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COVER P. 17 It is time to strap on the feedbag

as Oklahoma Gazette explores the stomach-stretching, diet-destroying culture of local food challenges.

By Jacob Threadgill Cover by Ingvard Ashby Photos by Alexa Ace

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NEWS

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4 STATE anti-conversion therapy bill 6 HEALTH opioid “epidemic

8 CITY Oklahoma City Council

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CORRECTION

In the Jan. 30 issue of Oklahoma Gazette (Arts & Culture, Art, “Nature Vision,” Jeremy Martin), Eliot Porter’s photos of Glen Canyon were incorrectly described as photos of the Grand Canyon. We apologize for the error.

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NEWS

S TAT E

Sam Brinton, head of advocacy and government affairs, speaks onstage during The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE LA 2018 on December 3, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. | Photo Jerod Harris / Getty Images / provided

Youth protection

An Oklahoma representative introduced a bill that would ban conversion therapy for minors.

By Miguel Rios

Sara Cunningham is the founder of Free Mom Hugs, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. She went viral last year after volunteering to be a stand-in mom at same-sex weddings where couples’ parents refuse to attend.

But before she became an advocate, Cunningham thought being gay was an ultimate offense to God. “Our youngest son spent his whole life coming out to us, and when he turned 21, he said, ‘Mom, I met someone, and I need you to be OK with it.’ Up until that time, we had both absorbed this idea that being gay and suicide were the ultimate offenses to God. So when I had to face the reality that I have a gay child, and living as a woman of faith in a very conservative state … it was devastating to me,” she said. “Quite frankly, we just prayed the gay away. I had to re-examine everything that I believed. I didn’t know where to look for resources. ... The church did not know how to minister to us; I felt like I had to choose between my faith and my child.”

After doing research, hearing testimonies and attending a Pride parade, Cunningham felt like she had been tricked into believing LGBTQ+ individuals weren’t worthy, so she became 4

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an advocate. Cunningham said she wants to be that resource for parents she so desperately needed when she began her journey.

“I believe that as a Christian society, we have been duped and it’s caused great harm and great devastation,” she said.

“I learned that conversion therapy, reparative therapy, anything type of practice that will try to change a sexual orientation or a sexual identity of another human being is still legal, sought out and paid for in the state of Oklahoma. And I realized that my straight son has more rights than my gay son. That’s the power of fear and ignorance, and I was there, smack-dab in the middle of it.”

Conversion ban

State Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, introduced the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, a bill that would ban conversion therapy for minors and allow licensing boards to revoke a professional’s license.

“I believe when you’re an adult, you have the right to choose what you want to do,” Dunnington said. “I don’t think it’s the purpose of the state to take that away from you as an adult, but it is our

job to protect children to the best extent that we can.”

The bill defines conversion therapy as “any practice or treatment that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

“What we’re talking about is forcing a child to go through a process of being convinced that they’re something they’re not,” Dunnington said.

The bill would not affect anyone without a license. Bills banning conversion therapy across the country read the same way, said Sam Brinton, head of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit for young LGBTQ+ people. They said religious leaders would only face consequences if they are also licensed.

Despite this, Dunnington hopes the bill is able to broaden the conversation and make more people aware of the harmful effects it has.

“My hope is that the conversation will permeate out into the state and more folks will be educated on the issue and less likely to ever subject their child to this,” he said.

If the bill passes, Oklahoma would join 15 other states and Washington D.C. in banning conversion therapy for minors.

Most national health and medical organizations have warned against the use of conversion therapy. An estimated 698,000 LGBTQ+ adults have received conversion therapy, and about half received it as minors, according to a 2018 study by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. The next step for the bill is to see what committee it will go into.

“All the committees are run by Republican chairs and vice-chairs, so we’ll need someone from the other side of the aisle to join us when it comes to defining this as child abuse and protecting children,” Dunnington said.

“Unfortunately, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle get a little squeamish when we start talking about protections for the LGBT community, which is unfortunate. People are people, so you either believe that all people should have equal rights or you don’t. I think all people should have equal rights and equal protections; this is the 21st century.”

longer be gay,” Brinton said. “It clearly didn’t work. In fact, every major medical association, every single one, has come out and said that this is not effective and it could be very harmful to LGBTQ youth.”

Brinton also said their relationship with their parents suffered immensely, something Trevor Project representatives hear often when people call their lifeline.

“The family feels like they’ve failed this child by them somehow being gay.

The child feels that they’re failing the family because no matter how hard they try, they can’t change,” Brinton said.

“Both sides of the relationship are being damaged by a licensed mental health professional who’s just outright tricking a family into this trauma. I haven’t been able to rebuild the relationship with my family; some survivors have.”

Instead of conversion therapy, The Trevor Project advocates for affirmative therapy, which is therapy with the goal of getting to understand a person and helping them accept themselves.

“We also do work with organizations of faith to make sure that they know what the best practices are for suicide prevention and how to affirm and support youth no matter who they are,” Brinton said. “I myself am a person of faith, and although I don’t think everyone needs to be a person of faith … I also want people to know that faith organizations don’t have to be sources of strife and pain. They could be amazing support mechanisms to help these youth build community.”

Cunningham remembers that a turning point in her relationship with her son, after moving away from trying to pray the gay away, was being able to watch him truly express himself without fear of judgment.

“As the months went by, as Parker was being true to himself, being authentic, not having to check himself at the door, or at the church or in his school, he was able to live authentically and be happy,” she said. “Seeing him happy was really a pivotal moment.”

Adverse effects

A variety of things constitute as conversion therapy, but it all boils down to trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. A common form of it is aversive therapy, a form of psychological treatment in which patients are exposed to stimulus while being subjected to pain or discomfort.

Brinton said they underwent this type of therapy as a minor.

“In my case, it was a lot of heat or ice or electroshock trying to train me to no

Sara Cunningham is the founder of Free Mom Hugs, but she credits her advocacy to people who came before her and paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights. | Photo Valerie Rollins / With U In Mind Photography / provided

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Bitter pills

New guidelines are pushing doctors to curtail opioid prescriptions, even for patients who benefit from them. By Joshua Blanco

After moving back to Oklahoma to care for his ailing mother, Dave became an unlikely victim of circumstance when he suffered an injury from which he would never fully recover. Despite a two decade-long track record of responsible opioid use authorized by his former physician, Dave was instructed to gradually reduce his dose if he had any hope of continuing to acquire the medicine that provided him the relief he so desperately needed.

While Dave is now able to supplement his opioids with medical cannabis thanks to last year’s passage of State Question 788, he still does not experience the degree of relief he once had.

“I get a little depressed about it every now and then, but you know, compared to a lot of people, my life’s not that bad,” he said.

Dave is among the more fortunate patients who have fallen under guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The non-mandatory guidelines, originally authored as a means to assist physicians in prescribing opioids in a manner that balances safety with efficacy, have been reinterpreted by pharmacies, insurance companies and law enforcement alike as commandments, making it increasingly more difficult for patients to acquire their medications.

These regulatory efforts are part of the attempt to solve the national opioid crisis. Government officials and reporters alike often latch on to the CDC report ranking Oklahoma sixth in the nation regarding the number of opioids dispensed per capita. There is also the latest data published by the National

Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reporting 444 opioid-related deaths in Oklahoma in 2016. Of those, 322 — equivalent to 11.6 deaths per 100,000 persons — were attributed to prescription opioids according to the CDC. In addition, the CDC revealed a 14.3 percent increase in heroin overdoses in 2016 and 2017.

With statistics like these, it is no wonder government officials are sounding the alarm. However, a closer look at the data paints an entirely different picture. Although Oklahoma is responsible for dispensing more opioids than 43 states, it came in just behind Maine as the state with the second-greatest reduction in prescription opioid-related deaths from 2016 to 2017.

According to a study published by the QVIA Institute for Human Data Science Study, death rates attributed to prescription opioids did not correlate with a decrease in opioid prescriptions, a measure mandated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in an attempt to counteract the epidemic.

What the trends are showing, however, is a decline in prescription opioids dispensed being met with a rapid increase in illicit overdoses. On a national level, the CDC states that over 50 percent of opioid-related deaths are attributed to illicit opioids, the majority involving fentanyl. In Oklahoma, prescription opioids are attributed to significantly more deaths than their illicit counterparts, though the trends are beginning to reverse. Fortunately, they have yet to mirror those on record at the national level.

A fatality can be considered opioid-

Clinicians are expressing concern that new guidelines for opioid prescriptions are pushing some former patients toward illegal drugs. | Photo bigstock.com

related even if the opioid was not the cause of death, so long as it was present in the individual’s system at the time of death. Intentional overdoses can also be included. A survey from Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ) indicates most prescription opioid users did not obtain the medications legally, suggesting many individuals whose deaths are categorized as prescription opioidrelated are unlikely to be in possession of a valid prescription. However, legally compliant patients are the ones who are left to suffer the consequences of regulatory actions.

Street drugs

Lawrence Pasternack, philosophy professor at Oklahoma State University, told the story of a friend who injured his back in an accidental motor vehicle collision.

Despite the successful completion of a physical therapy regimen, the pain persisted. After his doctor refused to prescribe any more opioids, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“He started to buy illegal opioids,” Pasternack said. “And then one day, the person he was buying illegal opioids from said, ‘Try this. Snort some heroin.’

My friend became a junkie. For five years of his life, he was a heroin addict.”

It is a story that is becoming all too familiar; patients with doctors unwilling to continue prescribing effective doses often find themselves turning to the black market to acquire substances similar to the ones they once used.

“That’s when the mortality numbers really pick up,” Pasternack said.

S. Blake Kelly, a family physician who has been practicing pain management for 15 years in Oklahoma City, estimates he sees roughly one patient each week that gives him cause for concern.

“I feel pressured that if I don’t get this patient some relief, I’m concerned that they could go down that road,” he said.

Rafael Justiz, a board-certified anesthesiologist with certification in interventional pain management, is a member of Oklahoma Pain Society’s

(OPS) board of directors. While he does not have to deal with suicidal patients on a daily basis, he says it is not uncommon for him to see patients who admit they have considered taking their own lives.

Physicians attempting to avoid the hassle and potential scrutiny that comes with writing opioid scripts are actively cutting back, often referring patients to pain management specialists. The clinics willing to handle these cases are then left with an influx of patients, many of them still unable to obtain the care they need.

Recent passage of Senate Bill 1446 officially capped a patient’s dosage at a maximum of 100 milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs), with the exception of certain outlined circumstances.

“I don’t think you can put a number on what we can prescribe because we’re not numbers. Every individual is different,” Kelly said. “If it looks like I need to titrate their medication above 100, I am very uncomfortable doing that in today’s environment because I’m concerned that I will be viewed as a bad doctor, a reckless doctor.”

Like Kelly, many physicians actively avoid attaching themselves to the stigma that often accompanies writing prescriptions in higher doses, which can attract unnecessary attention from DEA. “Change is sometimes difficult, and this was certainly a seismic change,” Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter said. “We intend to look at finetuning. We intend to look at clarification with regard to the legislation that was passed last year.”

There are effective alternatives to opioid medication, but insurance companies are not making the lives of these patients or their physicians any easier.

“It’s like pulling teeth out of these insurance companies to get things done,” Justiz said.

When patients’ therapies are approved, they’re often left with a deductible they’re unable to afford.

“Ultimately how that patient is treated is going to be determined by that insurance company. The more expensive the therapy is, the more difficult they’re going to make it,” Kelly said.

“They will cover whatever is the cheapest pain medicine and most addictive.”

While law enforcement officials and government legislators are busy cracking down on prescription opioids, leaving responsible patients and their doctors holding the short end of the stick, the real opioid crisis — an epidemic resulting from illicit use and subsequent overdose — is worsening.

“The pendulum has swung way too far in the opposite direction,” Pasternack said. “We need to find our way back to some appropriate middle ground.”

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Suite perks

A member of the city council says using its Oklahoma City Thunder suite at Chesapeake Energy Arena for free is against the law. By Miguel Rios

Oklahoma City adopted a complimentary ticket policy in 2002 that allows the mayor and members of Oklahoma City Council two free tickets per event at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Civic Center Music Hall and other venues. The ticket policy states the official must use one ticket and a guest could use the other; tickets cannot be sold or given away.

It is quite a perk in this “big-league city.”

In 2006, former municipal counselor William Burkett wrote a letter reminding the city council that the purpose for attending the events is “the protection of the health, safety and/or welfare of both residents and nonresidents of the city who may attend events held in these facilities.”

Additionally, Burkett wrote that council members and the mayor received two tickets because “it would be entirely unreasonable to expect the city officer to dedicate his or her personal leisure time to public-function oversight duties without at least one person to accompany him or her.”

Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid brought up concerns he had with the policy during the Jan. 29 city council meeting.

“In our arrangement with the Thunder, we have a suite which is a public resource. It’s for the use of the city council. The city council makes a policy, we can do whatever we want with that suite, we own it. … We could let some corporation use it and collect the revenue and put that into the general fund,” he said. “What’s unique about these tickets ... when you start getting into playoffs and NBA finals, you’re talking about $1,000 a ticket and everybody has a guest. The council’s going through potentially $15,000 of tickets in an evening.”

The suite is part of the lease agreement between the city and the Thunder, which states that the city is “entitled to the use of one arena suite for all events, free of any license fee.” The council’s policy is that the suite is reserved exclusively for city council members, the mayor and their guests. If none attend a game, the suite can go unused.

Though a value was never assigned to the city’s suite, prices for renting suites at Chesapeake Energy Arena range from $5,500 to $15,000, depending on the day of the game and the away team, according to Suite Experience Group.

Since October 2016, city council members and mayors have received almost 1,000 complimentary tickets for Thunder games, according to the council’s ticket request log obtained by Oklahoma Gazette through an open records request.

Ward 3 councilman Larry McAtee received the highest number of Thunder 8

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tickets (204), followed by former Ward 7 councilman John Pettis Jr. (158), Ward 2 councilwoman Meg Salyer (144), Ward 1 councilman James Greiner (138), Ward 8 councilman Mark Stonecipher (114) and former Ward 2 councilman Pete White (78).

Ward 4 councilman Todd Stone requested 24 tickets. Former interim Ward 7 councilman Lee Cooper Jr., who was only in office for two months, requested 20 tickets. Ward 5 councilman David Greenwell requested 2 tickets, though they were returned. Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice requested none, and Shadid bought his own tickets.

Going to games is like work.

Generally, a Thunder game is a nonstop meet-and-greet.

David Holt Former mayor Mick Cornett requested 72 tickets. Despite having his own tickets, mayor David Holt said he receives complimentary tickets for all Thunder games but has only used them for seven games.

Based on the range of the cost for a Chesapeake Energy Arena suite, McAtee alone received tickets totaling between $56,100 and $153,000 in value during the period. In addition, if city council received 1,000 tickets during that time, the total valuation comes in between $275,000 and $750,000. Members of city council earn annual salaries of $12,000, with the mayor receiving $24,000.

Ethical concerns

Since the main reason for the suite and tickets is to oversee the operations, Shadid said it is odd that employees directly involved in maintenance or security do not get to use the suite.

“For some reason, when it comes to public safety at the Chesapeake [Energy] Arena, it’s only the council and mayor that’s allowed to use that suite, not the city manager or anyone from the police department who do public safety for a living,” he said. “Police could use that suite to look down and help them with public safety, but we’re saying, ‘No, nobody can use it except for the council and mayor because we and us alone are going to use that suite for the public purpose of ensuring the public safety.’

For me, that’s farcical.”

Shadid said the council and mayor are going to Thunder games to enjoy them and socialize, not to oversee the facility.

He cited Burkett’s 2006 memo, which

Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid is pushing for the implementation of an independent ethics commission for the city council and the mayor. | Photo Oklahoma City Council / provided

states that if the result of getting tickets or attending a Thunder game is “chiefly that of private benefit, an incidental or even ostensible public purpose will not save its constitutionality.”

“In other words, even if you were to notice some things about the ongoings of the [Chesapeake Energy Arena] and report that ... if the principal reason that you’re there is to watch the Thunder game for private benefit, that’s in violation of the law,” Shadid said.

McAtee disagreed, saying that attending a Thunder games does serve a useful public purpose. He told Oklahoma Gazette that he uses the tickets within the constraints of the policy and finds it beneficial.

“I’ve been told that it is perfectly legal.

I do notify people when I see things that need attention,” McAtee said. “We get two tickets, and the policy is that I must be present for anybody to use the other ticket. So therefore, every game that I go to and take somebody, I am there. I do not give them away to people.”

Holt said going to Thunder games is often part of his job, like hosting the British ambassador at a game this week.

“For me, it’s because I’ve got some sort of post-game or other professional, mayoral responsibility to do,” he said in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette.

“Going to games is like work. Generally, a Thunder game is a nonstop meet-andgreet. … I can’t speak for everybody else; everybody else has their own duties and ways they handle themselves.”

He said his position comes with more “ceremony” that requires him to be present at various events.

“I feel comfortable that the times that I have to go to the arena, that I’m fulfilling a public purpose, and beyond that, I leave it to others to decide,” he said.

Shadid brought up ethical concerns in pushing for the implementation of a thirdparty, independent ethics commission for the council and mayor.

“Let’s say that someone like myself feels that there’s a violation,” Shadid said.

“Who do you take that to? Who do you ask to look at this standard and do some investigation? I’ve gone to the municipal Ward 3 councilman Larry McAtee said the current ethics hotline is sufficient for policing the city’s ethical questions. | Photo Oklahoma City Council / provided

Oklahoma City mayor David Holt said he is open to establishing an ethics commission for the city. | Photo Oklahoma City Council / provided

counselor, I’ve gone to the police chief, I’ve gone to the city auditor — basically there’s nobody that you go to. It’s just the council policing itself. … The only way that somebody could challenge this is to bring this lawsuit.”

There should be an ethics commission that people can just turn ethical concerns over to, Shadid said. He also said most surrounding cities, including Tulsa, have that in place.

“That’s an unacceptable situation, and I would just ask that, with great urgency, we move the conversation forward on an ethics commission,” Shadid said. “Let’s work to find alternatives to endless litigation.”

McAtee said there is no need for the ethics commission, as there is already something in place for ethical concerns.

