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INSIDE COVER It is officially Pride Week in Oklahoma City, and events throughout the city offer various opportunities to commemorate the Stonewall riots’ golden anniversary while celebrating the accomplishments of Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ+ community. Oklahoma Gazette’s annual Pride issue dives into the new Pride Alliance, the history of Pride and key players who help uplift our local LGBTQ+ community.
BILLY BOB THORNTON
By Gazette staff Cover by Ingvard Ashby
NEWS PRIDE
Rainbow Award winners
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PRIDE rebuilding Pride
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PRIDE
history of Pride
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10 CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS
EAT & DRINK 13 PRIDE Mizu Ramen and Sushi and
Sushi That Wok
Other Room
14 PRIDE Unicorn Brunch at The 16 GAZEDIBLES serving with Pride
An Original Music Docuseries
ARTS & CULTURE 19 PRIDE Oklahoma City Pride overview 20 PRIDE Factory Obscura’s Summer
Solstice Block Party
and Dust Bowl Dolls Burlesque
zone and green zone
S T REA M O N L I N E
PLAYITLOUDSHOW.COM
22 PRIDE Legends & Rebels Showcase 23 PRIDE Oklahoma City Pride red
streaming JULY 25
MIKE McCLURE
24 PRIDE Faces of Pride and Glitter Alley 25 OKG LIFESTYLE Laron Chapman 26 CALENDAR
MUSIC 30 PRIDE music at Pride
32 PRIDE Prettyboy’s My Body Ain’t
No Temple
35 LIVE MUSIC
THE HIGH CULTURE 36 PRIDE dispensaries at Oklahoma
City Pride and Pride at Lost Lakes Health and Wellness Fest
41 PRIDE No Rhyme or Reason Shoppe 44 CANNABIS The Toke Board 44 CANNABIS strain review
FUN
AUGUST 17
COMING SOON
PLAY IT LOUD BENEFIT CONCERT august 22-24
ep expo
october 25-27
native ink tattoo festival
46 ASTROLOGY
47 PUZZLES sudoku | crossword OKG CLASSIFIEDS 47
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NEWS
PRIDE
Luis Miguel Barajas, who performs as “drag thing” Topatío, is proud they were able to honor various LGBTQ+ individuals from all aspects of the community. | Photo Alexa Ace
Legends & Rebels
Pride Week opening ceremonies made history while honoring members of the community working to advance LGBTQ+ rights. By Miguel Rios
Oklahoma City Pride Alliance made history with its opening ceremonies Monday. Mayor David Holt officially declared the third week in June “Pride Week,” Rep. Kendra Horn’s chief of staff Amanda McLain-Snopes presented a congressional citation and eight individuals were recognized for their contributions to OKC’s LGBTQ+ community, along with two grand marshals. For the first time ever, Pride honored eight people with a Rainbow Award — one for each color of the original Pride flag, which was designed by Gilbert Baker in the late ’70s. The idea came to Luis Miguel Barajas and Lauren Zuniga during conversations regarding the grand marshal. “I kind of was just like, ‘Why don’t we just celebrate someone from every aspect of our community? What would that look like?’” said Barajas, who serves on Pride’s entertainment committee. “I remembered Baker’s Pride flag and how every color had a different meaning, and in my mind, that’s so symbolic. I was like, ‘What if we represented all those colors? Let’s get people in tune with what their history is and why those things are so important.’” When discussing the grand marshal, there were concerns about the person receiving the distinction being an ally and not a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “It was actually the best kind of conversation to have because it really is 4
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something that we need to think about. Like, what is grand marshal? It’s a way to honor people in our community, right? I like thinking of it as a lifetime achievement award,” said Lauren Zuniga, Pride Alliance president. “[We’re] keeping grand marshal as something that is for maybe our LGBT elders or someone who has put in a career or lifetime’s worth of work and deserves to be recognized. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t all these other people that need to be recognized.” This year’s grand marshals represent the theme of OKC Pride, Legends & Rebels. Don Little represents the legend, and Margaret Cox represents the rebel, as she has been arrested 14 times for her activism.
Life in color
Baker, a queer artist and activist, created the original Pride flag in 1978 at the suggestion of friends including Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official. Designed to be a new symbol for the LGBTQ+ political movements, it was first raised to commemorate the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. “We came up with the idea together,” Barajas said. “This is how we can represent our community properly. I love queer history so much and getting to represent something that’s been part of our community.” The original eight-stripe flag was
modified to seven stripes following a huge demand that led to the unavailability of hot-pink fabric. In 1979, it was modified again because the center stripe was obscured when hung a certain way. Having the Pride flag with an even number of stripes was the easiest fix. The flag’s colors are symbolic of different aspects of the world, which allowed Pride Alliance to honor people from various professions. Hot pink is sexuality, red is life, orange is healing, yellow is sunlight, green is nature, blue is magic, indigo is serenity and violet is spirit. “The meaning behind each of those colors to me is really exciting because this year, we might interpret it one way and next year, we might interpret it another way. I love that it sort of gives some room for metaphor,” Zuniga said. “On hot pink, which represents sexuality, we’re giving that award to Maria Mancebo, who is the queer inclusive sex educator at the health department. That’s something we desperately need in our schools and community, better sex education.” Mancebo is the clinic access coordinator at Oklahoma City-County Health Department. She has experience with sexuality and gender issues and is an advocate for access to quality sexual and reproductive health care services, particularly for adolescents. “Red means life, and we’re giving that to Michael Moss. He is the longestrunning HIV tester in the city, who’s been working for 20 years in the HIV community. To me, that’s life,” Zuniga said. “Orange is for healing, and that’s Dr. Shauna Lawlis. She is an OU physiShauna Lawlis is receiving the orange Rainbow Award for her work on the OU Medicine Adolescent Medicine Roy G. Biv program, which will have a booth at the festival Saturday. | Photo OU Medicine / provided
cian who’s doing incredible work with their Roy G. Biv program, and they basically help trans kids with any kid of medical stuff that they have.” Lawlis, who works in adolescent medicine at OU Medicine, said the Roy G. Biv program provides patients 10-25 years old with affirming treatment. While undergoing her pediatric residency training, she came to enjoy her rotation in adolescent medicine so much that she decided to pursue a fellowship in that area with an LGBTQ+ component. “I have a lot of family members that are LGBTQ, and I really felt that [if they] had an affirming adult in their life when they were younger, it would have really had a positive impact. I felt like if it can’t be your parents, maybe it can be your doctor,” Lawlis said. “The program existed for several years before I came, and they were seeing transgender patients for several years before I came and started here at OU. … We provide reproductive health counseling, such as testing equipment for STDs, birth control, we deal with menstrual issues, we provide puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones when appropriate. We have a link with various therapists in the community, and we also have two therapists within our own group who are LGBTQ-affirming providers to help get patients the help they need. We work with a statewide network to help provide care to these kids.” The Roy G. Biv program will have a booth at the Pride festival Saturday for people who are interested in learning more. “Yellow is for sunlight, so we’re giving that to Sara Cunningham, who has brought visibility to our community in a way that is just unimaginable. There’s movies being made about her; we definitely want to celebrate her,” Zuniga said. “Visibility is huge; that’s what we need. We need people to see us and know that we’re your neighbors and your doctors and nurses and veterinarians.” Cunningham founded 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 that couples’ parents refuse to attend. Jamie Lee Curtis is set to play Cunningham in a movie about her life. Barajas said he nominated one person for the awards but did not actually know who the recipients were until Monday. “I just could not think of anyone else [to nominate for the green award] than my friend Matt Salcido because they do environmental justice,” Barajas said. “This is a queer out in our community doing environmental justice; like of course we should celebrate this person doing this work.” Turquoise represents magic and creativity, so Zuniga said it felt natural to award that color to a drag performer. “Maria Isabel, that’s their drag name, but their name is Armando Cruz Ortiz,” Zuniga said. “He does the most incredible costumes for people all over the country. He does jewelry and drag pieces for people all over. … He’s helping design Q Space’s phoenix costumes for their float and is always helping to bring magic and creativity to our community. Indigo is serenity, and we’re giving that to Kris Williams, which makes me excited because she’s actually the one that picked every other person. … She is the co-founder and coordinator for Q Space, so she works with the youth, and beyond that, she’s a social worker.”
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Violet represents the spirit of Pride, which was awarded to Ward 2 councilman James Cooper, OKC’s first openly gay councilperson. In April, Freedom Oklahoma organized a procession from the site of the city’s first gay bar to City Hall, an event that paid homage to Milk, who participated in a similar procession following his historic election in San Francisco. “[The 50th anniversary of Stonewall] is important because we want to remember all the people who came before us, anyone since that initial Pride. I want to pay tribute to them,” Barajas said. “The elections are coming up, and we’ve gotta say, ‘We’re here.’ Even if the election does not go in our favor, there is this bustling community of representation that will protect you no matter what the law says, no matter what your family says, no matter what anyone says. During the parade, there is a sea of Oklahomans. That little intersection of Penn and 39th becomes a sea of people that are rooting for you. I think that’s why it’s so important, as Oklahomans especially, to come and be a part of that and make that sea bigger for any kid that needs to say, ‘Oh my gosh! I should keep living.’” Visit oklahomacitypride.org. Lauren Zuniga said mayor David Holt declaring the third week in June Pride Week shows that diversity and inclusion is important for the city. | Photo Alexa Ace
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PRIDE
NEWS
Building pride
Community members pooled resources to build Oklahoma City Pride Alliance and its events from the ground up. By Miguel Rios
Oklahoma City’s Pride events were hosted by Pride, Inc. for decades, but an embezzlement scandal crippled the organization. Lori Honeycutt, former Pride, Inc. president, was charged with one count of felony embezzlement last year, but litigation is still ongoing. Lauren Zuniga, while serving as 39th St. District Association president, encouraged the district to step up and host Pride while Pride, Inc. dealt with the investigation. However, being a commercial district made logistics difficult, and association members were also concerned about liability. “It made the most sense for us just to start our new organization,” said Zuniga, who now serves as Oklahoma City Pride Alliance president. “OKC Pride, Inc. has now voted to dissolve, and the remaining board members — there’s only three of them — are on our team, hanging out and helping us put on this festival. Essentially, it’s all united for Pride, and going forward, the Pride Alliance will be the presenting organization.” The transition from 39th St. District to Pride Alliance was somewhat rocky because it required transferring various assets and accounts quickly. “And we didn’t even have resources from previous years,” Zuniga said. “Lori, the former president, had destroyed pretty much every document, so we didn’t have a list of sponsors we could hit up, we didn’t have a list of vendors we should hit up. We started from scratch; nothing.” Alison Scott, a member of the Pride, Inc. board, said its members have been
helping the district attorney gather information and were told not to discuss the situation, which is why so little information was disclosed. Scott had to recreate the organization’s QuickBook file to rebuild financial records since 2016, and interim president Brandon Odom had to investigate purchases that might not have been Pride, Inc. expenses. “Fast forward to May; at that point, we were done with what we could do by assisting the internal investigation with the DA,” Scott said. “Brandon had decided to go ahead and resign. … After he resigned, the remaining board members wondered, ‘Why are we recreating the wheel? Why don’t we just unite and become part of that great organization?’” She does not know how long dissolving Pride, Inc. will take but is happy the organizations are uniting in time for Pride celebrations. “The next court date for [Honeycutt] is July 10th,” Scott said. “I don’t know what happens after that, and actually, it doesn’t affect us one way or another. ... It’s time for all of us just to move on and move forward and come together. There has been too much separation in the community at times.” Scott has been using her previous experience working with Pride, Inc. as she serves on Pride Alliance’s entertainment committee.
Moving forward
With the pro bono help of Alex Bliss and Jeri Holmes from Nonprofit Solutions, Pride Alliance was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit at the state level and attained a federal tax-exempt status. “We would not exist without them, and I’m still on the phone with Alex on the daily, asking questions about legal stuff,” Zuniga said. “I can’t even think of all the people that are helping, but it’s a lot of people, a lot of community partners who care about Pride. … Sponsorships don’t always come in the form of money, like Nominee did our entire rebranding and this entire pop-up art gallery for free.” Nominee, a local branding company, created the organization’s branding and marketing, even launching photo series Faces of Pride, which has become a pop-up gallery at Wreck Room, 2127 NW 39th St. Urbane Home & Lifestyle, a local home decor store, is designing one of Pride’s VIP areas. “They were like, ‘Normally, we get about six months’ notice on something Rachael Leonhart said people worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make Pride happen and hopes attendees feel welcome and have a great time. | Photo Alexa Ace
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like this, but we’ll make it work,’” Zuniga said. “It’s not the best of circumstances for everyone, but I think people also have that spirit of chipping in. … Another thing that’s pretty cool is that we’re all a real diverse group. We have a lot of contacts in different areas. Like our vice president is Mr. Leather [Bret Streetman]; he’s an attorney for MidFirst Bank. He’s helped us get our accounts set up, and he knows tons of people in different communities that I would never know.” While some of Pride’s community partners reached out on their own, Zuniga said Pride Alliance members were instrumental in acquiring many others. Rachael Leonhart, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma group and community engagement coordinator, is on Pride’s entertainment committee. “One of the things that was a big concern to me was not being able to offer them anything in return except exposure, and I hate that word,” Leonhart said. “I knew it was necessary to pay talent if we wanted quality talent, so I thought about who would be willing to contribute. I’ve got an amazing relationship with Rachel Cope at 84 Hospitality. … She found out I was involved with Pride and said, ‘Let me know how I can help.’” 84 Hospitality Group is one of Pride’s biggest sponsors this year. It is donating money to sponsor the main stage, which will allow Pride to pay all of its performers for the first time ever. “We’re going to have a few big names, and we’re going to be able to pay even the smaller regional local talent something, even drag queens who’ve never been paid before,” Zuniga said. “84 Hospitality stepped up and gave us money for that main stage because they wanted to see good entertainment. So it’s like, if you want something at Pride, step up and make it happen, and that’s what people have done.”
