OKC Pride Week

free every wednesday | Metro OKC’s Independent Weekly | june 21, 2017

celebrating

30 years

of growth

By Ben Luschen p.21

P RI D E WEEK

$50K SUMMER GIVEAWAY KICK OFF YOUR SUMMER WITH A SHARE OF $10,000 IN CASH EVERY FRIDAY IN JUNE. TWO WINNERS POCKET UP TO $1,000 EVERY HALF-HOUR FROM 7 TO 11:30 PM, PLUS A $5,000 GRAND PRIZE AT MIDNIGHT. EARN 3X ENTRIES ON MONDAYS.

$4,500 DATE NIGHT THURSDAYS MAKE A NIGHT OF IT EVERY THURSDAY FROM 5-9 PM WITH DRAWINGS EVERY HALF-HOUR, $25 THREE-COURSE DINNER FOR TWO IN CHIPS ‘N ALES AND $10 REWARDS PLAY FOR EARNING 10 POINTS.

Summer Giveaway

FISHING TRIPS POINTS RACE

SU

MM

JUNE 24 Dwight Yoakam

ER GI

WE’RE GIVING AWAY TWO FISHING TRIPS EACH MONTH DURING THE SUMMER! EARN POINTS PLAYING EVERI GAMES NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A VIP FISHING TRIP. TRIPS WILL BE GIVEN AWAY THE SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH THROUGH AUGUST.

Y A V E AW

JULY 8

JULY 14

Beats and Bites Feat. Wade Bowen

Travis Tritt

OKC’S MOST REWARDING CASINO

COMING SOON:

405.322.6000 • WWW.RIVERWIND.COM I-35 AT HIGHWAY 9 WEST, NORMAN, OK GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY 1.800.522.4700

JEFFREY OSBORNE & THE WHISPERS - JULY 15 DIAMOND RIO - JULY 28 SAMMY KERSHAW - AUGUST 5

2 j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o 1 m UNI_17-CGR-069_June_Combo_NP.indd

6/8/17 3:31 PM

inside COVER P. 21 OKC Pride Week returns FridaySunday with celebrations throughout 39th District, Oklahoma City’s historically gay hub, which includes bars, businesses and churches found along NW 39th Street between N. Pennsylvania Avenue and N. Youngs Boulevard. This year marks OKC Pride’s 30th anniversary, and Oklahoma Gazette looks back at its history while examining its community role and future.

By Ben Luschen. Cover by Anna Shilling.

NEWS

John

Anderson

4 City First National Center update 6 Pride school district

anti-discrimination policies

JULY 14 8PM

8 City income tax for

education proposals

10 Letters 12 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 15 Feature Gogi Go 16 Briefs

17 event Gypsy Glam Roadshow 18 Gazedibles OKC Pride Week

ARTS & CULTURE 21 Cover OKC Pride turns 30

23 Pride OKC Urban Pride events

24 Pride OK AIDS Care Fund’s

Positive Heroes Series

25 Comedy The Hodgetwins at

ACM@UCO Performance Lab

26 Theater Lyric Theatre’s Million

Dollar Quartet

27 TV West Wing watch party 28 Culture SoonerCon 26

29 Culture 2017 Oklahoma

Chautauqua

Tickets Starting at $25

30 Calendar

MUSIC 34 Event Okilly Dokilly at

89th Street – OKC

36 Pride The Bright Light Social Hour

headlines OKC Pride Week concert

37 Live music

FUN 38 Puzzles sudoku | crossword 39 Astrology OKG Classifieds 39

GRANDBOXOFFICE.COM I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

3

NEWS Gary Brooks stands in First National Center’s Great Banking Hall as members of the public viewed the historic bank building. The downtown landmark will undergo major renovations starting

Cit y

this month. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Authentic vision As an Oklahoma City developer begins First National Center renovations, he asks the community to take part in preserving its 86-year-old history. By Laura Eastes

Not long after Gary Brooks announced he was buying downtown’s First National Center and launching a $230 million building renovation, the packages and stories began rolling in.

While standing in the building’s Great Banking Hall last week, Brooks pointed to his golden lapel pin about the size of a nickel and shaped like the number 1. The pin and a stack of First National Bank and Trust Co.’s company newsletters dating as far back as the 1950s were delivered to his office with no names attached. The newsletters, with their bank history and faded photos of former employees, spurred a desire to know more about the company and the downtown landmark. The 1931 art deco-style skyscraper, built to house the bank, holds architectural significance that some argue rivals that of New York City’s Empire State Building, which broke ground one year earlier and was also completed in 1931.

“The first thing I did was begin to research the history,” said Brooks, CEO of Cornerstone Development. “I got into commercial real estate in 1987, the year after First National closed. I remember coming in here in my 20s, but it didn’t mean a lot to me then. I had to start from scratch.”

First, Brooks read Michael Hightower’s Banking in Oklahoma: 1907-

2000, which maps the history of banking to the turn of the millennium. Second, he listened as people shared their personal connections to the building. Third, he saved building artifacts — bank brochures, yellowed architecture drawings, silverware from The Beacon Club and more. Last, Brooks began to post his finds, building history tidbits and future project plans on Twitter.

On Jan. 11, when Brooks and partner Charlie Nicholas closed on the $23 million purchase, he had three Twitter followers: his wife and two children.

Brooks’ Twitter followers increased tenfold over in six months. He tweets at @GaryDBrooks.

“It’s been unbelievable,” he said.

“People are interested, and I certainly underestimated the interest.”

the lobby. Plans call to restore the hall, and Bruce described its future as an artful blend of historic charm and meeting expectations of modern travelers and guests. The hall’s 16 sandstone columns, along with the murals and ornately decorated bank teller windows, will remain.

“We envision any given day to look like this,” Brooks said.

June 16 and 17, Brooks welcomed the public to view the building before renovations forced its closure. People of all ages visited First National Center, located at the intersection of Robinson and Park avenues, to tour the facility and glimpse its future. Projections of the renderings were beamed onto a white screen in the banking hall.

Hotel rooms and suites will be on the first through eighth floors. Apartments will be on floors nine to 30.

The project comes with a $230 million price tag but will receive public and private investments through the use of historic tax credits and tax increment financing (TIF) funds. The building is located in one of the city’s TIF districts.

When First National Center reopens in 2020, it will join a growing list of historic preservation projects in downtown Oklahoma City — The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City hotel, 21c Museum Hotel (the former Fred Jones Manufacturing plant), Main Street Arcade and the Sunshine Laundry building.

“You don’t make an investment like this and worry about what oil and gas prices are going to do in the next year,” Brooks said when answered if the timing was right to deliver downtown a project of this magnitude. “The leadership in this city is the reason I’ve chosen to bring my partner in and spend $230 million. I believe … the city council will continue to lead, along with the mayor and city manager, in a way that will make this project successful.

That’s why we bought it. We trust the leadership of the city to continue that growth trajectory regardless of energy prices or other outside influences.”

Memories wanted

As Brooks welcomed guests into First National Center last week, former building employees greeted him with warmth and affection.

As a gentleman who worked at the bank in the 1980s and a former museum docent who brought school children into the building as part of a downtown tour decades ago shared their memories, Brooks smiled and thanked them. He also shared a business card with a web address. Brooks wants their stories and memories documented.

FriendsOfFirstNational.com allows people to share stories and memories of the building, which will also house a museum in the hotel’s lobby. Website visitors can even upload or send photographs or other historic files.

“We are trying to capture those stories,” Brooks said. “We want to know about the people who worked here. What did they do? … We are going to commit a lot of our energy and our space to that history.”

The public was invited to walk through First National Center’s Great Banking Hall and basement banking vaults as part of a pre-construction open house last week. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Art deco elegance

In three years, when First National Center’s renovations are planned for completion, the building will offer a 145-room luxury hotel, 200 apartments, a high-end basement vault restaurant, a bar and lounge with downtown views from the 31st floor, 25,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and parking.

Since the hotel serves as the building’s heart, the Great Banking Hall will become

Artist rendering of proposed First National Center renovations | Image Cornerstone Development / provided

4

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

UNI_17-RP-106_24/7_Gazette.indd 1

5 6/19/17 11:18 AM

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

NEWS Teacher and blogger Aaron Baker researched nearly 100 Oklahoma school districts’ nondiscrimination policies and discovered a majority do not include protections for lesbian, gay or transgender students or staff. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

sends a clear message to all.

“Not only does this send a message to LGBT students that they are accepted in their own school environment, but it also builds acceptance among other students,” he said.

PRIDE

Advocacy

Equal protection

Without school district policies addressing sexual orientation and gender identity, are LGBTQ students and staff vulnerable to discrimination?

By Laura Eastes

Lisa Delcol had a daughter for 14 years.

Then she didn’t.

That’s where her journey began as a parent of a transgender child. Like all parents, Delcol wanted what was best for her child, for them to be happy and experience success. Weeks before her teenager began freshman year at Oklahoma City’s Harding Charter Preparatory High School, Delcol arranged a meeting between her family and the school’s principal and guidance counselor.

The transition to high school can be nerve-racking for teens, with the fear of anonymity, unfamiliar surroundings and heightened classroom expectations.

With the added complexities of transitioning, Delcol wanted to ensure her child would be accepted and made to feel safe by staff. After the meeting, Delcol was confident in the school’s leaders, who were receptive to suggestions and learning more about educating transgender students. When school began, her teenager was welcomed by teachers and staff at the charter school authorized by Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS).

“By and large, the teachers have been very respectful and they’ve made the effort,” Delcol said. “It’s been huge.”

As a member of the Oklahoma City chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Delcol knows not all LGBTQ students always have similar positive experiences.

“I hear stories about kids at other schools who are not welcomed,” said Delcol, who mentioned stories of verbal harassment and bullying. “I heard from a parent that said their family was considering leaving the state.”

With recent actions taken by OKCPS’ 6

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Board of Education, however, hopes are rising that local schools will foster environments that respect and protect the rights of LGBTQ youth.

Student rights

In the United States, students are protected from discrimination in areas of race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age. During the Obama administration, there were endeavors to provide LGBTQ protections, like the policy directives supporting bathroomaccess accommodations for transgender students. The Trump administration has withdrawn those protections.

There are not federal laws requiring the nation’s public schools to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Oklahoma is one of 29 states with no laws protecting LGBTQ students, according to an analyst for Boulder, Colorado-based Movement Advancement Project.

In Oklahoma, it’s up to local school boards whether or not to add protections into their policies and practices.

All too often, middle-school teacher Aaron Baker overheard students uttering the phrase “That’s gay.”

At first, Baker told students not to say it. After realizing his students thought he was upset by the word “gay,” Baker explained the phrase could be hurtful to fellow students.

“The problem is the way you are using the word,” Baker said to his Del Crest Middle School students in Del City. “‘Gay’ is not a bad word; it is okay to be gay. It is acceptable at this school.”

Based on his district’s nondiscrimination policy, Baker felt confident in his explanation. Updated in 2015, Midwest City-Del City Schools’ policy bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression or identity.

As an active blogger about education issues surrounding social justice, Baker set out to research other public school district policies. Visiting websites of Oklahoma’s 100 largest districts, he found 22 include some form of LGBTQ protection. He published his findings on his blog Spoon Vision in May. A review of 24 metro school district nondiscrimination policies by Oklahoma Gazette found five have taken concrete steps to protect LGBTQ students’ and staff rights: OKCPS, Mid-Del, Norman, Luther and Deer Creek. However, Edmond, Moore, Mustang and Putnam City — also some of the state’s largest districts — have no policies banning discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Baker urges districts to update their policies. Without such protections, he said, LGBTQ students and staff are made

vulnerable to isolation, exclusion and marginalization that can make them unsafe or feel unwelcome at their schools.

“When I say safety for all, I mean for all students, including those left out of the mainstream idea of what an American student should look like,” he said.

Legal recourse

While there might be no federal or state laws that expressly protect LGBTQ students from discrimination, there are other legal recourses, said American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma’s legal director Brady Henderson.

Under the state constitution, which guarantees the right to an education, Henderson believes that LGBTQ students could rightfully argue that bullying, exclusion and discrimination they experience at school interferes with their right to an education. Additionally, he said other legal options, like federal constitutional claims such as those alleging a violation of the Equal Protection Clause, are available.

Currently, legal efforts based on LGBTQ equality in schools, especially regarding transgender students and staff, are playing out in courts and earning national discussion, Henderson said.

“This is something, in my opinion, that has really not hit the courts yet in Oklahoma,” he said. “I think ‘yet’ is the critical word in the equation because it is only a matter of time.”