“We have an ethics number in the auditor’s office that, if anybody suspects any impropriety, they can call there and request an investigation,” he said. “I think that is perfectly sufficient.”

Holt said he is open to the idea.

“If that’s something a council member wants to push, I’m definitely open-minded. I personally can’t take the lead on every single thing because I don’t have enough time, but I don’t have a principled objection to it,” he said. “I have no idea why it hasn’t happened to this point. …

Something of that magnitude would take many months to put together — and maybe that’s why it hasn’t happened yet — but it could be helpful.”

CO M M E N TA RY

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

Care giving

Oklahoma could expand Medicaid, but interest groups are fighting to make health care a privilege.

By George Lang

President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided for expansion of Medicaid on a state-by-state basis, and since 2014, 37 states and the District of Columbia have approved expanding Medicaid coverage to persons making below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Newly elected Gov. Kevin Stitt, who wants to run Oklahoma like a business, albeit one that offers only junk insurance to its employees, is on record as opposing Medicaid expansion.

According to Oklahoma Policy Institute, approximately 150,000 Oklahomans fall into a coverage gap — too poor to qualify for subsidies in the health care marketplace but too wealthy to qualify for Medicaid as it is currently offered in the state. Medicaid expansion should not be controversial, yet its opponents are mounting a battle to preserve Oklahoma’s status as a place most likely to fall through the cracks.

Stitt and his enablers on The Oklahoman’s editorial board’s opposition to Medicaid expansion should be the first sign that we need this. Their kneejerk opposition to any program associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or that smacks of their favorite bogeyman, socialism, is an indicator that powerful interests are fighting viciously against the people who need help the most.

The Jan. 6 editorial by John Tidwell in The Oklahoman is Exhibit A in how the message is being manipulated on Medicaid expansion. Tidwell’s expressed opposition is predicated upon, of all things, need. He outlines several instances in which states have expanded Medicaid under the ACA and seen their budgets overshot by large numbers of sign-ups.

“In Colorado and Kentucky, expansion supporters claimed that fewer than 200,000 would sign up,” Tidwell wrote.

“Instead, both states had more than 400,000 enrollees. In Nevada, which enacted its Medicaid expansion in 2014, the state government is reporting a Medicaid deficit of $56 million for fiscal 2019. In New Mexico, enrollment was projected at 149,000 — instead, more than 250,000 signed up. What makes anyone believe Oklahoma will be the one state to guess right?”

First of all, the nerve of all those people applying for a program that, in an era of crushing medical expenses, could pull them out of chronic poverty.

Because a state’s budget office did not accurately project public need for a program, then said program should be scrapped or not pursued by other states?

Those states did a terrible job of forecasting sign-ups, but underlying that projection failure is the further proof that medical debt is creating a permanent underclass in America whose size is repeatedly underestimated. Medicaid expansion can do much to provide relief for these people.

Tidwell did not mention Ohio, which expanded Medicaid five years ago under Republican Gov. John Kasich. In the past half-decade, Ohio’s Medicaid expansion resulted in the rate of uninsured living at or below 138 percent of the poverty level falling from a high of 36.1 percent in 2008 to just 12.8 percent 10 years later.

Yes, but what about taxes, right?

Tidwell goes on to complain that Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New Hampshire and the success story that is Ohio all reported raised taxes to fund Medicaid expansion. I hate to use non-words like “duh” in crafting arguments, but it seems appropriate in this case.

Government is funded through the assessment of taxes, and Medicaid expansion can only take place in Oklahoma

through either new taxes or cuts to other programs. Responsible people are willing to pay taxes for needed programs. The rest are libertarians who want to, like Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist, shrink government “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub,” but when you ask them about driving on taxfunded roads, they shrug like Atlas.

The Oklahoman regularly gives Tidwell space so that his powerful bosses can push their agenda in Oklahoma. Tidwell is state director for Americans for Prosperity, which sounds nice because there is not a group called Americans Against Prosperity. This is the primary political advocacy group for David and Charles Koch, known colloquially as the Koch Brothers. Tidwell is the Koch Brothers’ man in Oklahoma, and Americans for Prosperity notoriously AstroTurfs on health care reform by creating shell groups with similarly unobjectionable names like Patients First and Patients United Now that have nothing whatsoever to do with actual patients.

Americans for Prosperity’s opposition to Medicaid expansion is part of a larger strategy that, at its core, has relatively little to do with providing medical care to low-income citizens.

Tidwell’s national-level boss, Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips, is more concerned with thwarting efforts to combat climate change. After all, Americans for Prosperity is the political action wing for Koch Industries, which is primarily a petrochemical and energy company. In a 2014 interview with The New York Times, Phillips said his group’s opposition to the ACA was a device to crush federal pro-environmental programs.

“We have a broader cautionary tale,”

Phillips told the Times. “The president’s out there touting billions of dollars on climate change. We want Americans to think about what they promised with the last social welfare boondoggle and look at what the actual result is.”

Unfortunately for Phillips’ argument, that “last social welfare boondoggle” was a success.

If someone like Tidwell is speaking out about social programs like Medicaid expansion, they are likely more concerned about something else that they are conveniently not disclosing. The Oklahoman is more than happy to give Tidwell cover. Again, Americans for Prosperity sounds nice. Too bad the group is mainly focused on two American brothers and their considerable prosperity.

Sure, Oklahoma is one of the last 13 states to consider expanding Medicaid, which is not surprising given our state’s tradition of trading in phony populism that persuades those with the greatest need to support policies against their own interest. But health care should not be a privilege, and the poorest among us should not have to get approval from David and Charles Koch before getting a heart scan.

George Lang is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette and began his career at Gazette in 1994. | Photo Gazette / file

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Running dead

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It wasn’t bad enough that Facebook influenced the 2016 election by prioritizing hoax conspiracy news over fact-checking articles; a Facebook group is trying to influence the Edmond mayoral race by advocating the election of elected mayor Charles Lamb, who died in early December.

Lamb passed away at age 72 a week after declaring his re-election campaign and remains on the ballot because it’s too late to make changes, according to Oklahoma County Election Board.

Lamb is on the ballot with Dan O’Neil, a former Edmond mayor, and Richard Prawdzienski, the former head of the state’s libertarian party. The top two vote getters advance to a runoff, assuming there is no majority winner. If Lamb wins, the city council appoints the next mayor.

Edmond business owner Michelle Schaefer, who was tracked down by KFOR, started a Facebook group called VoteForCharles. Schaefer told the television station that she wants the city council to appoint someone who “shares [Lamb’s] vision” and advocated for current city councilman Nick Massey.

Well, well, well, that doesn’t seem fishy at all. It just so happens that Massey could potentially vote for himself to be the next mayor. Massey told KFOR that he didn’t file to run for mayor originally out of respect for Lamb, who served on Edmond’s city council from 1993 to 2011, was named interim mayor following the resignation of Patrice Douglas and won elections in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

O’Neil is trying to get out in front of the concerns of people like Schaefer, telling attendees of a political forum that he would continue Lamb’s vision for “Tomorrow’s Edmond,” according to The Edmond Sun. Winning an election after death is not unprecedented. Dennis Hof — the owner of the Nevada brothel featured in HBO’s Cathouse — won a Nevada State Legislature seat just last year. Hof’s replacement was named by the local county commission, which makes much more sense than Edmond’s situation of using the council to potentially name Lamb’s replacement.

Regardless, it makes more sense to vote for a dead guy than a libertarian.

NBA players’ ghost stories about The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, 1 Park Ave., are the basis of a recently announced movie starring Boston Celtic Kyrie Irving and produced by Imagine Entertainment.

The hotel, opened in 1911, has been the setting for several disturbing stories in the past century.

Some stories, like the mysterious death of manager Frederick W. Scherubel in 1913, can be verified in contemporary newspaper articles, while others, specifically the one about the housekeeper who jumped out of an upper-story room with her baby in her arms, are mostly fodder for spooky listicles on clickbait sites — and The New York Times, which published an article (“Fright Nights in the NBA,” April 19, 2014) about the many visiting basketball players who have reported supernatural encounters or unsettling events while staying at the hotel before Thunder games.

The nation’s newspaper of record recounts the “inexplicable creaks, groans and bathroom shenanigans” witnessed

by NBA players including Jared Jeffries, Derrick Rose and Jordan Hamilton, and writer John Branch inquires, “Is it any wonder that the Thunder had the league’s second-best home record?”

Irving, who made his big-screen debut in the feature-length Pepsi commercial Uncle Drew, had his own unpleasant encounter at the Skirvin in 2016 when he reported being bitten by bedbugs, which is so, so much worse than any part of Poltergeist. Metta World Peace, meanwhile, told the Orange County Register in 2016, “The ghosts were all over me. I just accepted it. They touched me all over the place.

I’m taking one of the ghosts to court for touching me in the wrong places.”

No title has been announced for the upcoming film, but ChickenFried News is really hoping it will be a legal thriller called World Peace v. The Grabby Ghosts.

Triggered

A Tulsa man is giving Glocks to

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the homeless.

Don’t worry; it’s not what you think.

Ray Neal — or as he’s known across social media, BiggestRayRay — isn’t actually giving away guns. By his own admission, giving firearms away to people is “likely a bad idea.” Instead, he created a grassroots movement called Glocks for the Homeless, which aims to keep homeless people warm during winter by giving them gloves and socks. Get it?

Neal’s mantra is “Be biggest.” He wants to live every day as biggest as possible. In that spirit, he came up with a unique way to bring more attention to the homeless population in his community. His strategy is to “trigger people into wanting to help,” and it seems to be working. It is misleading, but that is the point. Neal wants to get people’s attention and then their donations.

By intentionally playing up the portmanteau “Glocks,” he is actively trying to get people to click on his social media links out of disbelief or anger or maybe even excitement. This is Oklahoma, after all, and we wouldn’t totally put it past an Okie to think giving homeless people guns is a great idea. In fact, everybody should probably knock on wood before a bill is introduced at the Capitol.

This isn’t the first time Neal is giving back and helping others. He actually began Glocks for the Homeless last winter through a GoFundMe to get money for supplies.

Though he only raised $280 on his campaign, which is still accepting donations, he got a lot of local attention and people wanted to know how to get involved. That year, Glocks for the Homeless was able to distribute more than 100 Ziploc bags full of supplies.

This year, he has a team of volunteers to help him collect and package the items into “go bags.” Each bag has two pairs of gloves and socks, hand warmers, lip balm and other items people need during the winter. He wants to distribute 500 more go bags to homeless people all around Tulsa.

When the Chicken-Fried News staff first heard about Glocks for the Homeless, we were already rolling our eyes at what sounded like another national embarrassment in a month full of national embarrassments. We were pleasantly surprised that Neal was subverting expectations and using that to do something positive for his community.

Be biggest, Ray Neal. Be biggest.

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M A R I J UA N A

THE HIGH CULTURE

Hemp hops

Stonecloud Brewing Co. debuts its new CBD-rich beer, Hemptation. By Matt Dinger

Oklahoma City is about to gets its first taste of hemp-infused beer thanks to two downtown business neighbors joining minds.

India Pale Ale Hemptation is a collaborative venture between Stonecloud Brewing Co. and Redbud Soil Company, 1113 NW First St. “Joel [Irby] was giving us a tour of his brewery, and literally in the middle of the tour, I’m standing there, staring at him, and I’m like, ‘Joel, we should make a hemp beer. What do you think?’” said Redbud Soil co-owner Chris Brady. “And he was like, ‘That sounds awesome.’ And I was like, ‘So if I bring you a pound of flower, we can do this? And he goes, ‘Yes, sir,’ and that was it. That was literally the whole thing.”

The beer will be brewed like a normal IPA and then infused with the flower.

Hemp is a member of the cannabis sativa family and is used to produce cannabidiol (CBD) without concentrated amounts of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) that would be found in medical marijuana.

“Infusing it will be similar to making cold-brew coffee a little bit,” Irby said.

“Basically, you just soak the pretty-muchfinished beer on the hemp itself. That’s really the easiest and best way to get that that sort of flavor and aroma. You’re not Joel Irby of Stonecloud Brewing Co. is rolling out its first in a series of hemp-infused beers. | Photo Alexa Ace

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worrying about boiling off any of the cool aromas or anything like that.

“We do a lot of beers that have been infused with one thing or another. The most common is hops. Pretty much every beer has hops in it, but then we’re also dumping more hops into finished beer to get more aroma and flavor. But then we also do it to specifically, like, a big barrelaged stout, so we will infuse them with, like, freshly toasted coconut or cacao nibs or malted milk balls for one beer. I mean, we do a lot a lot of fun stuff like that.”

The IPA will be the first of an ongoing hemp-infused beers series available in the brewery’s taproom.

“We wanted to get the hemp in first so we could smell it,” Irby said. “And it’s just, like, super. It’s got this amazing aroma, almost like kind of a mix between, like, hops, wheat and incense. But it’s really cool, really floral. Once we smelled it, we thought it would go really well with the already-pretty-hoppy beer, so I think they’ll kind of, like, accentuate each other. With something like this, you also don’t want the beer to overwhelm the hemp because we really want it to come through and be cool. This is also my first time working with hemp, so we will see how it turns out. I mean, I’m pretty stoked and pretty confident it’ll be awesome. But we’ll do it this time and see how it comes out and maybe tweak things again whenever we make it again.”

The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 removes the Schedule I classification and makes hemp a normal agricultural crop. | Photo bigstockphoto.com

Brewing process

The ale will be made with 2,000 pounds of malted barley crushed and mixed with hot water to create mash.

“It’s kind of like a giant, 900-gallon [tank] of oatmeal, if you want to think about it that way,” Irby said.

Enzymes will then be added, breaking the barley down into a sugary water to make “wort.”

“Wort is the basis of beer, but it’s unfermented, so it doesn’t have any alcohol in it,” Irby said.

It’s boiled briefly, and hops are added and then chilled at 65 degrees in a fermenter.

After three weeks, the batch will be ready to be soak in a pound of hemp of the Magic Bullet strain.

“It’s actually from a good friend that is a hemp breeder, and it is a nice, quality product, but I didn’t do it strain-specific for this project,” Brady said. “Just was looking for the best quality that we could in general.”

After five days, Irby said, the beer will then be carbonated and ready to serve.

The first batch is expected to be one barrel — roughly 30 gallons or 250 pints of beer. Pints of the 6.5 percent alcohol by volume brew will be available in the taproom Friday. It will be priced at $7 a pint.

“It’s a little bit more of a pain to make, which is why we will charge a little bit more for it than our standard IPA, but we’re not trying to gouge anybody,” he said. “I hope it lasts about a week or so.

But you know, I mean, you never know.

Sometimes we have beers that I think are going to sell out in a day and it takes three weeks. Sometimes something sells out in an hour that I think we’re going to have around for a couple weeks, so I hope at least a weekend. A week

Stonecloud Brewing Co. collaborated with Redbud Soil Company to create Hemptation. | Photo Alexa Ace

would be awesome, just so more people have the chance to try it. It’ll be gone pretty fast, and then we’ll tinker again and make another round.

“We have kind of our core beers that are the same every single time. But then we have a lot of taproom releases where we’re doing, like, all sorts of wild and crazy stuff. And if you’re only making a small amount and it sucks, you can dump it down the drain. But if it’s cool, you can serve it for a couple weeks in the taproom.

And, you know, maybe at some point that will become a year-round core beer. So that’s kind of how we test that stuff.”

“From a business standpoint and just what’s going on in general in the United States and what’s going on in Oklahoma, you know, it made a lot of sense for both of us to collaborate, do something like that,” Brady said. “It’s a hot topic. It’s on everybody’s, you know, the tip of their tongues right now. Everybody’s talking about it, especially with the passage of legalizing hemp in the United States, so it just made a lot of sense and it clicked when I was standing there, and I’m glad it clicked with him as well.”

Beer Advocate lists only 46 hemp beers in North America, six of which have been retired. RateBeer.com has 50 listed worldwide and another half-dozen of which are no longer available.

The Hemperor, an “HPA” or Hemp Pale Ale from Fat Tire Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, is also available in Oklahoma.

“You do see other breweries across the country that have done, you know, a few things like this, but it’s definitely not widespread, and obviously, it’s never been done in Oklahoma,” Brady said.

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GREEN GLOSSARY

PARAQUAT In 1975, the U.S. federal government used an herbicide manufactured by Chevron to kill off marijuana crops in Mexico. It was later linked to the development of Parkinson’s disease and is now banned in several countries.

After the defoliation took place, marijuana began showing up in U.S. cities with traces of paraquat and was known as “paraquat pot.”

QP four ounces of dried flower, or “quarter pound,” or 113.4 grams if you want to get metric about it. Example: “How much does the dispensary charge for a QP? Do they offer a quantity discount?”

RUDERALIS A cannabis variety that is low in THC but high in CBD. Unlike THCrich varieties like sativa and indica, ruderalis flowers with age and is not dependent on light cycles. Also, it originated in Russia, which means it can thrive just about anywhere.

M A R I J UA N A

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THE HIGH CULTURE

Green Machine

Retired boxer Sean O’Grady opens his dispensary, Ringside Medical, on Saturday. By Matt Dinger

Sean O’Grady hung up his boxing gloves 35 years ago but has lived with the pain of his glory days for decades.

The former lightweight champion of the world began his professional fighting career when he was 15 years old. He ended it nine years later with 86 wins, 70 of them by knockout.

“There are 14 bones in a hand, and I feel like I feel every one of them,” Sean O’Grady said.

The O’Grady family earned its bread with boxing, and Sean O’Grady was fighting every few weeks to keep his family fed.

The injuries came early. First, he broke the little finger on his left hand.

He shied away from using that fist, turning his striking hand to avoid another direct impact, but broke his left thumb. Then he broke his right hand.

“We were so poor, we couldn’t go to the doctor to ascertain that it was actually a break. But actually, I broke a bone.

But I went [to bed] every night with that broken hand, and I’d cry myself to sleep,” Sean O’Grady said. “That was our life and our family. We needed to have a stream of income, so that’s just what it was.”

Over the years, he tried steroids, opiates and a myriad of home remedies, but it wasn’t until his mid-50s that he first tried cannabis at his son’s insistence.

“When I was a boxer, my hands hurt all the time. Well, they still hurt today. They never stopped hurting.

