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After each of their presentations, the three experts answered questions from the audience. | Photo Miguel Rios

Food inequality

Experts weighed in on what plays into food insecurity and better ways to address the topic.

By Miguel Rios

The biggest health risk affecting certain communities is inequality. That’s what experts said last week during a symposium on northeast Oklahoma City’s lack of food security.

Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice, along with a panel of three experts, discussed the various components that play into food insecurity at the event hosted

by Urban Land Institute Oklahoma. Nice kicked off the event with a video explaining how ZIP codes affect people’s health more than genetics.

“Those who live in more affluent communities will live an average of 15 years longer than their neighbors in disadvantaged communities. What separates them is more than distance. It’s opportunity, education, access to care, safer streets — in short, it’s everything you’d want to have for a healthy, happy and productive life,” according to Building Healthy Communities, which created the video.

The video details how areas that are even just a mile away can have major disparities in road conditions, street safety, air quality and access to quality fresh food. Despite the video being about two ZIP codes in California, Nice said northeast OKC was dealing with similar issues.

Nice has been working on a Healthy Neighborhood Overlay for the 73111 ZIP code, which would help prevent the proliferation of convenience stores and help increase access to fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. She commended the Homeland officials for choosing to build 4

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a brand-new store and headquarters in northeast Oklahoma City.

“We are excited about them bringing a 30,000 square-foot, brand-new, fullservice grocery store,” she said. “We are thankful for Homeland because they didn’t have to come into the community, but they are committed to addressing our food security issue. And they have not built a brand-new store since 2011, so this is something that they’re going to do in our community for our residents.”

Food is a lens that helps us talk about inequalities in ways that other things don’t.

Ashanté Reese

Expert takes

LaVonna Blair Lewis was born and raised in northeast Oklahoma City and said most of her family still lives in the area.

“I spent the first 30 years of my life in Oklahoma City, and it’s hard to come home and, in some instances, see things [are] worse,” she said.

Lewis, a professor of public policy and associate dean at University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, has conducted research for 20 years with a colleague on the topic of food injustice. She said they noticed how comfortable people are demonizing

the choices people who live in areas of food insecurity make without fully realizing the few options they have.

“I want to make it very clear that this whole conversation is about change because the status quo decision-making has left northeast Oklahoma City behind for decades. I’m assuming that you’re here because you’re sick and tired of that,” she said. “Before you get mad at people about the choices that they’re making, find out what choices are available.”

Through her research, Lewis compared food availability between south central Los Angeles and west Los Angeles, where University of California, Los Angeles is located. She said it was the same type of disparity that can be seen in northeast OKC compared to other parts of the city.

“I would encourage those of you who are trying to make similar comparisons in this community to get people in a van and drive them from 23rd [Street] and Martin Luther King [Avenue] to the other

side of Robinson [Avenue] and Classen [Boulevard], and ask them, ‘How is this possible these kinds of things can exist within such close proximity when we’re talking about the same state, same city?’” she said. “Until you’ve seen mold and brown bananas in your neighborhood and then go on the other side of town and see that that’s not what’s going on, you might be okay with that. Or maybe you’re fortunate enough that you’re not locked into what’s available in northeast Oklahoma City, and you can drive out.

But if you leave the people behind in doing that, are you OK with that?”

Lewis stressed that knowledge and data is power and encouraged people to get actively involved by writing letters to elected leaders, going to community meetings and speaking at city council or planning meetings.

“There are multiple ways to get to where we’re trying to go. I think we do ourselves a disservice when we say, ‘My way is the only way to do this,’” she said. “It’s just amazing what the will of people can do if we sometimes get out of our own way.”

Bryce Lowery, assistant professor of architecture at University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, spent his first two years in Oklahoma visiting every grocery store in the state.

“When we look across the board, lowincome, minority communities … have fewer grocery stores, but what I’m also finding is that that’s having very little impact on natural health outcomes we’re seeing,” he said. “So we begin to think … about the presence of unhealthy food, choices people are making and the ability of folks to cook healthy food for themselves that might offset the presence of a Braum’s.”

Lowery agreed with Lewis about the fact that local communities have the power to get positive things done.

“How do we begin to also work with large-scale grocery stores to create more healthy, convenient food? If any of you have ever been to Edmond to the Uptown Grocer, there’s a lot of healthy, prepared food up there,” he said. “You come into a market in a low-income community, there’s no healthy, prepared food available. This is also a point of discussion that we need to focus on as we move forward working with this grocery store, any grocery store that comes in.”

Lowery also reminded the crowd that Oklahoma City’s comprehensive plan includes things like community gardens, reducing access of low-nutrition food and prioritizing underserved areas.

“So the next time some politician tells you this isn’t what we’re doing in Oklahoma City, they actually said this is what they’re doing in Oklahoma City,” he said. “It’s in a document that won a giant award, and when I ask planners here on staff at Oklahoma City what’s Ashanté Reese earned a PhD in anthropology, specializing in race, gender and social justice. | Photo Miguel Rios

LaVonna Lewis earned a PhD in political science and focuses her work around a community-based participatory framework. | Photo Miguel Rios

going on with this, silence.”

Ashanté Reese, assistant professor at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, stated three caveats before her portion of the program. The first was that food is never just about food.

“Food is never just about food, so any conversation we’re having where we’re

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only talking about fruits and vegetables, we’ve already kind of gone down the wrong path,” she said. “Food becomes a powerful lens for us to evaluate community. It becomes a powerful lens for us to evaluate the things that we value.

In my case, what my real interest is, food is a lens that helps us talk about inequalities in ways that other things don’t.”

Her second caveat was that health is not an individual imperative.

“I think there’s a larger conversation about health policies, about food labeling, about why we live in a country [where] things that are unhealthy can be called food in the first place,” she said.

“If we’re not going to hold corporations accountable, then I don’t think we can displace corporate responsibility to individual responsibility."

Her last caveat is that capitalism will not save us. Reese has conducted research in Washington D.C. and found that people who live west of the Anacostia River, a low-income black community, have much less access to healthy foods and more negative health outcomes, much like northeast OKC. “We’re not just kind of waiting for corporations to make a change,” she said.

“People are actually [doing] what I call ‘quiet food refusals.’ What I mean by refusal is refusing to not have their needs met, refusing to accept low-quality, refusing to accept a world that says, ‘Because

Bryce Lowery earned a PhD in urban and spatial planning and focuses on environmental and social influences of neighborhood well-being as well as land use policies. | Photo Miguel Rios

you live in this ZIP code and because you live east of the Anacostia River, you don’t deserve the nice stuff that’s west of the Anacostia River. … Regardless of if there’s a store in the neighborhood, people are going to find what they need. Period.

That’s part of the impetus why there’s

not a lot of motivation sometimes for corporations to locate in neighborhoods because people in most impacted neighborhoods will just drive somewhere else.”

Ultimately, Reese emphasized that conversations about food insecurity, particularly in low-income communities, ought to be deeper than solely about food or supermarkets.

“People have real emotional connections to accessing foods, so when we sit here and talk about supermarkets and don’t talk about how people feel about it, that’s a real problem. People feel things. You should write that down. I know grocery shopping becomes this impersonal thing that we talk about, but people do care about who’s working in their stores, they care about having these conversations that they have in their stores,” she said. “In some cases … they internalize the feeling that, ‘I don’t have nice things in my neighborhood, so I did something wrong.’ … It’s not about the supermarket. It’s not about who gets to have control. These are real people who I guarantee you if you ask them about the other kinds of issues that are going on, it’s not just food. There’s probably financial security issues.

There’s probably education issues. There are all of these things, and what people are trying to do is literally not die.”

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Protecting employees Councilman James Cooper proposed an amendment to the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy. By Miguel Rios

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Ward 2 councilman James Cooper wants to extend nondiscrimination protections for gender identity and expression when it comes to the city’s personnel policies. Cooper introduced the proposed amendment at Tuesday’s Oklahoma City Council meeting.

Visit okgazette.com for the latest information from the meeting.

“What this resolution does is it shows where The City of Oklahoma City recognizes and supports policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and promoting a workplace free of conduct anyone could consider discriminatory, abusive, disorderly, disruptive and/or retaliatory,” Cooper told Oklahoma Gazette.

“We are working to include specific reference to discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.”

The proposal would add “and gender identity and/or gender expression” to the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, which already prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. It would only affect municipal employment.

“This is specifically because I believe every individual has a right to self-determination, the pursuit of happiness, and no one should find themselves in a position where they cannot take care of themselves financially,” Cooper said. “A job is critical to being able to pay your bills, to buy groceries, and we have to make sure that people have access to employment so long as merit determines whether or not someone hires them.”

Cooper also referenced statistics from a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) report.

“November is known as Transgender Day of Remembrance, and digging into why such of remembrance exists, I learned that just in 2019 alone, we’ve seen at least 22 trans or gender nonconforming people killed in these acts of hate,” he said. “Most of those killed in 2019 were young, black women, and so that’s worrying. … When I have coworkers, students — whether K through 12 or college — identifying as transgender and telling me how terrified they are to even walk out of their house, that moves me.”

HRC’s report also found that since 2013, more than 150 transgender and gender nonconforming people were killed. At least 127 of those were people of color, nine in every 10 were transgender women and 58 percent of all domestic deaths took place in the southern part of the country.

“While the details of the cases documented in this report differ, the toxic

Ward 2 councilman James Cooper wants to include protections for gender identity and expression when it comes to municipal employment. | Photo Alexa Ace

intersection of racism, sexism, transphobia and easy access to guns conspire to deny so many members of the transgender and gender nonconforming community access to housing, employment and other necessities to survive and thrive,” said HRC president Alphonso David in a statement. “Every one of these lives cut tragically short reinforces the urgent need for action on all fronts to end this epidemic — from lawmakers and law enforcement to the media and our communities.”

In 2016, the city council debated an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in the housing sector. The ordinance, which expanded protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity when it comes to housing, narrowly passed 5-4.

The councilmen who voted in opposition, James Greiner (Ward 1), Larry McAtee (Ward 3), David Greenwell (Ward 5) and Mark Stonecipher (Ward 8), still serve on the council.

“As an individual and if they believe in the right to self-determination, if they believe in the pursuit of happiness, then they’ll do the right thing,” Cooper said. “I am not transgender. I do not know that experience, but I know how to look at statistics, and I cannot turn a blind eye to this moment and what this moment asks us to do.”

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Fresh Suites

After an extensive renovation, a hotel on Northwest Expressway reopens under new ownership. By Miguel Rios

After taking the building down to steel and concrete and undergoing a massive renovation, a former Marriott hotel is reopening as Embassy Suites. New signage went up last week, and the hotel is set to open Thursday or Friday at 3233 Northwest Expressway.

“Oklahoma City’s growing economy provides the perfect opportunity to expand our already-strong brand footprint in the market,” said Alan Roberts, global head of Embassy Suites by Hilton, in a statement. “Business and leisure travelers will find all the core attributes they know and love at this new location, from our spacious suites to the free made-to-order breakfast, and everything in between.”

The former Marriott Northwest opened in 1985 and remained highly active through the ’90s until a hotel surge in central Oklahoma led to a decline in occupancy.

“You won’t really recognize any of that when you walk into the building,”

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Tammy McDaniel, director of sales and marketing, told Oklahoma Gazette.

“There’s a lot excitement about the building coming back online.”

Now with $20 million in renovations for an extensive remodel inside and out, Embassy Suites hopes to meet a niche in the market.

“This was an iconic hotel on the northwest corridor when it was a Marriott, and the location is great because of the accessibility and convenience. It’s easy to get to from all points in Oklahoma City,” she said. “To have a facility that has the banquet space that we offer — there are very few hotels in Oklahoma City that can do a sit-down dinner for 500-plus, and in our ballroom, we can do over 800.”

The former Russell’s Lounge, one of the city’s longest running bars and clubs, which closed permanently in 2018, was demolished.

“Of course the famous Russell’s that everyone talks about from the Marriott days is gone, and part of it is now a fire-

side patio, which is about 4,100 square feet,” McDaniel said. “On the other side of the patio wall, that land that belonged to us was sold to McAlister’s, and a McAlister’s Deli is being built in front of the hotel.”

McAlister’s Deli will face Northwest Expressway and is expected to open early next year.

The hotel’s former step-down lobby has been opened up and leveled out with new marble flooring, new woodwork, furniture and lighting, creating what McDaniel calls an inviting atmosphere.

The Marriott had an indoor/outdoor

The new Embassy Suites hotel reopens this week. | Photo Peter J. Brzycki

pool, but Embassy Suites only kept the indoor pool, which will have heating capabilities. The outdoor pool was taken out and made into a sundeck.

The hotel has roughly 23,000 square feet of meeting space on the first and second floors as boardrooms, breakout rooms, private dining and a hospitality suite. The grand ballroom can hold up to 1,200 people. An array of catering options will also be available. continued on page 8

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The hotel will also have a bar and a restaurant.

“The bar is an expansive buildout and very modern,” McDaniel said. “[The restaurant] will be open in the evenings from 5 to 11.

It’s called The Local Kitchen and Tap, and it will have a classic menu with kind of a modern twist.”

Other amenities include 24-hour Pavilion Pantry Market, a business

The hotel lobby has been opened up and leveled out. | Photo Peter J. Brzycki

center and a fitness center. Each of the 216 suites, which are available as traditional upscale studios and two-room suites, is equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi, a living area, coffeemaker, microwave, mini refrigerator and 55-inch HDTVs with movies for guests to stay entertained.

“Embassy is known for its three pillars … which are two-room suites, free made-to-order breakfast and complimentary appetizers and drinks in the evening,” McDaniel said. “The breakfast is very extensive. There’s a large space dedicated to the breakfast area on the third floor."

The building’s facade has a fresh coat of paint with a white-and-gray scheme and a large parking area that has been repaved. The property also had new landscaping installed.

“The Northwest Expressway Business District is flourishing economically, and it has more to offer than ever before,” Patrick Whyatt, general manager, said in a statement. “Whether guests are coming for business or to explore leisure attractions like the Lake Hefner Recreation Area, our hotel provides versatile offerings to accommodate every traveler.”

The hotel’s website is live, and guests can already make reservations. Rates start at around $100 per night.

A typical Embassy Suites bedroom | Photo Peter J. Brzycki

“The other thing about the hotel is we have rooms with balconies, and so it’s a nice feature. The views are amazing because you either have the view of downtown and the Capitol and you can see really as far away, on a clear day, as Norman. Then on the north side, you have the Lake Hefner view. Every room has a view,” McDaniel said. “Hopefully some people will take advantage of booking New Year’s Eve just to come and experience the hotel and see for themselves what the hotel is about and just the detail that has been put into the hotel.”

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Shattering doors

Shopping at Walmart has enough risks.