Coming together
Luis Miguel Barajas said they attended the first Pride meeting in January, which was encouraging because there was so much diversity, something they are deeply passionate about. “There was young and old people there, there was people of all colors, the whole spectrum of people,” they said. “AC [Facci], who is nonbinary, was up there, and I also identify as nonbinary – I use
Alison Scott said Pride’s new leadership is much more professional and organized than it has been in the past. | Photo Miguel Rios
all pronouns. Just to see them up there was like, ‘Oh my gosh! This year is making a wave of change, so I want to be part of this.’ … I had spoken at the meeting a couple times on the mic. I was like, ‘I’m taking action. We need people of color. We need young people. We need to make sure all of these people are included.’” Barajas, who also serves on the entertainment committee, said they are encouraged by Pride Alliance’s focus on inclusion. Urban Pride, which has historically held its own separate events designed for queer people of color, is now hosting events under the Pride Alliance umbrella. “It’s a big thing, especially in a Midwestern state that is predominantly white,” Barajas said. “Urban Pride comes out of wanting to have Pride that is an intersection between being a person of color and LGBT, which is always hard to celebrate itself because there’s cultural differences.” Barajas performs as Topatío, which they refer to as a “drag thing” for their unique, nonfeminine aesthetic. They perform on the main stage 9-10 p.m. at Friday’s block party on 39th Street. They will also have shows at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Wreck Room. “I feel really fortunate to be able to work with someone like Lauren Zuniga because she’s so good at pulling in positive, enthusiastic people,” Leonhart said. “It makes my job easier having a leader like her who is going to pick up the phone if it’s late in the evening. ... There will be time when I say, ‘Lauren, I don’t know about this.’ And she hears me out and she says, ‘I hear where you’re coming from. I’ll take care of it,’ and she always takes care of whatever the concern is. To see someone have that kind of pull through for such a thankless position she’s in right now is inspiring.” Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
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NEWS
Rainbow uprising
Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ+ community reckons with its past while dealing with modern concerns. By Nikita Lewchuk
Much of the history of the LGBTQ+ community centers on its relationship with law enforcement. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which took place in New York and are widely regarded as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Stonewall Inn was a bar for members of the LGBTQ+ community during the mid-20th century and was frequently raided by police, who would charge patrons with masquerading — meant to target transgender people wearing clothing not typical of their birth sex — indecent exposure or other vague misdemeanors. These interactions between members of law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community occurred regularly throughout the ’50s and ’60s but came to a head June 6, 1969, at Stonewall Inn. Members of the LGBTQ+ community who had been harassed by law enforcement for years turned what would have been a routine bar raid into a riot that would spark change in the LGBTQ+ rights movement for decades. Tessa White served as a member of law enforcement in New Hampshire for 20 years before retiring as a detective sergeant in 2008. Now, she lives in Oklahoma City and is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community. “There were times when [LGBTQ+ people] would come in, possibly complaining about somebody assaulting them, and the officer takes the report and says, ‘Look. We don’t have time for this. You’re never going to get a conviction anyway, so just try to stay out of this person’s way,’ instead of treating them like a citizen and saying, ‘Let’s go ahead and file a report, do an investigation and be professional about it,’” White said.
Lauren Zuniga, Oklahoma City Pride Alliance president, said she wanted to focus on honoring LGBTQ+ history and educating more people. She hopes that people attending will learn about the history of the LGBTQ+ community locally and nationally. “What we found when we announced [the theme] was that a lot of people didn’t know what Stonewall was, especially straight people,” Zuniga said, “but even in our community, young people didn’t know what it was.” Oklahoma’s LGBTQ+ community, as is the case with much of the Midwest, is often overlooked in favor of places such as New York City or California. But the LGBTQ+ community has existed in Oklahoma City since its very foundation, said Aaron Bachhofer, associate dean of social sciences at Rose State University. Bachhofer wrote in his dissertation that Oklahoma has had several distinct areas that served as meeting places for the LGBTQ+ community. The corner of Santa Fe and Sheridan avenues — at the time called Grand Avenue — was known at one point as Hell’s Half Acre due to the amount of taboo activity that took place there. “Even when Grand Avenue became a central thoroughfare in a bustling downtown Oklahoma City after World War II, it was still home to some of the most notorious nightspots in the city, gay and straight,” Bachhofer wrote. “This was an environment where residents expressed non-normative behavior more openly, if only slightly so; a place where alternative sexualities might be exhibited with little notice.” “Make no mistake,” he said. “Oklahoma City has always had a queer presence. The LGBTQ+ community in OKC certainly has
made tremendous gains over the last 20 years or so. However, the roots of that success extend back into the 1940s and 1950s when brave men and women lived their truths, opened and patronized bars dedicated to their visibility and fought back against harassment in a myriad of ways.” Angles, a now closed LGBTQ+ nightclub, had so many run-ins with local law enforcement that the owner of the bar at the time filed a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma City in 1983. The suit was settled outside of court, with the city council agreeing to pay the owners of Angles $1 in damages and nearly $29,000 in legal fees. The settlement also established an injunction against OKC police to respect the civil rights of Angles patrons and employees and undergo sensitivity training.
Living healthy
Health care can also be fraught for LGBTQ+ people, whether it concerns treatment for HIV, gender reassignment surgery or even legal next of kin. But Oklahoma’s LGBTQ+ community has made progress in recent years when it comes to finding affirming and accessible health care options that cater to their needs. Randolph Hubach, director of Oklahoma State University’s Sexual Health Research Lab, noticed the need for more targeted care in non-coastal areas. “I got my doctoral degree at Indiana University, and then I specifically came to Oklahoma so that I could do some work within a rural community,” Hubach said. “When we think about LGBTQ health in general, a lot of the research Randolph Hubach, director of Oklahoma State University’s Sexual Health Research Lab, moved to Oklahoma when he realized non-coastal areas of the country needed more focused health care. | Photo provided
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Tessa White was a member of law enforcement in New Hampshire for 20 years and now lives in Oklahoma City and is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community. | Photo Alexa Ace
comes out of major metropolitan cities, what I call the bicoastals: California, New York, Atlanta, maybe up in Chicago or Miami. But we really overlook some of these other states like Oklahoma.” Hubach said that lack of trust between doctors and patients can frequently lead to inadequate care. “[Members of the LGBTQ community] were less likely to disclose, and most of that was attributed to the fact that individuals felt that if they disclosed to their physician, something about their relationship would change,” Hubach said. “The big, kind of, call out to the medical community is, How do we create inclusive and welcoming environments that allow for individuals to feel safe and to be open and honest with their providers?” Even so, Hubach sees this issue as steadily moving in the right direction. In much the same way that the underlying culture of law enforcement is shifting toward inclusiveness, he said the culture of the medical community will have to change as well. “Behavior change is difficult, and it’s often short-lived,” Hubach said. “If we want to exercise, many people say, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ or if we change your behavior, maybe it’s the beginning of the year. Some maybe last until February. You need conducive environments that support that. Ultimately, we need legislatures that are receptive, proactive and that want to create environments that are open and welcoming to all Oklahomans. … We all play a role when it comes to health, and LGBTQ health is just the health of everyone.”
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chicken
friedNEWS
Funky town
A for Ally
In our younger and more vulnerable years, Chicken Fried News’ father gave us some advice that we have been turning over in our minds ever since: “Whoever smelt it,” he said, “dealt it.” Following flooding in the Tulsa area, however, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) reportedly offered residents a somewhat different suggestion. “If something doesn’t smell right or look right, we tell people to call our hotline,” Erin Hatfield, ODEQ’s director of communications, told Tulsa World earlier this month. While some smells — the sour stench of rotten vegetation, for example — might not be cause for concern, strong chemical or sewage stank can indicate serious issues that require professional remediation. Even free of toxic chemicals and fecal matter (And who among us can make such a claim?) standing water can pose a health hazard as a breeding ground for bacteria and mosquitoes. State health officials have confirmed at least three cases of humans testing positive for mosquito-borne West Nile virus this summer, but you still should not call ODEQ’s hotline (800-522-0206) to tell them you “just got a big ol’ whiff of ’skeeter sex wafting up off the crick.” And you should most definitely not tell them your name is “oil billionaire Harold Hamm.” Even before the flooding, U.S. News & World Report ranked Oklahoma as the second worst (or, more optimistically, 49th best) state for air and water quality, but Gina Gould Peek, housing and consumer specialist with Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension, offered some words of encouragement for anyone whose olfactory organs are overpowered by floodwater funk. “Eventually things will balance out,” Peek told Tulsa World, “and lo and behold, we will be in a drought again before we know it.”
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Oklahoma is in a unique position to have its interesting news and images go viral across the country and world because the vast majority of outsiders think the state — especially rural areas — is lucky to have electricity or monolithic conservative viewpoints. Hulbert resident Cody Barlow became an internet sensation when he posted a photo of his 1991 Chevrolet Silverado with a rainbow on its tailgate and the message “Not all country boys are bigots. Happy Pride Month.” Barlow posted the photo to his Facebook page after he missed the Pride parade in Tulsa, hoping to share a message of compassion, he said in an interview with CNN. The Facebook post has received over 130 thousands positive “likes” and been shared over 78 thousand times. His photo also made it to the front page of Reddit. “I was trying to reach anyone it would help,” Barlow, who identifies as heterosexual, said in an interview with CNN. “People H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
are sending me these stories, telling me what they’ve dealt with over the years, telling me they were tearing up and crying while reading the post.” He said that initially, the post was hit with negative comments from people in surrounding communities and he considered deleting it, but eventually, positive comments began flowing in like a wave. “I realized that anything that comes my way doesn’t affect me on a personal level in the same way it affects the LGBTQ community. This is the kind of stuff they have to deal with all the time," he said. Cis privilege recognized, Cody. That’s the kind of true compassion that makes the world a better place, not the sanctimonious kind. In celebration of the full-spectrum LGBTQIA+ community this Pride Month (and every other month), Barlow gets an A for ally.
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forecasts wrong, but it seems like the state has a new team to rely on for the most accurate information. Last week, Greg Howell of Oklahoma City’s Parks & Recreation department posted a Facebook video in which he gave a live weather report with other city employees. Standing on a bridge overlooking a flooded highway and reporting for, of course, Channel 69 News, the fake meteorologists provided nothing but the truth, which is all we ever ask for. “It’s another day on the field,” says one employee. “It’s out here raining wet. You know, we’re slipping and sliding; ain’t nothing new.” It is not long before “chief meteorologist” Howell takes over, and even though he keeps his jacket on, you can tell things are serious. “We’re on 25th and Grand. We’re reporting live. What we got back here is I-44 headed toward Lawton. Things are submerged about 7 feet high,” he says as rain continues to pour on the weather team. “We’re hoping that it subsides. We got a nice wind coming out of the west at about 15-26 miles per hour. It’s usually in 5 to 10 increments, but today it’s 15 to 26. … This is Channel 69 News, where it gets nasty as the weather.” It is all clearly done in good fun, but unfortunately, that fun happened during the workday, which is never allowed. KFOR reached out to Doug
Kupper, Parks & Rec director, who unlike his television counterpart Ron Swanson, did not appreciate the employees taking the video while in uniform. “On the surface, this doesn’t appear to be appropriate behavior. If they are city employees, it wouldn’t be proper behavior while in city uniform,” Kupper said. “I just need to look into it further.” Howell told KFOR he would be ready to “face the music” if it came down to that but there was honestly nothing malicious in the video. But if Howell moves on from Parks & Rec, he should definitely look into becoming a meteorologist. After all, as fictional Swanson wisely said, “Never half-ass two things. Wholeass one thing.”
JUNE 22, 2019 | 8AM-8PM MAIN STREET, SHAWNEE, OK A celebration of the #plantslant lifestyle in Pottawatomie Co EAT WISELY MOVE NATURALLY CONNECT LIVE WITH PURPOSE @Foods4LifeFestival
In conjunction with Safe Events for Families Shawnee Trails: Art, Wine, & Brewers Fest and hosted by Blue Zones Project Pottawatomie County Food Environment Committee VENDOR REGISTRATION: FORM.JOTFORM.COM/SEFFSHAWNEE/FOODS4LIFE-VENDORS
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Diversity niche
Mizu Ramen and Sushi creates a niche, offering unique broth and roll preparations. By Jacob Threadgill
Even after opening just over a month ago, Mizu Ramen and Sushi has already developed a string of regular customers thanks to its commitment to a variety of ramen preparations in addition to an extensive sushi menu that offers both fusion and traditional preparation. Located at 12124 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mizu is the product of owner Sammie Tan’s love of food and high-end sushi training. “Growing up, my mom always had a restaurant, and I was cutting chicken at 10 years old. So I guess it started my love of food,” Tan said. “I loved to cook, eat and when I have time, we go out to eat; that’s what we do.” While in nursing school at the University of Oklahoma, Tan got a parttime job at Sushi Neko, where she got an introduction to sushi preparation. After becoming a nurse and still dreaming of a life in the restaurant industry, she heard about an opportunity to become a sushi chef at Takah Sushi in Aspen, Colorado, which was the city’s oldest sushi restaurant — open for over 30 years before closing in 2015 due to rising rent cost. “Sushi Neko is more fusion cuisine, and I got more traditional training in Aspen,” Tan said. “I learned from an older gentleman that worked with sushi for over 50 years. Aspen was a different environment because it is a destination for the super rich; a lot of people fly up there on private jets. The [Takah Sushi] owner had to provide housing because rent was so expensive and it was so hard to find good sushi chefs.” She took her training from Aspen and experience with fusion-style sushi to offer both styles of preparation at Mizu. Tan is quick behind the counter, where she cuts both sashimi and nigiri
preparations of fresh and cooked seafood. She even has “new style” sashimi with dishes like salmon carpaccio, seared tuna and jalapeño yellowtail. Mizu has over 30 fusion-style sushi rolls in which Tan offers something she said is unique for the market: riceless rolls. The Marilyn Monroll is tuna, salmon, yellowtail, crab salad, cucumber and avocado wrapped in soy paper and topped with house vinaigrette. “A lot of people like that because they don’t see a lot of rolls without rice,” Tan said. “People like it because it is light and fresh for the summer and not heavy with rice.” In the same way Mizu is creating a niche in the market by offering riceless sushi, it is doing the same with unique ramen preparations in an area of Oklahoma City without a ramen restaurant. “We already have a lot of repeat customers,” Tan said. “They say that they’re happy they don’t have to go Midtown, Uptown or Memorial. They like this area. We’re a small, comfortable and friendly restaurant; we’re not trying to be too bougie; we just want to provide good food and for you to have fun when you come in.” She said Mizu is selling 75-80 bowls of ramen per day, with about half of those orders being the traditional porkbased broth tonkatsu with pork belly (shoyu) that has been slow-cooked in a sous vide for 14 hours, a soft-boiled egg (ajitama), mushrooms (kikurage) and fermented bamboo shoots (menma). Tan boils pork bones for at least 11 hours to create a sumptuous broth that is the base for her most popular dish. “It took a lot of experimenting [to create the pork broth],” she said. “I probably wasted $1,000 worth of bones to come up with a combination that is the best.” While the tonkatsu is the most popular because it is one people are used to in the market, Mizu also offers miso ramen based off the pork broth, veggie ramen made with mushrooms and soy, spicy seafood ramen with a broth made from blue crab and mazemen, a brothless ramen that Tan said is becoming popular on the West Coast. “I make the seafood ramen a little spicy,” Tan said. “I like spicy Seafood ramen with shrimp, scallops and clams | Photo Alexa Ace
The Marylin Monroll is a roll made without rice. | Photo Alexa Ace
things and want to provide an alternative that other ramen restaurants don’t have. It’s the same idea with the mazeman. In the summer heat, you don’t always want to eat broth, so we offer it as an option.”
Pride on display
Mizu is creating its niche by offering a variety of options, and it continues its mission of making everyone feel welcome by hosting a June 29 Pride dinner drag show, Sushi That Wok, organized by Rolando Hernandez, who works at Mizu and performs as Shalula. Hernandez is competing for the Miss Gay Oklahoma title after earning Miss Gay Enid earlier this year. They began performing drag about two years ago and takes pride in incorporating Latinx representation into upbeat performances. “I like anything upbeat that I can move and make sure the audience’s attention is captured,” Hernandez said. “I try to stay away from stuff that is slow so I don’t have to walk around; I like moving and interacting with the crowd. There is a lack of Latinx representation, and it’s based on the Latin nonbinary community.” The event begins at 8 p.m. with a dinner with drag queens to meet other performers like Alizay Z Paige, Gillette, Mary Janovia, Preston Waters and Pariis Nicole Davenport Brooks. The sushi bar will remain open during the show that begins shortly after 9 p.m. “I have a diverse group with different people on the spectrum of drag,” Hernandez said. “I’ll have trans entertainers, nonbinary, the typical pageant beauty queen to the club kid, outlandish performers. I try to touch every base of the spectrum to have a variety because people like different things. Even if they haven’t experienced it, it will be the best way to see the variety we have the drag community in the city.” Hernandez got the inspiration for
Takoyaki, a fried octopus dumpling | Photo Alexa Ace
their stage name while watching the Oxygen reality television show Bad Girls Club, where one of the subjects, added a “sha” to a lot of words, kind of like pop star Cardi B. They said the name is supposed to be fun and a subtle homage to the hot sauce Cholula. “I say drag queens are the soldiers of the gay community because we’re putting ourselves out there for people,” they said. “It’s about [the audience] feeling safe in an area with people so that they can be themselves. I’m 6-foot2 as a man, but if they can see me in heels, wig, makeup and this stuff, then that gives them an opportunity to be themselves.” Visit facebook.com/mizuokc.