Future efforts

In Oklahoma, where many LGBTQ community members are still at risk of being denied services or confronted with discrimination in areas of employment and housing, Delcol said more than public school policy needs to change.

At Freedom Oklahoma, where advocates have worked closely with local leaders to pass LGBTQ protections, Stevenson said the key is talking to elected officials.

“It is important to engage those school districts,” he said. “It is much more impactful when a student or a parent talks to a school board member.”

Standing up

In January, OKCPS’ Board of Education approved changes to its nondiscrimination policy that included the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to its list of protected bases. The policy change went largely unnoticed by the general public until a June resolution affirming the support of all LGBTQ students and staff was approved unanimously.

Troy Stevenson, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, the state’s LGBTQ advocacy organization, said the resolution sets the district’s tone and

Troy Stevenson | Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

UNI_17_CGR-68_50K_SummerGiveaway_9.25x12.25.indd 1

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 5/24/17 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 2:31 7

PM

NEWS

C ITY

Talking taxes

As the Oklahoma City Council prepares sales tax and bond propositions, conversations continue about how best to spend the funds. By Laura Eastes

When residents weighed in on Oklahoma City Council’s sales tax and bond proposals to invest $1.1 billion, they brought recommendations.

The June 13 public hearing on extending the one-cent MAPS 3 sales tax and implementing a 2017 General Obligation Bond program brought out business leaders and education advocates who argued such an investment into the city could have a transformative impact. However, the two sides differ significantly over where the money should be spent.

Business leaders encouraged the council to consider extending the one-cent MAPS 3 sales tax, which will expire at the end of the year, for 27 months to fund street resurfacing, streetscapes, trails, sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure. Streets are a driver in economic development, the business leaders argued.

“Trust me; in our conversations with existing businesses, roads are a primary concern,” Greater Oklahoma City Chamber executive committee chairwoman Rhonda Hooper told the council.

“If you are having to zigzag within your lane to avoid damaging your wheels in a pothole, it is very frustrating.”

Also, the leaders suggested the city levy a permanent 1/4-cent sales tax to funnel into the operations budget, boosting funding for public safety positions.

Education advocates put forward their plan for a 1/4-cent of an extended MAPS 3 sales tax benefitting local school districts, which are struggling financially because of decisions made at the state level. City funding could pad depleting classroom budgets and benefit teacher salaries, strengthening schools and adding to the quality of life, advocates stated.

“Let’s have some political imagination,” Nick Singer, a parent and legislative organizer, said. “I get it; the roads are bad in Oklahoma, no question. The schools are worse. As a parent, I would rather dodge a few potholes than scramble constantly to educate my child.”

The nine-member council responded. Days after the public hearing, the council’s proposals were revised to match the motion of business leaders, who represent the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the organization that would likely run a campaign for the city’s sales and bond propositions.

The council’s final sales tax and bond proposals will be decided before the end of the month. The ultimate decision lies with Oklahoma City voters, who are expected to vote on the proposals Sept. 12.

Possible education funding

Education advocates have an ally in Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid, who vows to investigate different ways to increase funding to Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS), which has school sites in his ward. In recent months, he has done just that by initiating early conversations.

While Shadid sees an opportunity with the expiring MAPS 3 sales tax, he also backs efforts to explore a city income tax, which would drive funds to classroom spending and into the salaries of teachers and support staff.

“I’m not going to pretend this is an ideal solution,” Shadid said. “It is a desperate act for a desperate time. … We have talked to death about Oklahoma City schools and their condition being the key to corporate retention, being the key to corporate recruitment, being the key to neighborhood revitalization (and) being the key to economic development.”

Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid wants to explore Oklahoma tax and school finance laws to bring a funding proposal to voters that would benefit public education. | Photo Gazette / file

Either the council or citizens, through an initiative petition, could bring a temporary city income tax for education to a public vote.

Since state leaders dropped the personal income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 5 percent on Jan. 1, 2016, Oklahoma City could impose an income tax at .25 percent, suggested Shadid, who said the tax cut spurred controversy because of looming state revenue shortfalls.

There is no clear path for local governments to fund school districts, which is why Shadid acknowledged there is much work associated with either the city or the public bringing a local tax proposal to voters.

However, it’s not unheard of. In 2015, Pottawatomie County voters approved a .495-cent sales tax to support 14 school districts through building and technology needs and fund the construction of a county justice center. Sixteen years ago, Oklahoma City voters endorsed a $700 million MAPS for Kids sales tax initiative to invest in OKCPS and suburban districts in areas of capital improvements, technology and transportation.

Because Oklahoma strives to fund public schools equitably, any proposal would need to be vetted by experts in the state’s tax and school financing laws.

Citizen interest

In a May 5-11 Sooner Poll about a September Special Election and authorized by Shadid, almost 52 percent of city residents polled said they strongly support or somewhat support an initiative or proposal allocating city funds to per-pupil spending and non-administrative educator salaries. Twenty-one percent of respondents were neutral or don’t know, and 27 percent somewhat or strongly opposed such a measure.

Other poll findings

>> About 63 percent of citizens sur-

veyed said they would support a temporary continuation of the MAPS tax with 1/4 cent benefiting OKCPS. >> About 61 percent of citizens surveyed said they would support a temporary 1/4-percent income tax to support OKCPS. >> About 67 percent somewhat or strongly support a general obligation bond package, which uses property tax revenue to fund capital improvement projects for streets, drainage, bridges, police and fire and parks. >> About 56 percent of citizens support the continuation of the MAPS sales tax.

PPGP Takes PRIDE in Serving the LGBTQ Community

Follow us on 8

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

@PPGreatPlains and on

@PPGreatPlains

www.ppgreatplains.org

UNI_17-CGW_131_Buckingham/McVie_9.25x12.25_OnSale.indd 1

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 26/2/17 1 , 2 0 1 7 3:54 9 PM

letters

NEWS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com.

Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

No mistakes

It’s Pride Month! It’s that happy time of the year when people who aren’t ashamed of their sexuality and gender identity get to feel some form of representation.

Unfortunately, it’s also that lovely time of year when people step up their efforts to make us feel subhuman.

I’ve been an advocate for years, and in truth, it’s partially because I had been hiding from myself. So, after almost 40 years on this planet, I came out to everyone; I revealed that I had known I was female since I was a child. It’s not an easy thing to admit, especially when you’ve been pretty boss at presenting as a male.

To say it caught everyone off guard (especially my wife) would be an understatement. In the nine months I’ve been out, I have taken to living full time as a woman.

I am accepted by my friends, family and

co-workers. I am proud! But a quick glance at any comment section relating to LGBTQ issues also brings to light another emotion: terror. Much to the chagrin of my LGBTQ brothers and sisters, we are victims of terrorists. These people practice sociopathic behaviors by trying to utilize hatespeech, bully-tactics and even violence to make us feel unworthy of existence.

The trans community alone has a reported 41 percent suicide rate, and as someone who’s personally dealt with ideations my whole life, I must stress that this isn’t actually a mental health issue.

Of course, that is the basis of every comment attempting to marginalize us.

What these people fail to realize is that suicidal ideation and attempts are borne out of two factors. First, the inability for an individual to live as their true self because of society’s disdain for treating all humans as humans. Second, after coming out, they have to actually face society’s disdain for treating all humans as humans. The actual mental health issue is with those who feel compelled to harm us. Greater damage is perpetrated when people choose to be the spokesperson for the almighty, hence the birth of the “God doesn’t make mistakes” argument.

This is the truest lie ever told. What of anyone born with a birth defect? Would you then deny them rights to treatments that could make them feel more normal in our society? And if you do think that

those born disabled should have access to treatments that lend normalcy to their existence, then how is that any different than allowing someone to be Out and Proud if it brings them peace with their own self? The truth is we aren’t mistakes.

Kira Wertz Oklahoma City

Pull my finger

“Clean renewable energy” (Opinion, Letters to the editor, “Sweeping wind,” Jody Harlan, March 22, Oklahoma Gazette) is an oxymoron. One needs to peel back the layers of the onion to get a more balanced perspective. Consider what’s required to make a “windmill”: turbines made in China using rare earth minerals mined in near-slave conditions; brass, copper, steel, precious metals used in manufacturing stanchions; excavation and concrete and macadam; all transported by those icky fossil fuel-burning vehicles; and I didn’t even get into the support and transmission infrastructure.

One medium-size power plant on approximately 30 acres supports a city of about 300,000, whereas wind-generated power requires thousands of acres and multiple mini distribution networks. Also, wind turbines and solar farms are avian abattoirs, immolating millions of birds and bats each and every year.

I guess it depends on what your definition of “clean” is. The fluctuations of all

fungible commodities in global markets, as well as domestic, are mostly the result of supply/demand issues. Inasmuch as we have more oil, natural gas and coal than the rest of the world combined, we should be the major influence in that equation.

However, until Jan. 20, our government severely restricted, impeded, banned or otherwise stopped this effort. This situation is being changed even as I write.

Jody Harlan opines that “electricity produced by wind turbines is the cheapest source of electricity.” Whoa! Even with all of the subsidies, credits, incentives and the rest of the giveaways, wind-produced electricity is at least double that produced by coal, gas, oil or nuclear. Moreover, it gets real expensive without the federal and state goodies and when you add the cost of a parallel coal/gas/oil production to provide power when the winds don’t blow or the sun don’t shine. Wind and solarprovided power is subject to the peaks and valleys on Mother Nature’s mood.

Renewable energy gets 49 times more in federal incentives than do coal/gas/oil for each Btu of power. Fossil fuel companies pay over $30 billion per year to the federal treasury, and renewable energy gains over $10 billion per year. I guess it depends on what your definition of “cheaper” is. We live in interesting times.

Pete Lepo Edmond

X.XX %

APY*

allegiancecu.org

10

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Join us Saturday, June 24, for this special day full of just-for-kids fun! Activities and demonstrations all over campus include stickball, marbles, an archeology dig, make-and-take birdhouses and more.

Plus, we’ll be screening favorite films for little ones and all kids will receive a special gift while supplies last.

A

D A Y

O F

S U M M E R

F U N

F O R

K I D S

And don’t miss our summer-long

Itti’ Chokka’ Treehouses Exhibit

where kids can stomp on the Forest Sound Dance Floor to hear tree-dwelling animal sounds! Turn a tree into a house – and back again. Be an animal tracker and hang out in the trees!

Kids will enjoy festival games, booths, face painting and more.

ChickasawCulturalCenter.com • Sulphur, Oklahoma • 580-622-7130

UNI_17-CNC-045_CHILDRENS_FESTIVAL.indd 1

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 26/5/17 1 , 2 0 1 7 9:53 11 AM

chicken

friedNEWS

Testing tracks

Oklahomans’ dreams of riding the train between Oklahoma City and faroff places could be getting clearer. Amtrak recently sent an inspection train up existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) tracks between OKC and Newton, Kansas, near Kansas City.

The Heartland Flyer currently makes a daily 418-mile round trip between OKC and Fort Worth and is supported by funds from Oklahoma and Texas governments. It has been operating since 1999.

The inspection train recently made stops in Guthrie, Perry and Ponca City in Oklahoma and Arkansas City, Wichita, Newton, Emporia and Topeka in Kansas before arriving at its destination at Kansas City.

NewsOK.com reported that Texas Rail Advocates encouraged people in towns along the route to host rallies showing their support for expanding the rail service.

Reporters, city council members and public figures rode the train to Kansas City and reported on the support shown along the way.

An expansion would connect Oklahoma City with existing “routes running between Chicago and Los Angeles through Kansas City and Albuquerque,” KOSU reported.

Currently, a shuttle bus links OKC and Newton train stations. The possible expansion would send the Heartland Flyer running between Newton and Fort Worth.

News9.com reported that the Interstate 35 passenger tracks going north shut down in 1979 because of budget cuts, and Amtrak has yet to release an estimate of costs to reopen the route.

The existing Heartland Flyer rail service has survived budget cuts in the last few years but could not go on without support from both Oklahoma and Texas governments and the states’ departments of transportation.

12

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Incarceration renovation

After losing Union Bus Station and Stage Center in the last few years, Oklahoma City has given one of its oldest properties, the former Oklahoma City jail facility at 200 N. Shartel Ave., a chance to survive.

Abandoned for nearly 25 years, the six-story structure was completed in 1940 as a combination police headquarters and jail. Police operations moved out in the 1960s, and the jail closed in the early 1990s. Now, the city is asking developers for proposals for what to do with it, according to NewsOK.com.