The prevalence of hyper-processed food will lead to all sorts of negative health outcomes if one of those falling boxes from a towering shelf doesn’t land on you.

Shoppers at a Neighborhood Market Walmart near SE 59th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue were in for a surprise last week when a recently stolen car barreled through its front doors.

There were no injuries reported during the incident that began as a reported auto burglary near SW 44th Street and Santa Fe Avenue, according to KFOR. The two suspects took police on a chase, and we’re not sure why they drove into the store. Maybe they thought they could drive the car through the store and out the other side. Maybe they got it confused with the other Walmart around the corner that’s actually a hologram projection over their secret bad-guy lair.

After crashing, the suspects tried to run away but were quickly apprehended.

“Something like that happen, we’re lucky somebody didn’t get run over.

Somebody could’ve died like that,” Walmart employee Austin Davis told KFOR. “I’m just glad everybody’s safe.

Now they’re gonna pay a lot of thousands of dollars on that door.”

The truth is that insurance will cover the costs for our overlords in the Walton family, but it’s the employ-

ees at Walmart — already working for an employer that does everything in its power not to pay a living wage and health benefits — that had to clean up the mess.

Only a few weeks after the rush of Black Friday, the already-overworked Walmart employees had yet another challenge to overcome. It’s a reminder to be nice to service workers.

County smell

“Gassing,” according to Double-Tongued Dictionary, is prison slang for “throwing feces or bodily fluids at someone.” In a video Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office public information director Mark Myers posted to his personal Twitter page on Dec. 6, sheriff’s office employees seem to be getting a similar treatment from the plumbing in the Oklahoma County jail.

“It’s just gross and unhealthy for employees to walk into this place and have to work while inmate waste runs like a

river,” commented Myers on a video of water dripping from the ceiling, collecting in strategically placed waste baskets and running in rivulets on the floor.

“How could any elected official not approve for the Sheriff’s Office to relocate to the Krowse Building? I challenge them to work in this jail. Everyday I go home and feel like I must decontaminate, at the very least remove my shoes so that I don’t bring in microscopic funk into my house.”

The office was originally scheduled to relocate and turn operations over to Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority Jail Trust on Jan. 1, but Sheriff P.D. Taylor announced last week he was willing to grant a 106-day extension of the deadline to April 15 while the Jail Transition Committee determines what the move will require. Jail trustee and county commissioner Kevin Calvey, meanwhile, told News 4 that the sheriff’s deadline is not binding and Taylor is required by state law “to operate the jail until such time as the trust is ready.”

In a statement issued by the sheriff’s office on Dec. 10, Taylor touted the benefits of the transition.

“With law enforcement moving from the jail, the Trust will have valuable office space they need to operate inside the jail at minimal to no cost to their budget,” Taylor said.

The Trust might want to find room in the budget for rain boots, but according to a 2017 report by Oklahoma Policy Institute, “little if any new revenue can be raised from new fees in the criminal justice system” because “jail inmates typically make less than half the income of their peers even before their arrest” and are often unable to pay, leading to a “cycle of incarceration and poverty” that actually increases costs by increasing the number of inmates, all of whom presumably use the toilet. That’s just basic trickle-down economics.

recently received six new cellphones in very unique gift packaging. Well, technically the package was delivered for an inmate and the cell phones would have been contraband, but that’s semantics.

While processing Nike shoes delivered for an inmate, officers noticed cutouts in the insole. Upon further inspection, they found six mini cell phones total — three in each shoe.

Logan County sheriff Damon Devereaux said he has never seen anything like it before.

“That would be a phone, I would imagine, about the size for any of those American Girl Dolls or dolls of that same size,” he told KFOR. “I wouldn’t even think that was a real phone, but you can certainly call on it.”

The phones were each about 3 inches long — smaller than a standard crayon — so they easily fit in a small space cut out from the insole of the shoe, almost like the sole purpose for a phone that small is to smuggle into places that don’t allow them, like prisons or high school classrooms. (Chicken-Fried News does not condone the smuggling in of tiny, American Doll-size phones in any establishment that prohibits phones of any size.)

Contraband cell phones are so notorious that Oklahoma Depart-

ment of Corrections director Scott Crow has even called them the No. 1 security threat for state prisons. In fact, Oklahoma Department of Corrections locked down several prisons across the state in September after an estimated 150-200 inmates initiated fights, leaving one dead and several others injured. Officials said communication via contraband phones facilitated the violence, so Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order authorizing several agencies to research and implement technology to help combat the issue.

“Contraband cellphones in our state prisons have become a serious public safety concern in Oklahoma,” Stitt said.

“This is a technology issue that must be answered with a technology solution in order to efficiently and effectively improve safety for our inmates, Department of Correction employees and citizens of Oklahoma.”

It doesn’t seem like much has happened yet beyond research, but once officials identify the most cost-effective solution, they said they will work to implement it. In the meantime, we’ve got to give props to the Logan County officers and their keen eye for shoe insole cutouts, which is not a sentence we ever thought we’d be writing.

Sole purpose

Happy holidays are in order for the Logan County Detention Center staff. They O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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CONGRATULATIONS to the 6th Annual Urban Land Institute Impact Award Finalists!

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - On January 31st, 2020, Urban Land Institute Oklahoma will host their 6th Annual Impact Awards at the Tower Theatre. The event recognizes projects that exemplify best practices in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities, through each project’s contributions to the built environment and the public realm. The finalists represent those projects and initiatives that were determined to best promote the creation of resilient communities, intelligent densification and urbanization, as well as outstanding quality of design and construction. This year’s event is being co-chaired by Ashley Terry (Wheeler District) and Jim Parrack (Price Edwards & Company).

FINALISTS FOR THIS YEAR’S IMPACT AWARDS ARE OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY BUILDING EFFORT

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC INITIATIVE

LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT

2019 OKC Memorial Marathon

Norman Public Library Central

The Monarch

Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape

Scissortail Park

The Pointe at Chisholm Creek

NEOKC Developer’s Conference

Westwood Family Aquatic Center

West Village

BOUTIQUE DEVELOPMENT

LARGE SCALE REHABILITATION & RESTORATION

SMALL SCALE DEVELOPMENT

1621 NW 16th St

Central Exchange

The Collective Food Hall

McKinley Row

Dunbar Commons

Edmond Railyard

Yale Theater

Historic Pioneer Building

Social Capital

East Point FRIDA southwest // Paseo Studio

Resolution Legal/Elk Valley

The MGM Buildings Finalists for each of the categories were selected from an open nomination by ULI members. Projects completed in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area within the last two years were eligible for nomination.

The winners in each category will be announced at the awards ceremony.

The event kicks off at 5:30pm with a cocktail hour. Member price is $65 and Non-Member price is $85 until January 10th (Students $50). To purchase tickets, please visit oklahoma.uli.org.

Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. For more information, visit www.oklahoma.uli.org

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Wheeler Cottages

REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Morning evolution

As it continues to evolve, Stitch will continue offering well-executed and sustainable menu options. By Jacob Threadgill

Stitch 835 W. Sheridan Ave., Suite 100 stitchokc.com | 405-212-2346 WHAT WORKS: Both proteins — steak and chicken — were flavorful and juicy.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The chile miso sauce didn’t have much miso flavor.

TIP: Look for the addition of all-day breakfast in 2020.

From the ashes of the Okay Yeah Co. Coffee & Eatery coffee shop that excited people on Film Row came Stitch cafe’s West Village location, which Chad Grubbs and Jen Semmler Grubbs opened in April.

The couple opened Okay Yeah as an extension of Semmler Grubbs’ successful Plant Shoppe in an old warehouse along Film Row in 2016. After the lease was up at that location, The Plant Shoppe moved down the street to 835 W. Sheridan Ave. on the bottom level of the new West Village Apartment complex — across the street from The Jones Assembly — and Stitch followed as an evolution of the couple’s previous concept.

“We’ve taken [Okay Yeah Co.] and expanded upon it,” Grubbs said. “We didn’t really have much food offerings or an alcohol program [at OK Yeah]. Our version of a cafe is to be a multi-use space. I think of a restaurant as a place where I’m going to eat and leave. Our whole goal is to be in there for different things. It could be a meeting, a dinner and evening or just to grab a

top Steak Wake-Up Tacos from Stitch right A grain bowl topped with balsamic chicken, avocado and seasonal veggies | Photo Jacob Threadgill

cocktail or coffee to-go. It’s a multi-use cafe and multiple points of access so that you can be here all day.”

By adding alcohol and a menu that includes snacks, breakfast and even dinner, they wanted to increase points of access at Stitch, compared to Okay Yeah, where people might study or grab a coffee and one of a selection of gourmet Pop-Tarts. A smaller selection of seasonal hand tarts remain on the menu at Stitch, in addition to scones, but the overall menu is devoted to using sustainable ingredients with a focus on using local produce as often as possible.

The smoothie bowl was everything I was hoping it would be.

Jacob Threadgill “We’re still in a curious time in the sense of breakfast — think diners or coffee shop — and trying to meet an area that doesn’t exist,” Grubbs said. “We’re not trying to do fine dining; we’re trying to do intentional products with quality ingredients. We want quality, healthy options that you can have every day.”

Grubbs admits that they’re still open to changing the shape of food offerings at Stitch, and in early 2020, they’re thinking of serving its breakfast menu (which currently stops service at 11 a.m. on weekdays) all night. The lunch menu that is normally served until close and includes sandwiches, wraps, tacos and salads will remain the same, but Stitch is toying with the idea of ending its rotating steak dinner in favor of event destination meals.

“We’re still figuring out what dinner is going to look like and what the community is asking. Our dinner crowd is kind of nonexistent,” Grubbs said.

“We’re really leaning into doing events versus just having a menu. It will be more focused on an actual event, but I don’t think the dinner will always look the same.”

I think there’s plenty of room in the market for all-day breakfast. Besides some local diners that serve standards like eggs and pancakes and chains like IHOP, Waffle House and Metro Diner, there aren’t a lot of options. Chae Cafe & Eatery offers brunch all day, but standard-bearers like Sunnyside Diner, Cafe Kacao and Cafe Antigua close in the afternoon.

I also think Stitch will execute event dinners very well because I enjoyed everything that I tried over a pair of recent visits to the cafe.

It’s a beautiful space with a ton of natural light and really benefits from being connected to The Plant Shoppe, which breathes life into it.

Stitch’s coffee program can be a little bit intimidating for someone like me who just likes a standard drip-pour black or an occasional oat milk latte, but it executes the classics well while also offering the slow bar that really allows the baristas to flex their muscles.

I started the first visit with a matcha latte because I’ve been drinking a lot of finely ground green teas lately for of their added antioxidant boost.

My initial visit continued with a

Stitch gets its bagels shipped from New Yorker Bagels. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

small smoothie bowl and an Everything bagel with herb schmear.

The smoothie bowl was everything I was hoping it would be: blueberries, banana and other seasonal fruits blended with almond milk and topped with more blueberries, housemade granola and coconut. The nice crunch from the granola provides energy and sticks to your ribs.

Stitch gets its bagels shipped from the bagel motherland, New Yorker Bagels. I was expecting the bagel to be little more round in shape and less flat, but it had very nice seasoning and chew on the outside. I also got an order of the Wake-up Tacos (with steak, but you can also fill it with chickpea scramble, chorizo or sautéed veggies).

I thought the steak was perfectly cooked — tender and flavorful — and much better than a lot of dry steak I’ve eaten in tacos. The eggs were fluffy, but I was somewhat surprised to see that the orange sauce was listed as chile miso because I didn’t get much miso flavor, but it was a nice combination of sweet and spicy.

I returned later in the week and ordered a grain bowl ($12), which is organic farro cooked in housemade vegetable stock with sautéed season vegetables (zucchini and red and poblano peppers) topped with balsamic grilled chicken, pickled red onion, cotija cheese, toasted almonds and half an avocado for an additional $2.50.

The chicken, just like the steak, was well-marinated and juicy, which is no easy task when cooking chicken breast.

I’m very fond of farro — another ancient grain that has increased in popularity this decade because it is a great source of protein and complex carbohydrates.

I look forward to following what Stitch does with its menu and would love to return in the evening to get a sweet waffle topped with lemon curd and prickly pear drizzle for dinner when it is added to the all-day menu.

Visit stitchokc.com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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EAT & DRINK

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Healthy outcomes

The personal trainers, dietitians and chefs at i2U Culinary Solutions offer relief for chronic disease beyond taking pills. By Jacob Threadgill

What started as a mission to improve the food quality offered at the hospital has turned i2U Culinary Solutions into a onestop shop for transforming healthy outcomes through lifestyle choices.

Located at 7908 N. Western Ave., i2U’s facility is home to daily training regimens and a full-service kitchen turning out dietitian-certified meals tailored through data compiled from clients’ lab work that is done on-site.

The company started as a partnership between certified nutritionist and personal trainer Brent Wilson and chef Jonathon Stranger (En Croûte, Osteria, St. Mark’s Chop Room, Bar Cicchetti and Prairie Wolf Spirits) with a focus on serving healthy food to partner hospitals Lakeside Women’s Hospital, Community Hospital and Northwest Surgical Hospital. In October, i2U began delivering weekly, ready-to-eat meals to all clients in Oklahoma City, not just those in the hospital.

Stranger remembers having to go through a three-day hospital stay after surgery a few years ago and being shocked not just at the quality of food served by the hospital but its reliance on processed foods.

“I was in the hospital for three days and wasn’t allowed to move,” Stranger remembered. “What they gave to eat in the hospital and what they told me to eat afterward was the same: soft foods that have a ton of sugar with hydrochlorides with gelatin that are also not good for you.”

Stranger began working with one of his business partners, Dr. Steven Sands, who is involved in health care, and they were put in touch with Wilson, who was working as a dietitian for an Oklahoma health-care system.

“I worked in a health-care setting and saw that it wasn’t fixing chronic

Brent Wilson provides nutrition consultation and leads individual and group workout sessions at i2U Culinary Solutions. | Photo provided

disease through the system of medication as resolution,” Wilson said. “It’s sad because when people are at their sickest, just diagnosed with diabetes or had a heart attack, and we provide them with what caused the problem, we give them highly processed food loaded with salt and sugar and refined oils and expect them to get better. People actually try to mimic what they’re getting at the hospital at home. I’ve had people that come to see me and say, ‘This is what I was served at the hospital, so this is what I must eat outside of it.’ So they’re eating cereal at breakfast, thinking it will help blood sugar.”

Wilson’s journey to become interested in nutrition and a certified diabetes educator began with the same kind of doctor’s visit that brings in many of his clients. At the age of 18, Wilson weighed more than 300 pounds and was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and prescribed statins to lower blood pressure.