And in this agonizing complaint from me time after time, day after day, Chase started really pounding on me about the efficacy of CBD,” Sean O’Grady said. “I used the CBD stuff, and it was pretty good. It would last me a couple of days, and you know, it made the pain go away. I could run a little bit, not like I used to, but in my walks, I could run a maybe a mile of the walk and it lasted about a day and a half and then it went away. Well, then I tried the THC medicine. That stuff lasted me a week, maybe 10 days,” he said. “I’ve got it on my hands right now. I use it on my feet.”

Sean O’Grady flirted with cannabis Sean O’Grady experimented with medical cannabis for boxing injuries and used his knowledge to open Ringside Medical. | Photo Alexa Ace

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in his youth at parties and concerts, but it never stuck.

“It wasn’t appealing to me,” he said.

“First of all, I don’t smoke. I don’t like the taste. Smoking gets my throat all choked up and congested. Smoking is really not my thing, but most recently, my son has gotten me into some tinctures and some edibles that are quite nice and some pills. ... The best thing though is the rubs. The rub I put on my feet this morning, and I’ve constantly been rubbing my hands with this THC stuff all day today. So it just helps so much in alleviating the pain of my feet and the pain of my hands.”

New challenge

On Saturday — one day shy of his 60th birthday — Sean O’Grady op en s R i n g sid e Medical, 14201 N. May Ave. “With this new business that is available here in Oklahoma, it just meant so many

different opportunities for people to learn about cannabis and the benefits of cannabis,” Sean O’Grady said.

“Whenever I talk to somebody about this subject, I always make sure to tell them, ‘Look, just do your best to try to understand more about the cannabis.

We’ve all been brainwashed that it’s not good for you.’ I’ve found it is very good. It’s great for you.”

The storefront will include all manner of cannabis and hemp products, and Sean O’Grady said he has tried most of them except for the flower.

Besides acetaminophen in the morning and at night, cannabis products are the only ones he uses for the pain these days. He quit taking opiates for pain in his 30s.

“I would take them during the prescription time, then I wouldn’t continue after that, but I can see where people become addicted,” he said.

He thinks cannabis would revolutionize the lives of war veterans and their families. It might have changed the course of his own family.

“My father, Pat, was a veteran of World War II,” Sean O’Grady said. “He saw some of the fiercest battles of World War II.” Pat O’Grady — who went on to become a legendary boxing t ra i ner — foug ht at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Peleliu and Okinawa.

“My father suffered from PTSD. Me and my two sisters had to deal with that growing up here in Ok la homa City. ... They diagnosed it as shell shock, and they prescribed him barbiturates — Tuinals and S econa ls — as many as he wants, as often as he wants.

Well, he finally succumbed to the Tuinals when he died at 60 years old,” Sean O’Grady said. “My father, the only way he got relief from his anxiety and his PTSD was from barbiturates. And I really wish he were on something other than that.

My father would have been so much better off. He’d still be alive. It was always his conjecture that it should not be illegal and it would help a lot of people. Whenever my father said that, my first thoughts were, ‘Dad, it would help you.’”

Ringside will be offering veteran discounts, but the percentage has not yet been decided.

“I have a special place in my heart for anybody who served this country,” Sean O’Grady said.

Family business

His son Chase will help run the family business, a 3,000 square-foot storefront that will boast a 110-inch television screen that will play both boxing and cannabis content. A 30-minute documentary about Sean O’Grady’s life is also in the works.

“Sean was very pro-advocacy for cannabis and the medical uses for it, so I think we just kind of fell right into it and realized that this is a path that we should try to take,” Chase O’Grady said. “And then we knew that we wanted to focus more on the athletic and more of the kind of muscle recovery, muscle relief avenue. CBD was very active here in Oklahoma. And he kind of took my suggestion actually pretty open-heartedly because he used a lot of natural remedies when he was boxing, tinctures and topicals that his family made in order to help him to do some pain relief, so it was a very easy adaption for him.

“He knew that going along with THC would help. And he visited a few states that it was rec-approved and went and tried it there and realized that it was really helping him, and he would go on a whole trip and just rub that topical on one time, and it lasted the whole trip.”

Even though his father doesn’t smoke cannabis, Chase O’Grady hopes to develop a strain in his father’s honor.

His father’s fighting moniker was The Green Machine.

“There’s a strain that’s called Blue Machine,” Chase O’Grady said. “I would love to cross it with Green Crack. So I think that’s something that I would really like to rally around and get behind. Coming up with a strain that’s an Oklahoma-based strain, I think, could be very positive for the state.”

Before he was The Green Machine, he was also known as The Bubblegum Bomber because he would walk into the ring chewing bubble gum to give a carefree appearance and also calm him down before a fight, so Chase O’Grady said they are exploring a cannabis-infused gum with the same name.

Even three and a half decades after his fighting career, Sean O’Grady still has quite a reputation and cult following in Oklahoma City.

“All the vendors have all been used by us, and we feel confident about bringing them into the store, and there’s no vendors we’re using that have not been lab-tested,” Chase O’Grady said. “We love that people have that amount of confidence in him, in his judgment. We will do everything on our side to meet that.”

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Weight list

Oklahoma Gazette explores seven of the best food challenges in the Oklahoma City metro.

By Jacob Threadgill

Restaurant food challenges have existed for decades. The earliest known challenge was in St. Louis at Crown Candy Kitchen, which has been in operation since 1913. In more than a century, only about 30 people have successfully finished five 24-ounce milkshakes or malts in 30 minutes.

Perhaps the most famous food challenge is down Interstate 40 in Amarillo, Texas, at The Big Texan Steak Ranch, where billboard advertisements have brought in contestants from across the country since 1962. According to the restaurant’s legend, owner Bob Lee wanted to see how many 1-pound steaks his customers could eat. One contestant ate five 1-pound steaks, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, salad and a bread roll in one sitting, and the 72-ounce Steak Challenge was born. More than 50,000 people have attempted the challenge.

According to Randy Santel, a competitive eater with a popular YouTube channel and holder of many food challenge records — including drinking all five Crown Candy Kitchen milkshakes in 2 minutes and 29 seconds — the proliferation of restaurant food challenges began after the debut of the popular Travel Channel show Man v. Food with host Adam Richman in 2008, which aired for 58 episodes and included another 27 under the title Man v. Food Nation until 2012.

“Even to this day, restaurants in the United States are creating food challenges and claiming that Man v. Food was the inspiration,” Santel wrote on his website foodchallenges.com last year, which has a food challenge database. “There were few challenges available before 2008, but now there are over 2,300 food challenges available throughout the United States.”

Richman visited Oklahoma City in 2010 for Man v. Food, where he featured a pair of area institutions — Cattlemen’s Steakhouse and Sid’s Diner in El Reno — before attempting a fried catfish challenge at now-closed Steak and Catfish Barn in Edmond.

When Richman attempted the challenge, the record for catfish stood at 28 pieces, but it was set at 55 pieces by Tecumseh-based amateur food challenger Robert McKinney, who runs the YouTube channel Food Challenge Bros.

McKinney said he got inspired after watching Santel’s attempts and thought, “I could do that.” McKinney has since bested Santel head-to-head in local food challenges at Papa Angelo’s in Bethany and The Cow Calf-Hay in Edmond.

Though Steak and Catfish Barn is no more, Papa Angelo’s Pizzaria’s Empire Challenge and The Cow Calf-Hay’s SixShooter Challenge are among the Oklahoma City’s metro’s most popular food challenges. Oklahoma Gazette is featuring seven restaurant food challenges — some of which are yet to be completed — to test the limits of stomachs.

Super Tortas El Chavo 721 SW 29th St. 405-631-0100

Mega hamburger planchet: One giant hamburger featuring ham and hot dogs and served with fries Time limit: none Cost: $25 Reward: Free meal if completed by one person Everything at Super Tortas El Chavo is made to-order, from corn and flour tortillas to this massive sandwich that has

more than a pound of hamburger, four slices of ham, 10 hot dogs, bacon, pineapple, avocado, grilled onions, jalapeños, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and mustard.

Manager Jose Trejo said that they added the mega hamburger to the menu about a year ago and it gets ordered about four times per week but is usually split between at least three people.

“Someone tried just last week [to eat it by themselves], but he couldn’t do it,” Trejo said with a smile.

Oklahoma Gazette was on hand to document McKinney’s attempt to tackle the mega hamburger last week.

“The first thing you should do is get rid of the bread and veggies,” McKinney said, using a spoon to push everything aside. “Go with the protein first because the carbs [from the bread] will expand and make you think you are fuller than you actually are.”

His hands shook as he tore through the fresh-from-the-grill hamburger.

“It’s not a taste in a hamburger you would usually expect; it’s good,” he said.

In about 10 minutes, he had eaten all of the burger, ham and bacon and took another seven minutes to eat all of the vegetables and pineapple. Then came the hard part: the massive bolillo bread, which he described as “a race against the clock.”

“Some people will dunk the bread [to make it easier to eat], but I think that’s cheating for a challenge,” he said. “If it’s for an eating contest, that’s another thing.”

McKinney finished the challenge in just under 30 minutes but noted that he hadn’t done much training in the last few months. If he was in peak shape, he said he would ideally like to finish the same challenge in about 15 minutes.

McKinney, who is about 6 feet tall tall and in well-built physical shape, only considers himself a hobbyist as a food challenger. But he said the idea of the bigger the eater, the better the challenger is a misnomer. He said excess The Six-Shooter Challenge at The Cow Calf-Hay in Edmond | Photo Alexa Ace

The mega hamburger planchet at Super Tortas El Chavo with fries | Photo Alexa Ace

body fat prevents the stomach from expanding.

“You need as little body fat as possible,” he said. “It’s always the same skinny folks in the top three of big professional competitions. That’s one of the big things people don’t understand. They think the bigger folks will do better.”

The Cow Calf-Hay

3409 Wynn Drive, Edmond thecowcalfhay.com 405-509-2333 Six-Shooter Challenge: Six half-pound patties, 12 pieces of American cheese, a hamburger bun, onion rings, curly fries, a milkshake and a drink Time limit: 45 minutes Cost: $35 Reward: Entry is refunded, name and photo displayed, and a T-shirt (win or lose) The Six-Shooter Challenge has been available since The Cow Calf-Hay location opened in Edmond in 2010, according to City Bites Group chief operations officer Chris Wolford, who said he was the first person to attempt the challenge. Over the years, the challenge has replaced a slice of cake with a milkshake. The milkshake is key, according to McKinney and Wolford, because it allows the contestant to consume something that goes down easy and breaks up the taste of the burger.

“My biggest problem was that I got tired of the burger,” Wolford said of his initial attempt, noting that he had about a third left. “I had 21 ounces of steak left in Amarillo [at The Big Texan], and I just couldn’t take another bite of steak.

I went across the street and got an ice cream sandwich.”

Santel owns the Six-Shooter record continued on page 18

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9

17

EAT & DRINK continued from page 17

COV E R

at 7 minutes and 11 seconds, but McKinney beat him head-tohead on his YouTube channel, where he has completed the challenge twice.

“It’s a good burger,” McKinney said. “The onion rings are the bomb. I’m not a big onion ring fan, so they have to be pretty good for me to think that.”

Wolford said the six-shooter challenge is typically most popular on the weekends and at dinner. He estimated that about 10-12 people have completed the challenge in 45 minutes.

“I think it helps [attract customers] because you get people that have never eaten here, then see the challenge and know someone who think they can do it,” Wolford said. “They bring in a group and it becomes an event, and then they become regular customers.”

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The Miller Grill 326 Elm Ave., Yukon 405-265-2775

13.5-pound Indian taco: Three and a half pounds of fry bread, 3 pounds of beans, 3 pounds of beef, 1 pound of cheese, 1 pound of tomatoes, a half pound of onions, a half-pound of lettuce, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of salsa Time limit: 45 minutes; the two-person challenge is one hour Cost: $74.99 Reward: Meal is free, plus an additional $50 The Miller Grill challenge is unconquered, and it makes some sense, given owner Jason McCormack’s background as a professional eater. He said he was ranked 51st in the world between 2012 and 2013 when he competed in eating The 13.5-pound Indian taco at The Miller Grill is the largest food challenge in the Oklahoma City area, if not the country. | Photo Robert McKinney / provided

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F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

contests for everything from fried okra to pulled pork sandwiches.

He wanted to bring the challenge to Miller Grill, where even regular menu items are like challenges in and of themselves, when he bought it in 2014.

It serves a double-decker cheeseburger with three grilled cheeses for bread and topped with additional fried mozzarella sticks.

“That’s just a regular sandwich,” McCormack said. “Everything we do is absolutely huge.”

McCormack said the 13.5-pound challenge very well might be the biggest restaurant challenge in the country, noting that most restaurant challenges are between 4 and 6 pounds.

Recently, McCormack has added a two-person option for the Indian taco challenge because it remained undefeated after about 50 attempts.

McKinney tapped out of his attempt at the 43-minute mark, with a large section of fry bread remaining.

“What they told me was it would be 10 pounds, and they forgot to tell me that it’s three pounds of bread,” McKinney said. “I drank [water] for 10 pounds, and then once I got to the bread, my tongue was burned and it tasted terrible. That’s definitely the hardest one I’ve ever attempted.”

VII Asian Bistro

2900 N. Classen Blvd., Suite G 405-604-2939 Pho challenge: Two pounds of meat, 2 pounds of rice noodles and 60 ounces of broth Time limit: One hour Cost: $50 Reward: Free meal, plus earnings from pot leftover from previous attempts Co-owner David Nguyen said they added the pho challenge to the menu about two years ago after customers who finished the restaurant’s extra large 88-ounce pho asked for something bigger. They based the challenge on

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“One person was one or two bites away but couldn’t take another one,” Nguyen said.

Starting in 2019, they are taking $10 from every challenge entry fee from every uncompleted challenge and putting it in a pot to be awarded to the first person to finish the challenge.

I attempted the pho challenge for posterity’s sake and to get a sense of how hard it is to accomplish. While most people think of chicken noodle soup as a remedy for sickness, I’d recommend pho. It’s full of many ingredients like cilantro and basil that are high in antioxidants, as are spices like ginger and star anise found in the broth. I figured it the “healthiest” food challenge. I ate plenty of vegetables — McKinney suggested I eat spinach and spaghetti squash — because its fiber would help expand my stomach. I ate a small breakfast and entered the restaurant around 2 p.m.

No amount of training could’ve prepared me for the challenge because the bowl is larger than a punch bowl at a junior high dance. Nguyen told me to eat the noodles first, which I have since learned was a problem because the carbs expand quickly. I should’ve eaten the protein and drank as much broth as possible before transitioning to the noodles. The other issue is the heat. I burned my tongue early in the process, which would’ve impeded me greatly had I actually been going for speed.

Ultimately, I couldn’t eat another bite after about 20 minutes and getting close to a half of the bowl.

Deckle Smokehouse BBQ 324 W. Edmond Road, Edmond decklesmokehousebbq.com 405-657-2992

Oklahoma Gazette writer Jacob Threadgill before attempting the pho challenge at VII Asian Bistro | Photo Alexa Ace

Hot Leg Challenge: Smoked turkey leg marinated in the world’s three hottest peppers: Carolina reaper, Trinidad scorpion and bhut jolokia (ghost pepper). The leg is covered in 151-proof rum and lit on fire to active all of the chili oil. Scoville rating between 1,569,383 to 2.2 million units.

Time limit: 30 minutes Cost: $9.98 Reward: No cost, name and photo on the Wall of Hotness, a T-shirt, a hot leg trophy and a free chicken dinner Much like Miller Grill, even regular menu items at Deckle Smokehouse are challenges. The restaurant offers a 2.5-pound “bigger than my face” chicken sandwich and a Thunder Thanwich with brisket, pulled pork, sausage, bacon, fried pickles, potato pancake and jalapeños. Those are regular menu items.

Deckle also offers a three-person champion specialty that requires 24 hour’s notice. Each person must eat a 3-pound sandwich with meat of their choosing and split 3 pounds of beans, seasoned fries and sweet corn for $59.98.

Since Deckle opened last year, three people have attempted the turkey challenge, with two ending up on the Wall of Hotness. The challenge is complete with a four-page contract that says the contestant is of sound mind and body and not under the influence. Among other things, it asks if the contestant has a will and says that any increase in sexual performance after the challenge is purely coincidental.

Owner Andrew Liu is ambitious after successfully operating a chain of barbecue restaurants in Texas that he sold for its franchise rights. When he moved to Oklahoma, he thought of the

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EAT & DRINK COV E R

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smoked turkey leg challenge.

Fitting with his theme that bigger is better, Deckle has approval from Guinness World Records on his plans to build the world’s largest gumball machine inside the restaurant.

Papa Angelo’s Pizzaria

6744 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany papaangelospizza.com 405-491-6767

A competitor salutes the camera before attempting the 6-pound Empire Challenge at Papa Angelo’s in Bethany. | Photo provided

Empire Challenge: A 20-inch pizza with a double order of the three toppings of choice for a sixpound final product Time limit: 45 minutes Cost: $35 Reward: Pizza is free, T-shirt and you don’t end up on the Wall of Shame Husband and wife Joe and Diana DiGiantomasso have operated Papa Angelo’s since 1997. It closed down for a few years and re-opened in 2007 across the street from Southern Nazarene University. The Empire Challenge has been around since 1999, according to Diana DiGiantomasso, and she said someone attempts the challenge a few times per month.

In its nearly 20-year history, she estimated that only four to five people have completed the challenge.

“Some people come in here and say, 20

F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

‘I can do that; it’s nothing,’” Diana DiGiantomasso said. “By the end, they can’t do it because it’s too much dough.

Some people will bring in a cup of water and dip the crust, and I’m like, ‘That’ll just make it expand.’ One guy had a huge cup and was getting water everywhere.

He didn’t finish.”

McKinney holds the record for the Empire Challenge, completing it in 10 minutes during a head-to-head with Santel in 2017. McKinney broke his own record of 12 minutes and 19 seconds.

“Papa Angelo’s is the best New York pizza in Oklahoma, no doubt,” McKinney said.

Mutts Amazing Hot Dogs & Burgers 1400 NW 23rd St. muttshotdogs.com 405-702-6905

Mutts Amazing Challenge Hot Dog: Three-foot bacon-wrapped hot dog stuffed with cream cheese, topped with pork and beef chili, caramelized onions, poblano peppers, pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, ancho cream, mustard and crushed Doritos. Served with a large side of chili cheese fries, large fried pickles, one cookie and a milkshake.