The building is in not-so-awesome shape after a quarter century of disuse.

A city report lists asbestos and lead paint, the lack of a sprinkler system and fire alarms and exposure to weather and wildlife as problems. Additionally, once the former court and police offices are torn down, the remaining structure also will lack access to mechanical services or utilities.

The former Oklahoma City jail is what ambitious and hopeful types like us at Chicken-Fried News might call a fixer-upper. It’s also what the city and professional developers might hope to call a historic restoration.

While the city pines for a renova-

tion, it also warns that it also can’t promise financial assistance from taxpayers.

NewsOK.com reminded us the district surrounding it is in a renaissance of sorts with the development of Main Street Arcade; The Jones Assembly; John Rex Charter Elementary; 21c Museum Hotel; and expansive West Village office, housing and retail space.

In the past, development proposals for the former jail have been sporadic and tepid — one proposal in 2012 recommended transforming the space into a diner, barbershop, convenience store and laundromat.

Thankfully, we at Chicken-Fried News are on the job. We don’t have any money or experience renovating sixstory buildings, but we do have ideas.

1. Super-realistic escape room(s): Put in a few more puzzles and a secret alien autopsy room and it’ll be a surefire winner.

2. Make it haunted: An abandoned jail is ripe for haunting! Turn it into a psychiatric hospital, and maybe add a “pet sematary.” People will come from miles around! Charge admission!

3. Just save the dang thing already: It’s a gorgeous structure; save its façade, reimagine the entire interior, add a rooftop pool, studio to threeroom apartments, a basement bar and a lounge. It’s ripe for all the fixin’-uppin’.

#BuzzKill

When health officials confirmed West Nile Virus in Oklahoma County, the Chicken-Fried News team threw up their hands in frustration (except for the lone reporter left typing this).

Then we dumped out our company’s plastic kiddie pool.

Then we bought a delicious craft beer, sprayed DEET on our uniforms and poured out the golden-hued IPA as we lamented another summer ruined by the threat of buzzkill skeeters carrying the dreaded West Nile Virus.

Just when we mastered LED fidget spinners and were ready to hit the summer festival circuit, too! Even our skinbaring man rompers were packed. Sigh.

Seriously, though, everyone should take some precautions to protect themselves from hovering bloodsuckers (no, not legislators; mosquitos). Phil Maytubby with the Oklahoma CityCounty Health Department recently shared his 3-D (and a P) safety tips with KFOR.com: Drain standing water, use DEET on clothes, dress in long sleeves and pants and protect yourself from exposure and check window screens.

In typical Chicken-Fried News fashion, we’ll add another one: Share

all your Facebook live videos from the relatively mosquito-free safety of your bar stool.

Slow-burn Coburn

Everyone’s favorite (or least favorite; your pick) Saturday Night Live comic-turned-United States Senator Al Franken recently weighed in on who he believes are Washington, D.C.’s funniest lawmakers. And — gasp — he dared to call out former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn.

Franken, the Minnesota senator and a cum laude graduate of Harvard College, gave a recent Chicago Tribune interview to promote his new book Giant of the Senate. He said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, are two of the screamingly hilarious-est. As for the least funny among his lawmaking confederates, he cited an anecdote about meeting medical doctor and now-former U.S. legislator Coburn.

“When I first arrived,” Franken told the Tribune, “I asked [Coburn] if I could buy him lunch. He said, ‘Buy me breakfast.’ I said, ‘OK; let’s just have fun and talk about anything we want.’”

During that morning meal, Franken jokingly asked Coburn if any formal education was required to become a

* t s e B s ’ a Oklahom r is Hiring Newspape and locally ependently d in t es rg la ted full-time ate’s d and motiva le. azette, the st G te n a le m o ta g ah in kl O eop n, is hir rtising salesp s publicatio ers and adve owned new rt o p re ce n and freela

doctor in Oklahoma, to which Coburn replied, straight-faced, that yes, one must complete medical school.

“I said, ‘Tom, that’s a joke.’ I tried to teach him what a joke was and the proper reaction to a joke,” Franken said.

“He wrote me a note afterward saying he’d had a lot of fun.”

Dr. No isn’t funny?! Clearly, Franken has never read any of the senator’s Wastebook reports! His annual litanies detail federally funded projects he deemed irresponsible government spending.

Like Chicken-Fried News’ resident grandpa always reminds us, opinions are like rectal sphincters — almost everybody has one. Similarly, everyone has a different idea of just what wasteful spending actually is — just like Franken can believe Coburn is unfunny. But we say otherwise because the projects Coburn uncovered could sometimes be so absurd that they would garner chuckles from even the most partisan of politicians. His last report, 2015’s Wastebook: The Farce Awakens, included such things like a $1 million project studying monkeys running in a hamster ball on a treadmill, a $1.3 million study on how a koozie keeps beer cold and $780,000 to research college students and pizza addiction.

Still not convinced, Franken?

Search “Sen. Coburn Loses Bet, Belts Elton John Song” on YouTube to see Oklahoma’s fun-loving politician serenading Florida Sen. Bill Nelson with Elton John’s 1972 hit tune “Rocket Man” after losing a bet on the 2009 college football national championship game.

So maybe Coburn isn’t Harvard cum laude fancy-pants SNL funny, but Oklahoma isn’t really a fancy-pants funny type of state. Perhaps his dry wit over breakfast just came too early in the day for the Minnesota lawmaker to appreciate.

Don’t worry, Coburn; the fine comic critics here at Chicken-Fried News recognize your understated, proud contrarian humor.

Do you have an investment in the HAC, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan?

You may have a legal claim.

Reporters

Salespeople

We’re hiring experienced full-time and freelance reporters with a passion for investigative and enterprise news, community journalism, food and drink and arts and entertainment reporting.

We’re hiring passionate salespeople who are driven and truly want to help businesses succeed in an ever changing & competitive marketplace.

Please send a cover letter, resume and at least five writing samples to Jennifer Chancellor via email jchancellor@okgazette.com

Please send your cover letter and resume to James Bengfort via email to jbengfort@okgazette.com

Founded in 1979, the Gazette is metro Oklahoma City’s fiercely local arts and entertainment authority. okgazette.com *The Gazette earned Society of Professional Journalists Oklahoma Professional Chapter’s 2017 Best of the Best award in the large market category, which includes news publications with circulation over 25,000.

Bailey & Glasser LLP is investigating the creation of the HAC, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), a retirement plan in which employees of HAC, Inc. participate. The trustee of the ESOP is GreatBanc Trust Company. Bailey & Glasser is investigating the transactions in which the ESOP purchased HAC, Inc. in 2011, including the valuation of HAC, Inc. stock at that time.

HAC, Inc. stores include Homeland, United Supermarkets, Country Mart, Super Save Cost Plus and Cash Saver.

Contact us at 855-423-8870 for a free consultation and/or to learn more about our investigation.

Contact: Ryan Jenny | T: 855-423-8870

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

B A I L E YA N D G L A S S E R . C O M

1054 31st Street, NW, Suite 230 | Washington, DC 20007 T: 855.423.8870 | F: 202.463.2103 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

13

COME SEE US! Largest showroom in Oklahoma!

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC COMMERCIAL | RESIDENTIAL WHOLESALE PRICES | HUGE SELECTION

SHOWROOM SPECIAL

Spend $200 GeT $25 off

MUST PRESENT COUPON TO OUR FRIENDLY SALES STAFF ExP: JULY 1 2017 | INSIDE OFFER ONLY

14

J U N E 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

4525 N. Cooper Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118 (405) 524-1111 marketsourceonline.com

EAT & DRINK Kevin Lee left and John Lee are opening fast-casual Korean restaurant Gogi Go in Midtown with partner

F E AT U R E

Jason Chang. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Gogi Go hungry

Korean fast-casual restaurant Gogi Go plans a fall opening in Midtown.

By Greg Elwell

Chef Kevin Lee believes Korean food’s path to dominance has been a long time coming.

“I never understood how Japanese, Filipino and Thai cuisine got so far ahead of Korean food,” he said. “I think Korean food is so much more accessible and palate-friendly to Americans.”

Lee knows a bit about American palates. His run through Oklahoma City’s culinary scene started with short-lived restaurant Burger Rush, where he served fried soft-shell crab sandwiches, and wound its way through the Coach House’s apprenticeship program, earning him a job as executive sous chef at Vast, 333 W. Sheridan Ave. Along the way, he helped design the menu for Chae, 1933 NW 23rd St., a major milestone introducing Korean food to Oklahoma City.

Now he joins business partners John Lee and Jason Chang to open Gogi Go, a fast-casual Korean barbecue restaurant set to begin operations in the fall in the former site of Organic Squeeze Kitchen Table, 1325 N. Walker Ave.

“We just put the wall up, and [Organic Squeeze] gave us 500 more square feet, so it turned out perfect,” said Kevin Lee. “Now we have two doors instead of one, so one will be an exit and the other is the entrance. Now our lines won’t be snaking through the restaurant.”

There will be lines once Gogi Go begins serving. While Lee won’t be doing the day-to-day cooking, he has built a strong following in the local foodie community. Concepts with his stamp draw customers and good word of mouth.

The restaurant will be simple, in the style of a Korean Chipotle, he said.

Diners choose the protein, the toppings and the delivery system and the counter staff puts it together.

Much like Chipotle, people can get chicken, pork or beef, but instead of Mexican flavors, they’ll be marinated in Korean spices and served over rice, on a salad or in a burrito.

“The flavors are really classic Korean flavors. It’s not like we’re taking Korean food and changing it into something else,”

Lee said. “The variety of toppings and sauces are what make it really interesting.”

Sauces are not endemic to Korean cuisine, he said.

“Koreans are not the sauciest people in the world. They marinate and use banchan and pickles,” he said. “It’s about marination and fermentation.”

Banchan are the side dishes served with Korean food — little bowls and plates of different pickled foods, lettuce and vegetables — and they’re integral to the cuisine’s versatility.

“One thing you notice about Korean food is a lot of flavors are similar.

Usually, it’s soy sauce or gochujang, which is Korean chili paste,” Lee said.

“What makes it unique is the banchan.

You have an option where every bite can be different. Order your main menu item and how you eat it with different sides makes it different.”

Banchan at Gogi Go will be toppings, and customers don’t need to worry about anything too wild. Lee said to expect the usual lettuce, avocado and different sauces as well as fried shallots and sauteed corn.

I think Korean food is so much more accessible and palate-friendly to Americans.

Kevin Lee “Nothing crazy. Honestly, with this concept, we’re introducing people to Korean food,” he said.

But rather than a full-service Korean barbecue experience, in which diners cook their own meat, Gogi Go will have an open kitchen so customers can see the meat cooking on a flat-top.

As for Korean burritos, Lee said it’s about giving the people what they want.

“We’re in Oklahoma. People love burritos,” he said. “It’s as simple as adding tortilla to our stock. We’ll have kimchifried rice instead of Mexican rice.”

In addition to appealing to Korean food lovers, Gogi Go will serve dishes that accommodate vegans, vegetarians, those on a gluten-free diet and people who only eat halal-certified meat.

Korean awakening

Though Korean restaurants have been in the metro for decades, Lee said Chae helped pave the way for a more modern approach to the cuisine. He said the biggest challenge to Korean cuisine’s proliferation has been the attitudes of Korean people.

“Korean people are the most stuckup, hard-headed people in the world.

The food is their pride and joy, and they don’t want to change it for anybody,” he said. “They don’t want to change who they are. That’s Korean culture.”

Now, as second- and third-generation Korean-Americans are getting into the food scene, they’re helping soften that cultural resistance to change and making it easier for new diners to enjoy the cuisine.

“In California and New York, that change is already happening with a new generation of Korean chefs,” he said.

That’s not meant to insult Koreans.

Lee is proud of his heritage; he just wants more people to enjoy it.

“When I designed Chae’s menu, Korean people were going in, saying, ‘This isn’t Korean food,’” he said. “Every cuisine borrows from each other.

Korean people would ask why we put noodles in the oxtail soup, because in old-school Korean people’s mind, that’s not how it’s done.”

Lee dreams of eventually opening a full-service Korean barbecue. The groundwork he and his partners are laying with Gogi Go could help that dream come true sooner than later.

“I’m really hoping the concept does well. I think being in Midtown will help,” he said. “It’s constantly growing; we have great neighbors, like Waffle Champion, Louie’s [Grill & Bar] and Stella — a lot of local restaurants.”