“That’s what puts the fire in my belly to help these folks,” Wilson said. “I was 18 and got told I had all of these problems and pushed pills. How do you do this without medicine? I figured there are bunch of people who need this type of guidance and they’re not getting it right now. I want [i2U Culinary Solutions] to be a place where they can get everything taken care of. It’s lifestyle intervention to fix chronic disease.”

Wilson equates the idea of using medicine to lower chronic disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes to that of a doctor prescribing pain medication because there is a rock stuck in your shoe. The medicine helps with the pain but does nothing to solve the root cause.

He said there are multiple clients who have been able to get under diabetes thresholds without taking any medicine.

“So many people think it’s going to take years, but we can see blood sugar down in a week. … It’s getting them to believe they can do it and to have the confidence,” Wilson said. “I’ve seen it done too many times to say it’s impossible.”

Healthy lifestyle

Meetings with Wilson begin with an initial nutrition assessment that includes testing cholesterol, triglyceride, A1c and blood pressure levels. Wilson then creates a three-month lifestyle plan that includes follow-up nutrition consultations with everything from food prep education in the kitchen to grocery store tours.

It’s lifestyle intervention to fix chronic disease.

Brent Wilson “So many walk into a grocery store and pick up the same things out of habit,” Wilson said. “What aisles should we hang out in? On the outside of the store and areas where there aren’t boxed processed foods. In an ideal world, we’d all eat fresh produce and animal products, but we do at times have to go to the boxed aisle and teach them how to count carbs and what to look for.”

Wilson also offers private and small group training sessions with equipment right there in the i2U facility. The kitchen at i2U led by chef Ryan Berry turns out daily meals that are sent to clients at partner hospitals as well as wellness meals that are available for breakfast ($8 per meal) lunch ($10) and dinner ($15) that are delivered to clients in Oklahoma City on Mondays and Fridays.

The wellness menus change monthly and include options like potato-crusted quiche for breakfast, shrimp spring rolls and Brussels sprout salad for lunch and Wagyu meatloaf with potato puree and asparagus for dinner. Clients can also choose “dietitian’s choice” and Wilson will select items for the client based on their allergy needs and dietary goals revealed from their blood work.

“Brent’s done an exceptional job meeting with people and finding what is unique about them,” Stranger said.

i2U meals are delivered on Mondays and Fridays Lunches are designed to be eaten cold while dinners can be warmed up in the oven. | Photo provided

“Brent is the biggest difference with a meal delivery service. You’re guided by someone very educated with your body, using actual science. Every car is handled differently by a mechanic.

[Our body] is incredibly more complex, the most complex in the world, and for some to say, ‘Atkins or keto for everyone,’ doesn’t make any sense.”

Wilson favors a diet high in protein and saturated fat and low in simple carbohydrates and sugar. He said too many people, including active dietitians, are still operating under the idea that “all food is good if eaten in moderation,” and relying on outdated studies pointing at saturated fat as a culprit for heart disease. The movement began in the 1950s with studies led by Ancel Keys, including a flawed seven-country study that credited the “Mediterranean diet” as the healthiest option. American Heart Association later adopted studies sponsored by the sugar industry and soft drink companies that pushed low-fat, high sugar foods as healthy.

“That moment in time was the worst piece of nutritional advice that’s ever gone out. Now we have dietitians still teaching this today even though research has pretty much disproven the fear of cholesterol and saturated diet,” Wilson said. “We went on a low-fat craze. People were told to stop using butter and use margarine. Industrial seed oil [vegetable, sunflower and canola] causes so much inflammation in the body. That’s what causes heart disease. It isn’t caused by cholesterol and saturated fats; it’s caused by sugar and refined vegetable oils, the things we try to push to fix the issue.”

Visit i2uculinary.com.

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Brent Wilson is a certified personal trainer and dietitian with i2U Culinary Solutions. | Photo provided O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Season’s greetings

Even though modern technology allows most ingredients to be available year-round, there’s nothing like eating products that are in season, and that can be difficult during winter months. These seven dishes highlight seasonal ingredients.

By Jacob Threadgill with provided and Gazette / file photos

Osteria

Piatto Italian Kitchen

La Brasa

If you think leeks have a similar flavor to onion, you’re not wrong because they come from the same genus, but when the leek is cooked, it has a much more complex and sweeter flavor than a green onion. Osteria offers leeks, which are at peak season in the winter, on its pressed vegetable panini with hummus, zucchini, bell pepper and arugula for lunch and braised leeks with lamb osso bucco for dinner.

While the ubiquitous Bartlett pear hits markets in the summer, the Anjou pear is known as a winter pear, and it’s a great option to supplement fruit during the winter if you don’t want something grown in a greenhouse. The poached pear salad — with field greens, cranberries, spiced walnuts, crispy pancetta, goat cheese and orange vinaigrette — is the perfect start to a meal with housemade pasta at Piatto.

Even if you’ve been “over” Brussels sprouts since they became an en vogue ingredient at the start of this decade, La Brasa’s version will bring you back into the fold with its unique preparation. The sprouts are flash-fried and tossed with honey-lime vinaigrette and bacon before getting a dusting of Parmesan cheese. It’s a good start to an aroundthe-world meal at La Brasa.

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Sweet potatoes are all over the place these days, but they’re at their best in the winter. You can enjoy the flavor of a sweet potato while also having fun with some marshmallow glaze at syrup. with the Home Sweet Homa that also includes crumbled pecans. It’s one of the most satisfactory sweet breakfast treats available in the metro area.

The Jones’ new food menu includes lots of seasonal additions like butternut squash purée with its pork chop or maple sweet potato hash with its Buddha Bowl, but that also goes for its expertly crafted cocktail menu. The Quince Jones is Laird’s Applejack whiskey with sauvignon blanc, quince cordial and spiced cranberry and rosemary syrup.

The Brussels sprouts and kale salad remains a fixture at Cheever’s Cafe, but it’s perfect for when you’re trying to eat light in the weeks between food-heavy holidays, and many of its ingredients like the chunks of ruby grapefruit are in season. You’ll also find pistachios, chile-lime corn and blue cheese with onion vinaigrette.

The winter brings a tasty and nutritious alternative to traditional pasta: spaghetti squash. Do you have a craving but don’t want to spend all that time roasting and preparing the squash? Let The Wedge do the work for you as it offers any of its pasta dishes to be served over spaghetti squash for as long as the ingredient is in season.

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15

COV E R

ARTS & CULTURE

Beyond preservation Abandoned Oklahoma aims to show that though a building might be vacant, the memories associated with it aren’t lost. By Jeremy Martin, Miguel Rios and Jacob Threadgill

Before Michael Schwarz could even fully process the orange flames jumping on the television screen, he jumped in his car and made his fastest-ever drive on a familiar trek down to Spencer where the historic Dunjee School — a place he had visited 20 to 30 times after getting involved with the group Abandoned Oklahoma — burned beyond recognition in 2012.

The Dunjee School was a relic of Oklahoma’s segregated school system, and Civil Rights pioneer Clara Luper once taught in the school, but it was closed in 1972 and sat vacant for years until former student Theotis Payne re-opened the building as a school for at-risk youth in 1998. Payne ran into legal trouble and then died suddenly in 2004. The school closed almost overnight and was abandoned with assignments written on whiteboards and open textbooks on desks, and it became a galvanizing point for Schwarz as he began contributing to Abandoned Oklahoma.

When he pulled up to the Dunjee School as fire crews were leaving, a husk of a building sat waterlogged and charred with a woman standing in the hall, crying.

Schwarz approached her and realized that it was Theotis Payne’s widow, Margarett.

“She couldn’t keep up with the school anymore, and she told me that this was the last tangible memory she had of her husband and there were a lot of family photos in there; his personal belongings were all ruined,” Schwarz said. “I was able

to give her all of the pictures I’d taken.

That’s when I made the switch from ‘These are really cool places to go into’ to ‘People have history at these places.’ … It’s not just the buildings that need to be preserved, but it’s also the people’s stories that need to be preserved.”

Sparking curiosity

Abandoned Oklahoma was founded in 2009 by Cody Cooper and Justin Tyler Moore, the latter of whom is no longer with the group. Cooper has been passionate about Oklahoma’s history and architecture since high school, but he said The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, aka Skirvin Hotel, which sat vacant and abandoned for nearly 15 years, sparked his fascination with abandoned buildings.

“In high school, I took a photography class, and Page Woodson and the Skirvin were two of the buildings that I photographed,” he said. “The stories behind the locations are incredible. The stories make the buildings have so much more personality. To envision the lives that the building themselves lived as well as the people that were in them, it’s just fascinating to research that type of thing.”

Through Abandoned Oklahoma, Cooper was able to merge many of his interests.

“We started to notice that Oklahoma didn’t have an urban exploration resource like most other states or sites had,” he said. “So we decided to go ahead and start our own and to turn a hobby into more of a preservation-type effort.”

Before historic Dunjee School in Spencer burned down in 2012, it still held furniture and schoolbooks as well as personal items from its caretaker and former student Theotis Payne, who had re-opened the building as a school for at-risk youth in 1998. | Photo Michael Schwarz / Abandoned Oklahoma / provided

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D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

After receiving some media attention, Cooper said the site started to attract more users who would leave more comments and even contribute to posts. In fact, the current Abandoned Oklahoma team came together slowly as the site’s web presence grew.

“They kind of reached out and we started doing meetups. A few other people started to join the meetups, and it kind of snowballed,” he said. “It’s difficult to find people who are interested in this type of photography or preservation work, so the people that were interested in actually meeting up were slim.

But the core group of people that did come out were true enthusiasts, and we all worked together to pool our resources and our talents. It was really exciting to see the passion in people’s eyes.”

We don’t want to see these places as trash or thrown away, but as an opportunity.

Michael Schwarz Johnny Fletcher and David Linde were some of the first people to join the team.

Schwarz joined the group in 2011 after touring abandoned Gandini’s Circus in Edmond. Schwarz also founded Abandoned Arkansas while attending University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

Fletcher, aka psychosaw13, first began exploring abandoned buildings as a child in Bartlesville, playing hideand-seek in a vacant house in his neighborhood where a “local youth organization” had installed a slide and other haunted house props.

“It’s long gone,” said Fletcher, who still lives in the same neighborhood.

“It’s just a field now.”

It didn’t occur to him to take photographs until he found a website documenting abandoned buildings in Arkansas.

“I spent hours going through every one of their posts,” Fletcher said. “I was immediately obsessed.”

He was especially drawn to photos of Dogpatch USA, a Marble Falls attraction built in 1967. Slate described it as a “hillbilly-themed amusement park centered on a trout farm” featuring

Most abandoned buildings are hospitals and schools like Chilocco Indian Agricultural School near Ponca City. | Photo David Linde / Abandoned Oklahoma / provided

“Barney Barnsmell’s Skunk-Works, Rotten Ralphie’s Rick-O-Shay Rifle Range and a roller coaster called Earthquake McGoon’s Brain Rattler.”

The park closed in 1993. Fletcher took a road trip to see it for himself and took hundreds of photos.

“Pretty much everything is there still, to this day,” Fletcher said. “It’s cool to find old log rides or roller coasters in the woods, overgrown.”

Abandoned Oklahoma hosted meetups all over the state, but Cooper said the most memorable one for him happened at Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, a boarding school for Native Americans that provided academic and vocational education and sought to assimilate them.

It served students from Arizona, New Mexico and even Alaska but eventually closed because of low enrollment.

“The history around the Indian schools is equally if not more interesting than that property,” Cooper said.

“They were whole little cities, and people don’t even know they existed. …

That place was probably the most memorable just because of the history and the size of the location.”

Fletcher’s favorite sites to explore are still abandoned amusement parks, but the most common type of abandoned building he comes across, by far, are former public schools with hospitals a distant second. A 2013 study by Pew Charitable Trusts determined that “largescale public school closures have become a fact of life in many American cities, and that trend is not likely to stop now.”

Though some former school buildings are sold and repurposed, others sit vacant for years because demolishing them is expensive and sometimes controversial.

“Given all of these factors, it is no surprise that some buildings sit empty for decades,” Pew reported. “And the structures, which are costly to maintain, can deteriorate rapidly; the longer they sit vacant, the more expensive they can be to reactivate. … The buildings can become eyesores, magnets for illicit activities and symbols of neighborhood decline.”

Schwarz’s favorite sites to tour are abandoned schools and hospitals, par-

ticularly ones that have a lot of things left behind from the building’s operation.

Abandoned Oklahoma and Abandoned Arkansas do not condone trespassing and recommend using local chambers of commerce to get in touch with property owners to request permission to tour the site or to just ask a neighbor.

“If someone lives next to an abandoned hospital, you can bet they know something about it that will help; it’s just a matter of asking,” Schwarz said.

While obtaining permission to enter a former nursing home in Arkansas, the building owner told Schwarz to enter through a basement window because all of the doors were locked. A neighbor saw his crew enter through the window and called the authorities.

“The cops showed up with their guns out,” Schwarz said. “After they saw our cameras, they apologized and ended up walking around with us, and they were exploring just as much as we were; it was so funny. They told us how many teenagers break in and have parties there, which is sad.”

Abandoned Oklahoma has countless posts of abandoned locations with articles varying in length about the history of the locations. While Oklahoma provides a lot for the Abandoned Oklahoma team to work with, Cooper said the state might actually not have as many aban-

Oklahoma teammate Linde, aka Fiend, through the Arkansas website, and the two decided to meet up and explore the Lincoln Beerblower Power Plant in Ponca City, a coal-burning facility decommissioned in 1983 and declared an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site due to asbestos and other toxins. Fletcher called the plant “very, very dangerous” but said avoiding injuries when exploring it was “mostly common sense.”

“You have to look ahead of you, and don’t step in any puddles because you don’t know what’s underneath the water,” Fletcher said. “There were a lot of metal grates in that power plant that had just dropped straight down and a lot of stairways that have fallen down. … Some of the younger kids, they’re more adventurous and will climb stairwells or steps or things like lead up to rooms, but at the time, I had a young daughter, and you’ve got to think about that too. You’ve got to think about your family. You don’t want to disappear in a pit or something and nobody knows where you’re at.”

The feeling of exploring such a large abandoned site is powerful, Fletcher said.

“This was somebody’s job,” Fletcher said. “The power plant probably had 40 employees or something at one time.

You would see old lockers with names

said. “But I was lucky there.”

Though Fletcher is an avid horror film fan, he said he doesn’t believe in ghosts.

“I used to, until the ghost hunter TV shows kind of ruined everything,” Fletcher said. “I had an interest in the paranormal early on before exploring. We kind of become friends with ghost hunters because we steal each other’s locations.”

He has seen a few “spooky things,” though.

“There was a shadow figure in a doorway that was unexplainable to me,” Fletcher said. “It wasn’t there when I took the photos. There was an abandoned mental hospital in Sand Springs … and there was some playground equipment, and we were there at night, and the merrygo-round started moving by itself, but there was no wind or anything to move it.”