Time limit: 10 minutes Cost: $30 Reward: Meal is free, $20 Mutts gift card, a T-shirt and bragging rights on wall of fame Omar Molina purchased Mutts last year and got the idea to add the Amazing Hot Dog Challenge to the menu last year during a Veteran’s Day celebration while honoring an employee of the month. He

said the challenge weighs in at six total pounds of food, and he got the 10-minute time limit based on national averages for other food challenges. No one has finished the challenge during the limit.

On a late January afternoon, Robert Ruehl and Joseph Derby are preparing to become the ninth and 10th people to attempt the challenge as friend Michael Ward — a veteran of a 5-pound burger and gallon of pho challenges in Texas — provides support and words of advice.

“You’ve got to keep a nice, even pace,” Ward said. “This is a whole lot of food.

Whatever you think it’s going to be, it’s going to be bigger.”

Ward’s words of caution change when he finds out that there is a milkshake also included in the challenge: “Oh, y’all are screwed.”

Ruehl is confidant before the food arrives.

“The time limit is nothing,” he said.

Derby is much more realistic.

“I want to see if I can eat the whole thing, even without the time limit,” he said.

The 10 minutes goes by faster than

The hot leg challenge at Deckle Smokehouse BBQ is marinated in the world’s three hottest peppers, doused in 151-proof rum and lit on fire to activate all of the chili oil. | Photo Alexa Ace

Ruehl was expecting. He finishes a little over half of the hot dog without touching either the fried pickles or chili fries.

Derby eats nearly three-quarters of the hot dog.

“I’ll gladly admit defeat,” Derby said when asked by Molina if he wanted to continue.

“I’m crazy, but not suicidal,” Ruehl said in response to the same question.

Molina said the challenge has attracted new customers and has been well received, despite having no one complete it in time.

“I might consider leaving just the hot dog in the same time limit,” Molina said.

“But nonetheless, it still a challenge, so it should be difficult.”

Robert Ruehl, Mutts owner Omar Molina and Joseph Dery before attempting the Mutts Amazing Hot Dog Challenge | Photo Alexa Ace

F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Opportunity knocks

A new food truck by the Nic’s operators signals the start of its next generation. By Jacob Threadgill

Nic’s Grill has many super fans, from Guy Fieri to Colin Farrell, who can attest to its status as not just one of the best burgers in Oklahoma City, but also in the country. They pale in comparison to Cameron Benson, who has parlayed his love of Nic’s into becoming part of its next generation.

Justin “Nic” Nicholas always wanted to have a food truck, even before he opened Nic’s Grill, 1201 N. Pennsylvania Ave., over 20 years ago in the restaurant space in front of his house. His dream has come to fruition thanks to a loyal fan who ate his first Nic’s burger around the same time it leaped into stardom after appearing on Fieri’s Diners, DriveIns and Dives in 2009. Farrell — a selfdescribed burger connoisseur — effused Nic’s Grill’s praises on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, naming it the best burger in the country.

Nicholas, along with Nic’s Grill and Nic’s Place, 1116 N. Robinson Ave., coowner Jovon Bunkley, rolled out Nic’s Food Truck with an assortment of puff pastry hand pies, hand-cut waffle chips, lemonade and enormous cinnamon rolls also made with puff pastry at the beginning of December, with Benson, 20, at the helm.

“I wanted to do something different,” Nicholas said. “I’ve done burgers for so long. I grew up with meat pies around the Mennonite culture in the Chickasha area. We put a little different twist by using puff pastry rather than the traditional bierock, which has yeast dough.

It’s like a croissant tied into the meat pie. It is so flaky.”

The truck is selling the traditional bierock with ground beef, onions and carrots in addition to an Italian hand pie with pep-

peroni, salami, mozzarella and pepperoncini and a bacon cheeseburger hand pie. Sides of ranch and marinara are available for dipping.

Nicholas knows he is starting the food truck as he described as “bass ackward”; usually people use a food truck as an incubator for a brick-andmortar restaurant.

Instead, he is building off the success of his first ventures to create a high-end food truck equipped with an awning, rolled-out artificial turf, topiaries, tables and chairs in the coming months.

The truck is a few years old, by way of Nicholas’ friend in Kansas. He purchased the truck and outfitted it with a bright blue wrap—the same color used at Nic’s Grill and Nic’s Place.

“People tell me that they don’t believe Nic’s Place is mine because it’s so nice, so I decided to leave no doubt and put my big face on the truck,” Nicholas joked.

It’s Benson behind the wheel of the large truck on most days. Nicholas said he will get out there occasionally, but it’s an opportunity that has been building since Benson took the bite of his first Nic’s burger as a 10-year-old.

“There’s a picture of me taking my first bite,” Benson said. “Ever since then, I would take my friends. I’d take anyone I could to eat there. It was a big part of my life.”

It didn’t take long for him to make an impression on Nicholas and Bunkley.

“He was this little kid that

would sit over there, and you could tell he was ready for the burger,” Bunkley said. “One time, he filmed the process and went home and talked about it [on YouTube]. We hadn’t seen the video in a long time, and then I realized, ‘Oh my God! That was him.’ We’ve loved him for a long time.”

Nicholas remembers one particularly busy day on a cold afternoon at Nic’s Grill when Benson was 16, eating at the restaurant with friends, and he ran out of soda.

“I knew him from eating with his dad, so I said, ‘Young man, will you do me a favor? Go down to the store and get a bag and a box,’” Nicholas said. “This little snot ran down the block as fast as he could and ran back with it. I gave him a burger. I told him, ‘With that type of attitude, if we ever open up another restaurant, you’re already hired.’”

A few years later, as Nicholas and Bunkley were renovating the space that is now Nic’s Place, Benson would stop by to put in a good word.

“I was so excited to work here that when they were in the process of building, I would show up out of the blue,” Benson said. “I was probably kind of creepy.”

“I thought something was wrong with him,” Nicholas said. “Why is that kid always over here?”

Eventually, Nicholas put two and two together and realized Benson was the one who brought him the sodas, and he became one of the first hires at Nic’s Place. He worked as a

Benson serves an Italian hand pie inside the Nic’s food truck. | Photo Alexa Ace

waiter, where he was named the best waiter on staff, learned the grill and was promoted to manager. Nicholas said he was the obvious choice to run the food truck.

Benson has also joined with Nicholas and Bunkley on a nascent venture, a beef jerky business called Crazee Jerky.

The trio recently went through packaging classes and got approval from the state to begin selling flavors of jerky at retail locations. Nicholas, Benson and Bunkley will each have their own signature flavors.

“I think it’s going to be great for years to come,” Nicholas said of the trio.

To get locations for Nic’s food truck, follow at facebook.com/nicsfoodtruck or text “nics” to 955-77.

from left Nic’s Grill and Nic’s Place co-owners Jovon Bunkley and Justin Nicholas with Cameron Benson | Photo Alexa Ace

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9

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EAT & DRINK

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Immersive catering

With its unique setting, Cosabella Kitchen aims to be Oklahoma City’s first on-site catering and event space. By Jacob Threadgill

In six years working at a host of venues across the metro area with Cosabella Catering, restaurant veteran Erica Hogan never found a venue where she could fully prepare meals on-site.

Tired of always having to prepare meals in other people’s kitchens, Hogan has opened Cosabella Kitchen, 6516 N. Olie Ave., Suite C, which aims to be the first fully functional catering and event space that will also host cooking classes by the summer.

The 60-person capacity event space is a blend of classic and modern aesthetic, with a few nods to her family’s restaurant history. Hogan’s parents, Linda and Reed Bramlett, operated Le Cep Bistro in Edmond, and her brother Curtis Bramlett owned and operated Bolero Tapas Bar and Spanish Grill in Bricktown for years.

The booth that accommodates sitdown dinners at Cosabella Kitchen was in both Le Cep and Bolero.

Some of the equipment from the kitchen and a few chairs in the space were used in each restaurant and are paired with interior design from Culinary Kitchen.

“There’s a lot of sentimental value in here,” Hogan said. “My daughter was two and half [now going on 14] when I started in the restaurant business and would run up and down past these booths. That’s a great memory.”

Hogan’s father ran a successful wine import business, which meant numerous trips to France, where Reed and Linda fell in love with French cooking.

Their son got his culinary degree at

Oklahoma State University before three years of study at the French Culinary Institute in New York.

Hogan managed Le Cep for five years after graduating from University of Central Oklahoma with a science-based degree. She developed a love for cooking and hasn’t looked back.

“Growing up, we’d eat beef bourguignon at least every other week,” Hogan said. “My mother was great cook, but my father loved French cuisine. Watching him was how I got all of my inspiration, and learning in Le Cep watching my brother cook. That’s my style of cooking; it’s really creative.”

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Endive-stuffed chive cheese and beet-smoked salmon | Photo Alexa Ace

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French elements but added her own flair.

She also likes to work with clients to build a menu they’d like to see.

“Catering is where I found my individual creativity,” Hogan said. “It was the food that I started to make versus in the restaurant, when the menu was pretty much the same for 6-10 years.”

In the first six weeks at Cosabella Kitchen, Hogan hosted 13 private parties that have included birthdays, wedding rehearsals, corporate events and even one full wedding. She can serve sit-down dinners for up to 50 and events with buffet service for up to 60 people. The space has a $150 base charge for 20 people with $400 minimum for food and the base charge can go as high as $350 at full capacity. She said it is $18 per head for a party.

Watching [my father] was how I got all of my inspiration, and learning in Le Cep, watching my brother cook.

“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’m excited to get going,” Hogan said.

In the hallway to the bathrooms in the back of the space is a blown-up photo showing hands cutting dough.

Hogan took the photo on her iPhone, and it’s of famous director Francis Ford Coppola, whose Oklahoma connection dates back decades thanks to longtime colleag ue and producer Gray Frederickson, an Oklahoma native.

Coppola stayed in a building that the Hogan family owns during a trip to the state, and he dropped by to show Hogan and her daughter how to make his gnocchi recipe.

“We cooked multiple meals together, and he’s a really nice man,” Hogan said.

Among the other recipes Coppola taught Hogan was one from the family of another famous director: lemon chicken by Martin Scorsese’s mother.

The recipe is a mainstay at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, California. It is a recipe that is simple and could easily be added to a menu at Cosabella Kitchen.

“I make it at home three times a week,” Hogan said. “It’s really just lemon, chicken and oregano. It’s very tart but very good. Anyone can make it.”

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Erica Hogan “A lot of clients want an Italian night or French or steak or vegetarian,” Hogan said. “There are so many categories. I’m comfortable cooking a lot of French country peasant dishes. That’s what I love to do. It’s fun for clients to give me suggestions because I get to be so much more creative.”

In a photoshoot for Oklahoma Gazette, Hogan prepared endive stuffed with chive cheese and topped with beet-smoked salmon. She topped a sourdough crostini with lemon ricotta, oyster and button mushrooms.

As a vegetarian option, she served Hasselback-cut beets with dill cream sauce. Chilean sea bass was placed atop roasted red pepper sauce. She crusted lamb chops with Cajun spiced panko breadcrumbs using Dijon mustard and served mussels with a broth spiced with saffron, tomato, shallots and lemon.

The spread represents an average private dinner at Cosabella Kitchen.

It took an 18-month renovation process to convert the space from a former Pizza Hut call center to an event space that blends art nouveau, art deco and modern elements. What used to house multiple small offices with a low ceiling is now a warm and inviting place that was inspired by intricate wallpaper from 19th-century English designer William Morris. There are leather lounge chairs that match the darkstained hardwood and hexagonal art deco tiles that would fit into a New York hot spot next to a sleek and industrial kitchen accented by a huge copper espresso machine.

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Around the world

What happens when you’re hungry and you can’t exactly figure out what kind of cuisine you want?

Check out these seven restaurants that have heavy influence from different cultures.

By Jacob Threadgill with photos by Alexa Ace, provided and Gazette / file

Kwan’s Kitchen

La Brasa

Chae Cafe & Eatery

The fusion of flavors at Kwan’s Kitchen is not as overt as its awe-inspiring décor, which is complete with waterfall and koi pond. Executive chef Pak Kwan has created a menu that builds off his time training in Belgium before opening Fung’s Kitchen. Curry-baked salmon served with white wine reduction and fried rice served with black truffles are just some of the examples of Chinese dishes with European influence.

Chef and owner James Vu wants to honor some of his favorite food from around the world at La Brasa, which gets its name from one of its signature dishes — Peruvian pollo la brasa — but you’ll also find Korean, Mexican and Spanish influence on the menu.

Daniel Chae turned Chae Modern Korean into a hit by blending American and Korean flavors. At his new cafe, the Korean influence plays a heavy hand, but you’ll also find some of the best poke (Hawaiian by way of Japan) in the city, good old-fashioned American breakfast with Korean touches and something fun like French-style duck confit hash.

3031 W. Memorial Road kwans.kitchen | 405-607-8838

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7300 N. Western Ave. chaeokc.com | 405-840-7725

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Zarate’s Latin Grill 706 S. Broadway, Edmond 405-330-6400

This longtime Edmond favorite has expanded from owner Jorge Zarate’s Peruvian background to include dishes from all over South America and into the Caribbean. Its jerk chicken is one of the most popular dishes, but you can also get a Cuban sandwich and chimichurri salmon. It is also home to some of the best complimentary chips and salsa in the metro area.

Union Wood Fired Grill 2920 NW 63rd St. unionwoodfiredgrill.com 405-608-8866

Though Union Wood Fired Grill is certainly not explicitly a fusion restaurant, executive chef and co-owner Jonas Favela wanted the restaurant to include “union” in its rebrand from MMR Prime Steakhouse because of the union of flavors on the menu. The stuffed shrimp poblano is paired with Asian-style jasmine ginger rice and a Mexican mole. You’ll find American, Italian, Vietnamese and Latin flavors on its new menu.

Chigama

3000 W. Memorial Road, Suite 103 chigamaokc.com | 405-513-5999

This new concept from longtime Western Concepts chef Jeffrey Khowong and the Ha family (Dot Wo Garden) takes Khowong’s training in some of the best restaurants in New York City and gives his creations an accessible environment where fusion tacos like walnut shrimp are served alongside top-notch noodles and entrees in a striking environment.

Fusion Kitchen

1100 S. Air Depot Blvd., Suite 5, Midwest City fusionkitchenmwc.weebly.com 405-610-2002

Midwest City is home to a lot of great restaurants from the around the world, partly to feed the hungry folks at nearby Tinker Air Force Base. Chief among them is Fusion Kitchen, where you can get multiple fresh Indian curries made daily alongside a menu that features macaroni and cheese, gyros and its version of a “PB&J” that features chicken mixed with cilantro, Melba sauce, peanut butter and coconut milk.

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T H E AT E R

ARTS & CULTURE

Darkness visible

Carpenter Square Theatre takes a multifaceted approach to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. By Jeremy Martin

Jeffrey Hatcher’s stage adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tests whether audiences can ever get enough of a bad thing. The play, scheduled to run Feb. 15-March 9 at Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St., is adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published in 1886.

“This is a really unique adaptation of a classic story that everyone thinks they know,” said Carpenter Square Theatre artistic director Rhonda Clark, “and Hatcher does a really good job with giving the flavor of Victorian England but also putting his own spin on it and adding a little bit of humor.”

Stevenson’s novella and Hatcher’s play document the drastic transformation of morally conflicted Henry Jekyll into the wicked and violent Edward Hyde after a botched scientific experiment, but the original work only includes one Hyde, while the stage adaptation, which debuted in 2008, features five.

“It’s just a real wonderful challenge for actors because most of the actors play multiple roles with different dialects, and five of the actors also play Hyde, the dark alter ego,” Clark said. “Sometimes they’re playing Hyde individually, and sometimes all five Hydes are onstage as kind of a Hyde chorus in a way, with different levels of Hyde. Some are the slightly more gentle, romantic side, some are the more vicious side and some are more gentlemanly and some are more street. So that’s kind of fun.”

A 2008 Playbill article quoted Hatcher explaining his unconventional alteration to a story that has been adapted several times for stage and screen and parodied countless times.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde runs Feb. 15March 9 at Carpenter Square Theatre. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

“In my version, the roles are somewhat reversed, as are some aspects of Jekyll and Hyde themselves,” Hatcher stated in the article. “One of the arguments I’ve never quite believed — and I suspect Stevenson didn’t believe it either — is that Henry Jekyll is wholly good while Edward Hyde is wholly evil. I’m trying to have some fun with the notion that Jekyll and Hyde play a cat-and-mouse game with each other and with the question of just who we should be rooting for.”

By having everyone in the sevenperson cast except for Jekyll (played by Rick Lockett) and romantic interest Elizabeth Jelkes (Christine Lanning) take turns playing Hyde, director Clark said the play makes Hyde a more fully developed character, painting a more nuanced portrait of good and evil.

“I think Hatcher’s trying to expand on the idea of the angel and the devil, the high-minded Jekyll and the lowminded Hyde,” Clark said. “You see different levels of Hyde. You see him being very destructive. You see him being romantic. You see him being curious.

You see him being a jokester, albeit a dark jokester, sometimes.”

Crowdsourcing Hyde

The actors playing Hyde — Albert Bostick, Rob May, David Burkhart, Kaylan Ferrell and Ford Filson — all play multiple other characters as well, Clark said, and the fast-paced nature of the production requires them to change characters without elaborate makeup or wardrobe costumes, relying instead on dialects and body language.

“We’ve got people doing a standard British dialect,” Clark said. “We’ve got Scottish. We’ve got kind of a northern British dialect, we’ve got cockney, so it’s just kind of a variety to delineate their characters from each other because there

really aren’t many costume changes.

Maybe a jacket is going to come on or off, maybe add a shawl, maybe an apron. You know, that sort of thing. It’s really streamlined that way. … Two of our actors actually play a character of the opposite sex.

[Ferrell] plays Poole, Dr. Jekyll’s butler, and another actor, [Filson], plays a young girl who’s almost attacked by Hyde in the first scene of the play.”

Of the directions Clark gives the various Hydes, one applies to every actor: Approach each scene with a “specific attack.”