Gogi Go could open as soon as October if construction and permitting goes well. But if it isn’t open in November, the owners will wait until January to begin serving customers.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J U N E 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

15

Nic’s Place Prime Rib, succulent, every Saturday night!

CE

b rief s By Greg Elwell

’S

EAT & DRINK

Eôté Coffee hosts a summer open house 5-8 p.m. Thursday. | Photo Eôté Coffee / provided

1116 N Robinson Ave. OKC | 405.601.9234 @nicsplacedinerandlounge

TWEET TWEET! FOLLOW US! @OKGAZETTE

•Open house

There’s making coffee, and then there’s really making coffee. For those interested in how the beans get to the bags, Eôté Coffee hosts a summer open house 5-8 p.m. Thursday at 416 NE 48th St. The free event includes tastings of Eôté coffee products and food from local businesses.

Guests can tour the facility, including a pair of custom-built coffee roasters, Big Red and Little Red; see brewing method demonstrations; and talk with Eôté staff about where the coffee is sourced and created.

A silent auction with limited edition art proofs of Eôté posters, coffee gift bundles, limited edition cold brew growlers and dining packages will benefit Willow Springs Boys Ranch in Chandler. Visit www.eotecoffee.com.

Food fest

“People have lost the talent, skill and knowledge to prepare food,” said Cleveland County Conservation District education director Chris Ward.

As more people recognize that fast food and heavily processed foods are not the healthiest diet options, they want to make a change but don’t know how, she said. A visit to ForkLift Food Fest 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 615 E. Robinson St., in Norman might be a good first step.

“This is something the Conservation District has wanted to do for a while,” Ward said.

“The farmers market approached us and said they wanted help promoting local food.

This is what we came up with.”

Buying locally grown food isn’t just healthy, Ward said; it’s community-minded.

“You’re supporting your neighbors who are trying to make a living in agriculture,” she said. “My parents and my grandparents raised a lot of their own food, and what they didn’t raise came from people they knew.”

ForkLift Food Fest will include a farmers market with a youth-friendly scavenger hunt, cooking classes by Langston University for children and adults and jam-making classes and information on raising hoop houses to grow your own produce. Visit clevelandcountyconservationdistrict.com or call 405-364-7319.

•Winning wines

Made in Oklahoma company Canadian River Vineyards & Winery is producing award-winning wines using Oklahomagrown grapes. | Photo Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center / provided

16

J U N E 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Made in Oklahoma company Canadian River Vineyards & Winery in Slaughterville recently took home silver medals from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for its Ingels Vineyard Dry Riesling and Indy International Wine Competition for the winery’s Chardonnay. It also received a bronze medal at Finger Lakes International Wine Competition for its semisweet Sangiovese. The competitions put the winery up against more than 4,000 other entries, said winery owner Gene Clifton.

Canadian River Vineyards & Winery’s winning wines were made with Oklahoma-grown grapes.

Canadian River’s vineyards are 17 years old.

Since the passage of State Question 688 in 2000, which allows for winery tasting rooms at vineyards, Oklahoma has seen a resurgence of local wineries.

To help produce higher quality wines, Oklahoma State University Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center organized an Oklahoma winequality project to test chemical structure and sensory impact of locally produced wines.

Visit canadianriverwinery.net.

catalan chicken

lunch & dinner

EVENT

6014 n. May 947.7788 | zorbasokc.coM

Sip and shop

This local festival mixes shopping with Oklahoma wines and live entertainment. By Angela Evans

Nothing complements an Oklahoma summer evening like a glass of wine, and Oklahoma wineries are in the spotlight at Gypsy Glam Roadshow’s upcoming Music and Wine Festival 5-10 p.m. Saturday at Tony’s Tree Plantation, 3801 S. Post Road.

Gypsy Glam Roadshow produces several events throughout the year, bringing together some of Oklahoma’s most talented makers and purveyors of items made in Oklahoma. This winethemed event features Oklahoma wineries Yippee Ay-O-K Winery in Clinton, Wildhorse Canyon Farms Winery & Gourmet Spreads in Luther, Land Run Vineyards & Winery in El Reno and Legends Vineyard & Winery in Lindsay.

There will even be two local breweries on tap: Vanessa House Beer Co. and Mustang Brewing Company.

For $10, festivalgoers 21 years old and older can sip on all the beers and wines and can also purchase beverages to enjoy by the glass or buy a bottle or two to take home.

“I have done a wine event in the past, so for this, I reached out to some wineries I was not familiar with,” said Melissa Moin-Smith, Gypsy Glam Roadshow founder and coordinator. “We love promoting Oklahoma wineries, and I wanted guests to be able to try wines they maybe hadn’t heard about before.”

Though the wine is the focus, there will be almost 50 retail vendors on-site, selling everything from handcrafted jewelry to soap made from goat’s milk.

“We have different Oklahoma companies, whether they are made in Oklahoma or if they are Oklahoma-owned business,” Moin-Smith said. “We want to keep the Oklahoma tax dollars here and help our own state while promoting local businesses. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Tony’s Tree Plantation is the backdrop for a picturesque evening with the family. Adults can sip and shop, and there

Heartbreak Rodeo performs Saturday at Gypsy Glam Roadshow Music and Wine Festival. | Photo heartbreakrodeo.com / provided

are plenty of youth activities, like a playground and basketball court, a small putt-putt green, a bean bag toss, face painting and selfie stations. Local music acts Heartbreak Rodeo, 2nd Chance Band and Black Water Bridge perform throughout the evening alongside special presentations by gypsy and fire dancers.

For amorous, adventurous couples ready to tie the knot, Rent My Airstreams will provide elopements, vow renewals and pop-up weddings.

To build your family while there, adopt an animal from The Bella Foundation, which will bring dogs and cats that need forever homes.

This year’s Music and Wine Festival benefits the animal assistance nonprofit. Bring a new, unopened item such as dog food or cat toys to donate to the cause and receive half-price admission to the event.

Plenty of pavilions and gazebos will dot the beautiful landscape of the plantation, lights will be hung and a selection of food trucks — Tipsy Treats, known for its liquor-infused ice creams; That Pie Truck; FatBoy’s LunchBox; BlueJ’s Rollin’ Grill; and Tasty Treats — will serve food throughout the night.

General admission is free, but those age 21 and up who want to sample wine can purchase a wristband for $10.

Visit oklahomagypsyglam.com or call 405-602-1851.

Gypsy Glam Roadshow Music and Wine Festival 5-10 p.m. Saturday Tony’s Tree Plantation | 3801 S. Post Road oklahomagypsyglam.com | 405-602-1851 Free-$10 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J U N E 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

17

g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Pouring pride

OKC Pride Week events run Friday through Sunday, drawing tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning people, family, friends and allies from across the region to celebrate. It is a time to rejoice in being who you are and loving who you love and enjoy the open embrace of like-minded company. If you’re looking for a place to meet up with longtime friends or find some new ones, here are some of Oklahoma City’s most accepting bars.

By Greg Elwell Photos by Cara Johnson and Garett Fisbeck

Phoenix Rising

The Boom!

Apothecary Thirty-Nine

The NW 39th Street Enclave is OKC’s longlived LGBTQ mecca. For those seeking a casual, neighborhood bar — even if you’re not from the neighborhood — Phoenix Rising is an excellent stop. Live entertainment, especially top-notch drag shows, is a big draw and keeps the crowds lively.

Every Tuesday night, Phoenix Rising hosts its Rising Star Show for up-and-coming drag performers.

The only night nothing happens at The Boom! is Monday, and that’s because it’s closed. The most popular attraction continues to be Sunday Gospel Brunch hosted

by Kitty Bob Aimes and Norma Jean Goldenstein, but there’s plenty more to choose from. The Boom! hosts karaoke Tuesday and Sunday nights, trivia with Stephanie Debarge on Wednesdays, Trashy Thursday dance parties and Drag Bingo on Sundays.

Appealing to a more laid-back crowd, Apothecary Thirty-Nine is Phoenix Rising’s sister bar. The volume stays low here, giving patrons an opportunity to enjoy a cocktails and conversations. It’s also smoke-free and comfortable, with loveseats and cushy chairs. It’s a great place to grab a drink when you want to relax, whether you stay one hour or five.

2120 NW 39th St. phoenixrisingokc.com | 405-601-3711

FAST, mADE To oRDER, FRESH! GET THE APP!

2218 NW 39th St. theboomokc.com | 405-601-7200

Try Our new Lunch SpeciaL 1/4 chicken + Soft Drink $7.99 valiD Mon-fri 11aM to 4pM with thiS aD

2125 NW 39th St. apothecary39.com | 405-605-4100

OKC’s first and Only traditiOnal

Philly Cheesesteak Food truCk

GET REWARDS!

14600 N PENNSYLVANIA AVE OKLAHOMA CITY (Memorial & Penn)

| 405.EAT.CAPS | capriottis.com

18

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

5805 NW 50th • Warr acres • 603.3997 2106 sW 44th • OKc • 601.2629

WWW.facebook.com/phillmeupcheesesteaks | WWW.phillmeupokc.com

Sunday-ThurSday 11am-8pm | Friday & SaTurday 11am-9pm

Family owned and operated since 2014

HiLo Club

1221 NW 50th St. hilookc.com | 405-843-1722

Say hello to HiLo Club, which has been a local fixture since it opened in 1956. Sixty years later, the bar is just as popular and even more boisterous. Not a “gay bar” or a “straight bar,” HiLo is an absolutely-everyone-is-welcome bar. As long as you’re friendly and have a sense of humor, there’s a good time to be had in this classic Classen Circle hotspot. Live music, burlesque and drag shows bring big crowds, but just as many people show up to enjoy the chill atmosphere and dark corners.

Partners

PToo Mix

Habana Inn

For the L in LGBTQ, the best dance club and bar in town is Partners. The Partners family also welcomes everybody to enjoy great music, fun times and strong drinks.

Sports lovers will find much to enjoy at Partners, where you can catch a game, throw a few darts and play a pool match before the night ends.

Right next door to Partners is its sister bar, PToo Mix (also known as PartnersToo), which is a little smaller and more intimate.

After dancing at Partners, have a seat on the patio at PToo Mix. The atmosphere is a little more relaxed, which means it’s a short trip find a chair, order a Rainbow Surprise and spend some time enjoying the company.

Wondering where the thousands of Pride partygoers are staying during OKC Pride Week? It’s a good bet many of them are sleeping and partying in one of Habana Inn’s 170 guest rooms. Inside Habana is dance bar The Copa and country-andWestern hotspot Finishline. For a more casual experience, there’s a second-floor bar called The Ledo, which overlooks Gushers — Habana’s in-house restaurant known for its fine prime rib dinners.

2805 NW 36th St. facebook.com/partnersokc 405-942-2199

2807 NW 36th St. facebook.com/partnerstoo 405-602-2030

2200 NW 40th St. habanainn.com | 405-528-2221

express lunch - $7 Monday — Friday

Pick 4 items happy hour

1/2 off all sushi rolls M-F • 4p-6p Dine-in only

live Jazz MusiC FriDays 6:30-9:30p

COME SEE US!

June 24th • Stars & Stripes River Festival

405.922.9796 • www.wickedhangry.com @wickedhangry

#wickedhangry

2701 n. Classen • 524-733 www.GrandHouseoKC.com O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J UNE 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

19

20

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

COV E R

ARTS & CULTURE

Historic walk

OKC Pride reflects on its 30th anniversary as it marches toward the future. By Ben Luschen

A year removed from the shooting deaths of 49 people at the Orlando, Florida, nightclub Pulse and national outrage surrounding transgender-targeting “bathroom bills” in states like North Carolina and elsewhere (including Oklahoma), LGBTQ communities are unifying under a simple message: Resist.

Add in the recent revocation of certain federal LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) workplace protections, and it is no wonder OKC Pride’s theme for its 30th anniversary celebration is “30 years of resistance.”

OKC Pride Week returns FridaySunday with festival celebrations in 39th District, Oklahoma City’s historically gay hub, which includes bars, businesses and churches found along NW 39th Street between N. Pennsylvania Avenue and N. Youngs Boulevard. The always-popular Pride Parade, which concludes its procession in the district, starts 6 p.m. Sunday.

John Gibbons, who has served on OKC Pride’s board of directors for eight years, assumes the role of Pride president this year. He said Pride celebrations across the country have adopted similar themes of resistance.

“There was no structured or organized effort to make that happen,” Gibbons said.

“I just think the political climate and uncertainty has taken pride organizations back to their roots about what they are and why they are and what their purpose is.”