Project preservation

In the future, Abandoned Oklahoma would like to focus some of its coverage on buildings like Page Woodson that have been saved and restored for reuse. | Photo David Linde / Abandoned Oklahoma / provided

doned places as other states.

“I like to call it Abandoned America.

It’s not really unique to Oklahoma,” Cooper said. “Every city, state, town has buildings that have reached their end of life. I would say we have very few as far as abandoned buildings go just because of how young as a state we are.

If you go to Kansas or Missouri or even Arkansas, there’s a lot more, and if you go to Europe, God knows.”

Fletcher met future Abandoned

on them. It’s the wonderment of, ‘People used to be here, and they’re no longer here.’ And there’s trees and stuff growing up through the concrete, and it’s amazing.”

While exploring an abandoned Tulsa warehouse that would later become the site of Woody Guthrie Center, Fletcher forgot to watch his step.

“I did actually step down in a puddle, and my leg went all the way into the ground up to past my knees,” Fletcher

Part of Abandoned Oklahoma’s mission is to preserve Oklahoma’s past through photography and bring more awareness to architecturally significant structures.

Two of the abandoned places that got Cooper started in this kind of work have actually been redeveloped — Skirvin Hotel is once again operational and Page Woodson, a former high school, has been converted into apartments.

“I think that the awareness is there now, where it really wasn’t so much in the past. I think the state and the city have come a long ways in the last 10 years to adaptive reuse than they had previously thought of it before,” Cooper said. “Having the city council weigh in on issues like that, I think it’s important, especially to have citizens heard regarding their feelings of something that makes up the architectural fabric of our city.”

The website includes a community of members and users who add information and context.

Abandoned theme parks remain a popular attraction for explorers. | Photo Johnny Fletcher / Abandoned Oklahoma / provided

“The comment section is just as important as the pictures and the history because people provide perspective and history,” Schwarz said. “There are so many memories out there; it’s not just about the building itself.”

Abandoned Oklahoma is currently undergoing a revamp. After months of low activity, the team is regrouping and planning to hit the ground running in January.

“We do have plans for 2020 to grow the website with more content and just kind of rebranding,” Cooper said. “In the next year, I hope that we continue to do what we have always done, which is bring attention to the public about architecturally significant structures in our state and the history behind them. … We’ll have some activities planned for the next year, but we don’t really have anything set in stone just yet.”

Schwarz is currently living in Los Angeles, but he’s moving back to Oklahoma in early 2020 as he finishes work on a feature-length documentary called Forever Majestic about the historic Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs Arkansas that was demolished following a fire in 2014. He hopes to have the documentary finished in time for the prestigious Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in October. As Abandoned Oklahoma makes a new push, Schwarz wants to document success stories as well, like a feature he’s working on for the old Sunshine Cleaners building that was refurbished as saved by Stoneclound Brewing Company.

“We don’t want to see these places as trash or thrown away, but as an opportunity,” Schwarz said. “If we can do success stories, it will show that things are possible.”

Visit abandonedok.com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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GR EG BUR NS FINE A R T

Visit my website gregburns-fineart.com to find that extraordinary gift. I have one-of-a-kind original paintings, high-quality giclees and reproductions. Look under Announcements for a Holiday Special! You can contact me through the website with any questions.

Greg Burns Fine Art gregburns-fineart.com

VIN TAGE , R E T RO A ND NE A R LY NE W CLO T HING

Bad Granny’s Bazaar has you covered this holiday season, whether you’re shopping for that one-of-a-kind gift, dirty santa or need to pick a little something up for yourself, check out Bad Granny’s today, located in the heart of 16th Street Plaza District.

COOK IE GIF T BAGS

We make them, you give them! We also have party trays, cookie trays, party subs, breads and pastries for all to enjoy at your next gathering.

Someplace Else Deli 2310 N. Western Ave. 405-524-0887

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Bad Granny’s Bazaar 1759 N W 16th St. facebook.com/badgrannysbazaar 405-528-4585

ARTS & CULTURE

ART

Buy This!

Body art

Two exhibitions at Mainsite Contemporary Art draw inspiration from the female figure.

By Jeremy Martin

I, Doppelgänger — on display through Jan. 10 at Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E Main St., in Norman — features paintings by Mary James Ketch and Alexis Austin. Fem Form, an exhibition of photographer Greer Inez’s work, is also on display through Jan. 10. Like countless artists before them, Ketch, Austin and Inez have drawn inspiration for the works in their exhibits from the human figure, primarily the female form.

“It’s something that people have been painting since the beginning of time,” Ketch said, “but I questioned, ‘Why do I draw and paint the female figure so often when, historically, men have painted women?’ I’m a heterosexual female; why am I not painting men? I realized it’s not about sexual attraction or anything. I find inspiration through women and their lives.

It’s more about entering into this experience of being a woman. … I think the female form is beautiful. … The experience of being a woman, I think, is beautiful.”

While artistic interpretations of the female body created from the male gaze often sexualize their subjects, Ketch identifies with hers, making them relatable to the viewer.

“A lot of people look at my paintings and say, ‘Oh, it really connected with me,’ and they’re not being connected in a sexual manner,” Ketch said.

“They’re just like, ‘I feel what you’re feeling.’ They always say, to me, ‘I can’t explain it,’ or, ‘I don’t know why, but I really connect with this painting.’ I think that’s because I start from an emotion or an image, and then I just paint it and assume someone else is going to connect with that, as well.”

Inez, who uses a combination of acrylic, oil and encaustics to paint on

A HOLIDAY E X PER IE NCE LIK E NONE O T HER

Join Oklahoma Shakespeare for an all ages celebration of the life and love of Jane Austen, as seen through the eyes of her most beloved characters, this holiday season.

Dance, sing and eat treats or just come as you are and enjoy the show! Tickets on sale now, Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker runs through December 21.

“In a Mood,” by Mary James Ketch | Image Mainsite Contemporary Art | provided

photographs shot with a 35mm camera, said she finds aesthetic inspiration in the curvier shape of the female form.

As a woman photographing women, Inez said her relationship with her models might have a different dynamic.

“I don’t ever want to say that a man can’t photograph a woman as well as a woman can photograph a woman, but the camaraderie is helpful. I do believe that very much,” Inez said. “I notice things in women because I’m a woman.

We have common insecurities as women. ... We just know each other.

There’s an intuition there.”

Rather than referencing live models or photographs, Ketch, inspired by French abstract expressionist Henri Matisse, paints scenes created with paper cut-outs. She also studies evolutionary psychology to discover common human characteristics and experiences in hopes of making art “a human being, no matter where they are in the world, can understand.” For Ketch, that means making the abstract accessible.

“When it’s abstract, I think they can read more into it themselves, but that also makes it more complicated, and people often just sort of walk away from things that they can’t understand right away,” Ketch said.

Austin, who often paints on different fabrics such as tulle and silk, which she sometimes treats with dyes and bleach, has just recently become interested in people as a subject. Working on the paintings for this exhibit has helped her let go of her “hang-ups with painting figures.” Even when depicting human figures, Austin’s work often continued on page 20

Oklahoma Shakespeare 2920 Paseo okshakes.org | 405-235-3700

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retains abstract elements, especially after she attempted to move away from female subjects.

“It’s always women all the time, the female figure, so I really wanted to challenge myself with trying to incorporate men in there,” Austin said, “but instead of that really happening, I kind of got more abstract as far as the human figure goes, so I ended up with some kind of like sexless human figures, so they’re neither male or female. … The bodies are just kind of more blobs, but I’ve had people look at it and just kind of assume that they’re one gender or the other. … They just interpret them however they will.”

Some of Ketch’s figures appear more identifiably female, but she said she has been surprised at how many men seem to relate to them anyway.

“I have a painting that I just assumed men would hate it, actually,” Ketch said. “It’s a woman cleaning dishes, and it’s not abstracted that much. … Men at the show came up to me and said, ‘I love this painting.’ … I just thought they would pass it by; they wouldn’t relate to it. It’s sort of about the contemplative nature of housework and drudgery.”

ART

S PA RK L E TH IS

Contemplating mothers

Ketch, who has a master’s degree in film from University of Southern California, began teaching herself to paint 12 years ago after the birth of her second child.

“I really think that being pregnant changed my brain,” Ketch said. “I just started seeing faces in everything. You can’t get through a meal without me being like, ‘Don’t you see the goat in your mashed potatoes?’ … The brain definitely reorganizes itself. I had a lot of time breastfeeding, sort of meditative time. I kind of had to shift my whole way of being. I couldn’t focus enough to write after my kids were born because to write, it takes me, like, an hour just to figure out what I’m doing.

With painting, I could do it while my kids were napping, and I could kind of come in and out of it quickly, which I can’t do with writing. At first, I started in acrylics, but I would start to paint and then I’d be called away to get a snack or something, and my paint would dry up. So I moved to oil because I can set up my palette, walk away and come back, even the next day, and it’s still fine. So that was also definitely influenced by having kids.”

According to her artist statement, Inez, who grew up admiring her father’s charcoal drawings, began photographing mothers “to celebrate the strength in their bodies through imagery” after becoming a mother herself.

Austin, who studied studio art at Oklahoma City University and fashion design at Columbia College Chicago, said her art is influenced by her children.

“Being able to see things through 20

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“Ghost Twins” by Alexis Austin | Image Mainsite Contemporary Art | Provided

them and how they see the world has really helped me to stop judging myself and the work I put out because I love the way they see things, and I want to be more like them,” Austin said. “The way kids see the world and the way they put it on page is just amazing to me, and when we grow up, we forget that.

So I’m always trying to be more like them and the way they work. Being their mother has helped me be a better artist, I think.”

Though Austin’s figures are abstract, she said a painting having multiple subjects means they have “a relationship that you have to figure out when you look at it,” whether that’s “four curvy blobs” who convey maternal understanding or “two people that are staring at each other like, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’”

“They all kind of revolve around love in some way,” Austin said.

Even when Ketch plans to paint a different subject, she often finds herself returning to maternal themes.

“I really hadn’t sketched it out or anything,” Ketch said of a recent painting. “I was just painting directly on the canvas. And my idea was to do a grouping of women with teacups in their hand, and by the time I was finished, it was a mother with two kids. I just started laughing, and I’m like, ‘Of course it is.’ I can’t escape who I am and what’s in my life.”

Admission is free. Call 405-360-1162 or visit mainsitecontemporaryart.com.

I, Doppelgänger and Fem Form Through Jan. 10 Mainsite Contemporary Art 122 E. Main St., Norman mainsitecontemporaryart.com | 405-360-1162 Free

ART

Double feature

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum puts film history on display with Two Grits.

By Jeremy Martin

Rooster Cogburn said, “Looking back is a bad habit,” but the 50th anniversary of True Grit has inspired a retrospective exhibit. On display through May 10 at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., Two Grits - A Peek Behind the Eyepatch compares and contrasts the 1969 and 2010 films. The exhibit features costumes, props and other items from the film, including a script belonging to John Wayne, who won an Oscar for playing Cogburn in the 1969 version, and a Winchester rifle he wielded in the iconic climax. The hat and eye patch Wayne wore in the film are positioned opposite the ones worn by Jeff Bridges, who was nominated for an Oscar for playing Cogburn in the 2010 film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.

“Our hope is it might engage some of our younger audiences who are obviously far more familiar with the Coen brothers than they are with Henry Hathaway, who was the director of the ’69 film, but at the same time, John Wayne’s a giant,” said Michael Grauer, the museum’s curator of western art and McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture. “We have a constant and consistent stream of people who come here to see John Wayne material. … What all museums are challenged with today is connecting with millennials.”

To add historical context, the exhibit also features firearms, clothing and other artifacts from the films’ Old West setting and also includes information about Charles Portis’ 1968 book.

“Ultimately, it probably should be called Three Grits because in the exhibition, we compare it with the original novel, how each did or did not hew close to the book,” Grauer said. “When the Coen brothers’ film came out, they made a big deal about how their film was more accurate to the book and also, ostensibly, more accurate to the language of the 19th century, the 1880s, when the story is set.

It’s been pretty interesting to get to determine those comparisons.”

The two films differ from their source material and from each other.

“Both filmmakers took a completely different approach,” Grauer said. “The ’69 film was basically a John Wayne vehicle. The Coen brothers, of course, are always quirky, and they added things in their film that are not in the book, a couple of scenes that are completely made up, completely fabricated, but they at least attempted to try to get the grittiness and the darkness of the story, and ultimately, it becomes a dark comedy in a lot of ways.”

We needed a hero, and the cowboy was the convenient hero, and ultimately, it spread around the world.

Michael Grauer The newer film’s darker tone is indicative of a more modern idea of the American West, but all three versions of True Grit are made up.

“Everyone gives Hollywood great credit for being a barometer for the American public, and frequently, more often than not, they’re just wrong, but I think the attempt at accuracy resonated with audiences at the time,” Grauer said.

“There was an attempt on the part of the Coen brothers, in my opinion, to kind of create this sort of historical docu-drama, sort of a pseudo docu-drama, when in fact, it’s all fiction. … I think that the Coen brothers’ is as close as you’re probably going to get in clothing, language, etc. Both films take liberties with the novel, and of course, the novel is a work of fiction, ultimately.”

Many people’s idea of that period in American history comes from fiction,

Grauer said, because they “take their cue from mythology about the West.”

Part of the museum’s mission is to give visitors a more accurate depiction than most movies or TV shows offer.

“Our goal is that they leave better informed,” Grauer said. “Their decisions are theirs obviously. Sometimes there are preconceptions that are hard to dislodge. For one thing, John Wayne was a very tall man, 6’4”, but he had tiny feet, and having his boots in the exhibition has been kind of an eye-opener for people. … It’s just little things like that.

Our job here at the National Cowboy Museum is to tell that whole story. The idea that a lawman is a cowboy or a man with a gun is a cowboy is one of the greatest fictions ever prevailed upon the world by Hollywood or moviemakers. Most gunmen weren’t cowboys at all. That blurring of those lines between lawmen and outlaws and working cowboys is something that we take very seriously here, and so a lot of what I hear when people are departing is, ‘I had no idea.’ That’s a win for us.”

True heroes

The popularity of the mythologized cowboy in the 20th century was partially a response to what Grauer called “’50s Cold War stuff.”

“We needed a hero, and the cowboy was the convenient hero, and ultimately, it spread around the world,” Grauer said. “I mean, there’s no more popular symbol worldwide than the American cowboy. … At that time, there was a great deal of fear in the country and there was a need to believe in, regardless of what your particular culture was, a hero. Now it’s satirized … and it’s fashionable to ridicule that. It’s easy to look backward 50 years and ridicule people, but we weren’t around when that was going on and there was a great deal of fear, and it was a pleasant place and safe place to be on a Saturday in a movie theater, watching good guys beat the bad guys.”