Sushi That Wok Mizu Ramen and Sushi 12124 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 8 p.m. June 29 facebook.com/mizuokc | 405-810-5100 $5
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Jovial brunch
After the Pride parade, enjoy the whimsy of Unicorn Brunch at The Other Room. By Jacob Threadgill
The fantastic beauty and magic of the unicorn has existed for millennia, with depictions dating to the Bronze Age era in the Indus Valley, and they continue to serve the same connection to wonder in modern day. The Other Room, 3009 Paseo St., is taking inspiration from the unicorn for its monthly “party” brunch normally held the third Sunday of every month and moving it to the fourth Sunday this month in conjunction with Pride weekend in Oklahoma City. “We wanted to do [the unicorn brunch] Pride Sunday since the parade is now on Saturday,” said Kindt Steven Myers, director of hospitality at Humankind Hospitality Services, which includes The Other Room, Picasso Cafe, Oso on Paseo and upcoming Frida that will open mid to late July. “There’s more opportunity because people aren’t saving up all day Sunday to go to the [past year’s] 6 p.m. parade.” Myers, who served as OKC Pride president in 2013 and 2014, began organizing Sunday brunches at The Other Room last summer. It offers brunch every Sunday, but once a month, it has a party atmosphere, often around the theme of the unicorn. “The unicorn symbolizes magic; bright and happy magic,” Myers said. “So that means celebrating the magic of Pride and the people celebrating their individuality, but that individuality is also what brings them together and finding commonalities to celebrate.” Reservations made by calling Picasso Cafe are encouraged for the 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. brunch. The full menu, including monthly specials, from Picasso Cafe is available. The Other Room will offer Pride-themed frozen drinks topped with cotton candy. June specials at Picasso Cafe include a summer panzanella with heirloom tomatoes, toasted baguette pieces, shaved red onion, cucumber, sweet basil and smoked caciovera cheese. A chipotle lime mushroom-tofu burger is topped with coleslaw with vegan chimichurri mayonnaise, grilled avocado and sweet potato chips. Honey chipotle barbecue chicken is served with charred shishito peppers and bacon potato salad, mustard braised baked beans and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, lemon and lavender tiramisu is lemon ladyfingers topped with lavender whipped cream, shaved white chocolate, lavender flowers and lemon tulle. “We fill the space with balloons, put a giant unicorn on the roof, a big inflatable unicorn out front and serve cotton candy to every table,” Myers said. “It’s a party atmosphere. We play unicorn
videos on the television, have Lisa Frank coloring books, and the whole thing is lighthearted and jovial.” Beginning around noon, The Other Room will host drag queens Renee Hilton and Bebe Adams, and Myers mentioned that it is proper etiquette to bring dollar bills for tipping the performers. Former Other Room head bartender Brandon Walker will serve as master of ceremonies. The Other Room recently went through a renovation in which the old, smoky bar was fitted with new booths, lights, a television and bar stools. Myers, who is the project manager for construction projects, raised the booths so guests are now at eye level with patrons at the bar. During the renovation, they lowered the ceiling and covered the exhaust fan because it is no longer a smoking-friendly space. Before one brunch, Myers cut a hole into the ceiling and put together an apparatus to suspend an aerial dancer from the old exhaust fan. “We’ll always have one or two surprises during brunch,” he said. “We’ve had wild animals like pythons and lemurs; it’s wild and fun. We’ll have special something in store for the upcoming unicorn brunch.”
Kindt Steven Myers with Unicorn Brunch’s inflatable unicorn mascot | Photo provided
The introduction of brunch service at The Other Room came with the renovation, which Myers said was necessary, as The Paseo Arts District continues to change around it. “The bar is growing up, but that’s the case for the whole neighborhood,” he said. “There’s enough new foot traffic in this neighborhood that we have to raise the bar because the kids who were grungy with it and thought it was fun are growing up. The new organic foot traffic isn’t emotionally attached enough to the old ways.” As a former OKC Pride president, Myers is encouraged by the work of Lauren Zuniga, who has reorganized Pride festivities under Oklahoma City Pride Alliance after last year’s embezzlement turmoil under Oklahoma City Pride. “Lauren is a rock star and working so hard,” Myers said. “She’s taking a lot of care and has plenty of reason to make sure it’s done right. … She’s not seeking profit by getting thousands of people [to 39th Street]; it really is all about community for her.” Visit picassosonpaseo.com/aboutother-room.
Unicorn Brunch: Pride Edition 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday The Other Room 3009 Paseo St. picassosonpaseo.com/about-other-room 405-602-2002 Free admissions (reservations encouraged)
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Prideful eats
In honor of Pride Week in Oklahoma City, we’re highlighting restaurants that are offering something special for Pride Month or that go out of their way to make sure everyone feels comfortable with menu selection, service and location. By Jacob Threadgill with Gazette / file and provided photos
Good Times
1234 N. Western Ave. facebook.com/goodtimesok 405-609-3647
This bar is becoming the go-to spot to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars and it is LGBTQ-friendly and offers one of the largest and best patios in the city where you can enjoy one of their alcoholic pouches, which are basically adult Capri Sun. Don’t forget about their kitchen, which has plenty of vegetarian options, as well.
¡Revolución!
Pizzeria Gusto
With a margarita in hand, there are few better places to unwind than Revolución’s back patio. 84 Hospitality Group is a sponsor of Pride’s music on Saturday, and you can return the favor by checking out its menu at Revolución that got a revamp at the start of the year by adding fingerling potatoes cooked in pork fat, a new eponymous salad and pork rib carnitas.
The bartenders at Pizzeria Gusto do an excellent job of keeping drinks up-todate with seasonal selections, like the patio punch, which is best enjoyed on Gusto’s great outside section. The drink combines raspberries, honeydew, lemon, raspberry syrup, ocean vodka and Topo Chico.
916 NW Sixth St. revolucionokc.com | 405-606-6184
2415 N. Walker Ave. pizzeria-gusto.com | 405-437-4992
Community Pride. We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go. OKG remains steadfast in our mission to tell the stories of LGBTQIA Oklahomans and ensure the language we use evolves as our awareness grows.
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Hopdoddy Burger Bar
1316 W. Memorial Road, Suite 100 hopdoddy.com | 405-751-7200
This Austin-based chain has two locations in Oklahoma City and is celebrating Pride Month by offering the Born This Way Burger through July 2. Your choice of patty is topped with spicy sweet jalapeño jam, crispy onions and fennel mayo.
The Merret
6464 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills themerret.com | 405-848-6464
The metro’s first champagne bar is the kind of place to be yourself and let loose. It offers DJs and live music on the weekends, but even during the week, it has music to dance to. Have fun with frosé [frozen rosé] or tap into your college days with a Chambong, a combination beer bong and champagne flute.
Sunnyside Diner
824 SW 89th St. eatatsunnyside.com | 405-703-0011
This modern diner concept has been one of the biggest breakouts in the Oklahoma City metro not only because of its elevated spin on classics but also because it does great work for the community’s less fortunate with its community closet and street team care packages. Between those programs and Sunnyside’s huge plant-based menu, it shows it has a commitment to making everyone feel welcome.
Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge
900 W. Main St. maryeddysokc.com | 405-982-6960
The excellent bar at Mary Eddy’s has a special drink on its menu in honor of Pride Month with its proceeds being donated to the Oklahoma chapter of Free Mom Hugs. The Story Within drink combines El Jimador Reposado tequila, Turmeon Vermouth Rosé, raspberry and rose simple syrup and lychee puree for a drink so red that it epitomizes the life section of the Pride flag.
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i r F & s r u h T 1 1 e / g 0 a l l 3 i V 7: n e v a h k o @Bro y a d r u t a S 1 1 / 6:30 rews Park d n A @ Norman’s
Free, family friendly festival www.jazzinjune.org
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ARTS & CULTURE
PRIDE
Now under new management, Oklahoma City Pride features an expanded festival along with the annual Pride Parade. | Photo Bigstock.com
Abundant Pride
Oklahoma City Pride returns strong with an expanded event schedule and something for everyone. By George Lang
Pride endures in Oklahoma City 32 years after a few hundred pioneering members of the city’s LGBTQ+ community took to the area surrounding NW 39th Street for the first celebration. It was a needed evolution in OKC’s cultural profile that amplified timely issues such as the AIDS epidemic and the painful discrimination that was widely condoned in that era. Over the course of the past three decades, Oklahoma City Pride has grown substantially as timeworn societal barriers fell and the celebration became a rallying point for everyone working to make the city a more inclusive community. AC Facci, an Oklahoma organizer at Planned Parenthood Great Plains and one of OKC Pride’s 2019 Faces of Pride, described the event as an ideal vision of what society can and should be. “For me, Pride means having one month, one week or even just one day where we get a glimpse of the queer future we deserve,” Facci wrote as part of their Faces of Pride profile. “It means seeing each other for who we really are — without shame, restraint, hesitation or fear.”
This year signals another first as a new organization, Oklahoma City Pride Alliance, rebuilds the event with an eye toward that future. With an increased emphasis on entertainment and a new plan ensuring that revelers of all ages can enjoy Pride, the event features an expanded roster of performers, separate sections that are child- and adultfriendly and an overarching theme celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that gave birth to the modern LGBTQ+ movement. This year’s Oklahoma City Pride is Friday and Saturday beginning with 5 p.m. Friday street closures on NW 39th Street and Barnes Avenue followed by tent-raising and the 8 p.m. Silent Unite for Pride party at Angles, 2117 NW 39th St. Silent Unite features three DJs playing different dance mixes through provided wireless headphones, creating an outwardly quiet party that still rages. Meanwhile, live and loud music begins 8 p.m. on the main stage located in Angles’ parking lot, and Factory Obscura hosts its Summer Solstice Block Party featuring performance art, roller skating and food trucks on NW Ninth
Street east of Automobile Alley. Festivalgoers can begin staking out their territory along the parade route at 10 a.m. Saturday for the annual OKC Pride Parade. The theme of this year’s noon-2 p.m. parade is Legends & Rebels, celebrating the people who fought bravely for LGBTQ+ rights, beginning with the Stonewall riots in which demonstrators protested against a police raid that took place in the early hours of June 28, 1969, at Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. For two days, riots escalated around the bar as members of the LGBTQ+ community protested unfair treatment by New York City Police Department. Legends & Rebels commemorates those pioneering activists along with people in Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ+ community who gave rise to the city’s Pride movement. This year’s festival, which begins following the parade, is split into zones to help maximize fun based on age and/or sensitivity. The green zone extends along NW 39th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Youngs Boulevard, featuring booths and entertainment appropriate for all ages. In the red zone, located between NW 39th and NW 40th streets on Barnes Avenue, all bets are off with dispensaries, adult-themed entertainment and kink gear on full display. Entertainment will be spread throughout the 39th Street District with booths and activities taking place at multiple locations throughout the festival. Diversity Center of Oklahoma, 2242 NW 39th St., stages its Diversity Health Fair beginning 3 p.m. Saturday and featuring LGBTQ+ health and wellness information as well a karaoke stage for young partiers. Expressions Community Center, 2245 NW 39th St., hosts a community plaza featuring booths for LGBTQ+ supporting community partners and nonprofits as well as games and food trucks. Penn Automotive, 2104 NW 39th St., hosts its Family Zone with inflatables, games and activities along with a nursing area, and Angles continues to host its main stage featuring live music by Lincka, Original Flow and The Fervent Route and other local and regional musicians as well as drag performances. Angles is also ground zero for food trucks and the main beer tent at the festival. Apothecary 39 and Wreck Room, 2125-27 NW 39th St., offer more artsfocused vendors and activities, including the Legends & Rebels wall celebrating important figures in the history of the Pride movement. This year, Wreck Room is Pride Headquarters, offering official Pride merchandise and serving as home to Faces of Pride. The exhibition, which opened June 8, celebrates Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ+ leaders and rising stars, ranging from Floyd Martin Jr., OKC’s “gay mayor” and longtime activist, to Ward 2 Oklahoma City coun-
cilman James Cooper and Oklahoma Gazette photographer Alexa Ace. While parking can be a challenge in the immediate vicinity of Oklahoma City Pride, the festival runs its Pride Shuttle Service every 15 minutes between Shepherd Mall, 2401 NW 23rd St., and the festival area and also runs a shuttle between the festival and First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker Ave. Three VIP tents operate throughout the festival, with access passes available for $100 per person. Oklahoma City Pride concludes with a massive after-party. Lost Lakes Entertainment Complex, 3501 NE 10th St., hosts a self-care event 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Sunday. Sponsored by Treehouse Dispensary, Urban Pride and Asa Leveaux Queer School, the event includes live performances, a beach party, full access to Lost Lakes’ inflatable play area and health and wellness vendors. In addition, Self Care Sunday is medical cannabis-friendly, so license-holders can breathe easy. Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
Oklahoma City Pride Friday-Sunday 39th St. District NW 39th Street between Classen and Youngs boulevards oklahomacitypride.org Free
Silent Unite for Pride 8-11 p.m. Friday Angles 2117 NW 39th St. oklahomacitypride.org Free
Summer Solstice Block Party Friday-Sunday Factory Obscura 25 NW Ninth St. factoryobscura.com Free
OKC Pride Parade noon-2 p.m. Saturday 39th Street from Classen Boulevard to Youngs Boulevard oklahomacitypride.org Free
Pride at Lost Lakes Health & Wellness Fest 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday Lost Lakes Entertainment Complex 3501 NE 10th St. facebook.com/pg/urbanprideevents $10-$15 | Free
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ARTS & CULTURE
All Welcom e
All s Activite Free
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OJaS
PRIDE
and
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890). Daisies, Arles (detail), 1888. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Photo: Travis Fullerton. © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
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Solstice soirée
Factory Obscura kicks off Pride Weekend with a three-day Summer Solstice Block Party. By Jacob Threadgill
The artists and creative team with Factory Obscura are busy working on the second phase of its Mix-Tape installation that debuts Sept. 21, but that is not stopping it from its biggest solstice party yet. Summer Solstice Block Party held outside Factory Obscura, 25 NW Ninth St., is a three-day event that begins 7:45 p.m. Friday with a dramatic March of the Sun King performance that blends visual artists, musicians, dancers and performers and is inspired by the Beatles’ Abbey Road song “Here Comes the Sun” and ends with a literal passing of the torch to kick off festivities for Pride Weekend in Oklahoma City. “At Factory Obscura, we believe the future is collaboration, and we believe everyone can be in on that collaboration,” said co-founder Tammy Greenman. “When we had this opportunity to throw this big event and it happened to coincide with the Pride Weekend festivities, we felt like that was a way to start kicking off Pride Weekend and to have this community conversation where we believe everyone is welcome at the collaborative table.” Oklahoma City Pride Alliance and Freedom Oklahoma are among sponsors for the block party that shuts down Ninth Street to place a skating rink in the road that serves as the anchor for all three days of activities. Factory Obscura is selling Pride T-shirts with proceeds that will be split between OKC Pride Alliance and Freedom Oklahoma after their costs are recouped. The skating rink is free, and skates are provided.