Twisted Armani jumps over Lita-Lita Ho’ Beta and Princess Mayhem during 2015’s OKC Pride Parade. | Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

Pride events

OKC Pride Week kicks off with an outdoor concert event 8 p.m. Friday with music

by The Groove Merchants and Austin, Texas, psychedelic art-rock band The Bright Light Social Hour.

The annual concert has become one of the weekend’s biggest draws. Gibbons said concert attendance is usually around 8,000 people.

An open-air arts festival fills the 39th District corridor 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-midnight Sunday. Attractions include art vendors, booths and food trucks. A special family festival happens noon-6 p.m. Sunday at Expressions Church, 2245 NW 39th St. Still, the biggest part of the weekend each year is the annual Pride Parade.

Marchers take off around 6 p.m. Sunday from the intersection of NW 42nd Street and N. Classen Boulevard and through the strip of historically gay businesses in the 39th District to the intersection of NW 39th Street and N. Youngs Boulevard.

This year’s grand marshal is longtime local dancer and club performer Sonja Martinez. In 1984, she was one of the first biological women to win a Ms. Gay Oklahoma title. She also is known for her tireless work fundraising for AIDS research and charities.

Organizers said this year’s parade features about 110 entries. Last year, a downpour brought the event to an early conclusion. Gibbons said this year’s march will start whether rain or shine.

Significant history

The earliest official history of gay pride celebrations in Oklahoma City is a little murky. The first official Oklahoma City Pride march was 29 years ago in 1988, but Gibbons said OKC Pride is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year because of unofficial observations and events that occurred in 1987.

A June 22, 1988, Oklahoma Gazette story detailing the first official march reported Gay Pride Week celebrations had been observed locally since 1977, which could mean Pride has been celebrated in OKC for at least 40 years.

Amanda Kerri, an OKC Pride board member for three years, said part of the reason Pride’s history is hard to track is because early observations were

usually small bar gatherings without much documentation. Many LGBTQ community members did not openly identify themselves. Also, the state’s leading media outlets were not interested in reporting on the intricate goings-on in the gay community.

The lack of records becomes even more apparent in the absence of a strong oral tradition. Kerri said age and AIDS killed many who were around during Pride’s earliest years.

“When a smaller, marginalized community loses people in that way, a lot of their identity goes with it,” she said.

“There’s a lot of oral history and cultural memories that get lost.”

The main reason Oklahoma City and other cities around the country observe Gay Pride Week in June is to commemorate the June 28, 1969, beginning of New York City’s Stonewall riots. Police raided Stonewall Inn, a Manhattan gay bar located on now-famous Christopher Street, for selling alcohol without a license. New York City law had banned homosexuality in public and private businesses. Officers cleared the club and rounded up anyone they determined was not wearing at least three “gender-appropriate” articles of clothing.

New York gay bars were frequently raided, but this raid did not go as planned. Club patrons resisted and began to protest. The conflict turned violent as thousands of people gathered in support of the patrons. The bar was firebombed. Several people were hospitalized in the six nights of riots, but the events also emboldened gay and lesbian communities everywhere to begin demanding civil rights.

Pride celebrations began popping up in the ’70s in the nation’s larger cities, but for many people in places like

The OKC Pride Parade has become one of the largest privately thrown parades in Oklahoma.

This year, the procession is expected to include around 110 entries. | Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

Oklahoma City, the prospect of taking a public stand was still too dangerous.

Even during OKC’s first official march, which began at Memorial Park near NW 36th Street and N. Classen Boulevard, the Gazette reported that many participants were not gay or lesbian, but heterosexual allies and supporters. Many marchers carried balloons as symbols for those who could not participate due to fear or illness.

An estimated 400 to 500 people marched as the temperature hovered around 100 degrees.

There was good reason some people opted to stay home, as rumors swirled that an official Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members would protest the parade. There are conflicting reports about whether a KKK chapter was present that day.

However, groups of Bible-toting religious fundamentalists scorned marchers as they passed, according to Gazette reports.

Bill Rogers, an Oklahoma City attorney and member of the Gay Pride Week parade planning committee, was quoted in the ’88 Gazette story and called the state’s LGBTQ community a “silent minority.”

“This [parade] is an important moment for Oklahoma,” Rogers said. “It is difficult for many people to do. But we’re marching not in a militant fashion, but instead in a parade, which is first of all a lot more fun, and also to say and to show that we’re people just like anyone else.”

The parade was partially inspired by Rogers’ comments at a gay community awards ceremony earlier that year, the Gazette reported. Rogers said police were “nothing but cooperative” during the march.

continued on page 22

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

21

Karen’s Flea Market

Join us at the grill

5 Hamburger

7

$

Combo Special

$ Made T Order o

Clocks Stun Guns Native American Custom Hair Extensions Custom Framing

Hot Wing Combo Special

Knives Religous Ballcaps Vacuum Cleaners House Hold Items and More!

4700 S Bryant Ave | 405.550.2689 Tues-Fri 10AM-7PM | Sat-Sun 9AM-6PM

ARTS & CULTURE

Mosaic United Methodist Church

wishes everyone a happy pride! www.mosaicokc.com

OKC Pride estimates that the annual Pride

continued from page 21

cover

Kerri said the bravery shown by the first event’s marchers cannot be overlooked.

“We forget how much courage it actually takes in these types of situations to speak out and be proud of who you are and to stand up for what you believe in,” she said.

Though there is a greater atmosphere of openness today, Kerri said a culture of hatred still dwells in the area.

“We still have protesters at Pride every year,” Kerri said. “It’s almost a tradition to see if you can find them when you go.”

Jeff Levi, former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (now the National LGBTQ Task Force), was one of the nation’s most important gay rights activists at the time of the city’s first march and spoke at a rally following the event. He called the moment a “coming of age” for the LGBTQ community and touted its national significance.

He also gave the crowd some cautionary wisdom that proved prophetic.

“No civil rights movement has been a sprint,” Levi said. “It has always been a marathon. And this movement is going to be no different.”

Expanding impact

There has never been greater or more unified support for OKC Pride than there is today.

“It’s attended by the whole community, and not just people who are gay or have gay friends,” Kerri said. “They just come out to have a good time.”

Gibbons recently spoke with the Gazette after appearing before the Oklahoma City Council to obtain the celebration’s parade permit, which was approved by unanimous vote. Gibbons said that kind of support cannot be overlooked, especially when considering the city actively opposed Pride in the nottoo-distant past.

“We view the Oklahoma City Council as our ally and as our friend,” he said.

“They recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in terms of how it impacts the community and how it impacts the business community.”

22

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Week celebration generates around $500,000 of revenue. | Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

Support for Pride is found beyond the community and government. Gibbons said big businesses and corporations are beginning to realize the importance of not only supporting a cause that affects so many of their workers and customers, but that doing so makes good business sense.

Gibbons said when he first joined the Pride board eight years ago, OKC Pride’s total revenue figures for the weekend were around $50,000. Today, estimates are close to $500,000.

Despite Pride’s tremendous growth, the nonprofit event is still achieved each year through the work of a volunteer board.

“That’s probably not going to work long-term,” he said, “so we’re going to have to find a little more structured approach to it than we have been doing moving forward.”

Gibbons said the week after this year’s Pride celebration concludes, the board will meet to discuss whether it needs to hire a full-time executive director dedicated to Pride Week and related events year-round.

With growth and increased attention from the city’s larger business interests, Gibbons said it is important to make sure Pride matches their level of professionalism and efficiency.

“I think it’s critical if Pride is going to continue to grow at this level,” he said.

“All indications show there’s no reason to believe it’s not going to continue.”

Visit okcpride.org.

OKC Pride Friday-Sunday 39th District | NW 39th Street between N. Pennsylvania Avenue and N. Youngs Boulevard okcpride.org Free Pride concert: 8 p.m. Friday Pride festival: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday Pride parade: 6 p.m. Sunday

pride

ARTS & CULTURE

Embracing diversity

OKC Urban Pride hosts events that encourage the community to respect and welcome each other’s differences. By Rachel Schaub

Brandi Davis saw a need and worked to meet it.

This weekend, OKC Urban Pride hosts events at the Tower Hotel Oklahoma City, 3233 Northwest Expressway, to celebrate Pride Week.

Davis, founder of OKC Urban Pride, has been active in Oklahoma City’s LGBTQ community for more than 10 years. She hopes to provide a place for urban and African-American members of the community with Urban Pride’s programming this year.

“I love going to Pride, but it doesn’t really cater to our cultural differences,” Davis said. “And there is a difference, you know, so that was kind of the need in the community.”

Diverse programming

The weekend begins with a skate party 9 p.m. Friday at Skate Galaxy OKC roller-skating rink, 5800 NW 36th St. General admission tickets are $15-$20 at the door.

Guests 18-20 years old can enter the weekend’s ticketed events if they purchase presale tickets, Davis said.

“They are welcome here for the weekend,” Davis said. “It’s just to help us make the over-21s feel comfortable and help us keep out underage drinking.”

Saturday’s events include the Living Proud outreach seminar, which begins at 11 a.m. in the Tower Hotel lounge, 3233 Nor thwest Ex pressway.

Admission is free and open to people age 15 and older.

Doors open 9 p.m. Saturday for the Exotic Nights Shakedown at Russell’s Lounge in the Tower Hotel. Guests who purchase an ultra-VIP Pride Ride package can ride a party bus around the city before making a grand entrance at the event. Ultra-VIP tickets are sold out, but general admission and VIP tickets are still available. VIP tickets are $50 and include admission to all OKC Urban Pride events. Standard tickets are $15-$20 per event.

OKC Urban Pride’s 2017 OKC Pride Parade float features a live DJ and dancers. The OKC Pride parade begins 6 p.m. Sunday on NW Classen Boulevard between 39th and 46th streets.

Weekend festivities conclude with a shakedown finale pool party 8 p.m.

Sunday at Tower Hotel.

Tower Hotel offers reduced pricing for Urban Pride guests. Rooms are $50 Thursday and Sunday and $60 Friday and Saturday.

Creating traditions

This year’s Urban Pride events are new, and Davis hopes to see them continue.

“We hope that we can make it a successful yearly tradition,” she said. “This is the first year of a whole weekend.”

OKC Urban Pride has been working to spread the word about their programming. Davis said she traveled out-ofstate to raise awareness.

“It’s picking up a bunch of steam as we get closer,” she said.

The Celebrity Shakedown Finale is 8 p.m. Sunday at Tower Hotel, featuring Big Freedia Queen Diva and a special performance by Oklahoma R&B and pop artist Jermaine Lovesongz.

The weekend’s theme is Respect Our Differences, a motto that Davis works to embody in her own life.

“That’s the need, the theme, the life,” she said. “It can go not just with the LGBT community and cultural differences but can go to anything. Respect everyone’s differences — this world would probably be a lot better if we just understood that you’re not the same as me and I’m not the same as you.

“We grew up differently, we have different things that we hold as valued, and if we respected each other’s differences in that, we could maybe make a difference, period.”

Community education

During the Living Proud workshop Saturday morning, Genius Academy founder and author Asa Leveaux and performance artist Candace Liger will discuss self-care, intersectional identities, mental health and entrepreneurship.

Davis said she wanted to highlight outreach and community during this weekend’s events. Leveaux and Liger will facilitate a roundtable discussion and Q&A session.

“They’re just great people that decided ‘Hey, there’s a need,’” Davis said. “One of them is a member of the community as well, so he’s taking his platform and coming to speak about entrepreneurship, different issues we deal with as being LGBT period, as being African-American and LGBT and being Caucasian and LGBT.” Saturday’s workshop allows Davis to work with younger members of the community, giving her a reason to draw on years of experience.

“I feel like ever since I started this 10 years ago, I have always worked with the younger LGBT,” she said. “I welcomed the younger crowd that couldn’t

NEW!

$375 Microblading PERMANENT MAKE UP $250 Eyebrows $250 Lip Line $250 Eyeliner $350 Full-Lips

Brandi Davis founded OKC Urban Pride to support African-American members of the LGBTQ community. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

get into regular clubs and gave them a place to feel welcome.”

She believes allowing a wider range of ages will help the community grow into the future.

“They are the future of Pride, you know?” she said. “Start them off right.”

Visit www.okcurbanpride.com.

OKC Urban Pride www.okcurbanpride.com | 405-761-2439 $15-$50

Urban Pride events Skate Party 9 p.m. Friday Skate Galaxy OKC skategalaxyokc.com Living Proud 11 a.m. Saturday Tower Hotel Oklahoma City

JUVEDERM RADIESSE

BOTOX Always $10 Per Unit

Schelly’s Aesthetics Schelly Hill, R.N.