The mythology surrounding Wayne, born Marion Morrison, has been “under assault” recently, Grauer said, but not because of his smaller-than-expected shoe size. A resurfaced 1971 Playboy interview in which Wayne used a homophobic slur and voiced support for white supremacy prompted a student protest of an exhibit honoring Wayne

left A costume and custom Winchester Model 1892 used by John Wayne in True Grit (1969), from the John Wayne Family Collection | Photo provided center A costume worn by Matt Damon in True Grit (2010), designed by Mary Zophres | Photo provided right An eye patch and hat worn by John Wayne in True Grit (1969), courtesy of John Wayne Enterprises | Photo provided

at University of Southern California and calls for John Wayne Airport in Orange County to be renamed. However, Wayne remains a “towering presence” in American culture, Grauer said, and the actor features prominently in National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s history.

“John Wayne’s been part of this institution since its founding,” Grauer said. “He actually rode a white horse from downtown Oklahoma City to Persimmon Hill to basically cut the opening-day ribbon.”

Though Cogburn dominates both film versions, the book’s main character is Mattie Ross, the teenage girl who hires him to avenge her father’s murder, played by Kim Darby in 1969 and Hailee Steinfeld, who was nominated for an Oscar, in 2010.

“What we’ve done in the exhibit is put Mattie up front,” Grauer said. “We really want to emphasize that she’s the hero. She’s, in fact, the one who has true grit. She talks about how she’s looking for a man with true grit when in fact, the true grit in the story is her own, and Portis made that very clear because he narrates the book in the voice of Mattie when Mattie was an old woman. … In both cases, in my opinion, the filmmakers lost sight of that, and my hope is that it resonates with younger audiences, especially with young women, because I have two daughters who are strong women, and my fiancée is a strong woman and my mother and my sister, et cetera. That’s a big part of the Western story, the prominent role of women.

That sometimes gets shoved aside.”

Admission to the museum is free$12.50 Call 405-478-2250 or visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Two Grits - A Peek Behind the Eyepatch through May 10 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St. nationalcowboymuseum.org | 405-478-2250 Free-$12.50

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OKG Lifestyle

Around OKC EAT soup dumplings at Yummy Noodles WATCH Pasta Grannies (YouTube) LISTEN Over My Dead Body: Joe Exotic podcast READ Into Captivity They Will Go by Noah Milligan LOVE Paseo Farmers Market EXPERIENCE Crudoolandia

Outside OKC Kilkenny’s Irish Pub in Tulsa EAT The Irishman (Netflix) WATCH The Dream podcast LISTEN Normal People by Sally Rooney READ Milk Street Radio podcast LOVE Huntington Beach, California in the winter EXPERIENCE

Alex Bliss’s Picks EAT Andy’s nachos at 51st Street Speakeasy WATCH When They See Us (Netflix) LISTEN Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You album READ Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D LOVE Nails by Zitta at Manifest EXPERIENCE

yoga with Desirae Penton at Hidden Dragon Yoga

Alex Bliss and her mother own Nonprofit Solutions, a law firm focusing on nonprofit and government entities with a passion for helping good people do good things.

SOUP DUMPLINGS AT YUMMY NOODLES | PHOTO JACOB THREADGILL • OVER MY DEAD BODY: JOE EXOTIC PODCAST | IMAGE WONDERY / PROVIDED CRUDOOLANDIA | PHOTO ALEXA ACE • THE IRISHMAN (NETFLIX) | IMAGE NETFLIX / PROVIDED • NORMAL PEOPLE BY SALLY ROONEY | IMAGE PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE / PROVIDED ALEX BLISS | PHOTO PROVIDED • WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES | IMAGE BALLANTINE BOOKS / PROVIDED • NAILS BY ZITTA AT MANIFEST | PHOTO ALEXA ACE O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

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REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF OKLAHOMA courtesy of the law firm of Phillips Murrah.

CALENDAR These 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 Ross Kenneth Urken book signing the author and journalist will read from his memoir Another Mother, a tribute childhood Jamaican nanny that also incorporates the CIA’s infiltration of the country in the 1970s, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20. Commonplace Books, 1325 N. Walker Ave., 405-534-4540, commonplacebooksokc.com. FRI

FILM VHS & Chill: Blockbusted Video a cult-classic film screening where audience participation and commentary is encouraged, 7-10 p.m. Dec. 18. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. WED

HAPPENINGS

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Afro Beats a dance party with soca, hip-hop, Caribbean, dancehall and other genres of music provided by DJ Sinz, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays. Glass Lounge, 5929 N. May Ave., 405-835-8077, glasshouseokc.com. FRI Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Cowboy Christmas Ball a family holiday event featuring a dinner buffet, a visit from Santa Claus and live music by singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, 5 p.m. Dec. 22. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SUN

Large selection of beanies, scarves, gloves, earmuffs...and even dog sweaters starting at $12!

Devon Ice Rink ice stake in the Myriad Botanical Gardens and enjoy seasonal food and beverages., Mondays-Sundays. through Feb. 2. Devon Ice Rink, 100 N. Robinson Ave., 405-708-6499, downtownindecember.com/ devon-ice-rink. FRI-SUN Downtown Recyclers Toastmasters practice your public speaking skills at this ongoing weekly meeting, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Department of Environmental Quality, 707 N. Robinson Ave., 405702-0100, deq.state.ok.us. WED

www.shop.lushfashionlounge.com 14101 N May Ave, #114 Oklahoma City, OK 73134 Mon-Sat 10:00am-7:00pm Open Sundays in December 12pm-5pm

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Drag Me to Bingo bingo night hosted by Teabaggin Betsy, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Partners, 2805 NW 36th St., 405-942-2199, partners4club.com. TUE First We Dance, Then We Greet, Then We Eat learn to cook a dish and do a dance at this community meet up, 2 p.m. Dec. 21. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT Governor’s Club Toastmasters lose your fear of public speaking and gain leadership skills by practicing in a fun and low-stakes environment, noon-1 p.m.

Wednesdays. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Building, 2501 N. Stiles Ave., 405-523-2300, okfarmbureau.org. WED Holiday Lights Spectacular a drive-thru light display more than 1.5 miles long, featuring an 118 foot Christmas tree lit by more than 9,000 LED bulbs, 6-11 p.m. through Dec. 25. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. WED Holiday Pop-Up Shops at Midtown shop at a rotating selection of pet-friendly stores, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, Dec. 5-8, Dec. 12-15, Dec. 19-22, Through Dec. 22. Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., 405-879-3808, bleugarten.com. FRI-SUN Illuminations: Starry Starry Night an immersive light installation inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting, through Jan. 1, 2020. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Jackbox.tv Game Night play interactive party games with host Alex Sanchez, 8-10 p.m. Mondays.

Oak & Ore, 1732 NW. 16th St., 405-606-2030, oakandore.com. MON The Lost Ogle Trivia test your knowledge in a four-round trivia game, 8 p.m. Thursdays. McNellies, 1100 Classen drive. THU Moore Chess Club play in tournaments and learn about the popular board game at this weekly event where all ages and skill levels are welcome, 1-4 p.m.

Sundays. Moore Library, 225 S. Howard Ave. SUN PAMBE Ghana Global Market shop for handmade and artisanal crafts, clothing and other items at this holiday pop-up shop benefitting bilingual education, Oct. 29-Dec. 24, Through Dec. 24. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com. TUE Pooches on the Patio bring your best friend to this dog-friendly happy hour with drink specials, appetizers and free pet treats, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays.

Café 501 Classen Curve, 5825 NW Grand Blvd., 405844-1501, cafe501.com. SAT Renegade Poker compete in a 2-3 hour tournament with cash prizes, 3 p.m. Sundays. Bison Witches Bar & Deli, 211 E. Main St., Norman, 405364-7555, bisonwitchesok.com. SUN Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, Norman, 623-810-0295. THU Trivia Night at Black Mesa Brewing test your knowledge at this weekly competition hosted by BanjoBug Trivia, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Black Mesa

The Muppet Christmas Carol Countless staid, serious-minded adaptations of Charles Dickens’ 1843 Christmas classic existed long before 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol was released, but in some ways, the version featuring singing, dancing felt animals is truer to the original in spirit than most, both in love for Dickens’ language and meta-humor and faithfulness to his photorealistic descriptions. It’s also hands-down the biggest tearjerker. Even Dickens wasn’t sadistic enough to make Tiny Tim a cute little frog. Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas 1:30 p.m. Monday at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. Tickets are $5. Call 405-708-6937 or visit towertheatreokc.com.MONDAY Photo provided

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Brewing Company, 1354 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-7781865, blackmesabrewing.com. TUE Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens.com. TUE unWINEd a fundraising evening featuring hors d’oeuvres, raffles and, of course, wine, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Dec. 19. Space Yoga Studio, 3770 W. Robinson St., Norman, 405-217-2898, norman.yoga. THU

FOOD Holiday High Tea Series enjoy a modern update of the 1800s with live harp music, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21. Skirvin Hilton Hotel, 1 Park Ave., 405-2723040, skirvinhilton.com. SAT OKC Farmers Market a year round farmers market featuring fresh produce, honey, baked goods, meat, hand made goods and more., Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 4054860701, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT

YOUTH Art Adventures children can enjoy story time and related activities, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE Beginning Martial Arts Classes students ages 7 and older can learn martial arts from instructor Darrell Sarjeant at this weekly class, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Thursdays. Nappy Roots, 3705 Springlake Drive, 405896-0203, facebook.com/pg/nappyrootsbooks. THU Breakfast with Santa enjoy scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and more and pose for a photo with Santa Claus, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT-SUN 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 Hannah E. Harrison book signing the author will read from and sign copies of her children’s book Bear Is Awake!, 11 a.m. Dec. 21. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT Holiday Card Shop create a custom cards, gift tags and thank-you notes from supplied art materials, Dec. 23, Mon., Dec. 23. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. MON The Polar Express Train Ride take a fanciful round trip train ride to the North Pole with hot chocolate, cookies and Santa Claus, through Dec. 31. Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd., 405-424-8222, oklahomarailwaymuseum. org. FRI-TUE Reading Wednesdays a weekly storytime with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED

Jim Keffer / Jean Richardson Hollis native Jean Richardson has studied art at Wesleyan College in Georgia and Art Students League in New York, and her abstract paintings have been displayed at National Academy of Design, the Oklahoma State Capital building and more. Guthrie-based Jim Keffer (whose “Teepee with Chamisa” is pictured above), meanwhile, is a self-taught folk artist who calls his style “modern primitive.” View paintings by both artists through Dec. 31 at JRB Art at the Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave. Admission is free. Call 405-528-6336 or visit jrbartgallery.com THROUGH DEC. 31 Photo provided

Christmas with the Crawfords spend the holidays with Joan Crawford and family with cameos from Judy Garland, Ethel Merman and Bette Davis, through Dec. 28. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI-SAT Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted by CJ Lance and Josh Lathe and featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and beyond, 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Don Quixote Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N. Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI Dope Poetry Night read your poems or just go to listen to others at this open mic hosted by J. Wiggins and Proverb, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. WED Iron Horse Open Mic and Showcase perform music on stage at this show open to all experience levels, 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 9501 S. Shields Blvd., 405-735-1801. WED

Roy Deering book signing the author will autograph copies of his middle-school book The Day Old Faithful Stopped: A Yellowstone National Mystery, noon-1:30 p.m.

Dec. 21. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol Scrooge’s business partner is the main character in this twist on the Charles Dickens classic, Dec. 20-22.

3rd Act Theatre Company, 12040 N. May Ave., 405-361-9444, 3rdacttheatreco.com. FRI-SUN

Sankofa Chess Club children 7 and older are invited to learn chess in this club meeting weekly, 6-7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays. Nappy Roots, 3705 Springlake Drive, 405-896-0203, facebook.com/pg/nappyrootsbooks.

Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker Erin Woods’ original play invites audience members to mingle with 18thcentury author Jane Austen and some of her most beloved characters; era-appropriate costumes encouraged, through Dec. 21. Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo St., 405-2353700, oklahomashakespeare.org. THU-SAT

WED

Santa’s Scavenger Hunt search for clues hidden by “elves” throughout the museum, Dec. 24. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. TUE Signing Time Sign Language Class children can learn American Sign Language at this class taught

by Mrs. Stacy, 4-5 p.m. Thursdays through Dec. 19.

We Rock the Spectrum, 64 E. 33rd St., 405-657-1108, werockthespectrumoklahomacity.com. THU

Joel Forlenza: The Piano Man the pianist performs variety of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and, of course, Billy Joel, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE Kendell’s Open Mic play up to four songs at this weekly music open mic, 8-11 p.m. Tuesdays. Kendell’s, 110 S. May Ave., kendellsbar.com. TUE

Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays.

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

Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED

PERFORMING ARTS

Monday Night Blues Jam Session bring your own instrument to this open-stage jam hosted by Wess McMichael, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. MON

The Ambassador’s Concert Choir celebrate the 40th season of the concert choir at this reunion show, 7 p.m. Dec. 24. St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N. Kelley Ave., 405-478-3344. TUE Arnez J the touring standup comic (Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central Presents) performs, 7-11 p.m. Dec. 21. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT A Christmas Carol the annual production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic directed by Michael Baron and featuring Dirk Lumbard as Ebenezer Scrooge, through Dec. 24. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9310, lyrictheatreokc.com. FRI-TUE

The New New Show a live standup showcase featuring local comics, 8-9:30 p.m. Dec. 20. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. FRI The Nutcracker Oklahoma City Ballet presents its annual holiday production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic, Dec. 20-22. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com.

Look under ANNOUNCEMENTS for a HOLIDAY SPECIAL!

hosted by Travis Phillips, 7 p.m. Mondays. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. MON OKC Improv performers create original scenes in the moment based on suggestions from the audience, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-456-9858, okcimprov. com. FRI-SAT Triple’s Open Mic a music and comedy open mic hosted

by Amanda Howle, 7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday.

Triple’s, 8023 NW 23rd St., 405-789-3031. WED

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Open Mic at The P share your musical talent or just come to listen at this weekly open mic, 7 p.m.

Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. WED

WINTER FAMILY CLOTHING

Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. TUE

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Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Rhyme in Reasons share your talent or just watch other artists perform at this weekly open mic, 7:30-10 p.m. Thursdays. Reasons Lounge, 1140 N. MacArthur Boulevard, 405-774-9991. THU Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/sanctuarybarokc. WED-THU The Santaland Diaries working as an elf in Santa’s village is not as holly or jolly as advertised in this comedic play based on David Sedaris’ essay, through Dec. 21. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI-SAT 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 The Sorcerer & The Comedian magician John Shack and standup comic Zach Khan will perform, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Dec. 21. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. SAT Staged a stage show hosted by Raven Delray, 10:30 p.m. third Saturday of every month. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. SAT VZD’s Open Mic Night a weekly music mic hosted by Joe Hopkins, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., 405-602-3006, vzds.com. WED Weekly Jams bring an instrument and play along with others at this open-invitation weekly jam session, 9:30 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. TUE

FRI-SUN

OKC Comedy Open Mic Night get some stage time or just go to listen and laugh at this open mic

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continued from page 25

ACTIVE Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. WED Holiday Light Ride take a bicycle tour of the light displays in Automobile Alley and Heritage Hills and hear your favorite holiday tunes, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 19. Holiday Pop-Up Shops, 399 NW 10th St., 405-514-5205. SAT-THU

Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through east Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Road, 405-603-7655. MON

WHY NOT? COMEDY | January 10 CRÜELIGANS: MOTLEY CRÜE TRIBUTE | January 17

K.C. CLIFFORD | January 25 RICHARD MARX | January 30

Colors of Clay an exhibition of clay pots, bowls, pitchers and jars created by Native American artists, through May 10, 2021. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-TUE

Renewing the American Spirit: The Art of the Great Depression an exhibition of paintings, prints, photographs and more created in the 1930s, through April 26, 2020. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT-TUE

405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd Street | Oklahoma City

D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Articulation work on your art or craft project with other creators at this weekly meetup; bring your own supplies and clean up after yourself, 6:30-10 p.m. Thursdays. Little D Gallery, 3003 Paseo, 720-773-1064. THU

Postcard Perspectives an exhibition featuring thousands of postcards created by artists from across the U.S. and 37 other countries, 7-10 p.m. through Dec. 28. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. FRI-SAT

TICKETS & INFO AT TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @TOWERTHEATREOKC

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VISUAL ARTS

Leviathan I: The Aesthetics of Capital an experimental exhibition created by artist Pete Froslie exploring climate change, moral and political philosophy through electro-mechanics and game engine-based digital projection, through Dec. 31.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. WED-TUE

BRICKS IN THE WALL | January 24

@ponyboyokc #StayGoldOKC

Yoga with Art workout in an art-filled environment followed by a mimosa, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays.

21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT

Jim Keffer and Jean Richardson an exhibition of paintings by both artists, through Dec. 31. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. SUN-TUE

HUSBANDS | January 18

WWW.PONYBOYOKC.COM

Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

Harold Stevenson: The Great Society a collection of 98 large-scale portraits of residents of Idabel, Oklahoma, through Dec. 29. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. TUE-SUN

LAREDO | January 11

12.19 WIGHT LIGHTERS 12.26 CODY BARNETT and The Anits 12.30 MALLORY EAGLE 1.16 ADAM ANGUILAR with Louis James & Mad Honey 1.18 JASON HAWK HARRIS 1.23 JOHNNY MANCHILD & the Poor Bastards & Wildermiss 1.26 BLUE WATER HIGHWAY 2.13 BROTHER MOSES 2.17 MOTHERFOLK 2.18 STAR PARKS 2.29 SAINTSENECA 3.2 JACK BROADBENT 3.11 DEAD HORSES 3.27 TYSON MOTSENBOCKER

3467, twistedspike.com. MON

New Ink Attention, bookworms! Meet several Oklahoma authors and discuss their newest books, which include children’s picture books, young adult fantasy, literary fiction, self-help and biography.

Emma Love (The Chronicles: Dark Horizons), Roxie Kirk (Red Dirt Hymnbook), Tim Yeahquo, Jr. (Magpie and the Turtle), Kellie Sanchez (Skipper), Kelsey Warren-Bryant (Victoria Benson: The Lamia), Page Tudyk (The Day I Met a Little No-Fin), Belinda Ball (Thrusting Against Negative Forces) and Hunter Cates (Oklahoma’s Atticus: An Innocent Man and the Lawyer Who Fought for Him; pictured above) are all scheduled to appear. Get your read on 3-5 p.m.

Saturday at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway. Admission is free. Call 405-842-2900 or visit fullcirclebooks.com.SATURDAY Photo Mandy Gross, Graine Photography / provided

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 Run the Alley a three-mile social run for athletes of all abilities ending with beers at The Yard, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. OK Runner, 708 N. Broadway Ave., 405-702-9291, myokrunner.com. THU Sound Immersion a therapeutic meditative experience featuring crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, and chimes to create harmonic tones, 4-5 p.m.

Dec. 21. This Land Yoga, 600 NW 23rd St., 405-5296428, thislandyoga.com. SAT Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m.

Wednesdays. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. WED Twisted Coyote Brew Crew a weekly 3-mile group run for all ability levels with a beer tasting to follow; bring your own safety lights, 6 p.m. Mondays.

Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-301-

Seeds of Being an exhibition examining the evolution of art created by Indigenous groups in North America, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. WED-MON Seeing Now an exhibit of multimedia art works

by Hank Willis Thomas, Ken Gonzales-Day, Travis Somerville, Paul Rucker, Graciela Sacco, Terence Hammonds and Michael Waugh, through Dec. 31.

21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU-TUE Small Works IX view smaller-format works by artists Carol Beesley, Julie Marks Blackstone, George Bogart, Douglas Shaw Elder, Skip Hill, Don Holladay and more, through Dec. 21. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

TUE-SAT

Tiger Family art demonstration relatives of Native American artist Jerome Tiger — including watercolor artist Dana Tiger and her children, painter Hvresse Christie Tiger and sculptor Lisan Tiger, — will demonstrate their creative methods, Dec. 20-22.

Northpark Mall, 12100 N. May Ave. FRI-SUN Until We Organize: The Struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment an exhibition of photographs chronicling Oklahoma’s battle over the ERA, through Nov. 30, 2020. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-TUE

Submissions must be received

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

Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OKG live music

see page 29

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

EVENT

MUSIC

Dirty Santa

Red Dirt Rangers’ Kids Christmas Show returns for its 25th year (at least). By Jeremy Martin

Red Dirt Rangers’ Kids Christmas Show has been an annual holiday tradition for, well, a while.

“I’m not exactly sure when the first one was,” said Rangers vocalist and mandolin player John Cooper, “but it’s been well over 25 years. Let’s put it that way. … We don’t know for sure, but we’ve got kids’ kids’ kids at this point.”

The show is 2-3 p.m. Sunday at The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley Ave. The Rangers will play songs from the album Blue Shoe: Music for Kids of All Ages, released sometime around the first Christmas show, which according to The Oklahoman, took place in 1993, i.e., the year The Blue Door opened.

“With our kids record, we tried not to write down to the kids,” Cooper said.

“There’s no Red Ball, Blue Ball, Green Ball type stuff. There’s songs like ‘Nobody Else Like Me.’ … We have a song called ‘Black Dogs and White Dogs’ about how dogs can get along and people can get along. We try to put a little lesson in a lot of the songs instead of just mindless kids stuff. We’ve always felt like kids are really smart, and they’re really smarter than adults in a lot of ways because they don’t have all that baggage that comes with the computer age and television and all the other influences that I think jade adults a little more. Kids are just open, and they just want to have a good time.

They want to be entertained.”

While many aspects of modern life are dramatically different from the time of the first shows, Cooper said the target audience still seems familiar.

“Things have changed over the years, but not that much,” Cooper said. “Kids are still kids, no matter what you do to them with the technology. I think that’s not going to change.

I hope not, I really do. … The computer age is great and horrible at the same time. I think we’ve lost a lot as humans by having the computer age. Personal interaction and those kinds of things just kind of went out the window. Now

everybody’s got their phone or their computer and they’re just stuck to that thing instead of actually interacting with people. It’s kind of sad in a way.”

Children, meanwhile, remain an engaged, interactive audience — as long as performers are able to hold their attention.

“Kids are a very interesting audience because they love music, and they’ll jump and dance and sing, but you better be entertaining because they will walk away in a heartbeat,” Cooper said. “They don’t feel like they owe you anything, to sit there and be nice and listen. It’s refreshing because it’s a very honest audience reaction. Sometimes people sit there to be nice and that kind of thing. Kids, man, they don’t care.”

Like children, the band has also basically remained unchanged.

“We’re still performing the same way that we always have, despite the technology,” Cooper said. “My band started

changed, man, everything, but the one constant has been the kids’ show. We do the same show we’ve always done, and the kids love it.”

Whether performing for children or adults, Cooper said, the cardinal rule is the same, and because the band has endured for so long, fans who have grown up listening to the Rangers will occasionally ask to hear old favorites from Blue Shoe.

Everything’s changed, man, everything, but the one constant has been the kids’ show.

John Cooper “An audience is an audience,” Cooper said. “You just have to be entertaining. … You have to be a little more engaging with the kids. That’s the only difference, but it’s funny because, at our ‘adult shows,’ we’ll have adults that will request kids songs sometimes in a bar.

It’s kind of weird, but we do them and they love it. … Adults in a bar drinking are kind of like kids anyway.”

The show will also include some holiday tunes, treats and surprises, but Cooper said the length of the set list will be carefully considered because children “start getting fidgety and antsy after about 35, 40 minutes, tops.”

Friendly insurance

Blue Shoe: Music for Kids of All Ages was released in the 1990s. | Image provided

before there was a computer age. We’ve been together 31, almost 32 years, so we’re a pre-computer band. … Of course music has changed exponentially — the way it’s delivered, the way it’s listened to, the way it’s attended. Everything’s

Proceeds from the show will go to Red Dirt Relief Fund, a nonprofit inspired by the generosity the Rangers experienced after Cooper and bandmates Brad Piccolo and Ben Han were injured in a 2004 helicopter crash.

“When a musician gets hurt or someone in the music industry gets hurt, the only insurance they have is their friends throw benefits for them,” Cooper said. “We were very fortunate that we had benefits thrown for us, not only in Oklahoma but in Texas and California. We got money donated us from all over the world. It was an incredible outpouring for us. We felt very blessed, and talking with other musicians in our genre, we decided that we needed to have some sort of thing besides just putting on benefits. We wanted to create an entity that could help music

The Red Dirt Rangers’ Kids Christmas Show is 2-3 p.m. Sunday at The Blue Door. | Photo Kelly Kerr / provided

people in the state of Oklahoma. … That’s probably the thing that I personally am most proud of that we’ve ever done in the music business, and that includes a lot of great shows and a lot of great tours and going overseas and everything.

That’s the thing I think that will out live us and be our legacy.”

To date, Cooper said, the fund has granted almost $200,000 to music industry professionals in need — including Cooper.

“I broke my hand about six weeks ago, and I don’t have any insurance, and I called [Red Dirt Relief Fund executive director Katie Dale] and said, ‘Hey, remember when we met out at The Farm about 10 years ago to start up the Red Dirt Relief Fund?’ She said, ‘Yes,’ and I said, ‘Well, it’s all been coming to this day. I need the fund.’ … She just laughed.

For me, it came full circle. My intent was not to do it for me, but my turn came around, so it’s pretty cool, or I’m really glad it’s there; let’s put it that way. I couldn’t have paid for all the X-rays and doctors. It gets expensive really quick.”

Costs for just about everything have risen since the ’90s, but tickets are the same price they were when the show began — $5.

“It’s not a money show,” Cooper said.

“It’s about having a great time with the kids on a Sunday afternoon right before Christmas. … I’m not a huge Christmas person per se. It’s a little too over-thetop for me, all the consumerism that it seems to lend itself to. To me it’s sad, really, that it’s become so commercial, but this is something I can really dig.

Christmas is for kids, man.”

Call 405-524-0738 or visit facebook. com/reddirtrangers.

The Red Dirt Rangers’ Kids Christmas Show 2-3 p.m. Sunday The Blue Door 2805 N. McKinley Ave. facebook.com/reddirtrangers | 405-524-0738 $5

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EVENT

MUSIC

Christmas heart

Beau Jennings gets personal with The Christmas Light. By Jeremy Martin

For Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey and Wham, Christmas songs have meant major holiday bonus checks, but Beau Jennings’ The Christmas Light might be too dark to make his pockets jingle with silver and gold.

“I’m not going to say it didn’t cross my mind that, ‘Hey, people buy Christmas records, and this is something you could sell every year,’” the Norman-based singer-songwriter said of his new holiday album, released in

own narrative in it. It was just Christmas songs, and it felt random.”

This October, as “wintery weather” arrived, Jennings decided to try again, but instead of testing new equipment, he decided to use an old four-track cassette recorder.

“That’s what I learned on 15 years ago, and I just kind of fell in love with the sound of it again,” Jennings said.

The Christmas Light begins with “Home Movies,” a simple piano score for an audio recording that sounds as personal and intimate as the song title suggests. The album’s title track follows, describing a memory of playing outside on a snow day in 1985: “I remember my mother watching from the house / I remember feeling warm / I remember seeing the Christmas light / That could shine through any storm.”

This time, Jennings found his narrative.

“On the cover is a photo of my mom and I,” Jennings said. “I’m very young in that photo.

I lost my mom earlier this year, and this wasn’t intentional, necessarily, but I think it was kind of a way to address my first Beau Jennings plays Opolis Holiday Program holiday without her.

8 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday at Opolis. | Photo Alexa Ace When you’re sad or when you’re grievNovember, “but if I was going to really ing, it’s always nice to have something follow through on that idea, I would to do about it instead of just sitting have done all the standards and made around, and I think, for me, it just it more upbeat and really cleaned up the helped to make art about it, so that kind sound. Instead, I made a joke awhile of became the backdrop or the underback my writing prompt for this one is, current beneath everything. And I think ‘What if Cormac McCarthy made a that led to the whole homemade, homeChristmas record?’ And that’s a terrible video nostalgic quality that kind of just idea. Why would you do that? Anyway, started seeping into everything. I think that’s why I have a day job.” that’s where the four-track thing comes Jennings plays Opolis Holiday in, too — just kind of reconnecting to Program 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday at simpler stuff.”

Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in “The Christmas Light” concludes Norman. He originally had the idea with the lines “You never know until to make a Christmas album a few it’s passed you by / You can’t miss it till years ago as a way to test out some it’s gone / You can only summon up the new recording equipment. ghost / You can only sing the song.”

“I was about to release it, and it just The album also includes covers of wasn’t quite what I wanted, so I sat on standards “I Heard the Bells on it,” Jennings said. “I couldn’t find my Christmas Day,” “O Little Town of 28

D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Bethlehem” and “ W hat Child Is This?” as well as new recordings of Jennings’ “Dark and Stormy Christmas” and “Christmas Bus,” which have appeared on Black w atch Studios’ Christmas compilations. The versions on The Christmas Light are more quiet and somber, Jennings said, with a “stark acoustic” sound inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.

