visit bluedoorokc. com. SATURDAY Photo Derek Weber / provided
MONDAY, NOV. 26 Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK Like Moths to Flames/Novelists, 89th Street-OKC. METAL/HARDCORE
Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul, Tower Theatre. ROCK
Elizabeth Wise/Wess McMichael/The Ravens, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. BLUES
TUESDAY, NOV. 27 Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY
Good Charlotte, Diamond Ballroom. POP Jewel, Brady Theater. FOLK/POP Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails. SINGER/
SONGWRITER
Jack Rowdy, Landing Zone. COUNTRY Jeremy Fullbright Band, Fuel Bar & Grill. COUNTRY Kate & Kelly, Kat’s Tavern. COUNTRY Midnight Star/Altantic Starr, Riverwind Casino. POP/R&B
Mystery Dates, Hollywood Corners. COVER
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28 Adam Aguilar, The Jones Assembly. ROCK Elizabeth Speegle Band, The R & J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Thollem’s Electric Confluence, Resonator. EXPERIMENTAL
Spacedog/J.L. Jones, Katt’s Cove. ROCK Stealing Saturn, Lumpy’s Sports Grill. COVER Taylor Atkinson, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. COUNTRY
My So Called Band, Tower Theatre. COVER
SUNDAY, NOV. 25 Hosty, The Deli. ROCK
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.
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PUZZLES 1
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: How could you change yourself in order to get more of the love you want? Go to FreeWillAstrology.com; click on “Email Rob.” ARIES (March 21-April 19)
In his autobiography *On the Move*, neurologist Oliver Sacks praised his friend Jerry’s curiosity and knowledge. “Jerry has one of the most spacious, thoughtful minds I have ever encountered, with a vast base of knowledge of every sort,” wrote Sacks, “but it is a base under continual questioning and scrutiny.” So willing was Jerry to question and re-evaluate his own assumptions that Sacks said he had “seen his friend suddenly stop in mid-sentence and say, ‘I no longer believe what I was about to say.’” That’s the gold standard to which I hope you will aspire in the coming weeks, Aries. As bright and articulate as you’ll be, you will have an even higher calling to expand your mind through continual questioning.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
In recent years, a few pioneers have gotten microchips implanted under their skin. These technological marvels enable them to open doors and turn on lights with merely a wave of their hands, or receive up-to-the-minute readings on what’s transpiring inside their bodies. Now an additional frontier has arisen: people using do-it-yourself kits to experiment on their own DNA. For example, some have tweaked their genes so their bodies create more muscle than is natural. I would love for you to change yourself around in the coming weeks, Taurus, but not in these particular ways. I’d rather see you do subtle psychological and spiritual work. The astrological omens suggest it’s a favorable time for focused self-transformation.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Are you smart enough to take advantage of the fact that your best relationships would benefit from bursts of innovative energy in the coming weeks? Are you brave enough to banish the ghost that still haunts your romantic life? Do you have the moxie to explore frontiers with collaborators who play fair and know how to have fun? Will you summon the curiosity and initiative to learn new strategies about how to enhance your approach to intimacy? I’ll answer those questions in your behalf: yes, yes, yes, and yes.
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CANCER (June 21-July 22) Would you agree with me that there are both boring, tiresome problems and fun, interesting problems? If so, read on. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re at a fork in your path where you could either get further involved with a boring, tiresome problem or else a fun, interesting one. (I think you’ll have to engage with one or the other.) Of course, I’m rooting for you to proactively wrangle with the fun, interesting one. Here’s timely inspiration from Cancerian author John W. Gardner: “We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
The Jharia Coalfield in eastern India is a 110-square-mile reserve of underground coal. In some places, it’s on fire, and has been burning for over a hundred years. This isn’t a good thing. It’s wasteful and causes pollution. But now I’ll ask you to put aside that scenario, and imagine a more benevolent kind of steadily burning fire: a splendor in your soul that never stops radiating warmth and light; that draws from an inexhaustible source of fuel; that is a constant source of strength and courage and power. I’m happy to tell you that the coming months will be a favorable time to establish and nurture this eternal flame.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Marilyn Monroe, Georgia O’Keeffe, and President Franklin Roosevelt were direct descendants of the pilgrims who sailed from England to the New World on the famous Mayflower ship in 1620. I, on the other hand, am a direct descendant of a nineteenth-century Slovakian coal miner who toiled in the underground darkness. What about you, Virgo? Now would be a rich and provocative time to reconnect with your roots; to remember where your people originated; to explore the heritage that served as the matrix from which you sprouted.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
According to researchers who study animal behavior at two Italian universities, chickens can do arithmetic. The birds don’t even need to be trained; the skill seems to be innate. (Read details here: tinyurl.com/ ChickensDoMath.) I’m wondering whether chickens
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born under the sign of Libra might even be able to do algebra in the coming weeks. According to my assessment of the astrological omens, the mental acuity of many Libran creatures will be at a peak. How will you use your enhanced intelligence?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
In March 2005, far more people than usual won big money in a regional Powerball lottery in the U.S. The average for each draw is four winners, but on this special occasion, 110 players were awarded at least $100,000 and as much as $500,000. The reason for the anomaly seemed to have been an oracle that appeared in a number of widely distributed fortune cookies. It provided five of the six winning numbers. Inspired by this crazy stroke of good fortune, and in accordance with the favorable financial omens now coming to bear on you, I hereby offer you six numbers to use as your lucky charms. Will they help you win a game of chance? I can’t be sure. At the very least, they will titillate and massage the part of your psyche that is magnetic to wealth. Here they are: 37. 16. 58. 62. 82. 91.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
“You have two ways to live your life,” writes spiritual teacher Joseph Vitale, “from memory or inspiration.” In other words, you can take your cues about how to live your life from what happened in the past, or else you can make your decisions based on what you’re excited to do and become in the future. According to my analysis, the next ten months will be an excellent time for you to fully embrace the latter approach. And it all starts now.
You’ve always got more help available than you imagine, and that’s especially true these days. Both people you know and people you don’t know may come to your assistance and offer extra support -- especially if you meet two conditions: 1. you sincerely believe you deserve their assistance and support; 2. you clearly ask for their assistance and support. Now here’s more good news about the help that’s available. Whether or not you believe in spiritual beings, they, too, are primed to offer blessings and resources. If you don’t believe in their existence, I invite you to pretend you do and see what happens. If you
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In one of his poems, Arthur Rimbaud extolled the exquisite evenings when the mist soaked his face as he strolled, and he sipped that heavenly dew till he was drunk. Was he speaking literally or metaphorically? Probably both, if I know Rimbaud. Anyway, Aquarius, I’d love for you to engage in similar exploits. What are some natural adventures that might intoxicate you? What simple pleasures may alter your consciousness, nudging you free of its habits? Meditate with sweet abandon on how to free yourself through the power of play and the imagination.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
It’s illegal to hunt animals in Kenya. But members of the Dorobo tribe circumvent the law to provide food for their families. As three or more Dorobo men wander out on the savanna, they wait for hungry lions to kill a wildebeest or other creature. Then they stride toward the feasting beasts in a calm show of force until the predators run away in confusion. The brave scavengers swoop in and swiftly remove a portion of the wildebeest, then coolly walk away, leaving plenty for the lions when they return to their meal. I bring this scene to your attention, Pisces, because I suspect that in the coming weeks you will have similar levels of courage and poise as you go after what you want.
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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