“If you’re going to be romantic, you are romantic,” Clark said. “If you’re going to be vicious, then you’re going to be surprising and harsh with what you do. … It’s really something for the actors to experiment with.”

While the depiction of Hyde becomes more nuanced in Hatcher’s script, the other characters are also complicated by less-than-admirable traits, even without the aid of mad science.

“Even the quote-unquote ‘upstanding citizens,’ some of them have a darker side that can come out, just like Jekyll does, only he has used tinctures and powers and potions — drugs, in other words — to bring out his dark side, and theirs just comes out in the moment, depending on what’s going on around them,” Clark said. “For example, [May] also plays a doctor, but he’s a doctor that has more than just an educational interest in dissecting cadavers for his students, and he’s a pompous SOB besides that. And then [Ferrell] also plays a maid who at one point observed Hyde attacking a man outside her window, but as she tells us about the attack, you realize that she was excited and couldn’t take her eyes away from it. She’s drawn to it and also wants to tell us.”

Casting actors up to the challenge of playing multiple complex roles required Clark to carefully consider several factors during the auditions.

“Whenever you’re casting, you think about the physical aspect of the character — size, height and all that sort of thing,” Clark said. “I really wanted to

Mr. Hyde (David Burkhart) flirts with Elizabeth (Christine Lanning) after following her one day through the park in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

think about the different kinds of Hyde they would be — the young romantic, the older gruff controlling, the more physically strong and vicious. With one actor, I laugh and I call it the ‘Mufasa Hyde.’

He’s like the growling lion. … That’s why I took my time with the casting to make sure I had a good variety of physical types and a range of vocal types — different kinds of voices and approaches.”

In addition to regular evening and weekend performances, the play will be presented for high school students in two 10 a.m. weekday matinees on Feb. 28 and March 8 as part of the theater’s educational outreach program.

“Sometimes they’re students from alternative high schools,” Clark said.

“Sometimes they are from schools that have a high minority population or a majority of students on free or reduced lunches, that sort of thing, and many times, they’re students that have not been to a live stage production, or if they have seen one, it’s only been at their school.”

Teachers from these schools will receive study guides that include suggested supplementary activities as well as historical and geographical information about the play’s setting, biographies of Stevenson and Hatcher and a glossary of the “interesting words used in the play that are not necessarily what we say today,” Clark said. Schools will also have the opportunity to have theater representatives lead classroom drama workshops on improvisation, creative writing and storytelling.

Tickets to regular performances are $5-$25. Visit carpentersquare.com.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Feb. 15-March 9 Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com | 405-232-6500 $5-$25

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from left Jordan Nicholes, Jessa Schinske and Sarah Lomize star in Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Twelfth Night, Thursday-March 2 at Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo St. | Photo April Porterfield / provided

Gender roles

Shakespeare in the Park explores issues of gender in Twelfth Night. By Jeremy Martin

Like many writers, William Shakespeare had favorite tropes he liked to revisit.

“Shakespeare loves twins, and he loves dressing girls up like boys,” said Kathryn McGill, executive and artistic director of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park (OSP). “That’s for sure.”

Twelfth Night, the opening play in OSP’s 35th season, features both. The play runs Thursday-March 2 at Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo St., and McGill, who will direct the production, said she wanted to begin the 2019 season with it because it’s among her favorites and sets the tone for the rest of the year in “a very entertaining and lighthearted way.”

“Twelfth Night’s my jam,” McGill said.

“It was the first Shakespearian play I ever acted in when I was at [University of Oklahoma], and also it was the first show that Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park produced in 1985. This is our 35th anniversary season, and it made sense that we would revisit an old favorite that has always been good to us, and it’s always a fun play to work on. It’s kind of got everything.”

Though Twelfth Night is a comedy, the play’s characters feel fear, grief and other unfunny emotions.

“It’s not entirely a happy ending for everyone, and it’s not a comedy all of the time,” said McGill. “It’s kind of got this lovely mix of tragedy and comedy and a little bit of melancholy thrown in. Our heroine, Viola, washes up on shore after a shipwreck, which isn’t funny, and she’s lost her twin brother. She believes he has drowned, so it does start out with a sad beginning, but of course, being a Shakespeare heroine, she pulls herself up by the proverbial bootstraps and finds her way in this new world. She’s landed on the shores of a world that she’s not familiar with, and because Shakespeare likes to do this with his heroines, she 30

F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

decides that the way to be safe and to find her way is to dress like a boy. She ends up dressing up like her twin brother.”

Jessa Schinske will portray Viola in OSP ’s production, but when Shakespeare wrote the play in the 17th century, a male actor would’ve been cast in the role, requiring a man to dress as a woman dressed as a man. McGill said Shakespeare might have intended to make a social commentary.

“Who knows?” she said. “Maybe he’s saying something about society. Maybe he’s saying that in the climate he lived in, women couldn’t make their way alone in the world, and women were forced to put on men’s attire in order to survive and in order for people to take them seriously.

He’s perhaps saying something about his time period, and maybe he’s saying something about our time period as well. … I think Shakespeare was kind of a feminist in his writing. He always would write these fantastic female characters whether they were dressed like men or not. …

They’re well rounded. They’re not terribly quiet. They were aggressive. So he’s saying something about women and about his respect for women.”

Viola, in disguise as Cesario, begins to work for Count Orsino (Jordan Nicholes), who sends her to court Lady Olivia (Sarah Lomize) on his behalf. Viola develops notquite-unrequited feelings for the count, while Olivia inevitably falls for Cesario.

Viewed with 21st-century eyes, the play’s confused love triangle seems to suggest that gender and sexuality are fluid.

“Orsino, who is a man and a duke, really does fall in love with Cesario, who he thinks is a young boy,” McGill said.

“She’s dressed as a boy, but he does fall for her in some way. He uses the word.

He ‘loves’ Cesario. Now you can take that to mean friendship love or just a very human idea of love, or you can take

it that Orsino has fallen in love with a young boy and doesn’t know quite what to make of that. And then he’s got Olivia falling in love with a young man, but is she falling in love with Viola because she thinks she’s a man, or does she just fall in love with the person Cesario, whether he be male or female?”

This reading of the text gives interesting subtext to lines such as “There is no darkness but ignorance,” and “In nature there’s no blemish but the mind/ None can be called deformed but the unkind.” Shakespeare’s original intent, in many cases, is ambiguous, but McGill said these themes emerge without altering the play’s content.

“That’s just a lens that we looked through,” McGill said. “We haven’t really changed anything about the play. I think it’s just that we’re all very aware of gender fluidity. … Every time you do a play, there’s a different conversation that happens about that play because we’re not doing it in a vacuum. We’re doing it in a particular community and we’re doing it in a particular time. I think anytime you produce Shakespeare, you go into the rehearsal room as if you’ve never experienced this play before. You have a whole new group of actors, and most of them have never done these roles before. They bring their own particular abilities and the things that they’ve experienced in life to the character that they’re playing.”

This openness to interpretation and reinvention has allowed Shakespeare’s plays to remain relevant for centuries.

“It’s a very overused and tired phrase that ‘Shakespeare is timeless,’” McGill said, “but I think it’s … because the ideas are so large and the language is so large, it can’t help but get you as a director and actor to look at what’s going on right now rather than, ‘Let’s figure out how to do a play that was written 400 years ago, and let’s set it back 400 years, and this is how people behaved 400 years ago.’ I think that limits you when you do Shakespeare. You’re not trying to recreate history; you’re trying to investigate these ideas through a modern lens.”

OSP’s 2019 season will continue with Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, scheduled to run June 6-29; followed

by Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will Aug. 8-31; Shakespeare’s The Tempest Oct. 3-26; and Erin Woods’ Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker Dec. 5-21.

Tickets to Twelfth Night are $20-$30.

Season passes are available for $100.

Visit oklahomashakespeare.com.

Twelfth Night Thursday-March 2 Shakespeare on Paseo 2920 Paseo St. oklahomashakespeare.com | 800-838-3006 $20-$30

After a shipwreck strands her in an unfamiliar country, Viola (Jessa Schinske) decides to disguise herself as a man. | Photo April Porterfield / provided

CO M M U N I T Y

ARTS & CULTURE

Rude calls

Street harassment continues to be a pervasive problem for many in 2019, but groups like Stop Street Harassment hope education will foster change. By Jo Light

Imagine being alone somewhere.

Perhaps you’re walking down the street, taking public transit or just getting gas.

You hear a voice come from behind you or maybe from a passing car. Someone is yelling at you.

Maybe the shout is a provocative statement about your appearance, or maybe it’s a question about what you’re doing. Maybe it’s a demand to smile or provide personal information.

Even though these interactions are given the innocuous label of “catcalling,” this is a form of street harassment.

And most women will experience it at some point in their lifetimes, even in the wake of widely covered sexual harassment scandals and the personal accounts of the #MeToo movement.

I think that street harassment is a manifestation of the inner qualities that exist in our society.

Holly Kearl According to Virginia-based nonprofit organization Stop Street Harassment, street harassment constitutes any form of unwelcome comments, gestures or actions directed to a stranger in a public place.

The harassment is usually of a sexual nature, based on the victim’s actual or perceived sex or gender. It can range from verbal harassment to unwanted touching, flashing or following.

Stop Street Harassment founder Holly Kearl has studied gender-based street harassment since 2007, and she founded the nonprofit in 2008.

“I think that street harassment is a manifestation of the inner qualities that exist in our society,” Kearl said in a phone interview. “And we still live in a sexist, racist, homophobic society.”

In 2014, Stop Street Harassment conducted a national study in cooperation with market research company GfK and found that of 2,000 individuals surveyed, 65 percent of women and 25 percent of men experienced street harassment.

For many victims of this harassment, one of the first questions after the experience is, “Why?” “There’s women’s research on why men harass and self-reporting from them,” Kearl said. “Actually, some of the best research that we have is from

women who would turn around and ask the men who harassed them, ‘Why are you doing this?’”

Kearl said the explanations given include boredom or a desire to bond with male peers. Kearl said some men could even be mimicking what they’ve seen in the media, like children’s cartoons that show male characters leering at female characters.

Lindsey Churchill, the director and founder of Women’s Research Center and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies minor program at University of Central Oklahoma, said she believes street harassment is an expression of some men’s perceived power.

“I recently read an article interviewing men who catcalled and asking them why they did it,” Churchill said via email. “The answers ranged from them just being ‘playful’ to thinking they may get some sort of positive response to wanting to feel like they have power. I think a lot of it comes down to power.

Street harassment makes many women feel unsafe and gives the catcaller a form of power and control.”

Rape culture

Heather McLaughlin, assistant professor of sociology at Oklahoma State University, also said that street harassment is about the catcaller’s desire to assert authority and manhood.

“Research shows that sexual harassment is about power,” McLaughlin said via email. “Catcalling, like many other forms of harassment, is a way to express control and domination by reducing targets (usually women) to sexual objects. In many cases, it is also used to ‘prove’ masculinity to other men.”

Kearl agreed that street harassment is a product of rape culture and catcalling forces men’s views on women without consent or respect. Being made to have unwanted contact with someone is uncomfortable, annoying or scary.

“And also, for so many women, we have an underlying fear of rape,” she said. “And we never know which man who approaches us has an underlying intent to do something more.”

According to the Stop Street Harassment study, many victims of this form of harassment change their behavior as a result. They become more aware of their surroundings or travel more frequently in groups.

Kearl said that although street harassment has always been something women discuss, social media and viral videos have helped bring attention to

Illustration Ingvard Ashby

the issue on a wider scale.

“For so long, it has been invisible to the men in our lives or to the women who are no longer experiencing it,” she said. “Anyone with internet access can write their story, they can tweet their story, they can take a video and put it on YouTube, they can put a picture of a harasser on Instagram, whatever they choose to do.”

Kearl said that telling harassers “no” can be empowering, but for those who don’t feel they can safely respond, talking or even posting about it later can help.

Marginalization and justice

Stop Street Harassment’s report acknowledged that men, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community, also experience street harassment. The study found that people of color are also more likely to experience street harassment more often.

Churchill said that combating street harassment begins with challenging and changing societal norms.

“Some people have suggested taking pictures or videos of the harasser or engaging with them,” she said via email.

“Others say that many women do not feel safe doing this. However, I think the best way to combat street harassment is to change rape culture. This is obviously a monumental task. This starts with challenging the normalization of victim-blaming in our culture.”

Kearl also emphasized the importance of education.

“Education is just huge, especially with young men, because I think so often, they are just mimicking what they’ve seen, and they don’t really realize that women don’t like it and don’t want to have that experience,” Kearl said. “And so working on breaking that cycle is really, really important.”

Stop Street Harassment has partnered with Promundo-US as part of its effort to curb street harassment.

Promundo is an international nonprofit that focuses on gender justice.

Kearl also said Men Can Stop Rape’s youth development program, Men of Strength Club, and the Coaching Boys Into Men program by Futures Without Violence are good educational resources.

Both Churchill and Kearl said they have experienced street harassment on multiple occasions. Kearl had just eloped with her longtime partner when she nearly got into a confrontation with two men making sexual remarks at her.

“I was like, of course, on my wedding day, I can’t even escape men on the street harassing me and making me feel degraded,” Kearl said.

She made the quick calculations — there were two of them, and she was in heels — and she chose to ignore them.

Stop Street Harassment provides online resources and a toll-free 24-hour hotline in both English and Spanish. Callers can get support and legal advice. The hotline can be reached at 855-897-5910.

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Oklahoma City Community College 2018-2019 Performing Arts Series

Chill science

Science Museum Oklahoma is dialing everything down for a sensory-friendly event for patrons who want a quieter romp through the wonders of the universe. By Charles Martin

A GENTRI VALENTINE

Thursday, February 14 • 7:30 PM Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater • 7777 South May Avenue tickets.occc.edu • Box Office 682-7579

32

F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Walking through Science Museum Oklahoma (SMO) with a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is a different experience, a much more cautious experience. Thousands of people are bouncing around the exhibits like hyper-heated particles in a boiling cauldron of water, lights and sounds and explosions abound and children with sensory sensitivities retreat into protective shells. Overwhelmed with stimuli and unwilling to battle through the hordes, these children lose out on exhibits that might, in a calmer setting, captivate them.

This has been an ongoing concern for SMO, and early childhood educator Candace Barrios is helping the museum make the experience more welcoming to children with various sensory development disorders through a special evening event called Tinker ’Bout It. With smaller crowds, lights dimmed and fewer surprise explosions, Tinker ’Bout It is form-fitted for children who find it hard to cope with SMO at its busiest, brightest and loudest.

“There is just so much going on, so much sound, so much to touch that sometimes even I come into the museum and say, ‘Whoa,’” Barrios said.

“Tinker ’Bout It is for families with a child that has been diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder, is autistic or has any developmental delays that have to do with their senses. We are doing some minor adjustments to the museum to make it friendlier to them by just toning everything down.”

Vice president of programming Clint Stone added that the event is also for patrons who might not be diagnosed with a specific condition but know they

need a quieter, less intense experience to be able to fully enjoy SMO. “There will not be thousands of people at the museum because this is meant to be a quieter event that we are limiting to a couple hundred,” Stone said. “We will have the full engaging experience we usually have, everything you would expect to see and try for the first time, then be awed by it. But the pace is what we are intentionally changing, making it a little slower, taking the time to let people know what’s about to happen, including quieting certain areas, brightening some areas, bringing down the bright lights at other areas.”

Otto, the SMO mascot, will also be taking the night off, just to ensure there are no distractions between the patrons and the exhibits. Barrios said there will be zip lines, a petting zoo with bunnies and an alpaca, squishy circuits, candle making, an automata lab to learn to assemble things with moving parts, a phenakistoscope that uses an early form of animation to allow attendees to make their own cartoons and foil boat-making at the water table in the Wunderground. Barrios’ favorite feature of Tinker ’Bout It is the oobleck sensory table, playing with the non-Newtonian fluid named after a similar goop in a Dr. Seuss

At Tinker ’Bout It, Science Museum Oklahoma modifies the museum’s exhibits to accommodate patrons with sensory sensitivities. | Photo Science Museum Oklahoma / provided

book. A list of activities for the night is available on the SMO website.

Sensory kit

Barrios has helped develop a special kit made available on a first-come, first-served basis for patrons with sensory needs. They’ll be available the night of Tinker ’Bout It, but also whenever the museum is open.

“In the kit, we have a set of noisecanceling headphones, so if they do come to the museum during a normal operating day and do want to go to Science Live, this will help with the noise,” Barrios said. “There are digital timers that are helpful for parents that have children where they need to be like, ‘Okay, we have five minutes, then we need to move on.’ We also have the old-fashioned crank timers with the ding. We have sunglasses for the bright areas of the museum, fidget toys, gloves for tactile purposes.”

There will also be booklets that go into the various exhibits, available in the kit and downloadable on the SMO website. They break down what children can expect to experience and what sensory issues they might encounter. SMO will also be placing facilitators throughout the museum to keep the exhibits a bit more orderly.

“Our Big Game Theory, for instance, will usually have a lot of kids out there, playing with games and building materials, and they will decide on their own how to share and how they want to be involved,” Stone said. “On a typical day, we can have a lot of kids in there running, playing, knocking things down. It can be a noisy place.

On this night, we will have a facilitator helping everyone work together. It’ll be a lot quieter than it usually is in Big Game Theory.”

Tinker ’Bout It is part of an ongoing effort to find ways to make SMO as approachable as possible to the community with more specialized events to come.

Part of the importance, according to Barrios, is that kids retreating into their protective shells because of sensory overload might also be gifted in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects because of that same ability to take

in information with a unique intensity.

What makes some uncomfortable in crowds can also make them brilliant in specialized fields.

In his book, Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome, Ty Tashiro explains that social awkwardness can come from a tendency to witness the world with a spotlight rather than taking in a social scene as a whole. This intense focus means that swimming through the chaos of a packed and energetic museum can be difficult, if not crippling. But seeing the world through a spotlight rather than a floodlight allows for an opportunity for deeper perception into science, technology, math and art.

Temple Grandin has also written extensively in books such as Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism about her struggles with and triumphs because of autism.

Barrios believes it is critical to make SMO accessible to children on the spectrum because those same children might be the ones unlocking the mysteries of the universe that will become future SMO exhibits.