“We want to make sure we are creating a community and world where we can all be safe and who we are,” Greenman said. “We want everyone to feel welcome. This is just a step in the process to fulfill that future process.” Factory Obscura typically plans event and installation parties around solstices and equinoxes. Last year’s Beyond exhibit held a Halloweenthemed fall equinox party, but the team was busy working on that installation during the summer solstice. “We want the block party to be the first of an annual event,” said co-founder Laura Massenat. “It won’t look the same every year, but it won’t get smaller. It might get weirder, but it certainly won’t get smaller.” Friday’s festivities last until 1 a.m. and also include DJ Carte Blanche, aura photography, projection art on the front windows of the Factory Obscura building and an appearance by Wondervan Pops popsicle van. Access to guest artist The Flaming Lips’ interactive installation The King’s Mouth, which is like an immersive kaleidoscope set to music, is open all weekend, as is the Mix-Tape gift shop, which features new items for the block party and Pride Weekend. The giant interactive boom box on the exterior of the building continues with 24/7 access. The March of the Sun King builds off last year’s mutli-disciplinary performance that sold out all of its shows in conjunction with the Beyond installation. Oklahoma City band The So Help
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Fernanda Salazar-Casanova, Isiah Threatt and Hope Gillespie preview Glow Alley for Saturday’s Summer Solstice Block Party. | Photo Evan Beasley / provided
Me’s are working with dancers, singers and other musicians for another performance. The March of the Sun King includes audience participation and leads spectators on a procession in Automobile Alley before kicking off the block party and opening the skating rink. “The participation from the community takes everything over the top,” Greenman said. “They’re the magical component.” Even as Factory Obscura is working on its second phase of Mix-Tape that will expand its footprint to 6,000 square feet, its founders said they feel emboldened to take on more projects as they get increased support from the city. “Things are changing in Oklahoma City and lots of cities,” said co-founder Kelsey Karper. “The communities are starting to recognize the value that arts and cultures brings economically, socially and culturally. I think in the past, it’s been more of an anecdotal thing — ‘Oh, it’s nice to have those things,’ — but now there is recognition of those things for a community. People outside of the arts and culture community are The March of the Sun King | Photo David Burkhart / provided
recognizing it in a way that people inside that community have known forever.” “I think the world is changing, the tides are turning and we’re hitting a tipping point,” Greenman said. “I think we’re ready for a future that is positive, inclusive and real and sustainable. It feels like we’re building that momentum to that point.” Following the conclusion of Saturday’s Pride festival, the block party picks back up at 6 p.m. The Future of Sound session combines pop artist Lincka with hip-hop artist LTZ and is a collaboration sponsored by Tower Theatre at 6:45 p.m. Local poets read at a Poetry and Chill session beginning at 8 p.m. The western alleyway by Factory Obscura has been turned into Glow Alley and features a black-light runway, glow-in-the-dark body painting by Factory Obscura artists, LED flow artists, hula-hoopers and more and also begins at 8 p.m. “We’re encouraging the community to come and light things up on your own, dress up and wear lots of colors,” Greenman said. The block party concludes Sunday with a family fun day that kicks off with morning yoga led by YogaLab at 11 a.m. In addition to the skating rink, there are tie-dye stations to which guests can bring their own clothing to color or buy blank shirts for $5-$10. Sunday also includes face painting and henna tattoos and an appearance by MVP Photo Booth. “We want to show Oklahoma, and quite frankly the rest of the country, that there is stuff happening in Oklahoma; it’s not boring,” Karper said. “There are fun people and interesting things.” Visit factoryobscura.com.
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Summer Solstice Block Party Friday-Sunday Factory Obscura 25 NW Ninth St. factoryobscura.com Free
Join KGOU, KOSU and StateImpact Oklahoma for a community conversation Your voice matters – bring your comments and questions as we wrap up the last election season and look ahead to 2020.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25 5:30pm-7pm
Waters Edge Winery 712 N. Broadway Ave. Oklahoma City Let us know you are attending at www.kgou.org O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9
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PRIDE
ARTS & CULTURE
Royal rebels
Drag and burlesque performers celebrate the legends and rebels of Pride’s past and present. By Jeremy Martin
Named for Nintendo mascot Mario’s dinosaur sidekick famous for the nearly irresistible pull of his prehensile tongue, OKC drag king Yoshi combines hip-hop dance moves with the attitude of a stud stripper. “My persona kind of mixes those two things together,” Yoshi said. “So Yoshi as a performer is just really sexual; he has a strong sexual energy with the females that he encounters. … I’m definitely going to go out there and be as wild as I can be within my realm of being.” Yoshi — along with Lady K, Tape, Gizele Monáe, Pariis Nycole Davenport Brooks, Kye, Damian Matrix-Gritte, Alizay Z Paige, Mulan Rouge, Bastian Cox, Topatío, EJ St. James and Crystal Beth — performs 9 p.m. Friday in the Legends & Rebels Showcase on the OKC Pride Main Stage located at the intersection of 39th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. After moving to Oklahoma City about 10 years ago, Yoshi saw drag kings perform for the first time and began performing shortly thereafter, but developing his confident stage presence took time. “The first time I went out there, to me, it was terrible,” Yoshi said. “Everybody else said it wasn’t, but I felt that it was terrible. I had no makeup on; I had no beard or nothing. I just went out there and danced, and then after that, I started learning more about the drag king culture; and from there, as I developed, I got better and better.” Yoshi thinks Matrix-Gritte, who was among the first drag kings Yoshi ever saw perform, is both a legend and a rebel. “He’s very on the edge,” Yoshi said. “He doesn’t care what anybody thinks, Damian Matrix-Gritte performs 9 p.m. Friday in the Legends & Rebels Showcase on the OKC Pride Main Stage. | Photo provided
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and it’s just amazing to watch.” Matrix-Gritte, who hosts the monthly shows The Menagerie and Rebels and Royals at Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., said he was also anxious about his first performance, which happened at the Wreck Room about 18 years ago and involved a bloody stuffed rabbit and a pair of jumper cables. “I was so nervous,” Matrix-Gritte said. “I was like, ‘I can’t do this!’ I just wanted to puke everywhere.” Now he compares drag to a form of therapy. “It’s a way to express myself in a fashion, express whatever emotions or whatever’s going on in my life,” Matrix-Gritte said. “It’s a way that I can internally cope with life events, whatever they may be, whether they’re good, bad, sad or somewhere in the middle.” Inspired by musicians Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Matrix-Gritte’s goal as a performer is to translate his experiences into art that draws a reaction, positive or negative, from the audience. “I just wanted to make people feel something or make people have an opinion and make people think about life or think about their own lives,” Matrix-Gritte said, “because I feel like, as humans, we spend so much time running from ourselves. … And you can run all day long from internal fears or whatever those things are that you’re afraid to face, but you’re never going to get away from them until you really sit down with yourself and look at what makes you happy, what doesn’t, and what is acceptable and what’s not acceptable and whatever those rules are to you and make those boundaries accordingly. ... You don’t have to be this person that was born in some box and continue to reside in that box because you’re the only you that you have, and if you look at yourself in the mirror and you’re not happy with what you see, you’ve gotta do something different, dude.” Bebe Adams, who began performing in drag shows at the Wreck Room about 21 years ago, just before her 16th birthday, is scheduled to perform 8 p.m. Saturday in the Stonewall Tribute on the Main Stage, which also features Maria Isabel, Taylor Bryans, Che Lucci, Renee Hilton and Sonja Martinez. “It’s kind of a tribute to the older ones that have kind of paved the way for our com-
munity and the gay community in general,” Adams said. The show will honor the history of Pride both nationally and locally. Though much focus in recent years is given to parades and other festivities, Adams said the roots of Pride are riots and protests in demand of equal rights. “People think of it as a party, but it actually was a fight,” Adams said, “and we’re still fighting.” The importance and popularity of the LGBTQ+ friendly bars along the 39th Street strip when Adams first began performing is hard to explain to younger performers now. Though people used to line up around the block for shows at since-closed Wreck Room and Sisters (where Phoenix Rising now stands), they now have more options thanks to widerspread acceptance throughout the city and dating apps that make it easier to meet people. As she has gotten older, Adams said she thinks her own role in the community is evolving as well. “Back when I was younger, it was all about the shows and the glamour,” Adams said. “Now I really think it’s about the community as a whole, and the more charity I do, the more I see that.” She wants her legacy to be based on performances at events like Martinez’s annual Christmas AIDS Benefit, a fundraiser for The Winds House, a nonprofit transitional program for people with AIDS who are experiencing homelessness. Adams described the evening, held at The Copa nightclub, as the “most magical night of the year.” “That night just reminds me every year of how much more work that I need to do and could be doing for the community,” Adams said. “The mood in there and the feeling in there is something you just can’t explain unless you’re a part of it.” Dust Bowl Dolls Burlesque — featuring Panhandle Perle, Misty Snatch, Cat
Dust Bowl Dolls Burlesque performs 10 p.m. Saturday on the OKC Pride Main Stage. | Photo Taylor Whitehurst / provided
Carter, Rai of Sunshine, Lucy Cannons, Scotch Rocket, Gigi, Mariah Webb, Cha Cha Nova and Jeannie Jiggles — are scheduled to make their third appearance at OKC Pride 10 p.m. Saturday. In an email interview, the Dolls see Pride as an opportunity to “spread love across the board” with “an overall mission to be seen, heard, respected and loved for every difference you may have.” “There’s such a gradation of how love can be expressed,” the Dolls wrote in a collective response, “and the rainbow flag that represents Pride is such a perfect way to represent that.” Though legends and rebels are both important in Pride’s past and future, Yoshi said it is possible to be a legend without being on the edge of society. Just being an active part of the LGBTQ+ community can be enough to make a difference. “You don’t necessarily have to push the envelope to be recognized for your contribution to our community,” Yoshi said. “You can further what we already have going on and make it that much better.” Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
Legends & Rebels Showcase 9 p.m. Friday
Stonewall Tribute 8 p.m. Saturday
Dust Bowl Dolls Burlesque 10 p.m. Saturday Pride Main Stage 39th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue oklahomacitypride.org Free
PRIDE
Oklahoma City Pride’s green zone features children’s activities including face painting. | Photo bigstock.com
Pride allies
This year’s Oklahoma City Pride event features a green zone to make families feel more welcome. By Nikita Lewchuk
Oklahoma City Pride features even more colors at this year’s festival. In addition to the standard rainbows and glitter, this year’s Pride will have a “red zone” and a “green zone” to help ensure festivalgoers have a positive experience. Inside the green zone will be familyfriendly activities such as Glitter Alley and facepainting, while the red zone will feature the more adult-centered aspects of Pride. The red zone will be in the area carwash owned by The Boom! The gated area will create a partition, though people are free to come and go as they please and the area is not enforced by checking IDs. Lauren Zuniga, director of Oklahoma City Pride Alliance, said part of the reason is due to the new presence of cannabis dispensaries this year. “We have several dispensaries that will be participating, and even though a medical Oklahoma City Pride’s green zone features children’s activities including coloring. | Photo bigstock.com
card can be issued, we felt like it was helpful to have them in kind of an adult area,” Zuniga said. “We’ve also had so many requests over the years of making things family-friendly. … We wanted to be able to create a little bit of curation there.”