“Some of these maybe could have been workshopped a little longer and refined, but I think the spirit is there in the songs, and it’s one of those snapshot things where this is how I felt and this is what I came out of me in this inspired moment,” Jennings said.

“The Christmas Heart” draws a parallel between Mary and Joseph turned away at the inn and refugees turned back at the border. The chorus declares, “I’ve been searching for the Christmas heart / The first beat is the hardest part.” Though Jennings said he’s “not nuts” about Christmas music, the everpresent classics have an almost undeniable power tied to memories of Christmas past.

Whether or not you like it, you really can’t escape it.

Beau Jennings “I have a [Frank] Sinatra Christmas record, and if you put that on, it just instantly brings you to a time and place,” Jennings said. “I think because you just listen to it once a year, it’s very powerful in that way. … Whether or not you like it, you really can’t escape it. It’s going to make you feel one way or another, which is probably why some people hate it, because it’s like, ‘Oh shit.

It’s making me feel fucking sad. I’m trying not to listen to this and now it’s manipulating my emotions to make me feel this way.’ It’s like mind control.”

“The Other Side”

The Thunderbird, released with his band The Tigers in September, features a bigger rock ’n’ roll sound and an expanded worldview, with songs from the perspectives of a death row inmate, a Dairy Queen employee and others, but every song is still in some way personal to Jennings.

“It’s easier to watch something from afar and write about it than to find your own place in it,” Jennings said. “Telling someone else’s story allows you to be less emotionally invested in it, but you won’t tell it well unless you’re invested in it. It’s easier to write about people on death row or burned-out townies or whatever … but you’ve got to find a piece

The Christmas Light was released in November. | Image provided

of yourself in there or some aspect that you can relate to to make it something that someone wants to hear.”

Lyrically, Jennings said, the album explores what it means “to be a thinking, feeling person in the Midwest in 2019 and 2020.”

“I kind of just feel in the middle of everything, if that makes sense,” Jennings said. “I’m in between being a young person and an old person. My kids are just now becoming people, but at the same time, I’ve lost a parent now.

I’m in between generations. I live in the middle of the United States. We’re in the middle of this crazy political climate. It’s a record about just kind of being in the thick of it.”

As he gets older, Jennings said, finding inspiration for interesting lyrics in his inner life has become more difficult, but the work is rewarding.

“Writing about myself was easier when I first started writing songs, just because I was younger and more emotional,” Jennings said. “Your feelings are just much bigger when you’re 20 then they are when you’re 40, so I’m more reluctant to dive into the hyper-personal, but I’ve realized as of late that even though it’s harder to do now, it’s more compelling. … When you’re a kid, these small things are massive because it’s all you know. … As I’ve gotten older I have better tools to write songs. I can get to where I want to get faster. I know how to arrange songs better, and I can tell quicker if I have a good idea or not, but it’s still a real magic trick to get to where it’s a compelling song. There’s so many well-crafted songs that are super boring.”

Samantha Crain, Maddie Razook, James Nghiem and many more local artists share the bill. Tickets are $7, and donations of new, clean socks and gloves will be collected for Homeless Alliance. Call 405230-0311 or visit opolis.org.

Opolis Holiday Program 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday Opolis 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman opolis.org | 405-230-0311 $7

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Miss Fortune Released earlier this month, “Hearts on Fire” performs a postmortem on a harmful relationship, using compelling emo harmonies and cathartic metalcore breakdowns to catalog the complex and conflicting feelings that remain before the surgical saw guitars make the deep cuts. Band name notwithstanding, Miss Fortune actually seems primed to take full advantage of the opportunity to serve as local support for Tom DeLonge’s Angels & Airwaves on the band’s OKC stop. Duluth, Minnesota, synth-rockers Social Animals share the bill. Get lucky 8 p.m. Saturday at The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $35-$100. Visit criterionokc.com.

SATURDAY Photo Roxy Faith Alexandria

These are events recommended

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

Samantha Crain/Maddie Razook/Labrys, Opolis.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stewart Wolfs, Legacy on Main Street. COVER

SATURDAY, DEC. 21 Frequency Jones/ArkHitect/Olympus Mons, The Deli. ELECTRONIC/FUNK

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18 Bucky Brown, Fuel Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Chloe-Beth, Kendell’s. SINGER/SONGWRITER In Flames/Red, Tower Theatre. METAL

Howard Brady, Full Circle Bookstore. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Jason Young Band, Remington Park. COUNTRY

John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston. SINGER/

Rachel & The DayDrinkers/The Bottom of the Barrel, Blue Note Lounge. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Kinsey Charles, The Paseo Plunge. SINGER/SONGWRITER

SUNDAY, DEC. 22

SONGWRITER

THURSDAY, DEC. 19 Cody Cannon/Grant Gilbert, Tower Theatre. ROCK/

Filaments/Klamz, HiLo Club. ROCK Honkytonk Hangover, Lost Highway. COUNTRY

COUNTRY

Hosty, The Deli. ROCK

Heart of Hip Hop, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café.

MONDAY, DEC. 23

Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ

The Brothers Griiin/Chair Model/Audio Book Club, The Jones Assembly. POP/ROCK

Shelly Phelps & Dylan Nagode, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Café. ACOUSTIC

Jason Hunt and Preston Ware, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK

FRIDAY, DEC. 20

TUESDAY, DEC. 24

The Branches/Louis James, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. POP

Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUN-

HIP-HOP

Bryce and Bethany Merritt, Tower Theatre.

POP

Carter Sampson/Ali Harter, The Deli. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

The Gentlefolks, Bluebonnet Bar. JAZZ Jose Hernandez & The Black Magic Waters, The Blue Door. ROCK The Kingsmen/Spud Adams, Waters Edge WineryOKC. JAZZ Lonemoon/S. Ready/Glen, The Forge. HIP-HOP MetroJazzCollective, Othello’s Italian Restaurant.

JAZZ

Midas 13, Landing Zone. ROCK On a Whim, Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge. JAZZ Read Southall Band, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK/ COUNTRY

Replay, Remington Park. COVER

TRY

The Imaginaries, McFarlin United Methodist Church.

POP/ROCK

Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

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

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

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

29

CHECK OUT ANY OF THESE LOCATIONS: 1327 S. Broadway, Edmond 2810 SW 104th St, OKC 8017 W. Reno, OKC 9606 N May Ave, The Village 2501 SW 15th Street, OKC 7876 S Western Ave, OKC 751 Canadian Trails DR, STE 120, Norman 30

D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

25 WITH OVER

STRAINS

A VAI L ABL E

THE HIGH CULTURE

CANNABIS

Oklahoma voters will decide next year if they want to put recreational cannabis on a ballot. | Photo bigstock.com

Broadening access

Recreational cannabis would be legal if next year, voters approve a ballot initiative filed with Oklahoma Secretary of State last week. By Matt Dinger

An initiative petition for recreational cannabis was quietly filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State last week.

State Question 806, filed on Thursday, would add Article 31 to the state constitution. If the petition garners enough signatures within a 90-day window, it will be put to voters on the next general election ballot unless Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for a special election on the matter.

The proposed ballot title reads, “This measure adds a new article to the Constitution, which would generally legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for persons aged 21+ under state law.

Specifically, it protects the personal use of marijuana for those 21+, while establishing quantity limits, safety standards, and other restrictions. It would not affect employers’ ability to restrict marijuana use by employees. Property owners generally may restrict marijuana on their property. The Oklahoma Marijuana Authority would license and regulate marijuana-related conduct and administer the article pursuant to specified requirements. It provides for local zoning of businesses and permits municipalities, upon popular vote, to limit or prohibit retail licenses. It imposes a 15% excise tax on sales (not applicable to medical marijuana) to fund the Authority, localities where sales occur, schools (for programs to prevent substance abuse and improve student retention and performance) and drug-addiction treatment pro-

grams, while ensuring such funds must add to, and not replace, existing funding.

It provides a judicial process for people to seek modification, reversal, redesignation or expungement of certain prior marijuana-related judgments and sentences. Its provisions are severable and would take effect in 90 days.”

The article would not limit or affect laws that prohibit or otherwise regulate cannabis purchase or consumption for people under 21 years old, operating any form of motorized transportation while under the influence, consumption by passengers in a moving vehicle, possession on school grounds, smoking in public places that are not already allowed by the Legislature or local government or performing solvent-based cannabis extractions without a license.

It also does not affect the rights of employers, nor does it prevent landlords or the government from restricting cannabis possession or consumption on their properties.

The new article would allow those over the age of 21 to possess, purchase, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport, deliver or distribute less than 1 ounce of cannabis or 8 grams of concentrates or 8 grams of infused products.

It also would allow those of age to possess, plant, cultivate, harvest, dry, process or manufacture six mature

plants and six seedlings and possess the cannabis produced from them, provided amounts in excess of an ounce are kept in a private residence under lock and not visible from a public place. Also, no more than 12 plants and 12 seedlings are kept in or on the grounds of a private residence at one time.

The proposed article would state, “a person shall not be denied parental rights, custody of, or visitation with a minor child by the state or local government based solely on conduct that is permitted by this article, unless a person’s behavior is such that it creates an unreasonable danger to the minor child that can be clearly articulated and substantiated.”

Also, “A person currently under parole, probation, or other state supervision or released awaiting trial or other hearing may not be punished or otherwise penalized based solely on conduct that is permitted by this article.”

No one would be denied eligibility for any public assistance programs except where required by federal law.

No license would be required to prove anything beyond age, and businesses would not be able to keep consumer information for longer than 60 days without written permission.

While law enforcement would retain the ability to conduct detentions, searches and arrests for violations of applicable laws, cannabis and its extracts would not be considered contraband or subject to seizure.

However, a person who cultivates cannabis plants “that are visible by normal, unaided vision from a public place” or are not kept in a locked space are subject to a fine not to exceed $250, as is the first offense for possessing up to twice what the law allows. Smoking cannabis in a public place will not constitute the basis for detention, search or arrest, but its use may be fined by up to $25. People under the age of 21 possessing, ingesting, inhaling, transporting and delivering cannabis would be subject to a fine up to $100. These fines may be adjusted for inflation by the Legislature after Jan. 1, 2024.

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana

Authority would be renamed Oklahoma Marijuana Authority but would retain the same classes of licenses but also may create more licenses in the future. After 120 days of the effective date, medical cannabis businesses would be allowed to distribute cannabis to consumers.

State Question 806, filed on Thursday, would add Article 31 to the state constitution.

The Authority would be required, within one year, to develop procedures for issuing, renewing, suspending and revoking licenses as well as the necessary fees and qualifications for licensure, among other things.

Tobacco and alcohol would not be available to purchase on the same premises as cannabis, and the 15 percent excise tax would not be applied to those with a medical cannabis license.

Of that generated revenue, 48 percent would go “to grants to public schools to develop and support programs designed to prevent and reduce substance abuse and improve student retention and performance,” and another 48 percent would go “to provide grants to agencies and not-for-profit organizations, whether government or communitybased to increase access to evidencebased low-barrier drug addiction treatment.” Four percent would go to municipalities or counties were the cannabis was sold.

Notably, the proposed article would retroactively apply to people currently serving a conviction by trial or plea, which means that they can file a petition for resentencing, reversal of conviction and dismissal of their case or modify the judgment and sentence if they have committed an offense that would now be legal by the new article and the article sets up the process and parameters for doing such.

The initiative petition is signed by Vanessa Brandon Avery and Amy Young.

The publication date for the notice of the filing with the Secretary of State is yet to be determined.

State Question 806, which would amend the state constitution to include medical cannabis, has been introduced. | Photo bigstock.com O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9

31

CANNABIS

THE HIGH CULTURE

Pure quality

Simple Cure takes a slow, pure approach to producing its full-spectrum cannabis products.

By Matt Dinger

Sometimes the best strategy is sticking with what you know, and that is exactly how Simple Cure was founded.

Managing partner Lance Kimball had spent the years previous to the passage of State Question 788 founding and operating Flagship Vapor, a nationwide distributor for nicotine e-liquids for vaporizers, so being one of the first cannabis vape cartridge processors in the state was a no-brainer.

“I think it’s something that was going to be a natural progression for us and a way to continue to do nonsmokeables and serve our community in a meaningful way,” Kimball said. “But the reason for the urgency was because of Flagship being regulated out of existence, and so when the teachers went on strike here, we were confident that that was going to lead to a yes vote on [SQ]788. So Michael and John and Jennifer and I thought that we should move into the cannabis space.”

Once the ground was laid for Kimball’s new imaginary company, he and others involved in the business set out for other cannabis markets, traveling first to Colorado and then out to California to tour processing labs, grow facilities and dispensaries before heading north to Oregon. Ending the trip in Washington where they met with extraction equipment and hardware manufacturers, they returned to start building Simple Cure.

“Through it all, we saw a number of different approaches from extraction labs, and I had early on seen the 100percent cannabis strain-specific va32

D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Cannabis oil is extracted using CO2 at Simple Cure’s Oklahoma City lab. | Photo Alexa Ace

pables and really was taken aback by that. It was nothing that we had really even considered as an option before,” Kimball said.

Running that kind of low and slow cannabis CO2 extraction became the backbone of Simple Cure’s process; it took care not to damage terpenes and cannabinoids during the process and then reintegrating them. A dry-erase board in the lab is filled with all the different strains that were used during individual runs.

“We take those decarbed fractions and homogenize those back with the terps that we have taken out prior to decarb with the proper ratios. We’re careful not to over-terp, so usually six to eight and a half percent is the range that we’re reintroducing those terps back in with, so it’s a perfect concentrate from the flower that we took it from.

And we’re also careful to remove those terpenes prior to decarb,” Kimball said.

“At 120 degrees [Fahrenheit], there’s significant terpene degradation that occurs, so we pull those guys off before decarb because we’ve got to get temperatures well beyond that to achieve full decarb, so we pull those terps off first, then activate our cannabinoids so that it’s the complete profile that the flower had to offer in the concentrated medicines that we’re putting out there.”

Those terpenes are stored in their continued on page 35

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D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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THE HIGH CULTURE continued from page 32

CANNABIS

own refrigerator inside the lab.

Each glass jar is labeled accordingly.

“All of our terp fans that come over to the lab, that is the highlight of their visit, I think,” he said.

“We’re going through about five to seven and a half pounds a day in the lab that we’re touching, but we’re not start-to-finish on that, so it’s a multiday process for each batch, especially now with testing as a part of every batch that we do. Now, we bring the biomass in, set it into its sequence. We really keep a good rotation in terms of indica-dominant and sativa-dominant and tried to spread out some of our fan favorites so that it’s not just on the board this week, but we try to space it out for a period of time. Run it in a day, then it’s off to testing, got to make certain that we meet suitable cannabinoid potencies to even make certain that it’s cartworthy oil and then we’ve got some processes where we do lipid mitigation and then the actual carting and podding process is tedious, and then packaging and then batch-labeling everything. Several hands are touching it before it ever leaves the lab and heads off to a dispensary.”