“We are excited about this direction and hope to continue focusing on STEM and STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art and math] at these events because we know that autistic children can excel,” Barrios said.

“And this is the purpose of our museum, to reveal the wonder and relevance of science,” Stone added. “All these people come to us, we don’t know what their future holds or how their futures will change our futures. If this event can reach one guest and be that spark, then we’ve reached our goal.

Granted, we won’t know that for 20 or 30 years, but we have to approach every day with that goal.”

Visit sciencemuseumok.org.

Tinker 'Bout It 6-10 p.m. Tuesday Science Museum Oklahoma 2020 Remington Place sciencemuseumok.org | 405-602-6664 $20

CELEBRATE OPENING WEEKEND AND MEET RUMBLE and check out the new exhibit!

February 9 • 10:00 a.m. - Noon National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

A list of Tinker ’Bout It activities is available at sciencemuseumok.org | Photo Science Museum Oklahoma / provided

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Forward momentum

Forward Foods has offered gourmet cheeses and other pantry staples since the early 2000s.

By Jo Light

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KITCHEN & BATH SHOWROOM

Suzy Thompson and her husband Steve Wampus Reynolds got their start in 2002 at Opolis, the Norman music venue at 113 N. Crawford Ave., operating a small coffee shop.

Thompson had long fostered an interest in cheesemongering, and around that time, a group of supportive University of Oklahoma professors urged her to start a shop. They promised they would buy any cheeses she brought in.

Deciding to pursue that dream, Thompson and Reynolds closed the cafe to focus on opening a storefront. They did a few pop-up shops that were wildly successful, drawing crowds even in inclement weather.

“It was really fun,” Thompson said.

“It was all through forwarded emails and MySpace.”

In 2006, they opened a brick-andmortar location next to Guestroom Records in downtown Norman.

Thompson said they ran into some logistical issues, including intermittent flooding and electrical problems, in the older building.

“We would have our deliveries sent to Opolis, and we’d load them in our station wagon and drive them over,” Thompson said, explaining how they’d improvise when trucks couldn’t fit down their alley.

In spite of the bumps, the store thrived as a neighborhood market, where they sold cheese and other pantry staples as well as home goods like Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day (before the household cleaning brand was sold to SC Johnson in 2008) and Seventh Generation toilet paper.

“We had pretty much every category covered that a supermarket would have, except for a meat and fish counter,” she said.

The vibe was modeled after the small neighborhood shops they had seen while living in New York.

After six years on Main Street, the store moved to its slightly more practical location at 2001 W. Main St., Suite 111, a sizeable retail space with plenty of room for its cheese case and cafe seating.

All the cheeses carried in the store are handmade, and Thompson’s passion for the products is unmistakable. She said food deliveries are like “cheese Christmas” and noted that cheese incorporates elements of geography, history, science and art.

“Each wheel of cheese is like a little treasure,” she said.

Although Forward Foods started as one of the few specialty grocery options in Norman, now it competes with big chains like Natural Grocers and Sprouts Farmers Market. It has been able to face down competition for years by adapting when needed and keeping cheese at the forefront.

“We’ve always identified as a cheese shop,” Thompson said. “And we were able to weather those storms by still offering something [more] unique than any other store had.”

The items within the case are distinctive, but so is the service behind it.

Customers are welcome to sample cheese, and it is cut to-order.

“They can scan everything in their full wheels, rather than pre-cut pieces,” Thompson said. “I don’t think pre-cut pieces really tell the story of the cheese.

You want to see the shape and the rind and the size and have someone there who can tell you why it looks like that and why it tastes the way it does.”

Currently, almost everything sold in the store is meant as a complement to the cheeses. There are loose-leaf teas, wine, preserves, dried fruits, nuts, peppers, pickles, olives and bulk pastas.

The store prides itself on sourcing from humane producers.

It also has a shelf full of fresh spices, which are affordable at a dollar each.

“Especially with students who are learning to cook or anyone who’s on a budget, they can build their spice shelf without spending a hundred dollars,” Thompson said, “which you can pretty easily do buying bottled spices.”

Thompson said the student population has been important to Forward Foods as a “built-in audience” since it opened.

“We definitely would have a hard time existing without [University of Oklahoma] here,” she said, “and having people from all over the world who appreciate small markets and specialty markets because that’s what they’re used to.”

But they get all kinds. Thompson recalled one customer who came in and demanded the stinkiest cheese they had, so they picked out an expensive and “funky” French cheese. They were delighted when the customer revealed he needed it for catfish bait.

“We were like, ‘Well, at least someone’s buying it, I guess,’” Thompson said with a laugh.

The shop has food service as well.

The lunch menu is focused on cheese, with several grilled cheese sandwiches and charcuterie plates on offer.

Forward Foods holds a cheese-tasting class twice a month in the shop and also offers private classes. Those interested should contact Thompson for further details.

A recent addition is the store’s cheese and wine of the month club, which provides wine by the bottle and cheese pairings on a monthly subscription basis. The first pairing went out at the beginning of January.

“We’ve been tasting wine and cheese together for a long time, so we’ve got a lot of really good pairings in our back pocket to pick from,” she said.

There was a popular Forward Foods location in Oklahoma City until the end of 2013, when competition with Whole Foods Market caused them to close and focus on the Norman location. But Thompson hinted that something is in the works to get the business involved in the Oklahoma City area again.

They have an additional location in Santa Fe — Cheesemongers of Santa Fe — which opened in 2014. The couple splits their time between Norman and New Mexico.

Visit forwardfoods.com.

Forward Foods started as a specialty cheese shop in the early 2000s. | Photo Alexa Ace

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F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

CO M M U N I T Y

ARTS & CULTURE

Community cupboard

Local free pantries and community-minded citizens provide food for those who need it.

By Joshua Blanco

Those in search of their next meal now have a reliable food supply thanks to the efforts of a concerned citizen actively taking steps toward caring for her community.

New to Oklahoma City, Aley Cristelli was looking for ways to connect with locals on a level that would allow her to give back. In May 2017, she founded Pine Pantry, a service that allows people in need to help themselves to a meal they might otherwise be unable to afford.

“I was feeling kind of homesick and not connected, and I wanted to somehow get connected to the community,” Cristelli said.

In cities across the nation, people were beginning to build food pantries small enough to be placed on curbside locations across town. Cristelli eventually caught wind of the idea, deciding it would be the perfect opportunity for her to get involved.

The concept is simple: build a pantry, stock it full of food and let people take what they need. Think Little Free Library, but with food and other necessities instead of books.

After conceptualizing the idea, Cristelli took to the streets. While local businesses and fellow community members were receptive to the idea, she was going to need city approval. Being the first of its kind in OKC, approving the pantry proved to be a rather unusual Aley Cristelli helps feed populations in need through Pine Pantry pop-up food pantries. | Photo Alexa Ace

circumstance. Though the city didn’t require a permit, she made sure to inform them of her plans, going so far as to take the extra step of ensuring a thumbs-up from the health department.

All went according to plan. Shortly thereafter, Cristelli had the first pantry built, placing it in a location conveniently situated within the Plaza District.

Though she planned to establish only one location, the pantries became an immediate sensation, leading her to install five more in the span of less than two years. The sixth location was installed mid-January at Andrew Johnson Elementary located in The Village.

Currently, she’s faced with about 20 requests for new pantries. In the meantime, however, Cristelli stays focused on running the ones she already has.

“I don’t have any plans to expand at the moment. I know it will happen, but I work full-time, and so we really just want to do our best to make the most of our resources,” she said. “I just want to make sure the pantries we have are staying full so people can rely on those.”

Community effort

There’s no reason to doubt the fact that people are making good use of her pantries. One business owner estimated about 30-40 people were eating out of a nearby pantry on a daily basis.

With all the traffic coming through to utilize these available donations, Cristelli can only do so much.

Community members have therefore taken it upon themselves to keep the pantries stocked.

“They truly are community-supported, so the community looks after them,” she explained. “The community is the one who stocks them; we just provide the space for people to give back.”

Included in this community are the business owners who also do their part in maintaining abundant resources within the pantries.

Pine Pantry’s first location, which now sits in front of Bad Granny’s Bazaar in the Plaza District, has become a staple for the area and its visitors. Just ask Bad Granny.

“We kind of have a running theme in the district to help the homeless rather than just shoo them away,” said Diana Harris,

owner of Bad Granny’s Bazaar.

Harris said she offers incentives for people to keep the pantry full. For example, she has been known to offer a 10 percent discount in her store for those willing to put food or other items in the pantry.

But that’s not enough to keep it stocked around the clock. The pantry relies on the generosity of passersby or other individuals who feel it’s worth their time to look after the less fortunate.

“There’s no rhyme or reason for what happens out there,” Harris said. “It’s just when people have a hankering to fill it up, they’ll stop and put food in.”

She told the story of a mother and her son, standing in the bitter cold to pile in mittens and hats along with a whole assortment of other goods in an effort to prepare the homeless or those without heat for frigid temperatures that invariably accompany the winter season.

Whether it is people dropping in leftovers so someone can have the chance to enjoy a holiday meal or others who make adding small items a daily routine, ongoing donations are keeping the pantry alive.

Cristelli recalled one incidence where a couple began giving back to the community that helped keep them afloat in a difficult time.

“There was this family in the Plaza District that used that pantry,” she said.

“Both the husband and wife had been laid off, and then they both ended up getting jobs, so they used the pantry for a few months and then they were actually able to then donate to the pantry once they got back on their feet.”

When the pantry was first established, Harris made sure to keep a close

Plaza District community members refill Pine Pantry in front of Bad Granny’s Bazaar almost nightly. | Photo Alexa Ace

eye on it. As Cristelli had no way of knowing who was taking what and how much, Harris took it upon herself to ensure no one was taking more than they needed. Eventually, she backed off from her role as neighborhood cop, instead adopting a more hands-off approach, trusting people to act responsibly and treat the pantry with respect.

So far, it’s working. Harris said the pantries are usually stocked in the mornings and gone by the time she leaves. By the start of next day, the pantry will be stocked full, readily awaiting its usual customers. There might be a dry spell on Saturdays and Sundays, but things eventually start picking up again early in the week.

For instances of damage, maintenance and general restocking, Cristelli hosts general fundraisers to finance whatever she can. With a background in nutrition and public health, fundraising was a sort of unfamiliar concept. But she pulled through, hosting small events like food drives to raise money for her cause.

S&B’s Burger Joint, for example, donated a portion of its proceeds to Pine Pantry for every burger purchased.

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of everyday citizens, Pine Pantry will likely have a bright future ahead of it, continuing to service those in need.

“Oftentimes, we have notes from people just saying ‘thank you,’ which is obviously not the reason we do it, but it’s a good feeling when you see that,” Cristelli said. “No matter what the impact is, it’s definitely an impact.”

Visit facebook.com/pinepantry17.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9

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ARTS & CULTURE

Cheers to You 25

The 22nd annual Chocolate Decadence fundraiser helps Automobile Alley Association advance its neighborhood goals. | Photo bigstock.com

AND

WE ARE SADDENED AND REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT AFTER 25 YEARS, OUR BRICKTOWN LOCATION'S LAST DAY OF BUSINESS WAS ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2019.

WE ARE PROUD AND HONORED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THE REVITALIZATION OF BRICKTOWN AND CARRY WITH US THE BEST MEMORIES, EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS FROM OVER TWO AND A HALF DECADES. THANK YOU TO OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS, WHO ARE LIKE OUR FAMILY. PLEASE VISIT US FOR FINE MEXICAN FARE AT ANY OF OUR OTHER 12 LOCATIONS.

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F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

CO M M U N I T Y

GREAT YEARS IN BRICKTOWN!

Chocolate city

Automobile Alley Association’s Chocolate Decadence fundraiser highlights progress in the district. By Charles Martin

Roughly nine years ago, a small crew of artists climbed rickety scaffolding, stood up on their tiptoes and hefted circular saws above their heads to cut down the sagging ceiling of the top floor of the Magnolia Building in Automobile Alley. It was a trade-out with the building owner in which the artists tore out the damaged drop ceiling of the empty office space and, in return, got to use the entire floor for free to host the annual Carnality Ball. Decades of dust rained down on the resilient workers as they coughed, traded jokes about possible asbestos and kept cutting.

They then wondered aloud whether anyone would even feel comfortable being in Automobile Alley after dark since it was, at that time, largely vacant and populated at night with unsavory characters. But hey, free event space.

A lot has changed.

That once-dusty penthouse with gnarled rebar twisting down from the ceiling is now a finished and inviting space with glowing lights visible from the street below. Other buildings that had been empty aside from private car collections are now filled with an array of businesses that drape Christmas lights over building facades every year for one of the metro’s most popular holiday events, Lights on Broadway.

Chocolate Decadence, Automobile Alley Association’s annual fundraiser, has straddled that dramatic transition in its 22 years of pitting restaurant chefs against one other in a contest to create the most decadent desserts and nosh.

The Valentine’s Day-themed event 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Volvo Annex, 33 Broadway Circle, also serves as a celebration of the area’s streetscape, complete with bustling retail, streetcar service,

high building occupancy and restaurants shouldered up together all along the street. Even long-dormant The Womb is being reactivated with a permanent installation by art collective Factory Obscura set to open in March.

In a now common story of district revitalization in Oklahoma City, Automobile Alley stands out for its scale.

According to Traci Walton of Plenty Mercantile and chair of Automobile Alley Board, the district is still transforming aggressively. “[Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center] will open this year, Heartland/ Global Payments have broken ground on their spectacular building, Marriott is building a boutique hotel, we will have five breweries within walking distance, new retail and new condominiums,” Walton said. “2019 is already shaping up to be a banner year.”

Chocolate Decadence helps fund community projects such as light displays, neon sign grants, marketing, street furniture, research and public art, according to its website.

Yuzo Sushi Tapas general manager Cory White said one of the event’s most important functions is to provide an opportunity for the head chefs of the area to mingle with a little bit of oneupmanship thrown in for good measure.

“It’s such a hyper-local event for the neighborhood,” White said. “It’s always right down the street, so it was a good chance for us to meet a lot of people in the area after we opened in December of 2016.”

Being limited to chocolate as a primary medium also gives chefs a chance to break out from the norm.

“Our chef, Yuzo Toyama, does have experience on the dessert side, but chocolate isn’t something we are often think-

ing about,” White said. “Last year, we did some layered custard parfait cups with green tea, white chocolate mousse and a rice cracker. We are still working on this year’s, but he is thinking about wasabi and miso as traditional Japanese ingredients to use in truffles.”

White added that Chocolate Decadence also helps Toyama show off the breadth of his culinary knowledge, which is a key component at Yuzo Sushi Tapas.

“He has a lot of experience with South American and Latin cuisines, so we do a fusion with traditional Japanese but with Latin, Cajun and South American influences,” White said. “We have the standards like poke bowls and ramen, but also we have crawfish dishes, Brazilian meatloaf and really good grilled salmon because it is our same sushi-grade salmon. Highest quality grilled salmon you’ll find in the city.”

Walton said the chocolate options go beyond just the sweet, with savory options often doing quite well with the crowds. It’s the experimentation that often determines the crowd favorites.

“The huge chocolate ball with espresso sorbet covered in caramel stands out,” Walton said. “Broadway 10 won the people’s choice award and best of show with it. It was truly amazing.

The tacos with chocolate sauce from 2017 also stand out — life-changing.”

Automobile Alley’s resurgence is just the latest of many transformations for the area, having started out as pioneer homes following statehood and then developing into commercial uses as the city industrialized and eventually becoming home to a strip of car dealerships. The district did see a bit of a slowdown during the long installation of the streetcar rails, but once the streetcar started running, Walton saw an increase in unique visitors to the area that made up for the headaches of construction.

“We hear it often: ‘I saw you from the streetcar; I didn’t know you were here!’”

Walton said, adding that the street’s unique history was part of why it was such an ideal route for the streetcar.

“Broadway is the widest street in Oklahoma City because the city needed one street for the horses and buggies to turn around on. Our architecture and our neon signs and our deep history also differentiate us [from other districts]. Our strong sense of business support for retail and business also define us. You can park, work, eat, shop, stroll, work out and stay, all in Automobile Alley.”

Visit automobilealley.org.

22nd annual Chocolate Decadence 6:30 p.m. Thursday Volvo Annex 33 Broadway Circle automobilealley.org | 405-706-7484 $65-$100

CALENDAR are events recommended

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

BOOKS Comic Book Club: Sandman-Preludes and Nocturnes discuss the first volume in Neil Gaiman’s ground-breaking fantasy comic book series, 2-3 p.m.

Feb. 9. Literati Press Comics & Novels, 3010 Paseo St., 405-882-7032, literatipressok.com. SAT Men Reading Romance Novels hear “guybrarians” read from romance novels, love poems and more at this adults only event, 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 12.

Pioneer Library System, 225 N Webster Ave., 405701-2600, pioneerlibrarysystem.org/norman. TUE Mid-Oklahoma Writers a meetup for local writers featuring guest speakers and literary discussions, 7-9 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month. Eastside Church of Christ, 916 S. Douglas Blvd., 405-7320393. TUE Pawfectly in Love Celebration Louisa McCune and Teresa Miller will sign copies of their book Love Can Be: A Literary Collection About Our Animals, and visitors will have the chance to meet animal ambassadors from the OKC Zoo and animals available for adoption from Free to Live Animal Sanctuary, 11 a.m. Feb. 9. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT Peggy Doviak book signing the author and financial planner will autograph copies of her book 52 Weeks to Prosperity: What Your Accountant, Banker, Broker and Financial Adviser Might Not Tell You, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Second Sunday Poetry hear the works of a variety of local poets, 2 p.m. second Sunday of every month. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN

FILM A Soldier’s Story (1984, USA, Norman Jewison) a racially charged murder causes controversy in the deep South during World War II in this film starring Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Adolph Caesar and David Alan Grier and airing on OETA as part of their Movie Club, 9 p.m. Feb. 9. SAT Art Moves the Arts Council Oklahoma City and deadCenter Film host a lunch-time screening of short films, noon-1 p.m. Feb. 7. The Paramount Theatre, 11 N. Lee Ave., 405-637-9389, theparamountokc.com.