Shoppes at Northpark, 12028 May Ave. 405-751-8930 Open Mon-Fri www.skincareokc.com Gift Certificates Available

l r Specia Summeup , em st your sy

We will fire flow valve, check the back d s an adjust the head x. bo l ro nt co e th set

80

$

*

*Prices may vary depending on zones

DOC SPRINKLER

IRRIGATION • INSTALLATION • REPAIR

Call to set up appt.

405.408.5181

Email:TommyKeith1964@hotmail.com “The Doctor is Making House Calls”

3233 Northwest Expressway Exotic Nights Shakedown 9 p.m. Saturday Russell’s Lounge Tower Hotel Oklahoma City 3233 Northwest Expressway OKC Pride Parade 6 p.m. Sunday 39th District NW Classen Blvd. between 46th and 39th streets Celebrity Shakedown Finale 8 p.m. Sunday Tower Hotel Oklahoma City 3233 Northwest Expressway

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

23

pride

ARTS & CULTURE

Positively courageous

OACF hosts a speakers series advocating for people living with HIV and AIDS.

By Megan Prather

Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund (OACF) begins its Positive Heroes speaker series to promote public advocacy and education through speakers’ personal experiences with an inaugural reception 5:30-8 p.m. July 25 at The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, 1 Park Ave. “The Positive Heroes Series is a chance to connect our community with people that have been affected by HIV and AIDs to bring better awareness and education and to create a positive space for the conversation to unfold,” said OACF marketing associate Russell Shelton.

This year, the series features Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White.

He died in 1990 after contracting AIDS from a 1984 blood transfusion used to treat his hemophilia. He was diagnosed with AIDS at the age of 13 and was only expected to live for six months.

However, those six months turned into five years. During those years, White and his mother fought discrimination that stemmed from a lack of education and understanding.

That included a battle for White to be allowed to attend school.

OACF hopes the Positive Speakers Series will become an annual event, and plans are already in the works for next year.

“The main goal is inclusivity and just talking about the stigma and why there doesn’t need to be the stigma surrounded by the disease,” Shelton said. “It’s to create a positive environment for all of us in the community; not just people with a positive status, but all of us.

Because this really affects the whole community whether we realize it or not.”

Advocacy

OACF formed in 1992. The organization works to educate Oklahomans about HIV and AIDS and offers those with a positive status a system of support.

This includes a grant and emergency program that directly helps infected patients and their families with financial needs.

This year, it also started moving toward public policy advocacy. This legislative session, OACF worked with Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, on a bill that would update HIV and AIDS prevention in schools.

“It’s required to enter schools at least twice a year to provide HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention in all of the public schools,” said OACF executive director Cher Golding. “That legislation, that bill, hasn’t been updated since 24

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

1987, so a lot has changed in the disease.

We know a lot more since 1987, so what we really wanted to do was work with the department of education and the health department, and we worked with Rep. Emily Virgin to create a bill that would update the language and make it more current.”

House Bill 1538 included updated information about the disease itself as well as how it’s spread since it’s currently difficult to find any curriculum that doesn’t match the old way of thinking. Part of that included specifically teaching students that the only way to prevent HIV and AIDS was by avoiding homosexuality, promiscuous sexual activity and drug use.

It also taught that “abstinence from sexual activity [was] the only certain means for the prevention of the AIDS virus through sexual contact.”

“To help better educate children and youth in our schools, they wanted to update the language so you can access curriculum from the health department and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that is medically accurate,” Golding said.

It’s still a fight to ensure that nobody falls through the cracks.

Russell Shelton Although HB 1538 passed out of committee, it died on the House floor.

“In conversations that we’ve had with a lot of the legislatures, they said it really wasn’t anything so much geared towards the bill; just some other political views that got in the way,” Golding said.

Overall, Golding said they’re being positive and they’re already working on some of the minor tweaks needed for the next legislative session and hope to continue to expand resources to help provide a better quality of life for those living with HIV and AIDS. Although the organization has raised about $12.5 million since its inception, budget cuts at the state and federal levels are taking a toll on the nonprofit sector.

“It’s still a fight to ensure that nobody falls through the cracks,”

Ryan White and his mother Jeanne White-Ginder | Photo Jeanne White-Ginder / ryanwhite.com / Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund / provided

Shelton said. “That is one of our main focuses. There are also critical resources we try to protect for the nearly 6,000 Oklahomans living with AIDS.” For now, the organization will continue the conversation, promoting HIV and AIDS education and awareness as well as support to those living their lives with the disease.

“Luckily, HIV is no longer a death sentence,” Shelton said. “People can lead productive lives for decades after they learn of their positive status; however, this has had an adverse effect in some instances to where people don’t think it’s a big deal.

“It’s created a laissez-faire attitude toward at-risk behaviors, so I think all of us should be aware and informed of what life with HIV can be like, and simply because it’s manageable doesn’t mean that life with HIV is easy.”

OACF holds its first Advocacy Leadership Council meeting Friday to determine how it will continue to move forward for the next legislative session.

Visit positiveheroesok.com to register for the Positive Heroes Speakers Series July 25.

Tickets are $65-$150, and sponsorships are available.

Positive Heroes Series 5:30-8 p.m. July 25 The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City | 1 Park Ave. positiveheroesok.com | 405-348-6600 $65-$150

The Hodgetwins | Photo Gersh Comedy / provided

YouTube videos than they spent working at their former jobs, it does not feel like it. They both said they would never go back to a regular day job again.

“It feels like work — you’re doing something that you don’t like to do,” Keith said. “With YouTube, it’s something you like doing and you get paid for it.”

SUMMER #shoprosegold

co m e dy

Serious laughs

Joined jokers

YouTube sensation The Hodgetwins visits ACM@UCO Performance Lab for a June 24 live show. By Ben Luschen

Being funny on YouTube is one thing.

Finding consistent laughs live on stage for an hour or more is another.

But a challenge has never stopped The Hodgetwins before. Virginia-born twin brothers Keith and Kevin Hodge are known for their comedy, fitness and relationship advice channels on YouTube.

Their three main channels — TwinMuscle, TheHodgetwins and askhodgetwins — each have more than 1 million subscribers.

Their humor is often explicit, outrageous and perfectly ripe for an internet audience. Recently, they have sought to bring that humor out from behind phone and computer screens and directly in front of their large, global fanbase.

OKC Comedy hosts The Hodgetwins 7:30 p.m. Saturday at ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave. The comedy duo recently spoke with Oklahoma Gazette by phone before embarking on a series of road dates.

Keith and Kevin Hodge have tallied nearly 100 live shows together, but every journey begins with a first step. Keith remembers having a small panic attack the night before the internet sensations’ first gig.

“The night before, I couldn’t breathe.

I said, ‘Man, I ain’t going up there tomorrow; I’m cancelling all this shit,’” Keith said. “It was nerve-racking.”

The twins, fortunately, did not end up cancelling their debut performance at Los Angeles Convention Center. In fact, things went well, and the duo was able to use high attendance figures from its first gig for subsequent comic bookings.

Previously, the Hodge brothers had a hard time breaking into live comedy because there was some general doubt about how their YouTube act would translate into stand-up.

Now, The Hodgetwins have toured across the country. They are planning a tour of the United Kingdom and recently returned from a series of shows in Australia.

It isn’t a bad resume for a pair of brothers who have faced unemployment and depression.

Fresh start

Though now true internet celebrities and career YouTubers, there was a time when Keith and Kevin depended on steady paychecks from 9-5 jobs like most other people.

They were doing their best to balance working for AAA with their unprofitable hobby making YouTube videos when their employer fired them for filming a video in its offices.

Rarely is there a good time to be fired, but their termination came at a particularly tough time for Keith, who found himself with a pregnant wife and without medical insurance. Both brothers said they were in a low emotional place.

“We were bummed out, man,” Kevin said. “We were fucked.”

Without a job, they took a chance and turned their attention to YouTube fulltime. Like some other internet success stories, a sudden influx of time and unemployment pay allowed them to establish a semi-lucrative footing in the online market and gave them the opportunity to grow a consistent following.

“They actually did us a favor [by firing us],” Kevin said, “because we were on YouTube, but we didn’t really have time for it yet.”

The Hodgetwins have so many videos on YouTube that, between all their channels, it seems like they spend the majority of their days in front of a camera. Keith said while they log more hours making

Growing up dirt-poor in rural Virginia, a future in stand-up comedy or YouTube stardom seemed like a wild dream. The brothers were relatively shy loner types in their youth. They said they were less funny than they were just plain weird.

They were also inseparable. In a November interview with LA Weekly, they said the longest they have ever been apart is 10 hours.

Despite the explicit content in much of the duo’s humor, Keith said their mother raised them in a strictly religious household.

“She used to wake us up at 2 a.m. and say, ‘Y’all didn’t take those drugs, did you?’” Keith said. “She was very protective and would always quote the Bible to us.”

While the tone and type of humor in The Hodgetwins’ live act is similar to what is found online, the format and content are obviously different. The live show puts a special emphasis on their family background and backstories. They also take the stage act more seriously than a video post.

“It’s a lot easier when you’re doing a YouTube video, because nobody is watching you and you’re a lot more comfortable,” Keith said. “But as soon as you walk onstage, you have a microphone in your hand and you have to be funny for an hour.”

The brothers are not using their live shows to merely further capitalize on newfound fame. The longtime fans of comedy greats like Eddie Murphy, Bill Burr, Andrew Dice Clay and Robin Williams are serious about the craft. They watch recordings of each live show and take notes. They want to improve.

“You have to become a student of your own comedy, and you’ve got to really put a lot of time into it,” Kevin said. “It’s a really daunting task, but you have to tell the same joke like 100,000 times throughout the years. If you’re not passionate about it, you won’t last very long.”

Anything less than passion, they say, would be a disgrace to the comedians they grew up idolizing. Visit youtube. com/user/hodgetwins.

7302 N. Western Ave. shoprosegold.com

Gas Logs & Fire Glass Style and Service For Every Budget

Forrest Fireplaces

200A SE 8th St. • Moore • 912-4450 forrestfireplaces.com

We are More than just furniture We are a Fun place to shop with Prices that

can’t be beat

Mon - Sat | 10a - 5p | 603.8878 3901 N College | Bethany

The Hodgetwins 7:30 p.m. June 24 ACM@UCO Performance Lab 329 E. Sheridan Ave. okccomedy.com | 405-974-4700 $25-$60

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

25

th e at e r

ARTS & CULTURE

Interstate collaborate

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and Austin, Texas-based ZACH Theatre combine forces for Million Dollar Quartet. By Greg Elwell

Great art, coincidence and collaboration are at the heart of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of Million Dollar Quartet.

Lyric producing artistic director Michael Baron and Austin, Texas-based ZACH Theatre producing artistic director Dave Steakley are longtime friends and colleagues. As they looked at this summer’s shows, they noticed similarities.

“It just so happened this season, we’re both doing Million Dollar Quartet and In the Heights,” Steakley said.

Finding the right talent for a production can be challenging, as can be creating a set that draws audiences into the story. So to help present productions of the highest caliber, the directors decided to share costs.

While Million Dollar Quartet is the first collaboration between Lyric and ZACH, it’s not uncommon for the companies to share creatively with each other.

In the fall, Baron directed Spring Awakening and Peter and the Starcatcher for ZACH and Steakley directed Fully Committed for Lyric.

Big money

Million Dollar Quartet, running Tuesday-July 1 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., is the first show of Lyric’s summer season.

Quartet centers on the improbable real-life meeting of four rock ’n’ roll pioneers in December 1956 at Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

“It really happened,” Baron said. “It’s a really cool, really fun show. People get 26

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Corbin Mayer left portrays Johnny Cash and Jeff Jeffers is Sun Records owner Sam Phillips in Million Dollar Quartet. | Photo Charles Quinn / provided

to learn some rock history and hear the great songs you love.”

It’s named after a Memphis PressScimitar story published the day after Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash ran into each other at the studio and ended up performing an epic jam session.

While the impromptu jam mostly focused on gospel songs they remembered from their youth, Million Dollar Quartet features some of the artists’ greatest hits, including Perkins’ and Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes,” Perkins’ “Matchbox,” Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Steakley directs the show, which heads to Austin July 26-Sept. 3 for a run at ZACH. Main ensemble players are from New York, Baron said.