We’re hoping to have something for every kind of person. Lauren Zuniga Zuniga said that while it is important to create a space where all feel welcome, it is equally important not to infringe on others’ freedom to express themselves how they choose to. “The mission of Pride is to allow unapologetic expression of your gender and sexuality,” said Zuniga. “Our job as the Pride organization isn’t necessarily to accommodate folks that are just not used to Pride and are uncomfortable
with it. If there’s things that allies are uncomfortable with when it comes to the gay community because they’re not familiar with the culture or there’s things that people are uncomfortable with maybe because its such a religious city, now might be a good time to ask yourself why.” However, some in the community think the current climate created by such expression is inappropriate, especially where families with young children are concerned. Zuniga even received a letter from a concerned community member asking her to ban all kink-related material from the parade. “We want to allow space for that expression and freedom and also keep in mind that this is a family event that people bring their kids to, so we’re hoping to have something for every kind of person,” Zuniga said. As she organized the festival, she was careful to ensure the changes she proposed did not compromise the original spirit and intent of the event. As part of preparing for the event, Zuniga went through old newspaper clippings from The Gayly to find inspiration. “I saw an old advertisement for one of the first [Pride] that called it Glitter Alley. That’s one thing we’re including this year, is we’re turning that alley into Glitter Alley again. We’ll have some fun things back there like coloring, glitter and snow cones.” In addition to providing separation around the more adult-centered space, Zuniga is also focusing on other ways to make the festival easier for families to enjoy. There will be an area next to Penn Automotive with other family necessities like changing stations and a nursing area. Zuniga is looking to bring in investment and cooperation from all sides of OKC, not just from
those within the LGBTQ+ community. Sen. Kay Floyd has sponsored a shuttle to take people to and from the festival to avoid the parking nightmares that often accompany such large events. This will make Pride more easily accessible to families with small children or others with mobility problems. “Programming is figuring out, What do people need? What do we use at Pride? and How can we improve that experience? … It’s about figuring out, What can we afford to do to make space and accommodate these needs?” Zuniga said. “We had a need, and we figured out how to fill it.” She said part of making an open and inclusive space is creating an environment in which allies feel welcome. “We absolutely need ally support,” said Zuniga. “We need allies to be at Pride. We love allies to be at Pride. We absolutely want allies to be included and feel like Pride is theirs as well because a thriving LGBT community in Oklahoma City is good for everyone.” Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
Oklahoma City Pride’s green zone includes family-friendly activities and treats such as snowcones. | Photo bigstock.com
Oklahoma City Pride Friday-Sunday 39th St. District NW 39th Street between Classen and Youngs boulevards oklahomacitypride.org Free
O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9
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PRIDE
ARTS & CULTURE
Glitter beacon
This year’s Oklahoma City Pride event showcases local LGBTQ+ people and revives touchstones of OKC’s past community. By Jeremy Martin
Looking at Faces of Pride, viewers might better see another person, or they might see a reflection of themselves. Either way, said Oklahoma City Pride event director Lauren Zuniga, viewers are in for a “powerful experience” whether “they connect with it, they’ve experienced something similar, or they’ve never experienced anything like that and they had no idea what it was like.” On view through June 29 at Wreck Room, 2127 NW 39th St., Faces of Pride pop-up gallery features portraits of members of the Oklahoma LGBTQ+ community alongside quotes taken from interviews about their experiences. Zuniga said the idea for the exhibit came from a discussion about what “Oklahoma Pride should feel like” that included descriptors “meaningful,” “fun,” “energetic” and “cheerful” but also “serious and with an awareness of the issues at hand for the LGBTQ community.” All of these ideas and more are conveyed by members of the community sharing their stories in interviews posted on the Oklahoma City Pride website. For example, Kendra Clements — president and founder of business consulting firm We the People and cofounder of nonprofit Matriarch, which offers resources for indigenous women — talks about being asked to leave home at the age of 17 after her family discovered she was a lesbian and the excitement that she felt at the age of 24 watching Ellen DeGeneres come out on her self-titled sitcom. “I was bellied up to the bar on a weeknight with 50 of my closest lesbian friends,” Clements said in her Faces of Pride interview. “We showed up that night specifically to watch this historical moment. We cried, cheered, drank, raised shot glasses and toasted her bravery. It’s almost as if she gave our community ‘permission’ to be who we were born to be.” Allie Shinn, executive director of LGBTQ+ rights advocacy organization Freedom Oklahoma, describes the difficulties LGBTQ+ Oklahomans deal with in her Faces of Pride interview. “In Oklahoma, discrimination is the rule, not the exception,” Shinn said in the interview. “We don’t have to look into our classrooms to find bullying. Our government bullies us. Our government discriminates against us.” Ward 2 city councilperson James Cooper, in his Faces of Pride interview, expresses similar thoughts. “In 1971, being LGBTQ was illegal in Faces of Pride highlights members of the community and their stories. | Photo Miguel Rios
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every state except Illinois,” he said in his interview. “When I saw my first queer characters in 1996’s The Birdcage, it was still illegal in Oklahoma to be gay. … In 2003, our Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to have laws saying it was illegal to be gay. This history is one of discrimination. … Too many states allow employers to fire LGBTQ folk for no other reason than their sexual orientation and allow landlords to evict LGBTQ folk, too. Unfortunately, Oklahoma is one of those states.” Hannah Royce, social media coordinator at Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership and founder of Confidence Con, meanwhile, uses a few additional adjectives to describe Pride in her interview. “Pride is sacred,” she said in the interview. “It’s holy. … Pride means intentionally being who you are. Pride means support from the family you’ve never even met. Pride is a symbol of self-love, and it’s a symbol of gratitude for the past, present and future generations of queer people(s).” Zuniga said Wreck Room is the perfect place for the Faces of Pride exhibition and Pride HQ because it, too, is something of a sacred space for many LGBTQ+ people who grew up in Oklahoma City in the ’90s and early 2000s. “We joke that so many of us have made out on the steps at the Wreck Room because it was an all-ages and after-hours club,” Zuniga said. “After the bar closed, it would be, like, popping with a DJ and stuff like that. It could also be kind of seedy; I won’t lie ... but it was still just almost an iconic place. I have some friends that are married that met there, so it has a really special place in their heart, and for a lot of us, it was the first time that we could be queer in public or we could be gay in public. We could be in that place as a teenager, and I could kiss another girl
and no one would even bat an eye. … They reopened a few years ago, and a whole new generation of baby drag queens were able to get their start there. The young performers created a whole dressing room behind the stage, this whole makeup and costume area behind the stage just with what they had. That building is really old and not well taken care of, and so when I look at it, it makes me want to cry to think about all these young, up-and-coming drag performers finding themselves at the Wreck Room.” The venue closed again last year but will be open during Pride as a space for youth and the official Pride HQ, and Zuniga said Oklahoma City Pride is planning to use it as a community event space and art gallery throughout the year. During Pride, Zuniga said a collection of OKC Pride T-shirts from the ’80s and ’90s will be on display. Deconstructed: Conversations with a Drag Artist 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Wreck Room features a discussion with drag artists about the art of a drag performance from makeup and costumes to the stage show itself. Behind Wreck Room, another OKC tradition, Glitter Alley, will also be revived. Zuniga said the tradition, which she read about in old issues of The Gayly, goes back to at least the 1980s when the much smaller Pride festivities included “basically a bunch of kegs and some hot dogs … in this little alley.” Though Floyd Martin Jr. said he never heard it called Glitter Alley, he remembers going to a block party behind Wreck Room “in the gravel and
Faces of Pride is on display at Wreck Room, 2127 NW 39th St., until June 29. | Photo Miguel Rios
the grit, in the searing Oklahoma heat” on Father’s Day from about 1983 to 2003. “Scott Wilson and Donny Hill owned the bars on the block and Larry Crosby owned Tramps, and they gave us all the free beer we could drink, and free hot dogs and hamburgers,” Martin wrote in a Facebook message. “Someone brought a karaoke truck and a dunk tank, and we partied our little LGBT Gaybie asses off. It was so fun, so gay and I look back on that with so many happy memories.” Though this year’s Pride will doubtlessly be chronicled in countless photos on Instagram and Facebook, Martin said not many photos exist of Pride’s early days. “Being photographed at a gay event could be career-ending for a lot of people, so we frowned on it,” Martin wrote. “That being the case, there are not a lot of pics from back then.” This year, Glitter Alley is a party place for youth with snowcones, cotton candy, music and, of course, glitter. During the festivities on Saturday, the alley will be home to art vendors. The alley’s offerings have expanded from the early days of hot dogs and kegs, and Zuniga said even the decorations have been upgraded for modern considerations. “It’s biodegradable glitter,” Zuniga said, “so don’t get stressed.” Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
Faces of Pride noon-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday through June 29 Wreck Room 2127 NW 39th St. oklahomacitypride.org Free
Deconstructed: Conversations with a Drag Artist 6 p.m. Wednesday Wreck Room 2127 NW 39th St. oklahomacitypride.org Free
OKG Lifestyle
Around OKC EAT pupusas at El Majahual WATCH The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
at OKCMOA Thursday
LISTEN “You Can Feel Sad” by Carly Gwin & the Sin READ The Skin of Dreams: New and Collected Poems
1995-2018 by Quraysh Ali Lansana
LOVE Botanical Balance free yoga at Myriad Botanical Gardens EXPERIENCE Monger Mondays at En Croûte
Outside OKC Yokohama Ramen Joint in Wichita, Kansas EAT GLOW (Netflix) WATCH Table Manners with Jessie Ware podcast LISTEN Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon READ Lizzo LOVE City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri EXPERIENCE
Laron Chapman’s Picks EAT seafood ramen at Mizu WATCH When They See Us on Netflix LISTEN “Thoughts” by Sasha Sloan READ The Mueller Report by Robert Mueller LOVE Pose season 2 (FX) EXPERIENCE Latin musician Lincka
(Lincka kicks off Pride 7 p.m. Friday on 39th Street)
Laron Chapman is a local freelance writer/producer/director who directed the multi-award winning indie comedy You People.
THE SKIN OF DREAMS | IMAGE THE CALLIOPE GROUP / PROVIDED • EL MAJAHUAL PUPUSAS | PHOTO JACOB THREADGILL LIZZO | PHOTO LUKE GILFORD / ATLANTIC RECORDS / PROVIDED • YOKOHAMA RAMEN JOINT | PHOTO BRITTANY PICKERING • GLOW | IMAGE NETFLIX / PROVIDED LARON CHAPMAN | PHOTO PROVIDED • SASHA SLOAN | IMAGE PROVIDED • WHEN THEY SEE US | IMAGE NETFLIX / PROVIDED O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9
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CALENDAR are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
BOOKS Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT Lauren Roth book signing the author will autograph copies of her guide 100 Things to Do in Oklahoma City Before You Die, 3-4:30 p.m. June 22. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Nothing Daunted Women’s Book Discussion Group a discussion of Uncommon Type, a short story collection written by actor Tom Hanks, 7-8:30 p.m. June 20. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Robert L. Dorman book signing the author will autograph copies of Alfalfa Bill: A Life in Politics, a biography of Oklahoma politician William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, 1-2:30 p.m. June 22. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT The Skin of Dreams book launch celebrate the publication of Quraysh Ali Lansana’s new poetry collection with the author, 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 20. Commonplace Books, 1325 N. Walker Ave., 405-5344540, commonplacebooksokc.com. THU What Lies Between Us Ayanna Najuma leads a discussion of the book Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer Eberhardt, 6:30-8 p.m. June 25. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE
FILM Filmography: Best of the Fest a screening of short films from the 2019 deadCenter Film Festival, 8-9:30 p.m. June 21. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. FRI Late Night (2019, USA, Nisha Ganatra) a late-night talk show host (Emma Thompson) gets more than she bargained for when she adds a woman (Mindy Kaling) to he all-male writer’s room, through June 20. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI-THU A League of Their Own (1992, USA, Penny Marshall) with many men fighting in World War II,
baseball teams begin recruiting women players in this sports comedy, 8-11 p.m. June 26. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Outdoor Movie Series: The Greatest Showman (2017, USA, Michael Gracey) a musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum, 7-10 p.m. June 21. Lions Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 405-366-5472. FRI Sonic Summer Movies: Trolls (2016, USA, Mike Mitchell) Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake lend their voices to the popular toys in this animated family film, 8-10:30 p.m. June 19. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED South Pacific (1958, USA, Joshua Logan) newfound love complicates relations between the staff and patients at a military hospital during World War II in this classic musical; aired on OETA as par of its weekly Movie Club 9 p.m. June 22. SAT VHS Grindhouse watch action, kung-fu and other B-movies at this screening presented by VHS & Chill, 8 p.m. June 20. Elk Valley Brewing Company, 520 N. Meridian Ave., 405-209-0016, elkvalleybrew.com. THU Walking on Water (2018, Italy, Andrey Paounov) large-installation artist Christo begins work on his first project since the death of his wife in this documentary, June 21-23. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN
HAPPENINGS 90s-00s Dance Party hear the hits of the previous two decades, watch music videos and enjoy adult Capri Sun cocktails, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. June 22. SAT American Tourist 2019: New York, New York a Big Apple-themed evening with music, dancing, food, drinks, auctions, a raffle and more benefitting Upward Transitions, a nonprofit helping people experiencing homelessness and poverty, 6:30-11 p.m. June 21. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 4054860701. FRI ArcadeMania test your skills at several games including skee-ball, Jenga and Nintendo games in a single-elimination tournament, noon-6 p.m. June 22. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-6333604, flashbackretropub.com. SAT Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Chicago Steppin Class learn how to do the popular dance at this free weekly class, 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. L & G’s on the BLVD, 4801 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-5242001, facebook.com/landgsontheblvd. THU Chicksella a summertime festival celebrating women with pop-up shops, a live DJ, dancing, food,
games, drinks and more, 6-10 p.m. June 22. Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave., 405-655-8455, wheelerdistrict.com/ferris-wheel. SAT Cocktail Cruise see the Boathouse District, the Wheeler Ferris wheel and more on this sunset cruise with a full cash bar, Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 28. Regatta Park Landing, 701 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-702-7755, okrivercruises.com. FRI-SAT Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Date Night at the Zoo couples 21 and older can explore the zoo at night and enjoy dance lessons, karaoke beer and wine tastings and more, 6-10 p.m. June 20. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. THU Deconstructed: Conversations with a Drag Artist learn about the process behind drag performances from local artists Tape, Shalula, Topatío, Cassidy Queerface, Q, and Lady K, 6 p.m. June 19. Wreck Room, 2127 NW 39th St., 405-525-7610. WED Diversity Center Health & Wellness Fair see displays and shop for health-related goods from local businesses, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. June 22. The Diversity Center, 2242 N.W. 39th Street, 405-252-0372. SAT Dix & Chix Dart Tournament bring a partner and aim for the bull’s-eye at this monthly competition, 7:30 p.m. June 21. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405602-2030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. FRI Downtown Recyclers Toastmasters practice your public speaking skills at this ongoing weekly meeting, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Department of Environmental Quality, 707 N. Robinson Ave., 405702-0100, deq.state.ok.us. WED Drafts for Giraffes a fundraising event benefitting the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and featuring an appearance by a representative from The Oklahoma City Zoo, who will answer questions about giraffe conservation efforts, 5-9 p.m. June 21. Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3300, fasslerhall.com. FRI Governor’s Club Toastmasters lose your fear of public speaking and gain leadership skills by practicing in a fun and low-stakes environment, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Building, 2501 N. Stiles Ave., 405-523-2300, okfarmbureau.org. WED Juneteenth Celebration celebrate the emancipation of slaves in America and the first anniversary of the bookstore with an oldies sock hop, 4-7 p.m. June 22. Nappy Roots, 3705 Springlake Drive, 405-8960203, facebook.com/pg/nappyrootsbooks. SAT Kick the Dust Up line dance class learn this popular boot scootin’ country-and-western dance at this class taught by Nancy Pellow, 8-9 p.m. June 19 and 26. Chisholm’s Saloon, 401 S. Meridian Ave., 405-949-0423, facebook.com/chisholmssaloon. WED Litha Celebration a drum circle, labyrinth walk and ice cream social celebrating Pride and the summer solstice, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. June 21. Labyrinth Temple, 417 NW 25th St., facebook.com/labyrinthtempleokc. FRI Monday Night Raw with Alex watch WWE professional wrestling with commentary by local comic Alex Sanchez, 8-10 p.m. June 24. Oak & Ore, 1732 NW. 16th St., 405-606-2030, oakandore.com. MON 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. SUN NBA Draft Party watch the NBA draft with the hosts of the Down to Dunk podcast and fill out a prediction sheet for the chance to win prizes, 6:30-9:30 p.m. June 20. The Banquet Cinema Pub, 800 NW Fourth St., banquetcinema.com. THU New Leader’s Council: Progress in the 405 an event celebrating city council representatives JoBeth Hamon, Nikki Nice and James Cooper, 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 20. Anthem Brewing Company, 908 SW Fourth St., 405-604-0446, anthembrewing.com. THU A Night at the Museum an evening of family friendly activities after the museum’s standard operating hours, 6-8 p.m. June 21. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. FRI
Herland Pride Picnic Sharing the name of an all-female utopian society created by The Yellow Wallpaper author Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland Sister Resources, according to its website, works to “strengthen, enrich and support women and to promote a world free of all types of prejudice, oppression and exploitation.” The communal experience fostered at the organization’s annual Pride picnic should be supportive and fun, especially since hot dogs, hamburgers and “all the fixings” (as well as a vegetarian option) will be provided. Bring friends, family members, something to sit on and a dessert or side to share. It sounds pretty utopian to us. The picnic is 5-9 p.m. Saturday at Herland Sister Resources, 2312 NW 39th St. A donation of $10 is suggested. Call 405-521-9696 or visit herlandsisters.org. SATURDAY