THU

Casablanca (1943, USA, Michael Curtiz) a nightclub

owner (Humphrey Bogart) attempts to keep his ex-girlfriend (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband from harm in Nazi-occupied Morocco in this all-time classic film, 7 p.m. Feb. 12. B&B Theater, 4623 NW 23rd St., 405-917-2299, bbtheatres.com. TUE Do the Right Thing (1989, USA, Spike Lee) celebrate the 30th anniversary of this thought-provoking “joint” about racial tension in Brooklyn at this screening hosted

by Oklahoma Film Society, 7-10 p.m. Feb. 12. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. TUE Joni 75 Brandi Carlile, Glen Hansard, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones and Chaka Khan many other musicians play the music of Joni Mitchell to celebrate her 75th birthday, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave, 405-235-3456. THU Persepolis (2007, France, Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi) an outspoken young girl sees the impact of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran in this animated film based on a graphic novel, 7:30-10 p.m.

Feb. 6. Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts, 1601 NW 26th St., 405-208-5226, okcu.edu.

WED

VHS and Chill: Blockbusted Video riff along with comedians and film fans at this monthly movie screening where audience participation is encouraged, 7-9 p.m. first Wednesday of every month. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. WED

HAPPENINGS An Affair of the Heart a craft show featuring arts, crafts, antiques, collectibles, furniture, decorative items and more, Feb. 8-10. Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3220 Great Plains Walk, 405-948-6700, okstatefair. com. FRI-SUN Are You Smarter Than a KIPPster community leaders compete with middle-school students in a quiz bowl-style challenge at this fundraising event benefitting Knowledge Is Power Program public charter schools, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave., 405-236-4143, chevyeventscenter.com. TUE Art and Brews! enjoy locally brewed craft beer and learn about the marbling technique at this art workshop led by Kerri Shadid, 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 11.

Vanessa House Beer Co., 516 NW 21st St., 405-8262629, vanessahousebeerco.com. MON Bridges Prom 2.0 relive your prom at this event for adults raising funds for Bridges, a nonprofit aiding high school students living alone, 8-11:30 p.m.

Feb. 9. Riverwind Casino, 1544 W. State Highway 9, Norman, 405-322-6000, riverwind.com. SAT Crafting for Canines learn to make braided T-shirt dog toys that will be donated to Mutt Misfits Rescue, which will be onsite with adoptable dogs,, Sat., Feb. 9, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tin Lizzie’s, 905 N. Broadway Ave, 405-228-1014. SAT Genealogy at the Library celebrate Black History Month by learning the history of African-Americans in Oklahoma at this workshop led by Ron Graham, vice president of the Black Genealogy Research Group of Oklahoma, 1 p.m. Feb. 9. Ralph Ellison Library, 2000 NE 23rd St., 405-424-1437, metrolibrary. org. SAT Just Between Friends Public Sale shop for clothing for children and infants, baby and maternity equipment, toys, games, books, electronics and more at this consignment sale, noon-9 p.m. Feb. 10.

Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 615 E. Robinson St., Norman, 405-360-4721. SUN LIVE! on the Plaza join the Plaza District every second Friday for an art walk featuring artists, live music, shopping and more, 6-10 p.m. second Friday of every month. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-426-7812, plazadistrict.org. FRI

Lunar New Year in the Gardens In the Chinese lunar calendar, 2019 is the Year of the Pig, which means a lot of different things depending on who you ask, but in OKC, it means traditional lion dancers, music, facepainting, cultural presentations, Chinese calligraphy, food from Yum Yum Bites, Oh My Gogi, Lucky Lucky Dumpling Co., Chop Chop Flavors of Asia and more at this celebration cosigned by Super Cao Nguyen grocery store. The celebration is 6-9 p.m.

Friday at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. Admission is free, but commemorative T-shirts are $15.

Call 405-445-7080 or visit myriadgardens.org.

FRIDAY Photo Doug Hoke / provided

Milliner Class learn about the art of hat-making at this interactive workshop, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 9. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. SAT 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 Multifunctional Plants and How to Design with Them learn about plants that can serve multiple purposes in your garden, such as food, fuel, fiber, medicine, nutrients and more, 2-5 p.m. Feb. 9.

SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve. org. SAT Valentine’s Day Animal Enrichment watch as animals receive specially made Valentine’s treats from their caretakers, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 9. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT The West Wing Watch Party a double feature of the beloved political TV show hosted by Let’s Fix This, 3-6 p.m. Feb. 10. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SUN

FOOD Cheese, Chocolate and Champagne! learn how to pair the three romantic treats at this culinary

Sorry to Bother You Apologies aside, it really did bother many people that Sorry to Bother You, the feature film directorial debut for The Coup frontman Boots Riley, isn’t up for any Oscar gold, but Riley said the real reason his surreal socialist satire wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award is that he never campaigned for it to be. “We didn’t buy For Your Consideration ads in the trade magazines and we didn’t service the whole academy with screeners,” he tweeted in January. “Not doing that made it a self-fulfilling prophecy that we wouldn’t get nominated.” Unfortunately, that also means it won’t be one of the indie oddballs re-released in theaters on the strength of an Oscar nom.

Sure, you can currently stream the acerbically funny modern parable on Hulu, but then you’d miss out on the post-film discussion with local hip-hop luminary Jabee and The Spy’s Don Data. The film is 7-10:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. Tickets are $10. Call 405-708-6937 or visit towertheatreokc.com. WEDNESDAY Photo provided course, 6:45 p.m. Feb. 8. Forward Foods, 2001 W. Main St., Norman, 405-321-1007, forwardfoods.com.

gles with the realities of daily life in New York City in this Neil Simon comedy, Through Feb. 17. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave. THU-SUN

Myriad Kitchen: Quick Healthy Meals learn to make easy and nutritious meals using a high-speed pressure cooker at this culinary class led by Jenny Dunham, resident chef at Sur La Table, 10 a.m.-noon Feb. 9. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT

Blue Sunday a monthly blues tribute show hosted

by Powerhouse Blues Project,6-8 p.m. the second Sunday of every month. Friends Restaurant & Club, 3705 W. Memorial road, 405-751-4057, friendsbarokc. com. SUN

FRI

Taste of Art - Valentines Treats learn to make flavored truffles and caramel brittle at this workshop led by Emma Difani, 1-4 p.m. Feb. 9. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. SAT

YOUTH Academic Enrichment Reading Clinic children in grades 1-12 can receive free tutoring and homework help in reading, math and history and learn about nonviolent conflict resolution and success-building habits at this weekly clinic, 11 a.m.

Wednesdays through April 27. Nappy Roots, 3705 Springlake Drive, 405-896-0203, facebook.com/pg/ nappyrootsbooks. SAT Curious George: The Golden Meatball the inquisitive primate takes a trip to Italy in this familyfriendly musical adventure, Through Feb. 17. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9310, lyrictheatreokc.com. WED-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 Hot Chocolate Valentine find out how the coldweather treat is made from cocoa beans and create Valentine’s Day cards with cocoa mix packages at this family friendly event recommended for children ages 6-10, 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 9. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT OKC Drag Queen Story Hour children and their families are invited to a story and craft time lead by Ms. Shantel and followed by a dance party, 4 p.m. second Saturday of every month. Sunnyside Diner, 916 NW Sixth St., 405.778.8861. SAT 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

PERFORMING ARTS 40 Minutes or Less: Black History director Laron Chapman hosts this showcase of short films by black directors, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU Barefoot in the Park a newlywed couple strug-

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

The Gravest Showman solve a circus themed murder at this interactive play presented by Whodunit Mystery Dinner Theater and catered by Cracker Barrel, 6:15-9:15 p.m. Feb. 8. Mustang Parks & Recreation, 1201 N. Mustang Road, 405-376-3411, cityofmustang.org. FRI Hair the groundbreaking rock musical featuring hit songs “Aquarius” and “Good Morning Starshine” and documenting the countercultural youth movement of the 1960s, Feb. 6-10. Mitchell Hall Theatre, 100 N. University Drive, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. WED-SUN 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-WED Literati Variety Show a talk-show style event featuring hip-hop act Original Flow & the Fervent Route, comedian Heath Huffman, Gazette editor-in-chief George Lang and more, 7 p.m. Feb. 9. ACM @ UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-9744700, acm.uco.edu. SAT Martha Washington: Living History performer Katharine Pittman from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will portray America’s original first lady at this educational event, 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 7.

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. THU 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 Real Comedians Tour a standup show hosted by Tahir Moore, featuring Tony Baker and headlined by KevOnStage, 7-9 p.m. Feb. 6. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill. eat24hour.com. WED 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 The Trailer-Hood Hootenanny join Rayna Over and friends for a night of comedy, music and drag

continued on page 38

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9

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CALENDAR C A L E N DA R

continued from page 37 performances, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. the second Friday of every month. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. FRI Wrecked a night of drag performances hosted by Tape and Topatio, 10 p.m. Feb. 8.

Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-5219800, saucedonpaseo.com. FRI

ACTIVE 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

an exhibition of illustrations and artwork created by students, alumni and faculty at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Department of Design, 5-9 p.m. Feb. 7. UCO Letterpress Lab, 1020 Waterwood Parkway, Edmond, 405-974-5770, ucodesign.com. THU

Valentine’s Pop Up Shop shop locally from various vendors for unique Valentines gifts, 6-8:30 p.m.

Feb. 13, Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405-838-8945. WED

Resistance an exhibition of artist Don Holladay’s works created from burlap, string, house paint, joint compound, sand, collaged photographs, gravel and clothes pins, through Feb. 24. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman. org. FRI-SUN

Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE

Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman an exhibition of portraits, landscapes and more by the artist and Holocaust survivor, through May 26.

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

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 Yoga With Art strike some poses in a space filled with contemporary art, then follow up your workout with a mimosa, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT

VISUAL ARTS American Indian Artists: 20th Century Masters an exhibition of Native art from the Kiowa Six, Harrison Begay, Tonita Peña and more, through Sep. 1, Through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-TUE Ancient. Massive. Wild – The Bison Exhibit view paintings, photographs, and sculptures celebrating the bison’s importance in the history of the American West, Feb. 9-May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-TUE Ansel Adams and the Photographers of the West an exhibition of nature photographs by Adams and several of the photographers he inspired, through May 26. FRI-TUE

Nathan Avakian: Out of the Box Oldschool and modern methods meet in this unconventional evening. New York City musician Nathan Avakian, accompanied by vocals from his sister Claire, will soundtrack contemporary silent short films from the International Youth Silent Film Festival using a historic Kilgen Organ, built in 1935 for use in movie theaters. With new technology, Avakian will be able to play a grand piano in a duet with the digitally enhanced organ. The press release for the event doesn’t go into too much detail, but we’re definitely picturing the robot from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis wearing a tuxedo with tails. The event is 7-8:30 p.m.

Monday at Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.

Tickets are $10-$20. Call 405-5220765 or visit okhistory.org/ historycenter.

MONDAY Photo provided

The Art of Collection an exhibition of outsider and anonymous artworks from theAnonyma Fine Art collection owned and curated by Emily Ladow Reynolds, Through March 14. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage an exhibition of artworks created by people with dyslexia including students from Oklahoma City’s Trinity School, through July 14.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-TUE Big-Outfit Cowboys in the 21st Century an illustrated lecture by Austin photographer and film director/writer John Langmore, 7 p.m. Feb. 7. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. THU Cowboys in Khaki: Westerners in the Great War learn about the ways Westerners contributed to the US effort in World War I at this exhibit featuring military, rodeo and other historical memorabilia from the time period, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-TUE Eggtion Figures an exhibition of sculptures by Norman-based artist Tomoaki Orikasa, through March 22. Paseo Studio Six, 3021 Paseo St., 405-5280174, thepaseo.org. FRI Layered Lives an exhibition of artworks created

by Oklahoma artists Jena Kodesh of Tonkawa and Jill Webber of Stillwater, Through Feb. 16. Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 S. Fourth St., Enid, 580-237-1907. TUE-SAT Message in Mixed-Media Workshop learn to use mixed-media techniques to convey messages in your art at this workshop led by Carol Ann Webster

Harlem Globetrotters Forget Babe Ruth’s strikeout record; here’s an even more insane/inspirational sports statistic: The Harlem Globetrotters have actually lost 345 games. Sure, it has taken the showboating sports entertainment franchise nearly 90 years to rack up that many losses since it began in 1926 as a legit basketball team in Chicago, and meanwhile, it has won an estimated 27,000 games all over the world, but we’re talking about a team that shoots half-court shots like they’re layups and considers pantsing an opponent a valid defensive strategy. It’s pretty much all fun and games now, but the Globetrotters played a key role in the racial integration of professional basketball when they beat the allwhite Minneapolis Lakers fair and square in 1948. Celebrate history with slam-dunks and four-pointers 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave. Tickets are $20-$115. Call 405-602-8700 or visit chesapeakearena.com. SATURDAY Photo provided and Annalisa Campbell, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 9.

Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org. SAT Monsters and Madonnas view a series of photographs created by University of Central Oklahoma students and inspired by the work of William Mortensen, through Feb. 28. UCO University Library, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. THU The Pop-Up Shop at the Department Store

Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnamese families relocated to Oklahoma, through Nov. 6.

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-TUE Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair: Mildred Howard the mixed-media and sculptural artist creates works that explore socio-political topics such as sexism and racism in unconventional ways, through April 7. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. FRI-SUN Whiteout at Campbell Art Park an outdoor artwork made by hundreds of transparent white spheres embedded with white LED lights and animated in large-scale patterns, through March 31.

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-000, oklahomacontemporary.org. WED-SUN

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 41

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

VALE D E X N E V

NE TI

MY

Guthrie Haunts Scaregrounds presents

February 8 & 9 2019 Ticket Window Open 7pm-11pm

$20 Single Admission $35 Couples Admission Tickets at guthriehanuts.com 4524 Riverside Circle Guthrie,OK

38

F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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

Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or email them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

MUSIC The Jones Assembly’s event menu features food you can walk around with, including margherita pizza, a roasted pork sandwich and herb frites with goat cheese and bacon. | Photo provided

F E AT U R E

organic dinner salad with mixed greens and fresh fruit and a short-grain brown rice bowl with black beans, but its main attractions are plant-based variations on childhood favorites and comfort food.

Baked organic cauliflower Buffalo “wings,” a vegan sloppy joe and veggie burgers, nachos and Frito chili pie could help build a nutritious base to counteract all the quinoa whiskey shots you’ll probably down when you go to see LCG & the X (Feb. 23), Black Moth Super Rainbow (April 4) or Acid Mothers Temple (May 5).

Euphonius food

OKC’s music venues have risen to the challenge of providing concertgoers with more than just nachos and stale pretzels. By Jeremy Martin

Not long ago, concert venues mostly had the same menu as high school football game concession stands: canned-cheese nachos, maybe a pickle or a soft pretzel, if you were really lucky a hamburger heated who knows how. Recently, mercifully, more local music venues are offering food you might actually want to, you know, eat.

Carefully considered upscale cuisine, locally sourced produce and meat and even viable vegetarian and vegan options await hungry music fans at some of OKC’s hottest concert spots, but if you ever have a hankering for stale tortilla chips topped with traffic-cone-colored cheese food product, you can always go to the closest dollar movie theater or skating rink. All of the eateries listed below are worth a visit for the food alone. The live music is just gravy.

Chesapeake Energy Arena 100 W. Reno Ave. chesapeakearena.com 405-602-8700 Arena shows are typically some of the worst offenders foodwise, but Chesapeake Energy Arena offers two eateries that have graduated far beyond scholastic sporting event fare. Despite its name, Budweiser Brew House offers upscale, locally sourced cuisine. Enjoy Gulf shrimp ceviche, nachos topped with rotisserie chicken from Crystal Lake Farms in Jay, prime rib with ginger-radish jus or burgers and pasta made with Impossible-brand plant-based fake meat products for vegetarians.

If all that sounds too upscale, head to Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club, which offers sliders, carne asada fries and a Tennessee Whiskey Wings Basket. The club even offers OKC craft beers such as Elk Valley Firefly and COOP F5 on tap so you can eat and drink locally before watching world-famous acts KISS (Feb. 26), Pink (March 23) and Ariana Grande (May 23).

The Jones Assembly 901 W. Sheridan Ave. jonesassembly.com 405-212-2378 Combining a concert venue with a cocktail bar and a modern take on American dining, The Jones Assembly offers a limited menu on concert nights, but the “snacks” it serves are still well above average. When you go see Jenny Lewis (April 4) or Son Volt (June 18) later this year, you might not be able to order the short ribs with wood-fired cabbage and oyster mushrooms or the housemade tagliatelle with braised pork ragu — a shame since we would love to watch you try to eat them while standing shoulderto-shoulder next to a speaker stack — but you can get a margherita pizza, a roasted pork sandwich with rapini and provolone or herb frites loaded with goat cheese and bacon. Even the potato chips at The Jones come with cucumber and radish crudité and Greek yogurt ranch dip. As an added bonus, Jones’ bar pours up custom cocktails such as Jones 75 (strawberry and jalapeño, Broker’s gin and Lustau Los Arcos Sherry) and Collusion (espressoinfused Russian Standard vodka, Grind espresso rum and Gosling’s rum) instead of the standard $11 light beers to which concertgoers have grown accustomed.

Budweiser Brew House includes Gulf shrimp ceviche on its events menu. | Photo Gazette / file

Tower Theatre 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com 405-708-6937 While Tower Theatre doesn’t boast a restaurant of its own, several quality restaurants are just a short walk away. Before going to see Ray Wylie Hubbard (March 15), Of Montreal (April 21) or Jim James (May 12), stop in at Pizzeria Gusto, 2415 N. Walker Ave., for wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, marinated olives and flatbread or potato gnocchi with braised short rib.

If you’d prefer contemporary comfort food over classic Italian, head to Cheever’s Cafe, 2409 N. Hudson Ave., where you can grab a roasted quail short stack with corn tortillas and ancho chile sauce, a shaved Brussels sprout and kale salad or, if you’re a true Oklahoman, a chicken-fried steak with jalapeño cream gravy and red-skinned mashed potatoes.

The Pump, 2425 N. Walker Ave., is another option in the same vein, offering bison chili Frito pie, a French dip sandwich pairing thin-sliced rib-eye on a crusty baguette with hot pho broth and Okie Poutine made with tater tots, braised short ribs and the requisite brown gravy and cheese curds.