Authentic production

“Right now, this show is going all over the country,” he said. “This cast has all performed it, but I don’t think they’ve performed together.”

That dynamic should translate well onstage as the actors portray young musicians working together for the first time, Steakley said.

“We’re not doing the theme-park version of this show,” he said. “We want to catch the same fire that existed when the music was new.”

ZACH puts on many productions with a concert context.

“The live music scene is so important in Austin,” Steakley said. “So there’s a natural synergy for us with these types of shows.”

It’s crucial to get Johnny Cash details right because of his influence on singersongwriters, he said.

“We seek out those projects that we can do with authenticity,” he said. “In my experience, audiences have an extraordinary time. It’s nostalgia for some, and it’s a discovery for others.”

Baron said musicals also are big for Lyric. Past shows include Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story and Always...Patsy Cline. Both were well received.

“Later this year, we’re doing West Side Story with an 18-piece orchestra,” Baron said. “Disney’s When You Wish will have a cast of 26 and a 15-piece orchestra.”

Lyric often incorporates an orchestra larger than ones that performed in the original Broadway shows. And because each production runs one week, they draw talent that can more easily fit travel to Oklahoma into their schedules and give intense performances.

“Many of our ensemble are top talent, on the same stage with Broadway performers,” Baron said. “With our training program, a lot of our backstage help are college students from across the country who will be heading to Broadway within the year.”

Bringing together so many talented people creates an exciting atmosphere that carries to the stage, he said. That energy is one reason the shows often grow in size from performance to performance as audiences tell their friends.

Gavin Rohrer portrays Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet. | Photo Charles Quinn / provided

Summer season

Lyric has three more summer shows scheduled through early August.

Disney’s When You Wish, running July 11-15, explores the songs of classic Disney musicals — including Snow White, Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Mulan and The Jungle Book — through the eyes of a young girl.

“Most of our summer shows are family-friendly,” Baron said.

West Side Story, scheduled July 25-29, is the well-loved interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Guest-directed by Matthew Gardiner of Washington, D.C.’s Signature Theatre, it’s a dramatic tale of love in the midst of a gang war between the Sharks and the Jets in 1950s New York.

Lyric’s season ends with another ZACH collaboration, In the Heights, which runs Aug. 8-12, by acclaimed theater star LinManuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton.

“The national tour of In the Heights never came to Oklahoma City, so this will be the first production on this scale downtown,” Baron said. “There’s a lot of heart to it. It won the Tony for best musical; it mixes spoken word and rap within great songs.”

Visit lyrictheatreokc.com.

Million Dollar Quartet 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-June 29, 8 p.m. June 30 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. July 1 Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre Civic Center Music Hall | 201 N. Walker Ave. lyrictheatreokc.com | 405-524-9312 $45-$96

tv

Wing it

Let’s Fix This executive director Andy Moore hopes a West Wing watch party and discussion event will lead to more civil interest in local politics. | Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

Let’s Fix This hosts a West Wing watch party and discussion in Wheeler District. By Ben Luschen

When Andy Moore met with Wheeler District director Ashley Terry about possibly screening an episode of The West Wing in her district as a way to promote civil engagement, he said the director was very receptive.

Some events just sound like they were meant to be.

“I had joked with her before about how I would love to do a watch party at the district,” Moore said, “because the alliteration in the name is great: West Wing watch party at the Wheeler Wheel.”

The phrasing, combined with a chance to use the popular late-1990s-toearly-2000s political television drama as a way to get people thinking about government, was enough to sell all parties on the special presentation.

The event, hosted by locally based nonpartisan nonprofit Let’s Fix This, runs 8-10:30 p.m. June 29 near Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave.

Inside look

Moore, executive director of Let’s Fix This, said he plans to project The West Wing season one episode “The Crackpots and These Women” on the side of the dining-area pavilion.

After the screening, a panel of former White House staffers, including current state senator and Oklahoma City mayoral candidate David Holt, will speak about how the show relates and differs to reality in Washington, D.C. At press time, Moore was still finalizing panel participants, but he said he has contacted former staffers from administrations as far back as Ronald Reagan and wants representation from Democrats and Republicans.

“It’s just to give people some insight into what life is like in Washington,” Moore said.

The hope is that the show’s appeal — which has held up over time, if not

stuff that’s still relevant to today,” he said.

Everyday voices

expanded in the era of streaming and binge-watching — will be a fun way to engage the public and get them thinking about political policy.

“The big purpose of Let’s Fix This is just to get regular folks involved in government, specifically in our state government and even at the city level,” Moore said.

Long-term appeal

The West Wing’s final episode aired May 2006 on NBC, but the series outlives its initial run due to award-winning storytelling and its still-relevant themes.

For the uninitiated, The West Wing is a drama that follows the fictional presidential administrations of Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and later Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).

While the show’s events and characters are fictitious, they often bear some similarity to real-world issues and figures.

The big purpose of Let’s Fix This is just to get regular folks involved in government, specifically in our state government and even at the city level.

Andy Moore

The show focuses on the White House’s inner workings through the actions of chief of staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), communica-

List your event in

tions director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) and his deputy Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe).

Moore is a big fan of the show. He wears West Wing T-shirts and regularly listens to the popular West Wing Weekly podcast co-hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina.

Malina portrayed speechwriter and communications staff member Will Bailey in the series.

Despite his current zeal for the show, Moore said he began watching the TV drama in early 2016 after several of his friends continually suggested it.

“I binged for as much as I could with seven seasons of hourlong episodes,” he said. “I watched it all and really fell in love with it.”

Moore said part of what draws him into the show is that some of its themes are still pertinent years later. He mentioned topics like North Korea and dilemmas about what is proportionate international recourse.

To Moore, it is a sign that more creative approaches to some of these issues are needed.

“It’s interesting to think the show aired almost 20 years ago and there’s

Moore said he would like the West Wing watch party to become a regular, recurring event but will gauge the success of the first one before making any longterm plans.

Let’s Fix This leadership is formulating its programming for the next year and hopes to blend some of its older, proven events with newer ideas. The group hosts regular events at the state capitol so concerned citizens can meet with lawmakers.

Moore hopes to use the West Wing watch party as a lever to inspire the community to get involved and stimulate conversations about politics — not about any one issue, but just talking about how one even goes about talking about politics.

These conversations should not be partisan or fueled by animosity.

“That’s what Let’s Fix This is all about: helping everyday people get their voices and concerns heard and yet create opportunities for them to engage in their government in a meaningful way,” he said.

Moore hopes this event and others will help people walk away thinking their voice can really make a difference.

“The voices of everyday people do have an impact on those who make decisions on all levels of government,” he said. “We encourage everyone to speak up and reach out to form a relationship with their elected officials so that they can have their voice heard.”

Visit letsfixthisok.org.

The West Wing watch party 8-10:30 p.m. June 29 Wheeler District | 1701 S. Western Ave. wheelerdistrict.com |405-361-2027 Free

OUR GOVERNMENT

under the Healing and Unifying Power of Divine Love.

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma

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

Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

A talk given by International Speaker Maryl F. Walters, a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science Healing and a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.

FREE EVENT ALL ARE WELCOME Sunday, June 25th at 2 P.M. Maryl F. Walters

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 4700 N Portland Ave, OKC

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

27

ARTS & CULTURE SEMINOLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Independence Celebration MONDAY, JULY 3rd 5p-fireworks at dark

Free inflatables, watermelon and peanuts along with Live entertainment from The Dudes 5:30-6:30pm, Smilin’ Vic & the Soul Monkeys 7-8pm and SquadLive 8:30-9:45pm.

Food, fun, our annual t-shirt and novelties for sale too.

THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT AND EVERYONE IS WELCOME

SEMINOLE MUNICIPAL PARK

C ult ure

across from McDonald’s on Milt Phillips For questions please call: 405.382.3640

Looking for a Laugh?

We put the MOCK in Democracy!

LIVE AT OCCC Visual & Performing Arts Center Theatre 7777 S May Ave

Saturday, August 19th at 8 p.m.

Tickets at kgou.org or (405)682-7579

28

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Sooner magic

SoonerCon, an Oklahoma pop culture and gaming convention, returns for a 26th year. By Adam Holt

As science fiction and fantasy saturates mainstream pop culture by way of film, television, comics and merchandise, more conventions devoted to the subjects and fanbases begin to dot calendars. However, one local event continues to celebrate everything nerdy as it has for more than a quarter-century.

SoonerCon 26 runs 10 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sunday at Reed Conference Center, 5750 Will Rogers Road, in Midwest City.

Memberships cost $25-$55. Kids younger than 12 years old are admitted free with an adult.

“SoonerCon is a fan-run, sci-fi/ fantasy pop culture convention with anime and gaming,” said Phillip Grimes, event marketing director. “If it’s fun, we pretty much have it.”

The all-volunteer convention is orchestrated by Future Society of Central Oklahoma and includes art, gaming, costuming and over 140 guests participating in multiple panels and workshops.

SoonerCon’s literary guest of honor is Timothy Zahn. The author is most well known as being the first to expand the Star Wars universe.

“He wrote the first three books to continue the universe and set the stage for basically everything that happened after Return of the Jedi,” Grimes said.

Peri Charlifu is the event’s artist guest of honor. Charlifu is best known for his high-end, handcrafted, clay-fired pottery with a science fiction and horror twist. Examples of his work include Cthulhu dishes, Elven soap pumps and pentagram pie plates.

The convention’s art show is one of the largest of its kind in the region. It includes 16 tables of three-dimensional art and 86 panels of two-dimensional science fiction and fantasy art. The show includes silent and live auctions, buy-itnow sales and special Sunday sale prices.

An art reception kicks off 8 p.m.

Many revelers dress up in cosplay and participate in SoonerCon’s annual costume contest.

Photo SoonerCon / provided

Friday night. It’s a great opportunity to meet and greet many of the artists participating in the show and panel discussions.

The convention’s 3,000 square-foot game room features 20 tables running tabletop, card and role-playing games.

Grimes said Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator will be a highlight of the gaming center this year.

“It’s basically a Star Trek bridge that runs between five different computers,” Grimes said. “Each player at a computer has a different role on the bridge, including a captain yelling at them to do the thing.”

SoonerCon 26 features a Dungeons and Dragons Epic Event run by the D&D Adventurers League, an officially sanctioned Dungeons & Dragons organization, 6 p.m.-midnight Saturday. The event involves 12 tables, each with its own dungeon master. There will be an overarching mission, but each table has individual goals and will affect how every table plays.

Other convention activities include a cosplay contest, Nerf Blasters battles, makeshops and an exhibitor’s hall.

All funds raised in the convention’s charity store benefit National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) OKC, and SoonerCon will also make a donation to NAMI. Visit soonercon.com.

SoonerCon 26 10 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday Reed Conference Center 5750 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City soonercon.com Free-$55

C ult ure

Dynamic past

Vanessa Adams-Harris portrays Seminole horse tamer Johanna July at Oklahoma Chautauqua. | Photo Oklahoma Chautauqua / provided

Chautauqua performances and workshops bring historical figures to life. By Rachel Schaub

Visitors can interact with the history of cattle drives and cowboys in a new way Wednesday-Saturday at the 2017 Oklahoma Chautauqua in Lawton.

The annual event focuses on a different time period each year. Past topics have covered everything from the Cold War to Hollywood’s impact on American culture.

This year’s theme is The Great West: Cowboys & Cattle Trails, which centers on American history in the late 19th century. Five scholars reenact the lives of historical figures in nightly performances and present educational workshops about American culture in the time period.

Workshops are 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily at Museum of the Great Plains, 601 NW Ferris Ave., in Lawton, and evening programs are 7 p.m. nightly at Lawton City Hall Auditorium, 212 SW Ninth St., in Lawton. Event admission is free.

“I love interacting with the five scholars who come and present these characters as first-person presentations,” said Frantzie Couch, chairman of Lawton’s

2017 Oklahoma Chautauqua. “We’ve had several who have been here more than one year. … They are all fascinating people, and they’ve done such deep research into their characters.”

Chautauqua events began in 1874 in upstate New York.

The first event was a crossover between summer camp and an educational meeting near Chautauqua Lake.

“It started out as a program of personality lectures — entertainment with live performers,” said Couch.

The events slowed to a stop before the 20th century, said Couch, and when they recommenced, performers were no longer popular members of society.

Instead, they were actors representing historical characters.

The Oklahoma Chautauqua program came back in 1991 with the Great Plains Chautauqua. There were programs in Oklahoma, Kansas and the Dakotas, but the undertaking of such a tremendous event was too much for organizers to maintain. The event returned to Lawton in 2008 and has remained a part of com-

munity cultural education.