The Office Trivia take a team of friends and show off your knowledge of the Dunder Mifflin crew, 7-9 p.m. June 26. Nashbird, 1 NW Ninth St., 405-6009718, nashbirdchicken.com. WED OKC Pow Wow Club Indian Taco and Native American Arts & Crafts Sale enjoy food and shop for crafts at this event benefitting the Native American Heritage Organization and the Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. June 21. NorthCare, 2617 General Pershing Blvd., 405-858-2700, northcare.com. FRI Oklahoma Engaged Community Conversation learn more about Oklahoma politics and policies at this evening hosted by StateImpact Oklahoma and KOSU and KGOU radio stations, 5:307 p.m. June 25. Waters Edge Winery-OKC, 712 N. Broadway Ave., 405-232-9463, wewokc.com. TUE
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Pooch Ice Cream Social have ice cream with your best friend at this pet-friendly event with ice cream for people and dogs; proceeds benefit the Pet Food Pantry of Oklahoma City, 3-5 p.m. June 22. Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3300, fasslerhall.com. SAT Pooches on the Patio bring your best friend to this dog-friendly happy hour with drink specials, appetizers and free pet treats, 4-7 p.m. May 11. Café 501 Classen Curve, 5825 NW Grand Blvd., 405-844-1501, cafe501.com. SAT Queen Mariah’s Variety Show a monthly stage show featuring various drag performers, 10:30 p.m. Saturdays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT Red Dirt Dinos: An Oklahoma Dinosaur Adventure learn about regional prehistoric reptiles at this hands-on exhibit featuring three interactive robotic dinosaurs, through Sept. 2. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU-MON She Started It hear four women tell the story of staring their own businesses, 6-7:30 p.m. June 20. The Treasury, 10 N. Lee Ave., Suite 100, 325-660-2264. THU Silent Unite For Pride three DJs compete for the attention of the headphone-equipped audience at this silent disco event, 8-11 p.m. presented by Urban Pride Events, Freedom Oklahoma and OKC Pride Alliance, 8-11 p.m. June 21. Angles Event Center, 2117 NW 39th St, 405-525-0730. FRI Summer Canine Olympics dogs compete in obedience, agility, dock diving training and more, June 26-30. Bennett Event Center, 3101 Gordon Cooper Blvd, 405-948-6700. WED-SUN Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, Norman, 623-810-0295. THU Trivia Night at Black Mesa Brewing test your knowledge at this weekly competition hosted by BanjoBug Trivia, 6:30 p.m. June 18. Black Mesa Brewing Company, 1354 W Sheridan Ave., 405-7781865, blackmesabrewing.com. TUE Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens.com. TUE WWE NXT Live World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers will compete in several matches, 3:30-10 p.m. June 23. The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-308-1803, criterionokc.com. SUN Yard Party enjoy live music, local craft beers and outdoor party games at this event hosted by Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Innovative Board, 5:30-8:30 p.m. June 20. The Yard, 21 NW Seventh St., 405-290-7080. THU
FOOD The Art of Brunch view art installations, buy original works by local artists and enjoy food provided by local restaurants including The Pritchard, The Jones Assembly and more, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. June 22. Oklahoma Contemporary Campbell Art Park, NW 11th St. and Broadway Avenue, 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT El Tesoro a dinner with tequila cocktails, ahi tuna ceviche, chipotle tomatillo pork chops, churros and more, June 20, Thu., June 20. Café 501, 501 S. Boulevard, Edmond, 405-359-1501, cafe501.com. THU Festival of the Pig a barbecue cooking competition benefitting the Regional Food Bank, June 21-23. Remington Park, 1 Remington Place, 405-424-9000, remingtonpark.com. FRI-SUN The Maine Event a Maine lobster boil with blueberry dessert, wine and beer and vodka cocktail; proceeds from dinner and from a live auction will benefit Oklahoma City Girls Art School, 7-10 p.m. June 21. Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-607-8600, dunlapcodding.com. FRI Mickey Mantle’s Wagyu & Wine Dinner celebrate National Steakhouse Month with a five-course dinner inspired by Japanese cuisine, 6:30-9:30 p.m. June 21. Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse, 7 Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-272-0777, MickeyMantleSteakhouse.com. FRI Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.noon Saturdays, through Oct. 19. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT
YOUTH Children’s Music Clinic children can learn about playing music at this workshop, 11 a.m.-noon June 22. West Norman Public Library, 300 Norman Center Court, Norman. SAT 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
Third Thursday: Pride For a shindig suitable for framing, head to Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s monthly Third Thursday celebration. Sip Pride-themed cocktails on the Roof Terrace till you are ready to hit the dance floor and bust a move to music from DJ Ostara. Meet artist Trevor Wayne, take a guided museum tour, enjoy a special Drag Queen Story Time and watch screenings of LGBTQ+ classics The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Desert Hearts (pictured). The party is 5-9 p.m. Thursday at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Admission is $15-$25. Call 405-236-3100 or visit okcmoa.com. THURSDAY Photo provided Fairy Ball a children’s costume ball where imaginative, homemade costumes are encouraged and can be embellished with woven flower crowns and leafy wings added on-site, 7-9 p.m. June 22. First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker Ave., thepaseo.org. SAT
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. TuesdaySaturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE-FRI
OKC Zoo Camp children age 4-15 can learn about a variety animals at these weeklong themed camps, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 9. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-4243344, okczoo.com. MON-FRI
Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED
Read-a-Palooza Summer Celebration an appearance by Clifford the Big Red Dog and Dog Man, children’s activities, photo opportunities and more are planned for this celebration of reading, 10 a.m.noon June 22. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT
Monday Night Blues Jam Session bring your own instrument to this open-stage jam hosted by Wess McMichael, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. MON
Reading Wednesdays a weekly story time with hands-on activities, goody bags and readingthemed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Stop Motion Animation Night Time Camp children 8-16 years old will learn to create their own films from the storyboard stage to background and character creation, 6:30 p.m. June 17-19. Artsy Rose Academy, 7739 W. Hefner Road, 405-603-8550. MON-WED Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE-SAT ToddlerPalooza children can take photos with Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse, Elmo and other characters at this family-friendly event with face painting, balloon twisting, refreshments and more, 1-5 p.m. June 22. Cole Community Center, 4400 Northwest Expressway, 405-418-7636, okcfirst.com. SAT
PERFORMING ARTS The Comedy of Errors Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park presents the Bard’s chaotic comedy of mistaken identities; directed by D. Lance Marsh, through June 29. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. THU-SAT Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted by CJ Lance and Josh Lathe and featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and beyond, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Don Quixote Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI Iron Horse Open Mic and Showcase perform music on stage at this show open to all experience levels, 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 9501 S. Shields Blvd., 405-735-1801. WED Jazz Clinic learn about jazz at this clinic taught by Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, 2-3:30 p.m. June 20. West Norman Public Library, 300 Norman Center Court. THU
Nichols Hills Band the 35-piece band begins its 37th season of outdoor concerts, performing jazz, pop, rock and more, 7:30 p.m. June 20. Kite Park, 1301 Camden Way. THU OKC Improv performers create original scenes in the moment based on suggestions from the audience, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-4569858, okcimprov.com. FRI-SAT Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company New Play Festival see staged readings of several new plays and a full production of Jo MacDonald’s Neechi-Itas at this festival, now in its 10th year, June 20-22 and June 27-29. Mitchell Hall Theatre, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. THU-SAT Triple’s Open Mic a music and comedy open mic hosted by Amanda Howle, 7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday. Triple’s, 8023 NW 23rd St., 405-7893031. WED Open Mic at The P share your musical talent or just come to listen at this weekly open mic, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. WED Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. TUE
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Pirates of the Mausoleum a pirate-themed dinner theatre murder mystery, June 21. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew Ave., 405-236-0416, cattlemensrestaurant.com. FRI Poetry & Chill Open Mic poets, rappers, comics, singers and all other performers are invited to take the stage at this weekly show with a live band and featured performer, 8-11 p.m. June 21. Glass Lounge, 5929 N. May Ave., 405-835-8077, glasshouseokc.com. FRI Public Access Open Mic read poetry, do standup comedy, play music or just watch as an audience member at this open mic hosted by Alex Sanchez, 7 p.m. Sundays. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. SUN
Jazz in June an annual outdoor jazz festival now in its 36th year, June 20-22. Brookhaven Village, 3700 W. Robinson St., Norman, 405-321-7500, brookhaven-village.com. THU-SAT
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CALENDAR C A L E N DA R
continued from page 27 Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic for comedy and poetry, hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Rhyme in Reasons share your talent or just watch other artists perform at this weekly open mic, 7:30-10 p.m. Thursdays. Reasons Lounge, 1140 N. MacArthur Boulevard, 405-774-9991. THU
Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/ sanctuarybarokc. WED-THU Shelly Phelps Blues Revue a monthly variety show featuring music, comedy, performance art, drag and more, 7-10 p.m. Sundays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. SUN Singin’ in the Rain a musical comedy celebrating Hollywood’s golden age, June 25-30. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. TUE-SUN The Skirvin Jazz Club a monthly live jazz show presented by OK Sessions, 7:30 p.m. third Friday of every month. Park Avenue Grill, 1 Park Ave., 405702-8444, parkavegrill.com. FRI The Sorcerer & The Comedian an evening combining comedy and magic featuring performances by John Shack and Alex Sanchez, 8-10 p.m. June 26. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. WED Trace Race dance company presents three stories told through three dance styles in this collaborative performance, June 21-22. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. FRI-SAT VZD’s Open Mic Night a weekly music open mic hosted by Joe Hopkins, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., 405-6023006, vzds.com. WED
40 Minutes or Less: Pride Month Requiring fewer resources than their featurelength counterparts, short-subject films have traditionally been a medium for marginalized voices too often silenced by Hollywood gatekeepers. Though mainstream motion pictures have become more inclusive in many ways in recent years, short films remain a refuge for artists truly challenging the status quo. Join Oklahoma Film Society for the Pride edition of its 40 Minutes or Less short film screening series to see a variety of shorts about LGBTQ+ experiences that might not neatly fit into the latest comic book blockbuster. The screening is 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St. Admission is free. Call 405-815-9995 or visit 1ne3.org. THURSDAY Photo Evan Beasley / provided
ACTIVE Botanical Balance an all-levels yoga class in a natural environment; bring your own mat and water, 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT
Weekly Jams bring an instrument and play along with others at this open-invitation weekly jam session, 9:30 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. TUE
Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. WED
Weird Al Yankovic: Strings Attached Tour the comedic musician performs parodies and originals with a symphony orchestra, 8-11 p.m. June 21. The Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50th St., 405-602-0683, thezooamphitheatre.com. FRI
Goat Yoga practice yoga with furry farm animal companions and follow the workout and play session with craft beer; bring your own mat, 12:30-1:30 p.m. June 22. Anthem Brewing Company, 908 SW Fourth St., 405-604-0446, anthembrewing.com. SAT
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 Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. SAT Red Coyote Love Run a rainbow-themed run for runners of all abilities and experience levels benefitting HeartLine, an organization providing health information and suicide awareness and prevention help, 8-10 a.m. June 22. Louie’s Grill & Bar, 9401 Lake Hefner Parkway, 405-751-2298, louiesgrillandbar.com. SAT Ride to Pride a bicycle ride around city hall, the police station and the county jail in honor of incarcerated members of the LGBTQ+ community, 10-11:30 a.m. June 22. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. WED Twisted Coyote Brew Crew a weekly 3-mile group run for all ability levels with a beer tasting to follow; bring your own safety lights, 6 p.m. Mondays. Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. MON
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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 Yoga Under the Stars bring your own mat and strike poses at the gazebo, 8-9 p.m. June 21. Mustang Parks & Recreation, 1201 N. Mustang Road, 405-376-3411, cityofmustang.org. FRI
VISUAL ARTS 42 Intentions an exhibit of Osage Nation visual artist Jarica Walsh’s collection of monotype prints and ceramics, 5:30 p.m. June 20. American Choral Directors Association, 545 Couch Drive, 405-2328161, acda.org. THU Alicia Saltina Marie Clark a solo exhibition featuring the work of the Oklahoma-based artist, through July 7. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU-SUN
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The Maurice Sendak Exhibition In 2008, The New York Times asked beloved author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, 80 at the time, if there was anything he had not discussed in decades of interviews. “Well,” Sendak said after pausing for a moment, “that I’m gay. I just didn’t think it was anybody’s business.” The degree to which Sendak’s sexuality figures into classic books such as Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There might be debatable, but their prominent place in the hearts and minds of countless adults and children is not. View 50 of Sendak’s original paintings and illustrations at this traveling exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Where the Wild Things Are through July 9 in the atrium of Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave. Admission is free. Call 405-2318650 or visit metrolibrary.org. THROUGH JULY 9 Photo provided
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 Aug. 4. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN Dancing Around the Edges an exhibition of KB Kueteman’s abstract acrylic paintings, through June 30. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. WED-SUN From the Golden Age to the Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection view portraits painted by Kehinde Wiley, Anthony van Dyck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and George Bellows, through Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN
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Karl Brenner/Jeff Dodd/Brenda Kingery an exhibition featuring works by three painters, through June 30. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-SUN Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata see examples of mechanical proto-robots from 1850 to the modern day, through Sept. 29. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SUN Paint, Palette and Pride learn about acrylic paint pouring at this art workshop taught by April Littleton-Smith, 7-9:30 p.m. June 20. The Diversity Center, 2242 NW 39th St, 405-252-0372. THU Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale an annual exhibition and art sale featuring more than 300 Western paintings and sculptures by contemporary Western artists of landscapes, wildlife and illustrative scenes, through July 8. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-MON Seeing Now an exhibit of multimedia art works by Hank Willis Thomas, Ken Gonzales-Day, Travis Somerville, Paul Rucker, Graciela Sacco, Terence Hammonds and Michael Waugh, through Dec. 31. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU-MON Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts a traveling exhibition of a collection of works by influential European painters including Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Picasso, Rousseau and many more, June 22-Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT-SUN 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 Women of Color Art Showcase an exhibition of works by artists Jodi Renee, Stacie Monday, Marcia Ermey, Clarissa Watkins and more, 6-10 p.m. June 22. Heart Studios, 3208 Teakwood Lane, Suite 103, 405664-4194, heartstudiosllc.com. SAT
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Wonderful Watercolors workshop learn about painting from artist Connie Seabourn, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 19-20. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. WED-THU
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MUSIC Original Flow & The Fervent Route performs 6 p.m. Saturday following the Pride parade. | Photo provided
in April, preceded by the standalone single “Chicana Baby.” Because she wants to promote intersectionality with her music, Lincka was thrilled to learn that local drag queen Shalula performed a routine to the song.
The truth is that we have incredible talent and incredible representation in a lot of intersecting communities.
PRIDE
Lincka
Inclusive notes
This year’s Pride performances include some popular local musicians. By Jeremy Martin
Along with Grammy winner Mary Lambert (“Same Love”) and Drakesampled HaSizzle (”Childs Play”), several Oklahoma City musicians perform at Oklahoma City Pride for the first time this year.
LCG & the X
LCG & the X plays 8 p.m. Friday at Pride Block Party. Lead vocalist Morgan Hartman said she has been going to local Pride events for the past three or four years, but this will be the band’s first time to take the stage at one. “It means a lot to us for a lot of reasons, personal and just as a band, to get to be a voice and a part of this situation that we’re all kind of involved in anyway in our personal lives,” Hartman said. “It will be nice to connect with that whole scene that we’re already kind of in, to get to be on another level than just attending. It’s a huge honor. I can’t believe it’s even happening. We’re so happy.” LCG & the X — which also includes guitarist Pili Guarddon Pueyo, bassist Alyssa Lindsey and drummer Caitlin Lindsey — plans to release the single “Peach Boys” in July and is currently mixing a full-length album for a projected September release date. For Pride, Hartman said the band has 30
J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M
planned a show with “a lot of colorful outfits and maybe some stage props.” “That might be about it; let everything else kind of speak for itself,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of people there, and it’s going to be really nerve-wracking but it’s going to be fun. ... We love the scene. We’re going to do our best to make it a really cool performance for all the awesome people that attend this event.”
Rachel Lynch & the Daydrinkers
Rachel Lynch & the Daydrinkers performs 3 p.m. Saturday following the parade. Lynch is also a first-time Pride performer but returning participant. “We are super excited,” Lynch said. “We’ve got Pride shirts that we just made. They’re our regular Daydrinker logo, but we added a rainbow on there. … We’re going to throw some out to the crowd.” Lynch released a solo album last year, but she said her backing band — drummer Nick McPherson, bassist Johnney Jones and guitarist BJ Megginson — “adds a whole lot more depth and feeling and emotion” to the music and the full band is planning to release an album later this year. Lynch also appreciates how much more supportive her new band is of events like
Pride than some of the musicians she has previously worked with. “I’ve always been a huge supporter of the LGBTQ community,” Lynch said, “and finding a band that also felt my views so strongly is pretty awesome. … It’s crazy finding those people in Oklahoma when we’re considered to be such, like, a closed-minded state. It’s really nice.”