If seafood’s your thing, drop into The Drake, 501 NW 23rd St., where you can catch a bowl of Boston clam chowder, cornmeal-crusted catfish with housemade hushpuppies or the Black Mac and Chicken with squid ink spaccatelli, Grana Padano cheese and red pepper.

If your heart’s set on more traditional concert fare, keep an eye out for the Burger Punk food truck, which is often stationed

The Pump Bar’s Pho Rench sandwich pairs thin-sliced rib-eye on a baguette with hot pho broth. | Photo The Pump Bar / provided

Burger Punk’s The Clash features American cheese, Nacho Doritos and fried onions and jalapeños. | Photo Burger Punk / provided

outside Ponyboy bar, 423 NW 23rd St., and sports a music-themed menu underneath its truck-sized mohawk. Chow down on burgers such as The Clash (American cheese, Nacho Doritos, and fried onion and jalapeño), Eggy Pop (American cheese, bacon marmalade and a fried egg) and Green Daze (a Beyond Meat veggie patty, American cheese and “punk sauce”) while you argue with your friends about who’s a punk and who’s a poser.

Opolis 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman opolis.org 405-230-0311 Hosting local and touring bands, Norman’s Opolis caters to just about everyone but confirmed carnivores. The vegetarian and vegan menu offers a raw Opolis’ food menu focuses on vegan comfort food. | Photo Alexa Ace

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9

39

SPRING/SUMMER 2019

BEN RECTOR

SOLD OUT

BEN RECTOR

3.8.19

3.9.19

JENNY LEWIS

4.4.19

BRONZE RADIO RETURN

4.5.19

BROTHERS OSBORNE

4.9.19

ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES

5.7.19

OLD 97s + BOB SCHNEIDER

5.9.19

JOHNNYSWIM SON VOLT

5.30.19

6.18.19

TICKETS & INFORMATION AT

THEJONESASSEMBLY.COM 901 W. SHERIDAN, OKC

Advertise in Oklahoma Gazette’s Wedding & Event Guide The

ook B of

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A special section devoted to wedding & event planning

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Feb. 20 & 27 Sept. 25 & Oct. 2 CALL YOUR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AT 528.6000 OR EMAIL ADVERTISING@OKGAZETTE.COM TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE!

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F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

EVENT

MUSIC

Truthful voice

Indie rock singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus brings her whip-smart set to Opolis on Monday. By Jo Light

Lucy Dacus creates music that’s alive.

It breathes, expands and exposes itself in new ways each time you listen to it.

So what might first seem like a straightforward, angry song about evading an ex like “Night Shift” will eventually reveal its layers of sorrow and dark humor, with observations on existence that are achingly raw and relatable.

“You don’t deserve what you don’t respect,” Dacus sings in that opening track. “Don’t deserve what you say you love and then neglect.” It’s a song that builds to an explosion of emotion, both crushing and liberating.

Local music fans will get the opportunity to enjoy Dacus’ songwriting prowess when she plays a Monday show at Opolis in Norman, 113 N. Crawford Ave. Widely hailed as one of indie rock’s best new artists and often described as wise beyond her years, Dacus burst onto the scene in 2016 with her first album, No Burden, which stunned listeners with its lyrically complex reflections on life and relationships.

Her follow-up, Historian, came out last year and landed on many best-of2018 lists. Rolling Stone and Billboard had the album in their top 10; NPR’s Bob Boilen put her at No. 1.

While grateful for the recognition, Dacus, who released a cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” on Feb. 2, said she hopes these kinds of rankings don’t foster competition between musicians.

“I feel like the best way to reflect on those things is just to be grateful when you are recognized and to just not really care if you aren’t recognized,” she said.

Despite the acclaim, Dacus remains grounded, carrying over the easy energy that began her career in the first place. She wrote songs for herself and started playing casual gigs during her senior year of high school but didn’t view music as a viable career path.

“I never thought this was a real job

that actual people had,” she said. “It just seemed super out of reach.”

After high school, Dacus enrolled in the film program at Virginia Commonwealth University, thinking that the various artistic elements of moviemaking would satisfy her creative urges.

“In retrospect, I think I didn’t want to make a choice to limit my creativity,” she said. “All the while having no designs on doing music and just doing it anyway.”

Shortly after starting school, Dacus had an opportunity to travel abroad, so she decided to take a semester off, fully intending to return.

“I was like, ‘Well, if I’m going to take a semester off of school, I might as well make a record in that time, as well,’” she said.

That record was No Burden, which was recorded in roughly 20 hours as part of a school project with friend Jacob Blizard, who is now Dacus’ guitarist.

Being thrust into the spotlight basically overnight has forced Dacus to make some adjustments to how she lives, works and approaches relationships. Where before she had a 9-to-5 job and delineation, now the lines between work and play are blurred.

“Now, I much prefer doing music, but it’s sort of pervasive,” she said. “I don’t really have off hours because my job title is ‘Lucy Dacus,’ which I can never stop being. It’s definitely more loosely structured, but it’s still good.

Whenever I say that, it sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not. It’s just different.”

Suddenly being in the world of professional music was “rattling,” she said.

Everyone warned that she should watch out for people wanting to take advantage of her. She was able to weed out the corporate interests who were responding to the hype instead of her music, and she landed at Matador Records in 2016.

Although her writing is astute and poignant, she described her creative process as a bit more rough-and-ready, something out of her control.

“It kind of feels like throwing up,” she said. “I know that’s gross, but I thought about that recently, and it kind of is the most accurate summation. It really just feels like, ‘Oh, God; what’s happening?’ And then I start writing, and then I stop, and then I get to look at what it is.”

In 2018, Dacus joined with artists Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker to form a supergroup, boygenius, and they released a critically acclaimed self-titled EP in November. Those songs took just four days to complete. Clearly, Dacus works fast.

No Burden | Image provided “I value my first impulses,” she

Lucy Dacus performs 9 p.m. Monday at Opolis. | Photo Elizabeth Weinberg / provided

said. “I think your first impulses have a lot to do with your taste and your personality and the truth of the moment.”

Trusting those impulses while working on her albums allows her to fly through the creative process. She prefers when songs take little or no time to complete.

“It’s nice to get things done quickly, too,” she said, “because while the music is meaningful to you, it has this elasticity. I feel like the longer a song sits, it just kind of sets, and you can’t go back to it or you start to get married to ideas that you weren’t happy with.”

While Historian was a reflection on breakups, death and the end of things, Dacus said she’s working on a new album that pivots to look at beginnings.

“Not necessarily a coming-of-age time, but pre-coming-of-age,” she said.

“Like when you’re learning about the world at the very beginning and how it’s really hard to shake those perceptions throughout your life.”

For her Opolis gig, Dacus said she’s happy to take song requests via Twitter.

“I just don’t like being that guy that comes to town and doesn’t play somebody’s song that they came to hear,” she said. “I always feel really bad when that happens.”

The 21-and-up show is 9 p.m. Monday and also features the band illuminati hotties. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Visit lucydacus.com.

Lucy Dacus 9 p.m. Monday Opolis 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman opolis.org | 405-230-0311 $12 | 21+

LIVE MUSIC SUNDAY, FEB. 10

These are events recommended

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

Black Magic Flower Power/Acid Queen/Baylor Judd, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Rebecca Loebe, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONG-

WRITER

Ryanhood, Norman Santa Fe Depot. FOLK

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 6 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley Bricktown Pub. ACOUSTIC

MONDAY, FEB. 11

Rachel Lynch, Vices. ACOUSTIC

Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK

THURSDAY, FEB. 7

TUESDAY, FEB. 12

6lack, The Criterion. HIP-HOP

Great Lake Swimmers, The Blue Door. FOLK

And Then Came Humans/Stafre & HiTones, The Deli. ROCK/HIP-HOP

Tig Blues, The Root. HIP-HOP

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13

The March Divide /ONE TWO TEN/Don’t Tell Dena, The Root. ROCK

FRIDAY, FEB. 8 Aaron Carter, 89th Street-OKC. HIP-HOP Carter Sampson/Jared Tyler, The Blue Door. COUNTRY Flatland Cavalry, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY Lacy Saunders, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Randy Rogers Band, Riverwind Casino. COUNTRY Spunk Adams, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. JAZZ Stone Tide/The Premonitions, The Root. ROCK

SATURDAY, FEB. 9 Dameon Allensworth, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COUNTRY

Mishka Shubaly It’s hard to write about singer/songwriter/author Mishka Shubaly without it turning into a catalog of great lines from his lyrics. “The sewage treatment plant smells suspiciously like Chinese food, and man I don’t even want to think about what that means,” from “Death in Greenpoint,” for example, but that gives the false impression that his songs are simply collections of one-liners. These quotable quips are in the service of sharply confessional character studies, seemingly autobiographical tales of addiction and resilience that are also seriously sing-along-ready. Comedian Jake Flores, who made national headlines last year after his anti-ICE Cinco de Mayo tweet resulted in Homeland Security knocking on his front door, is scheduled to open. The show is 8-10 p.m. Sunday at The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Visit ticketstorm.com. SUNDAY Photo Leslie Hassler / provided Jason Scott/Chelsey Cope/Chase Kerby & the Villains, 51st Street Speakeasy. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Murder by Death, Tower Theatre. ROCK Jahruba & the Jah Mystics, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. REGGAE

Cursive, Tower Theatre. ROCK The Gentlefolks, The Deli. JAZZ

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!

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Read free excerpts from my most recent book: https://bit.ly/JoyLuckLove ARIES (March 21-April 19)

When directors of movies say, “It’s a wrap,” they mean that the shooting of a scene has been finished. They may use the same expression when the shooting of the entire film is completed. That’s not the end of the creative process, of course. All the editing must still be done. Once that’s accomplished, the producer may declare that the final product is “in the can,” and ready to be released or broadcast. From what I can determine, Aries, you’re on the verge of being able to say, “it’s a wrap” for one of your own projects. There’ll be more work before you’re ready to assert, “it’s in the can.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to create your own royal throne and sit on it whenever you need to think deep thoughts and formulate important decisions. Make sure your power chair is comfortable as well as beautiful and elegant. To enhance your ability to wield your waxing authority with grace and courage, I also encourage you to fashion your own crown, scepter, and ceremonial footwear. They, too, should be comfortable, beautiful, and elegant.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

In 1995, astronomer Bob Williams got a strong urge to investigate a small scrap of the night sky that most other astronomers regarded as boring. It was near the handle of the constellation known as the Big Dipper. Luckily for him, he could ignore his colleagues’ discouraging pressure.

That’s because he had been authorized to use the highpowered Hubble Space Telescope for a ten-day period.

To the surprise of everyone but Williams, his project soon discovered that this seemingly unremarkable part of the heavens is teeming with over 3,000 galaxies. I suspect you may have a challenge akin to Williams’, Gemini. A pet project or crazy notion of yours may not get much support, but I hope you’ll pursue it anyway. I bet your findings will be different from what anyone expects.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) A study by the Humane Research Council found that more than eighty percent of those who commit to being vegetarians eventually give up and return to eating meat.

A study by the National Institute of Health showed that only about 36 percent of alcoholics are able to achieve full recovery; the remainder relapse. And we all know how many people make New Year’s resolutions to exercise more often, but then stop going to the gym by February.

That’s the bad news. The good news, Cancerian, is that during the coming weeks you will possess an enhanced power to stick with any commitment you know is right and good for you. Take advantage!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Are there two places on earth more different from each other than Europe and Africa? Yet there is a place, the Strait of Gibralter, where Europe and Africa are just 8.7 miles apart. Russia and the United States are also profoundly unlike each other, but only 2.5 miles apart where the Bering Strait separates them. I foresee the a metaphorically comparable phenomenon in your life.

Two situations or influences or perspectives that may seem to have little in common will turn out to be closer to each other than you imagined possible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Virgo basketball star Latrell Sprewell played professionally for 13 years. He could have extended his career at least three more seasons, but he turned down an offer for $21 million from the Minnesota team, complaining that it wouldn’t be sufficient to feed his four children. I will ask you not to imitate his behavior, Virgo.

If you’re offered a deal or opportunity that doesn’t perfectly meet all your requirements, don’t dismiss it out of hand. A bit of compromise is sensible right now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In 1992, an Ethiopian man named Belachew Girma became an alcoholic after he saw his wife die from AIDS. And yet today he is renowned as a Laughter Master, having dedicated himself to explore the healing powers of ebullience and amusement. He presides over a school that teaches people the fine points of laughter, and he

holds the world’s record for longest continuous laughter at three hours and six minutes. I nominate him to be your role model in the next two weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will be especially primed to benefit from the healing power of laughter.

You’re likely to encounter more droll and whimsical and hilarious events than usual, and your sense of humor should be especially hearty and finely-tuned.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

A study published in the journal *Social Psychological and Personality Science* suggests that people who use curse words tend to be more candid. “Swearing is often inappropriate but it can also be evidence that someone is telling you their honest opinion,” said the lead researcher. “Just as they aren’t filtering their language to be more palatable, they’re also not filtering their views.”

If that’s true, Scorpio, I’m going to encourage you to curse more than usual in the coming weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s crucial that you tell as much of the whole truth as is humanly possible.

(P.S. Your cursing outbursts don’t necessarily have to be delivered with total abandon everywhere you go. You could accomplish a lot just by going into rooms by yourself and exuberantly allowing the expletives to roll out of your mouth.)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

In the mid-1980s, a California carrot farmer grew frustrated with the fact that grocery stories didn’t want to buy his broken and oddly shaped carrots. A lot of his crop was going to waste. Then he got the bright idea to cut and shave the imperfect carrots so as to make smooth little baby carrots.

They became a big success. Can you think of a metaphorically comparable adjustment you could undertake, Sagittarius?

Is it possible to transform a resource that’s partially going to waste? Might you be able to enhance your possibilities by making some simple modifications?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Mongolia is a huge landlocked country. It borders no oceans or seas. Nevertheless, it has a navy of seven sailors.

Its lone ship is a tugboat moored on Lake Khovsgol, which is three percent the size of North America’s Lake Superior.

I’m offering up the Mongolian navy as an apt metaphor for you to draw inspiration from in the coming weeks. I believe it makes good astrological sense for you to launch a seemingly quixotic quest to assert your power, however modestly, in a situation that may seem out of your league.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

“A freshness lives deep in me which no one can take from me,” wrote poet Swedish poet Gunnar Ekelöf. “Something unstilled, unstillable is within me; it wants to be voiced,” wrote philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In accordance with your astrological omens, I propose we make those two quotes your mottoes for the next four weeks. In my opinion, you have a mandate to tap into what’s freshest and most unstillable about you — and then cultivate it, celebrate it, and express it with the full power of your grateful, brilliant joy.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

According to the *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*, the word “obsession” used to refer to the agitated state of a person who was besieged by rowdy or unruly spirits arriving from outside the person.

“Possession,” on the other hand, once meant the agitated state of a person struggling against rowdy or unruly spirits arising from within. In the Western Christian perspective, both modes have been considered primarily negative and problematic. In many other cultures, however, spirits from both the inside and outside have sometimes been regarded as relatively benevolent, and their effect quite positive. As long as you don’t buy into the Western Christian view, I suspect that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to consort with spirits like those.

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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PUZZLES 1

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ELECTION LETTERS |

0210

By Natan Last Puzzles edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Patron of the high seas 7 Metric in digital journalism 13 Some marble works 18 Den mother 19 Make less stuffy 20 Opening 21 Reason for an ejection in the MLB 22 Reason for an ejection in the NBA 24 Bank takebacks, for short 25 Snug as a bug in a rug 27 Make mention of 28 NFL star ejected from 102-Across 29 “Right on!”

30 Actress/singer Janelle 31 Rudimentary 32 Treats, as a sprain 33 Reason for an ejection in FIFA 37 The Bronx Bombers, on scoreboards 38 Intent 39 Soon 40 Student taking Torts or Property 43 Snowshoe-hare predator 44 Brian with the album Before and

After Science 45 Shorten 48 NBA star ejected from 105-Across 51 Sound heard in Georgia?

53 Musician’s skill 54 Onetime Sprint competitor 56 Burn a perfume stick in 57 Meursault’s love in Camus’ The Stranger 58 Reason for an ejection in the NFL 61 “Love, when we met, ____ like

two planets meeting”: Ella Wheeler Wilcox 62 Sepals of a flower 63 Rolls up 64 MLB star ejected from 87-Across 65 Belief in one’s role as a savior 67 Anatomical lashes 68 Drum held between the knees 69 On fire 70 ____ milk 71 English dialect in which “food

shopping” is “makin’ groceries” 72 Aries and Taurus 73 Result of a judicial conflict of interest 76 Kabuki sash 77 Bloke 79 Polish up, in a way 80 “Actually, come to think of it …”

83 Skill 84 Part of a “fence” in the game Red Rover 87 Seeming opposite of “Ignorance is bliss” 92 Pollyannaish 95 Mends, in a way 96 Some flaws in logic 97 Plays charades, say 98 Tweeter’s “Then again …”

99 Set down 100 Fruity soda brand 101 A Musketeer 102 Entry fee 105 Stew that’s decidedly not very spicy 107 Durkheim who helped found the

field of sociology 108 Browned at high heat 109 Hit from behind

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DOWN 1 Well formed 2 “Receiving poorly,” in CB lingo 3 Retreats 4 Grazing land 5 Organization of Afro-American

Unity founder 6 1960s group with a fabric-related

name, with “the” 7 Joe can provide it 8 Bell-shaped flower 9 Writer/critic ____ Madison III 10 Hebrew “shalom” to Arabic “salaam,” e.g.

11 Seven Samurai director 12 Unchanging 13 Pinch 14 Drop from one’s Facebook circle 15 Poker-faced 16 Armistice 17 They may hit the ground running 18 Respectable 21 Genius 23 Head turner?

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46 Politico Abzug 47 Members of the flock 48 Of base 8 49 One getting onboarded 50 Made into law 51 Bargain hunter’s delight 52 Margaret Atwood’s ____ and

Crake 55 Standard of living?

57 Country south of Sicily 58 Amazon Prime competitor 59 Ireland, to poets 60 “Rainbow” fish 62 Tax pros, for short 63 They’re located between Samoa

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W A D E D

E V I T E

B L A B

A I D E

B A S S F I D D L E

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