All of our terp fans that come over to the lab, that is the highlight of their visit, I think.

Lance Kimball No thinning or cutting oils are used in the process, so the “full-spectrum” oil that they put into their cartridges and pods are as pure as possible. The use of that fullspectrum oil also adds an extra dimension to the edibles that they produce.

“I’m a believer in the entourage Simple Cure extracts terpenes from the flower it processes before the full cannabis extraction and are later reintegrated. | Photo Alexa Ace

effect. I think the cannabinoids promote the benefit of one another, so you’re getting trace amounts of CBN, CBD, CPG, all of those cannabinoids with each one of our edibles,” Kimball said. “We work to get the 10 mg consistency on there in THC, and that’s what we’re required to report on our packaging and that’s what everybody kind of steers their focus on in their purchasing decision making, but it’s the experience that people have where we hope they place their value.”

Simple Cure also produces topicals and tinctures. Despite the protracted and intensive extraction process, they were ahead of the curve putting those products out to patients.

“I’m pretty certain that we were we were first, and so that was not an easy task because as Oklahoma is saying yes to [SQ]788, Canada was coming online, so acquisition of cannabis hardware was tough, so talking about almost yearlong lead times in some of the primary components to do what we were doing so that early on kind of belief that [SQ]788 was going to pass and getting our research done and building those relationships with those vendors so that we could kind of circumvent some of those instances that were holding other people back turned out to be really helpful for us. …

We’re fortunate in that we’ve been dealing in the electronic delivery system space since 2012, so in terms of hardware, all that kinds of stuff, we’ve got relationships that are strong and kind of expedite a lot of those things,” he said.

“We’re all born-and-raised Okies, and so we take a lot of pride in what we’re doing. The Flagship four, with Michael and Jennifer and John and I, we’ve always kind of relished in the role of being renegades, being pirates, so to speak, or pioneers, and so to do things for the first time in our state, we wear that as a badge of honor and we feel a good amount of pressure to do it right.

Not only to represent our company and ourselves, but to represent our state in a positive way.”

Visit simplecureok.com.

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Self Wellness GIFT GUIDE

BOO PE N K I T

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Medicine Man 5917 S. Sunnylane Road 405-225-1323

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Offering medical marijuana recommendations starting at $70, Dr. Whitekiller also offers complimentary rec’s to all veterans with an appointment. Appointments can be made by calling 405-608-6820. Located at 5829 N. May Ave, Suite 500.

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Products containing THC in this gift guide are for personal use only and may only be purchased using a valid patient license from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.

36

D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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GROWERS

allows the entity togrow, harvest, and package medical cannabis for the purpose of selling medical cannabis to a dispensary, processor, or researcher *Business totals still pending during renewal process.

FLOWER REVIEW

Cannabis effects vary wildly from patient to patient based on a multitude of factors, including THC tolerance, brain chemistry and personal taste. This review is based on the subjective experience of one patient.

Strain name: Purple Haze Grown by: Big Chief Pharms Acquired from: Native Brothers Dispensary Date acquired: Dec. 6 THC/CBD percentages: no testing available

smoked a bowl, I became extremely tired and lethargic when the high was wearing off, which is uncommon for me. So I smoked another bowl several days later and it did not produce the same effect, so I chalk that up to a multitude of external factors, though I was definitely still a little sleepy once it wore off the latter time as well. I’d recommend this strain to get patients through that last item on their list before calling it a night.

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Choose from green apple, cherry, watermelon or blue raspberry to find your favorite flavor or enjoy any of our flower, edibles, plants, vapes, tinctures and more!

Canna South Medical Marijuana Dispensary 1221 SW 59th St. 405-429-7570 cannasouth.net

Physical traits: mid-tone green with plentiful orange stigmas and lightly frosted with trichomes Bouquet: earthy and citrus Review: I had initially planned to snag some of Big Chief Pharms’ Granddaddy Purple run, but by the time I made it to Native Brothers, it was already sold out. I did the next best thing and grabbed some of its Purple Haze, which has no purple in it but is heavy on the Haze terps to the nose. The buds were thoroughly dry, but the smoke was sweet and extremely smooth. The high definitely starts with an uplifting volt but quickly mellows into a deeply relaxing body buzz. The first time I

R INGSIDE ’S GUMM Y GLOV E S

Ringside’s Gummy Gloves are Island Punch flavored and a true delight for your tastebuds.

We have 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg options so that every patient can find the dose they are looking for. What makes these gummies especially unique is our reintroduction of terpenes; because of this reintroduction, our gummies come in Sativa and Indica specific options.

Ringside Medical 14201 N. May Ave., Suite 205 ringsidemedical.com 405-242-5325 Purple Haze | Photo Phillip Danner Products containing THC in this gift guide are for personal use only and may only be purchased using a valid patient license from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.

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PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ‘LOOKIN’ GOOD!’ | 12022

By Emily Carroll Puzzles edited by Will Shortz

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1 Unpleasantly surprise 4 Music-licensing org.

9 Big brother?

14 Some Pac-12 athletes 18 Three or four, say 20 Ashton Kutcher’s role on That ’70s Show 21 “Cross my heart” 22 Ingredient in spanakopita 23 Carefree quality 25 Synopsis 26 Saudi king before Abdullah 27 Popular Asian honeymoon destination 29 Ready for publication 31 Comes into view 32 Was given no other option 35 Online publication 36 Funny Foxx 37 Rant 41 Top musical group of the 1990s, per Billboard 43 51 past 44 Patronize, in a way 45 Slow start?

46 Momentarily 50 Supporting, with “up” 52 “I messed up,” in slang 54 Comaneci of gymnastics 55 One shouting, “Get off my lawn!”

56 PC port 58 Clothing designer Marc 62 S.N.L. alum who co-starred in 2016’s Ghostbusters 64 Classic soft drink 65 Response to a funny meme 66 Stopping point 67 Lead-in to meter 68 Manage 70 Follower of Sam or will.

72 Pince-____ glasses 73 Iranian currency with a 75-Across on its bills 75 See 73-Across 77 Game console introduced in 2006 80 It’s often included with an RSVP card 81 Like most Italian singular nouns finishing in -a: Abbr.

82 Scatters about 83 United way?

84 The most recent Pope Benedict 86 Like some “#@&!” language 88 “Actually, I do” 89 Photo ____ 92 “Buddy Holly” band, 1994 94 Braced (oneself) 96 New York social reformer whose name is on a Manhattan housing project 98 Amenable sort 99 Pet lovers’ org.

103 Phrase on a candy heart 104 Impertinent sorts 106 Birds or wasps 108 Caviar source 110 Good-looking … or a phonetic hint to a feature found five times in this puzzle 114 What may follow fire or stone 115 Pulmonologist’s expertise

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8 Ask 9 Parts of hearts 10 Wonderful receptacle?

11 Tampa Bay NFLer 12 Rock-____ (jukebox brand) 13 Romantic preference 14 Where to see Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” 15 Three or four, say 16 Colorless gases

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VOL. XLI NO. 51 Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers. The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

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19 “Well, that’s quite a coincidence …”

24 Sudden turn 28 Ewe or sow 30 One with superhuman powers 33 Spanish or Portuguese 34 “____ Como Va” (Santana hit) 38 Make alterations to 39 State of disbelief 40 Humdinger 42 Lusaka native 43 “Swell!”

44 NNE or SSW 46 Tattoo artists 47 Fictional land of books and film 48 “Impossible Is Nothing” sloganeer 49 Family nickname 51 University officials 53 ____ canto 55 Part of a short race 57 Draws back 59 Washington’s Kellyanne or George 60 Little: Ger. 61 Smith and Nelson 63 Teacher 64 Emphatic denial 69 Arduous 71 Degree for a research scientist 74 Latin law 76 New York Mets epithet 78 Quaint contraction 79 West Coast brew, for short

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82 France’s Boulogne-____-Mer 85 Disney’s Herbie, for one 87 Under attack 88 Visitors’ announcement 89 “The Song of Hiawatha” tribe 90 Sierra Nevada, e.g.

91 Oar 93 Frozen Wasser 95 Counterpart of dorsal 97 Immature eggs 98 Doofus 99 First part in an instruction manual 100 Hallucinogen sometimes called a “divine messenger” 101 Parts of waves 102 Give the green light 105 No longer in style 107 Reason for a TV-MA rating, perhaps 109 “Say it ain’t so!”

111 Jedi guru 112 Poet who wrote, “Jupiter from on high laughs at lovers’ perjuries” 113 World’s rarest goose 116 A count manager 117 Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding

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SKULLDUGGERY LANE By Ingvard Ashby

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle No.1215, which appeared in the December 11 issue.

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S N A P R E P E I S L A T E N L A U D E T E S S L E V E M P I T S I G E G A N S E R A T T E S T A S I E M T S E R A L O I L R O D O A M Y N S D

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Start dreaming about who you can be in 2020. My long-range audio horoscopes are here: https://RealAstrology.com ARIES (March 21-April 19)

The English word “hubris” means prideful, exaggerated self-assurance. In the HBO TV series Rome, the ancient Roman politician and general Mark Antony says to his boss Julius Caesar, “I’m glad you’re so confident. Some would call it hubris.” Caesar has a snappy comeback: “It’s only hubris if I fail.” I’m tempted to dare you to use you that as one of your mottoes in 2020, Aries. I have a rather expansive vision of your capacity to accomplish great things during the coming months. And I also think that one key to your triumphs and breakthroughs will be your determination to cultivate a well-honed aplomb, even audacity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

For years I’ve lived in a house bordering a wetland, and I’ve come to love that ecosystem more than any other.

While communing with reeds and herons and muddy water, my favorite poet has been Taurus-born Lorine Niedecker, who wrote about marshes with supreme artistry. Until the age of 60, her poetic output was less than abundant because she had to earn a meager living by cleaning hospital floors. Then, due to a fortuitous shift in circumstances, she was able to leave that job and devote more time to what she loved most and did best.

With Niedecker’s breakthrough as our inspiration, I propose that we do all we can, you and I, as we conspire to make 2020 the year you devote more time to the activity that you love most and do best.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

In the English language, the prefix “re” comes at the beginning of many words with potent transformational meaning: reinvent; redeem; rediscover; release; relieve; redesign; resurrect; rearrange; reconstruct; reform; reanimate; reawaken; regain. I hope you’ll put words like those at the top of your priority list in 2020. If you hope to take maximum advantage of the cosmic currents, it’ll be a year of revival, realignment, and restoration.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) I won’t be surprised if you’re enamored and amorous more than usual in 2020. I suspect you will experience delight and enchantment at an elevated rate. The intensity and depth of the feelings that flow through you may break all your previous records. Is that going to be a problem? I suppose it could be if you worry that the profuse flows of tenderness and affection will render you weak and vulnerable. But if you’re willing and eager to interpret your extra sensitivity as a superpower, that’s probably what it will be.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Does the word “spirit” mean anything to you? Or are you numb to it? Has it come to seem virtually meaningless—a foggy abstraction used carelessly by millions of people to express sentimental beliefs and avoid clear thinking? In accordance with astrological omens, I’ll ask you to create a sturdier and more vigorous definition of “spirit” for your practical use in 2020. For instance, you might decide that “spirit” refers to the life force that launches you out of bed each morning and motivates you to keep transforming yourself into the ever-more beautiful soul you want to become.

spot lies will dissipate. Questions you’ve harbored about the nature of home will be answered. With flair and satisfaction, you’ll resolve long-running riddles about home and community.

standards. Secondly, Capricorn, you will have good reasons and a substantial ability to raise your standards higher than they’ve ever been. So you definitely don’t want to confuse high standards with limitations.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

“Friendship is a very taxing and arduous form of leisure activity,” wrote philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler. He was exaggerating a bit for comic effect, but he was basically correct. We all must mobilize a great deal of intelligence and hard work to initiate new friendships and maintain existing friendships. But I have some very good news about how these activities will play out for you in 2020, Scorpio. I expect that your knack for practicing the art of friendship will be at an all-time high.

I also believe that your close alliances will be especially gratifying and useful for you. You’ll be well-rewarded for your skill and care at cultivating rapport.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back,” wrote author Charles de Lint. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, your heart will encounter far more of the latter than the former types of people in 2020. There may be one wrangler who tries to take the heart out of you, but there will be an array of nurturers who will strive to keep the heart in you—as well as boosters and builders who will add even more heart.

In 1933, Sagittarian artist Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a huge mural in one of the famous Rockefeller buildings in New York City. His patrons didn’t realize he was planning to include a controversial portrait of former Soviet Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. When the deed was done, they ordered him to remove it. When he refused, they ushered him out and destroyed the whole mural. As a result, Rivera also lost another commission to create art at the Chicago World’s Fair. In any other year, Sagittarius, I might encourage you to be as idealistic as Rivera. I’d invite you to place artistic integrity over financial considerations. But I’m less inclined to advise that in 2020. I think it may serve you to be unusually pragmatic. At least consider leaving Lenin out of your murals.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Composer Igor Stravinsky was born a Russian citizen, but later in life became a French citizen, and still later took on American citizenship. If you have had any similar predilections, Libra, I’m guessing they won’t be in play during 2020. My prediction is that you will develop a more robust sense of where you belong than ever before.

Any uncertainties you’d had about where your true power

“People mistake their limitations for high standards,” wrote Capricorn author Jean Toomer. In my astrological opinion, it’s crucial that you avoid doing that in 2020.

Why? First, I’m quite sure that you will have considerable power to shed and transcend at least some of your limitations. For best results, you can’t afford to deceive yourself into thinking that those limitations are high

Historians once thought that 14th-century Englishmen were the first humans to track the rhythms of the planet Jupiter using the complicated mathematics known as calculus. But in 2015, researchers discovered that Babylonians had done it 1400 years before the Englishmen. Why was Jupiter’s behavior so important to those ancient people? They were astrologers! They believed the planet’s movements were correlated with practical events on earth, like the weather, river levels, and grain harvests. I think that this correction in the origin story of tracking Jupiter’s rhythms will be a useful metaphor for you in 2020. It’s likely you will come to understand your past in ways that are different from what you’ve believed up until now. Your old tales will change.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

China produces the most apples in the world. The United States is second. That wasn’t always true. When Europeans first reached the shores of the New World, crab apple was the only apple species that grew natively. But the invaders planted other varieties that they brought with them. They also imported the key to all future proliferation: honeybees, champion pollinators, which were previously absent from the land that many indigenous people called Turtle Island. I see 2020 as a time for you to accomplish the equivalent, in your own sphere, of getting the pollination you need. What are the fertilizing influences that will help you accomplish your goals?

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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