Lincka
Lincka, taking the stage 7 p.m. Friday, said being invited to play at Pride Block Party means her songs are reaching listeners in the way she intended them to. “It’s just extremely inspiring to be asked to perform there,” Lincka said. “It makes me feel like the music that we’ve been doing has spoken to people. … Our music now is just so pro-POC proLGBTQ. I want everybody to feel welcomed. … I think the crowd is going to really love what we have for them.” Her latest album, Blank State of Mind, produced by Rat F!nk (Dan Ashford), was released Lincka performs 7 p.m. Friday at Pride Block Party. | Photo provided
“I think what happens when you’re [a person of color] is you get pegged as just one thing, and it’s difficult for us to be portrayed in many different lights,” Lincka said. “The truth is that we have incredible talent and incredible representation in a lot of intersecting communities. … People don’t really think that we’re out here in these different spectrums. We’re kind of just put in this box. I don’t know why, but I do get it because the way we’re portrayed in the media and the way we’re portrayed on the internet and on TV, it’s a negative light. Still, in 2019, it’s still happening, but really, we’re out here in so many different communities. And I’m just ready to shine a light on the truth of our people. We have so many different Latinos that
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(405) 524-9312 • LyricTheatreOKC.org are gay, that are a part of the LGBT community. … They’re drag queens; they’re performers; they’re artists, singers, dancers. … We are out here, and we are so many different things.” The lack of representation in many traditional outlets makes Lincka more determined to make outspoken, inclusive music for listeners often left out of the mainstream. “It’s important for us as artists to showcase our music to people that are being marginalized,” Lincka said. “That’s what we need to do more, and we shouldn’t second-guess ourselves because the more we do it, the more normal accepting it is going to be. I’m all about putting my beliefs, even my political thoughts, personal thoughts, everything on the forefront of what I do because I’ve had a lot of people be so thankful and respectful towards me because of that, because I inspired them to do what they want to do without being scared of what other people are going to say.”
Original Flow and The Fervent Route
Original Flow and The Fervent Route performs 6 p.m. Saturday. Original Flow, aka Christopher G. Acoff, said this will be his first time attending Pride as a performer or a participant. “I’m excited for it,” Acoff said. “I’m not 100 percent familiar with it, so it’ll be kind of like a culture shock, but I’m going to appreciate everyone being able to celebrate themselves. I think it’s pretty dope.” Acoff said he and his backing band The Fervent Route — drummer Josh Carpenter, keyboardist Andrew Wood and guitarist Daniel Acuna — plan to release the single “Dreams” next month and an EP “hopefully by the end of summer.” Though this will be the band’s first time at Pride, Acoff said his music will be a good fit and he looks forward to learning from the experience. “Our message is about sharing love and being able to spread that love throughout the world and allowing people to love themselves,” Acoff said. “So I think this is a dope opportunity to be able to do that to a culture we’re not
June 25 - 30
LCG & the X plays 8 p.m. Friday at Pride Block Party. | Photo provided
100 percent familiar with. I think it will be a great opportunity for our band to gain that awareness a little bit more. … This world is so closed in, and I feel that if people understand how to appreciate themselves, they can appreciate other people too.” Visit oklahomacitypride.org.
Celebrate Hollywood’s Golden Age with this romantic, musical-comedy classic! Your entire family will dance, laugh and sing along to a memorable song score featuring a dazzling orchestra and splashy production numbers... all while it magically rains on the entire Civic Center stage!
Jeremy Benton
as Don Lockwood
Tatum Grace Ludlam as Kathy Seldon
Lexi Windsor
as Lina Lamont
Richard Riaz Yoder as Cosmo Brown
Book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music by Nacio Herb Brown Lyrics by Arthur Freed Directed by Michael Baron
Music at Pride Mary Lambert 6 p.m. Friday
Lincka 7 p.m. Friday
LCG & the X 8 p.m. Friday
Rachel Lynch & the Daydrinkers 3 p.m. Saturday
Raina Cobb, Ben Brock, Ken Pomeroy 4 p.m. Saturday
DJ Keilo 5 p.m. Saturday
Original Flow and The Fervent Route 6 p.m. Saturday
Twiggs 7 p.m. Saturday
HaSizzle 9 p.m. Saturday The music stage is located at the intersection of 39th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
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PRIDE
MUSIC
Pop law
Jacob Abello Tharp prepares for law school and the release of the new Prettyboy album My Body Ain’t No Temple. By George Lang
When they are going to work, lobbying on behalf of Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), Jacob Abello Tharp wears a wool suit like so many of the lawmakers they talk to every day. It is an incongruous look for the singer and prospective attorney, who became known to local music fans for their audaciously crafted glam-pop delivered shirtless while wearing gold lamé pants and angel wings. A decade on from the release of Nothing But Gold, their solo debut as Jacob Abello, Tharp is taking an enormous leap of faith as they and their husband, Tyler Tharp, plan their August relocation to Orange County, California, where Jacob will attend law school at University of California Irvine. “It’s been a long time in the works,” said Tharp in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “I visited it recently, and they have a really cool and inspiring community there. It’s a new school, so I get to be part of building something new, which has always been important to me.” This will mean three years away from the place where, apart from two years in Austin, Tharp has lived their entire life. But before they leave, they will release their long-in-gestation Prettyboy album, My Body Ain’t No Temple. Tharp will put final touches on Temple and begin releasing singles later this summer. Tharp said Temple does not stray too far from the sonic and lyrical content of Nothing But Gold, but a deepening of focus and nuance was inevitable, given the decade that separates the albums. “When you’re 20 or 21 and writing songs, they tend to be a lot different from ones you write in your late 20s or early 30s,” they said. “Those songs, I was grappling with identity and religion and sexuality, just coming out of a
Christian fundamentalist background, which I think is why a lot of people during that time period connected with it so well. I think this is a continuation of that, but I’m past that. I’m just living freely and authentically now. And it’s quite sexy — I hope, anyway.” Tharp worked on Temple with lifelong friend and Blackwatch Studios coowner Jarod Evans, the multi-instrumentalist and engineer who has worked on albums by Broncho, The Annie Oakley and The Flaming Lips. Evans and Tharp met at Vacation Bible School when they were 6 years old, and Tharp was a highlight of Blackwatch’s Norman Music Festival shows in the early 2010s.
Some days, I feel like the lobbyist and future attorney Jacob; other days, I feel like the artist and musician Jacob. Jacob Abello Tharp Their performances, which were frequently backed by Blackwatch-affiliated studio wizzes like Brine Webb and Broncho drummer Nathan Price, became locally legendary for Tharp’s theatricality and sex-positive performance style. To this day, Tharp makes music that sounds positioned for a global pop takeover, but by the time they hit their mid-20s, they started looking for more answers to their own identity. “I spent a lot of my youth … thinking I was meant to become a famous pop star or something like that,” Tharp said. “As much as I think that music is how I experience the world or the way I express my feelings, around mid-20s, a
lot of musicians and artists in general start to think, ‘Am I going to continue to live the way I live now?’ But then I started to grapple with my identity as a person. Was it all tied to being a musician, or were there other parts of my identity I wanted to explore? For me, it’s difficult to be dual-minded. Some days, I feel like the lobbyist and future attorney Jacob; other days, I feel like the artist and musician Jacob.” Yet Tharp said these two halves must find a way to coexist. After completing their undergrad studies, Tharp volunteered with Oklahoma Policy Institute before they commenced their wool-suit lobbying work for OEA, working closely with staff during the 2018 teacher walkout. Their work on behalf of OEA, coupled with Tharp’s deeply held attitudes toward social justice, set the stage for law school. So far, Tharp has yet to settle on an area of law, but the past year has left an imprint. Labor law is an option, as is becoming a public defender. “I think a lot of law students end up sort of evolving as they go through law school and change what the focus of their career will be,” they said. “For me, I’ve been working for the past year for Oklahoma Education Association, and I’ve really been attracted to employment and nondiscrimination law in general, so I’d like to work in that area and maybe connect with the California Education Association when I’m there.” But with their strong ties to Oklahoma, this might not be a permanent move. “I feel more comfortable here now than I ever have, so it just depends on a lot of different factors. Also, my husband has never lived outside of Oklahoma, so
Jacob Abello Tharp prepares to release their new album My Body Ain’t No Temple before a move to California. | Photo Alexa Ace
we’ve always wanted to experience a new place together,” Tharp said. “There is the pull of toiling in a community that needs a lot of help. We’ve made a lot of strides in Oklahoma, especially with teachers, in the last few years, but then also being a queer, nonbinary person in such a state as Oklahoma, it can be difficult to see a future for yourself sometimes, but there is that pull to stay here or come back here and impact change as much as you can.” Regardless of their location, music will always factor heavily in Tharp’s life. “I can never see myself not performing or writing or recording music, but at the same time, I found something else that I’m good at, something else that gives my life meaning,” they said. Visit facebook.com/weprettyboy.
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J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M
LIVE MUSIC SUNDAY, JUN. 23
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
The Black Lillies, The Blue Door. AMERICANA Hi-Def Howlers, Myriad Botanical Gardens. ROCK/POP Vibe Collective, Frankie’s. ROCK
WEDNESDAY, JUN. 19
MONDAY, JUN. 24
Adam Aguilar & the Weekend All Stars, Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar. COVER
Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, Tower Theatre. FOLK/JAZZ Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK
Mark Gibson/Chanda Graham, Saints. SINGER/
TUESDAY, JUN. 25
SONGWRITER
THURSDAY, JUN. 20 Ben Brock & Raina Cobb, Angry Scotsman Brewing. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Chloe Beth, Hollywood Corners. FOLK Heart of Hip Hop, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café. HIP-HOP Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ Hotel Pools, Black Mesa Brewing Company. POP
FRIDAY, JUN. 21 Atom Ray Funktet, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ Brightside/Templo, 89th Street-OKC. ELECTRONIC Hit&Run/Thunderosa/Costanzas, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Kodos/Gall/Swim Fan, 51st Street Speakeasy. POP Punk With a Camera/HappyHappy/Sad2, Khaos House. PUNK Space Dingus/Echoed Sycamore, Resonator. ROCK/ EXPERIMENTAL
Andrea von Kampon, The Blue Door. SINGER/
SONGWRITER Samantha Crain On “Antiseptic Greeting,” the leadoff track from 2017’s You Had Me at Goodbye, Norman singer/songwriter Samantha Crain sings, “I John Dee Graham/Bonnie Whitmore, The Blue think I’ll probably always let you down,” and she is right. She will eventually Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER let listeners down when the music’s over, but only after raising them to the Twenty One Pilots/Bear Hands, Chesapeake Energy Arena. POP heights of elation (glitch-poppy “Smile When”) and dragging them to the depths of depression (“Oh Dear Louise”) and mourning (“Betty’s Eulogy”). WEDNESDAY, JUN. 26 While an exploration of such varied emotions is commonly compared to a I Am/Orthodox/Boundaries, 89th Street-OKC. METAL rollercoaster, Crain’s empathetic, detailed lyricism gives listeners ample opportunity to contemplate the view from every angle, so seeing her perform Nelly, Diamond Ballroom. HIP-HOP at a Ferris wheel as part of Wheeler Summer Music series makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The concert begins 7 p.m. Friday at Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave. Admission is free. Visit wheelerdistrict.com. Live music submissions must be
FRIDAY Photo provided
SATURDAY, JUN. 22 Chain of Torment/Kill/Crown Magnetar, The Dojo. HARDCORE
Cody Johnson, Chesapeake Energy Arena. COUNTRY
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.
Texas Hippie Coalition/Southern Aggression, Diamond Ballroom. METAL Noise Estate/Giant Stride/Crooked Vinyl, Resonator. ROCK Pat Green, Riverwind Casino. COUNTRY
Levi Parham & Kinsey Charles, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC
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PRIDE
THE HIGH CULTURE
Patient Pride
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Several Oklahoma City metro dispensaries are featured at Pride events this year. By Matt Dinger
This year, Oklahoma City Pride welcomes an entirely different class of businesses to the celebration: cannabis dispensaries. “We definitely try to be involved in the community as much as we can, so we hold patient drives all the time. We do like block parties for our business neighbors as well to bring them traffic, and then we just host little parties there. We’re also getting into the fundraisers for the schools and stuff, and we’re just trying to be involved in the community as much as we can,” said Medicann-OK owner Alyxus Nerio. “Several of our employees are part of the LGBT community, and one of them mentioned it, like, ‘Hey, we should try to get into Pride.’ And we’re like, ‘That’s not a bad idea.’ Honestly, a lot of our patients, they are part of that community, and so they thought it would be really cool to be able to go in and do that as well.” In addition to the parade and other events at Pride, Medicann-OK will also be hosting a smoke tent at the festival. “When we met with them, we were just going to hold a booth,” Nerio said. “But then they were like, ‘Well, how about y’all put a smoke tent up?’ It’s on private property, so we’ll be able to have a smoke tent for patients. And then we’re also holding a patient drive inside the Habana Inn lobby.” Medicann-OK has already done several patient drives at its dispensary, Medicann-OK is one of several dispensaries at Oklahoma City Pride this year. | Photo Alexa Ace
Alyxus Nerio is the owner of Medicann-OK, which hosts the smoke tent at Oklahoma City Pride this year. | Photo Alexa Ace
8309 NW 39th Expressway, and helped hundreds of patients acquire their licenses, so it is a familiar process for them. “That’s going to be a fun-filled day,” Nerio said. “We’re trying to get about 50 volunteers to be able to go in and help us that day, and those volunteers that don’t have medical marijuana cards receive a free medical marijuana recommendation. That’s our thank-you to them.” As of June 12, they still had only between 20 and 30 volunteers who have signed up to help and are still welcoming volunteers. There will be no cannabis available for purchase from Medicann-OK on-site that day, though it will be selling goodie bags. “We’re doing goodie bags with our logo, some lighters, blunt splitters. I think they’ve got some flavored condoms and some other kind of stuff,” Nerio said. “Those will be up for sale. They’re $10 a bag, but we legally cannot sell product.” However, patients can bring their own product to consume in the smoke tent at Pride. “We’ll have security there. They do have to get wristbanded to be able to consume in the tent,” Nerio said. “Anybody’s able to go in, but in order to consume, they have to get wristbanded and show their medical marijuana cards.”
Cali Roots
Cali Roots will also be represented at Pride. Like its name says, the vertically integrated dispensary originated in the San Diego area, but the entirety of the company has relocated to participate in the Oklahoma medical cannabis market. “What kind of inspired us is we — obviously, coming into the industry as a medicinal facility, we didn’t want to just bring in a stoner culture and not help our environment,” manager Tanner Smith said. “We obviously wanted to do something for the community and show that we’re not just from Cali. We’re actually here to help and make a presence for Oklahoma. … We’re really just going out to spread awareness.” Cali Roots’ Pride booth offers some first-time patient deals and discount passes. Additionally, representatives will be walking around the festival, passing them out. 36
J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M
Medicann-OK is selling goodie bags at Oklahoma City Pride this year. | Photo Alexa Ace
This is just one of several community events Cali Roots plans to participate in moving forward, including some trash cleanup around Lake Hefner and volunteering for animal shelters. No Rhyme or Reason Shoppe and Vertica will also be represented at Pride. Vertica is a high-end dispensary that recently opened its first location in Norman. Another dispensary in north Oklahoma City should be open this month with locations planned for Edmond and Stillwater in the future. After the Pride parade and festival at 39th St. District, Pot of Gold sponsors the Pride at Lost Lakes Health and Wellness Fest on Sunday. The event is smoke-friendly and features swimming, vendor booths, a bikini drag show, a mini bikini pose battle and a swimsuit contest with a celebrity judge, food trucks, a margarita shack, three DJs and other activities throughout the day. The event runs 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at Lost Lakes Entertainment Complex, 3501 NE 10th St. Tickets are $15. Visit oklahomacitypride.org and lostlakesamp.com.
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Bouncing back
Daniel Newberg’s Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority application cost him nearly a month of his life behind bars. But since that time, No Rhyme or Reason has bounced back. By Matt Dinger
It has been seven months since Daniel Newberg was thrown into the back of a prisoner transport van and paraded around the state of Texas through the Thanksgiving holiday. While No Rhyme or Reason Shoppe has since opened its doors as a cannabis dispensary, the first part of 2019 has not been a breeze. Once a Texas judge cleared the warrant for a failure to appear charge that consumed nearly a month of his life, his Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) license was approved and he has converted the CBD and kratom shop into a full-fledged dispensary. The portfolio he had assembled containing growers and other product vendors vanished around the time he was arrested and he had to start again from scratch, using Google and word of mouth to build contacts. “It came close to me almost giving up, but I pushed through and we’re here day by day and now we’re working on the next one,” Daniel Newberg said. When Daniel was in jail, Dominique Newberg, his cousin, took over operations while she was finishing up her semester at University of Oklahoma. “Him going away had a pretty negative effect on all of these locations because I was in school full-time, trying to run the businesses, and we didn’t have
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Daniel Newberg is the owner of No Rhyme or Reason Shoppe. | Photo Alexa Ace
manpower. Daniel was the sole owner and still is, obviously, but he was the sole owner and ran everything all by himself. … It really had a big impact. We were just barely trying to survive while he was gone,” Dominique Newberg said. “I took off that semester to be in school, so I was out of the loop of everything. And obviously, we had no forewarning that that was going to happen, and so he just got taken away and I just went into overdrive, trying to put out fires every day. But I think there was negative press too because the police officers came in full riot gear to all the locations, searching for Daniel the day they took him.” “Our sales immediately went down,” Daniel Newberg said. He shuttered his store on NW 23rd Street after the city told him that it was not properly zoned for retail sales, and the ensuing chaos of his arrest began a chain of events that resulted in him also closing his Norman store. His location at 8109 S. Western Ave. still only sells kratom and CBD, but his location at 4305 N. Meridian Ave. will also be converted to a dispensary this summer. continued on page 42
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THE HIGH CULTURE continued from page 41
PRIDE
However, he has had his Facebook accounts removed and his bank accounts were closed after the dispensary started doing business. The store that landed him behind bars, 7910 N. May Ave., has been completed and is moving along, but even that store has had its share of speed bumps. “I had my banner flags out that I’ve had since day one, mind you, at all my stores out on the corners, in the grass. Same time frame as everything else, the bank accounts and the Facebooks, I get warning letters from the city,” Daniel Newberg said. “This location first, saying that’s not allowed without a permit. So I take time out of my day, drive down to the city, and they laughed at me, saying, ‘There is no permit. That’s just the inspectors wanting to not have confrontation while they’re out. You just can’t have it.’ … I’ve been using them actually in the apartment industry, so that’d be 15-17 years, never had an issue with them. So this year, all three of my locations at once; that, to me, is somebody calling it in. And that’s even what they said down there. They’re like, ‘We don’t know and we don’t go to it unless somebody calls us.” But like every other obstacle that he has endured in this industry, Daniel
Newberg finds his way. “I went out and bought a $250 truck, and I’ve attached my flags to it and I pull it out every morning,” he said. “I hate to say it, but since [State Question] 788, a year has passed; I’ve seen so many negative vibes from people. To me, it’s mind-boggling because I’m here for the patients and offer them a healthy alternative and there’s plenty of patients for us all to make money, so I don’t try to talk negative about anybody. I don’t like the negativity that I’ve seen. So I just keep to myself and take it day by day, but we’re doing okay.”
Looking forward
The arrest also put a strain on Daniel Newberg’s personal life. He and his husband were never able to patch up their relationship afterward. “We’re still not together, and that’s probably the toughest thing out of everything,” Daniel Newberg said. “I guess it’s too hard on a relationship.” No Rhyme or Reason will be represented this weekend at Oklahoma City Pride with both a booth and a parade float. “Robin [Dorner] stops in here. She’s the editor for The Gayly. She may not know this, but she’s actually helped me out quite a bit these last few months,” Daniel Newberg said. “And she’s lined me up with a couple of meetings, so there’s some other things in the works
too. But talking to her and her giving me advice on losing my marriage and all that stuff, it meant a lot to me, but I guess that’s what gave me the idea to even be in the parade and have a booth out there just to spread our name a little bit better. It is my community. I’ve never done that before. I should have. We’re also looking for a charity to work with closely over the next few months too, so I have a few that Robin gave me. Like I mentioned briefly, she doesn’t know it, but she’s actually helped me emotionally quite a bit.” The parade float is still being designed and worked on. “It’s our first one. None of us have
No Rhyme or Reason Shoppe, 7910 N. May Ave. | Photo Alexa Ace
any experience, so hopefully it’ll look good. If not, I’m still going to drive it through there,” Daniel Newberg said. “There’s going to be a lot of rainbows. You may see me in a marijuana suit.” After Pride, he is going to start looking into getting a growing license and trying his hand at cultivating cannabis. “We’re already known for having the best kratom, and I want to be known for having the best cannabis,” he said. Visit okckratom.com.
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Date acquired: June 7 THC/CBD percentages: No testing available Physical traits: Light green with a few orange stigmas Bouquet: Pungent and earthy Review: This cross between Super Silver Haze and Grape Ape was almost spongy as I pulled it apart, leaving trichome dust on my fingertips. It has a very loud aroma that comes through in the smoke. It hit the back of my throat hard and my lungs harder, triggering a coughing fit after the second and third hits. The effects were completely opposite, leaving my thinking and speech muddled even though the high itself was strong without being overbearing. When people think of an indica, I think this is what they mean. It
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definitely ended any ambitions of any productivity for the night, though that is not a complaint. It evaporated stress and left me yawning with a dopey smile. It’s highly recommended for an after-dark session. Cannabis effects vary wildly from patient to patient based on a multitude of factors, including THC tolerance, brain chemistry and personal taste. This review is based on the subjective experience of one patient.
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PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE DON’T QUOTE ME | 0623 By Seth A. Abel Puzzles edited by Will Shortz ACROSS
1 Exaggerated virility 9 Effortless assimilation 16 Alternatives to H.S. diplomas 20 Surgical removal procedure 21 What might raise the roof? 22 Come down, in a way 23 Line never said by 58-Across 25 Columnist Bombeck 26 Birth-control option, briefly 27 “Please hold the line” 28 Shopping center? 29 Excerpt 30 Subjects of expertise 33 Lay an egg, say 34 Targets on “chest day” 35 Hollers 36 Line never said by 83-Across 41 Lobster ____ diavolo 42 Official language of a U.S. territory 45 Medical research org. 46 “Gotcha, man!” 48 Dec. 31, e.g. 49 Diminutive for Theresa 52 Takes the plunge 55 Will who played Grandpa Walton on “The Waltons” 56 Big name in applesauce 58 Film villain who never said 23-Across, with “the” 61 Some purchasers of expensive gowns 64 Manhattan’s ____ Stadium 66 The “E” in Q.E.D. 67 Noses out? 69 Counterpart of pitch 70 Prefix with -lepsy 71 Title for two Beatles 72 ____-Locka, Fla. 73 Try, in a way 75 Woodworker’s tool 76 Digital-image format 79 3:00 80 Willowy 81 Washer/dryer unit 83 Commander who never said 36-Across 86 Former Mississippi senator Trent 87 The first recorded one was noted by the Greek scientist Hipparchus in 134 B.C. 89 2014 hit film featuring Oprah Winfrey 90 Announcement from a band 92 Colorful fish 93 Surveillance aid 95 Word before check or drop 96 Overnighter 98 Chinese principle 99 TV detective who never said 121-Across 106 Exercise done while sitting 108 Wax holders 109 What a plus sign may indicate 110 Belief of Benjamin Franklin 114 Already: Fr. 115 Lhasa ____ 116 May ordeal for some H.S. students 119 N.Y. engineering sch. 120 Pop singer Jason 121 Line never said by 99-Across
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31 Blood-typing letters 32 Politician’s goal 34 Impatient dismissals 35 London’s ____ Park 37 All over again 38 Not yet rented 39 Varicolored 40 Like BFFs 42 Formative 43 Shade of green 44 Line never said by 17-Down 47 Iraq War danger, for short 50 Rest of the afternoon 51 Economizes 53 Common landscaping tree with acorns 54 Puts the kibosh on something 57 Active ingredient in marijuana 59 Sport making its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020 60 Number of Spanish kings named Carlos 62 Small boat, maybe 63 Angel 65 Head, slangily 68 Home to the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi: Abbr. 74 Suffer 77 Part of Caesar’s boast 78 Las ____, Canary Islands 79 Opposite of kill 82 Elmer, to Bugs
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: It’s my birthday. If you feel moved, send me love and blessings! Info about how to do that at FreeWillAstrology.com
Orfield Laboratories is an architectural company that designs rooms for ultimate comfort. They sculpt the acoustic environment so that sounds are soft, clear, and pleasant to the human ear. They ensure that the temperature is just right and the air quality is always fresh. At night the artificial light is gentle on the eyes, and by day the sunlight is rejuvenating. In the coming weeks, I’d love for you to be in places like this on a regular basis. According to my analysis of the astrological rhythms, it’s recharging time for you. You need and deserve an abundance of cozy relaxation.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Some traditional astrologers believe solar eclipses are sour omens. They theorize that when the Moon perfectly covers the Sun, as it will on July 2, a metaphorical shadow will pass across some part of our lives, perhaps triggering crises. I don’t agree with that gloomy assessment. I consider a solar eclipse to be a harbinger of grace and slack and freedom. In my view, the time before and after this cosmic event might resemble what the workplace is like when the boss is out of town. Or it may be a sign that your inner critic is going to shut up and leave you alone for a while. Or you could suddenly find that you can access the willpower and ingenuity you need so as to change something about your life that you’ve been wanting to change. So I advise you to start planning now to take advantage of the upcoming blessings of the eclipse.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
I hope that during the next four weeks, you will make plans to expedite and deepen your education. You’ll be able to make dramatic progress in figuring out what will be most important for you to learn in the next three years. We all have pockets of ignorance about how we understand reality, and now is an excellent time for you to identify what your pockets are and to begin illuminating them. Every one of us lacks some key training or knowledge that could help us fulfill our noblest dreams, and now is a favorable time for you to address that issue.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
In the next four weeks, you’re not likely to win the biggest prize or tame the fiercest monster or wield the greatest power. However, you could very well earn a second- or third-best honor. I won’t be surprised if you claim a decent prize or outsmart a somewhat menacing dragon or gain an interesting new kind of clout. Oddly enough, this less-than-supreme accomplishment may be exactly right for you. The lower levels of pressure and responsibility will keep you sane and healthy. The stress of your moderate success will be very manageable. So give thanks for this just-right blessing!
What are you doing with the fertility and creativity that have been sweeping through your life during the first six months of 2019? Are you witheringly idealistic, caught up in perfectionistic detail as you cautiously follow outmoded rules about how to make best use of that fertility and creativity? Or are you being expansively pragmatic, wielding your lively imagination to harness that fertility and creativity to generate transformations that will improve your life forever?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Mythologist Joseph Campbell said that heroes are those who give their lives to something bigger than themselves. That’s never an easy assignment for anyone, but right now it’s less difficult for you than ever before. As you prepare for the joyous ordeal, I urge you to shed the expectation that it will require you to make a burdensome sacrifice. Instead, picture the process as involving the loss of a small pleasure that paves the way for a greater pleasure. Imagine you will finally be able to give a giant gift you’ve been bursting to express.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
In 1903, the Wright Brothers put wings on a heavy machine and got the contraption to fly up off the ground for 59 seconds. No one had ever done such a thing. Sixty-
six years later, American astronauts succeeded at an equally momentous feat. They piloted a craft that departed from the Earth and landed on the surface of the moon. The first motorcycle was another quantum leap in humans’ ability to travel. Two German inventors created the first one in 1885. But it took 120 years before any person did a back-flip while riding a motorcycle. If I had to compare your next potential breakthrough to one or the other marvelous invention, I’d say it’ll be more metaphorically similar to a motorcycle flip than the moon-landing. It may not be crucial to the evolution of the human race, but it’ll be impressive—and a testament to your hard work.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
In the year 37 AD, Saul of Tarsus was traveling by foot from Jerusalem to Damascus, Syria. He was on a mission to find and arrest devotees of Jesus, then bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished. Saul’s plans got waylaid, however—or so the story goes. A “light from heaven” knocked him down, turned him blind, and spoke to him in the voice of Jesus. Three days later, Saul’s blindness was healed and he pledged himself to forevermore be one of those devotees of Jesus he had previously persecuted. I don’t expect a transformation quite so spectacular for you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. But I do suspect you will change your mind about an important issue, and consider making a fundamental edit of your belief system.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
You could be a disorienting or even disruptive influence to some people. You may also have healing and inspirational effects. And yes, both of those statements are true. You should probably warn your allies that you might be almost unbearably interesting. Let them know you could change their minds and disprove their theories. But also tell them that if they remain open to your rowdy grace and boisterous poise, you might provide them with curative stimulation they didn’t even know they needed.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Some children are repelled by the taste of broccoli. Food researchers at the McDonald’s restaurant chain decided
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Spank yourself for me, please. Ten sound swats ought to do it. According to my astrological assessments, that will be sufficient to rein yourself in from the possibility of committing excesses and extravagance. By enacting this humorous yet serious ritual, you will set in motion corrective forces that tweak your unconscious mind in just the right way so as to prevent you from getting too much of a good thing; you will avoid asking for too much or venturing too far. Instead, you will be content with and grateful for the exact bounty you have gathered in recent weeks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Your inspiration for the coming weeks is a poem by Piscean poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It begins like this: “The holiest of all holidays are those / Kept by ourselves in silence and apart; / The secret anniversaries of the heart, / When the full river of feeling overflows.” In accordance with astrological omens, Pisces, I invite you to create your own secret holiday of the heart, which you will celebrate at this time of year for the rest of your long life. Be imaginative and full of deep feelings as you dream up the marvelous reasons why you will observe this sacred anniversary. Design special rituals you will perform to rouse your gratitude for the miracle of your destiny.
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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to address the problem. In an effort to render this ultrahealthy vegetable more palatable, they concocted a version that tasted like bubble gum. Kids didn’t like it, though. It confused them. But you have to give credit to the food researchers for thinking inventively. I encourage you to get equally creative, even a bit wacky or odd, in your efforts to solve a knotty dilemma. Allow your brainstorms to be playful and experimental.
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