Lawton’s programming is sponsored

by Friends of the Lawton Public Library.

Oklahoma Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities provide funding for Oklahoma Chautauqua programming.

Chautauqua events take place in Lawton, Tulsa and Enid every year and in Altus every third year. Historical reenactments are a unique aspect of Chautauqua events. Scholars research their characters carefully in order to answer community questions and create an accurate and interesting performance.

“They know so much about the historical context of their characters as well as the specific biography of the character,” said Couch. “[The scholars] just love Chautauqua — many of them have done it for 10, 20 and even 30 years.”

Scholars perform at all events within the state, traveling to Tulsa, Enid, Altus

and Lawton this year to share their knowledge. This year’s workshop topics cover frontier patchwork quilting, Isaac Parker and Western cinema and law enforcement, among others.

Performers can only discuss the life of their characters within the time period of the event, which allows visitors to focus on how each character impacted the same historical period.

Visit lawtonok.gov/departments/ library. Contact Rose Wilson at Lawton Public Library at 580-581-3450.

2017 Oklahoma Chautauqua lawtonok.gov/departments/library 580-581-3450 Free

Workshops 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday Museum of the Great Plains 601 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton

Evening performances 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday Lawton City Hall Auditorium 212 SW Ninth St., Lawton

P.O. Box 85 Fittstown, OK www.dunnsfishfarm.com (800) 433-2950 M-F 7am-5pm

Delivery will be Tuesday, June 27

7-8am: Bethany Country Store, 3401 N Rockwell, Bethany 9-10am: Tuttle Grain & Supply, 1 SW 5th, Tuttle

• Channel Catfish • Bass • Hybrid Bluegill • Redear Bream • Coppernose Bluegill • Fathead Minnows • Black Crappie • Grass Carp All types of pond and lake supplies available!

To plaCe an oRdeR oR FoR MoRe inFo, call one of our consultants Mon-Fri at 800-433-2950 or email sales@dunnsfishfarm.com

Come see us!

ColleCTibles | MeMorAbiliA 70 DeAlers | new sTuff DAily

THURSDAY NIGHTS ONLY $5 AFTE R 5 PM!

Where we have your

“Gotta Have’s” Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977). Leviathan Zodiac (detail), 2011. Oil and gold enamel on canvas, 95¾ x 71¾ in. (243.2 x 182.2 cm). Collection of Blake Byrne, Los Angeles. Courtesy of Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, California. © Kehinde Wiley.

(Photo: Robert Wedemeyer, courtesy of Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, California)

Apple Tree AnTique GAllery 6740 nw 39th expressway bethany, oK | 405.495.0602 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

29

•

GET 60 FOR 50

•

JEWEL BOX THEATRE

CALENDAR are events recommended

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

Build A Better World, read for fun and earn badges all summerlong, log reading time and earn prizes, through July 31. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org.

HAPPENINGS

60th SEASON

Civil War Research Lunch & Learn program, helping researchers identify available resources including books and subscription websites. The program covers both Union and Confederate materials, where the records are located and how they can be accessed, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. June 21.

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. WED

6 SHOWS FOR $50 (Save $110)

South African Conservation and Safaris, nature reserve owner Joe Viljoen discusses the importance of international efforts in wildlife conservation including education about natural ecosystems, restoration and protection of the environment and development of successful wildlife breeding programs, 6:30-8 p.m. June 21.

UCO, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, tinyurl. com/southafricansafari. WED

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD SUITE SURRENDER PLAID TIDINGS

NUNSENSE II: The Second Coming CHARLEY’S AUNT

ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID FOR A FREE BROCHURE CALL 405-521-1786 TUE-THURS, 1-6 PM

An Eye For An Eye, author Mark. C. Jackson signs the first novel of The Tales of Zebadiah Creed series about a man out for revenge after his brother was killed during the summer of 1835, 6:30-8p.m. June 28. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED

Nasty Women Oklahoma City joins a national movement of Nasty Women art shows dedicated to promoting women’s rights and related issues. Proceeds from local show sales support OKC Artists for Justice. Participating artists include Mariah Addis, Ariana Foote, Lori Oden and more. The opening reception is 6-9 p.m. Thursday at Current Studio, 1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Admission is free.

The exhibit remains open through July 30. Visit currentstudio.org or call 405673-1218. Thursday-Tuesday, ongoing Image Ariana Foote / provided

BOOKS Cutting Back, join author Leslie Buck for a book signing and discussion about her decision to put her personal life on hold to pursue her passion as she became the first American woman to learn pruning from one of the most storied landscaping companies in Kyoto, 6:30p.m. June 22. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU

The Big 3 Event: Community, Family & Friends, enjoy face painting, a miniature therapy horse, a bounce house, food trucks, a special performance

by Sugar Free Allstars and more, 5p.m. June 23.

Easter Seals Oklahoma, 701 NE 13th St., 405-2392525, easterseals.org. FRI Historic Black Town Heritage Tours, join the Coltrane Group on an exciting visit of Boley, Brooksville and other Oklahoma towns while learning rich history during guided tours and enjoying meals with special guests, 8a.m.-7p.m. June 24. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 206-948-8852, okhistory. org/historycenter. SAT Herb Gardening for Beginners, try several favorite herb recipes and create an herb garden that will reward you with healthy and flavorful plants, 11a.m.-noon June 24. CommonWealth Urban Farms, 3310 N. Olie Ave., 405-524-1864, commonwealthurbanfarms.com. SAT Americana Fest, enjoy a day of food, crafts for kids, prizes and performances by local musicians Kyle Dillingham and Horseshoe Road, Steelwind and Lucas Ross, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 24. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com. SAT Guthrie Ghost Walks, hear tales of history, heartbreak, murderous intentions and mysterious happenings while walking among the classic Victorian and Edwardian architecture of downtown Guthrie, June 24. guthrieghostwalk. com, Downtown Guthrie, 212 W. Oklahoma Ave. Guthrie, 405-293-8404, guthrieok.com. SAT Beyond ART: Artist Talk and Demonstration, Mike Larsen brings a variety of portraits and landscapes for

Sunset River Cruises The only thing more magnificent than an Oklahoma sunset is two of them. Enjoy every color of the rainbow reflected on the Oklahoma River during a Sunset River Cruise 8 p.m. on the last three Fridays of June and July at Exchange Landing, 1503 Exchange Ave. The one-and-a-half-hour cruise can be enjoyed from on deck or inside the climate-controlled cabin. Light snacks and soda are served, and a cash bar is available onboard. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Cruises are for guests age 21 and older. Visit okrivercruises.com or call 405-702-7755. Friday Photo Michael Scroggins / Oklahoma River Cruises / provided 30

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

go for tofor okgazette.com for full listin gogo toto okgazette.com full listings! okgazette.com full listings!

Dive-In Movie Get wet and wild with animated animals during White Water Bay’s Dive-In Movie starting at dusk (around 8 p.m.) Friday in the park’s Monsoon Bay Wave Pool, 3908 W. Reno Ave. Matthew McConaughey voices koala bear Buster Moon in Sing. Buster tries to save his failing theater with a singing competition featuring gorillas, pigs, porcupines and mice. Float on a tube, splash around or watch from a lounge chair on the edge of the pool. Admission to White Water Bay is free$38.99, and Dive-In Movies are free with admission. Visit whitewaterbay.com or call 405-943-9687 ext. 100. Friday Photo White Water Bay / provided

an artist discussion derived from historical research, passion for painting dancing figures and prominent Native American subjects, 2-3:30p.m. June 25. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. SUN Jazz Camp, participate daily in combos, instrumental master classes, improvisation and theory sessions, jazz history presentations, big band reading sessions and student jams, June 25-30. UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. 5th St., Edmond, 405-359-7989, ucojazzlab.com.

LibertyFest, everyone in the family will enjoy celebrating the heritage of the nation with 10 festival events, a fireworks display, a Fourth of July parade, concerts, a car show and more, June 24-July 4. University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-340-2527, libertyfest.org.

FOOD Melodies that will make you melt: all things Italian, join for beer and experience the drama of the country where opera originated. Opera on Tap brings opera to the people in a fun, informal and unconventional way, 8-9p.m. June 23. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, operaontap.org. FRI Legends Night, a biannual event highlighting the Deep Deuce district’s rich jazz history by bringing jazz musicians back to their roots. Enjoy live music, food and drink specials, 7-10p.m. June 24. Anchor Down, 30 NE Second St., 405-235-3500, downtownokc.com. SAT The Power of Probiotics, sample and learn about the variety of living cultured foods that are available today that our diet often lacks, 3-4p.m. June 25.

Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN Soundbites Lunchtime Acoustic Concert Series, enjoy The Let’s Do Greek Food Truck or bring your own lunch, enjoy a live performance and yard games, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

June 27. Kerr Park, 102 Robert S. Kerr Ave., 888-757-2291, downtownokc.com. TUE

YOUTH Girl Power Summer Art Camp 2017, experience visual arts taught by teaching artists while visiting the Paseo Arts District. Students are introduced to high quality visual arts techniques including weaving and fiber arts, paper marbling, acrylic painting on canvas and much more while enjoying daily yoga, confidence building and mindfulness, 9a.m.-4p.m. through June 23. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th Street, 405-996-8372, okcgirlsartschool.org. WED - FRI Geekapalooza, check out everything STEM has to offer with event sessions providing opportunities for girls to get hands-on experience with Lego Robotics, science experiments, software, digital coding and more, 9a.m.-4p.m. June 24. Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, 1141 N. Lincoln Blvd, 405528-4475, gswestok.org. SAT Summer Camp 2017, ages 3-7 will enjoy canvas painting, tie-dye, creating super hero personas, obstacle courses and playing instruments with plenty

ll listings!

of education hidden within art, through June 27.

Artsy Learning Center, 1215 36th Ave. NW, Norman, 405-343-4064, artsylearningcenter.com.

Summer Camp at the Orr Family Farm, educational fun with activities such as learning about proper animal care and agriculture, fishing in the ponds, playing challenging games and more, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

June 27-30. The Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com.

Creative Drama: Theatre Magic for Wizards and Fairies, curriculum designed to offer students a full range of training and experience in all aspects of musical theater. Classes are tailored to the specific needs and abilities of each age group while building on skills and techniques, 10a.m.-4p.m. June 26-30. Lyric Theatre, 1727 N.W. 16th St., 405-524-9310, thelmagaylordacademy.com.

Super Summer Program, activities for children including self-defense training, science camp, moonwalks, programs like Mad Science, Extreme Animals, Minute to Win It, STEM Challenge, yoga and more, through July 4.

King’s Gate Christian School, 11400 N. Portland Ave., 405-752-2111, kingsgateschool.com.

Art Works, summer arts program for 8-12-year-olds with specialized programs, theater, dance, music, visual arts and Lego Robotics, through July 15. First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-525-6551, fccokc.org.

Western Explorers Summer Camp, campers learn about photography, leather-making, gardening, weaving and beading, nature and more while exploring the museum’s collections, exhibitions, gardens and trails, providing the foundation for creative self-expression, June 19-July 28. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

TradeShare and ReFuse Summer Camp, weekly events imbued with theater, media and communication, visual arts, gardening, cooking, dance, sports and more with daily instruction from guests spanning circus performers, local farmers, food producers and visual artists, June 19-24. and July 24-29. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-727-0977, roundaboutokc.org.

Summer Camp Contemporary, keeping kids creative with learning camps featuring visual arts, music, hip-hop, fiber, clay, performance, robotics and more, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. through Aug. 11. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Backyard Bugs: An Oklahoma Insect Adventure, view Oklahoma’s amazing insects at a larger-than-life level with giant animatronic insects, interactive exhibits and live insect displays to give visitors a unique perspective of a bug’s world and reveal the fascinating complexities of our six-legged neighbors, through August. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

continued on page 32

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

31

a quarterly Glossy maGazine published

by OklahOma Gazette.

c a l e n da r

Welcome to Pet Gazette,

CALENDAR continued from page 31

ACTIVE

Comets, Asteroids & Meteors: Great Balls of Fire, the threat of a catastrophic impact from an asteroid or comet is a staple of popular culture, learn about asteroids, comets and meteorites and where come from, through Sept. 10. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

Stars & Stripes River Festival, featuring rowing, kayaking, a dragon boat, whitewater rafting races and more with a family festival and fireworks, June 24. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org. SAT Conquer the Gauntlet, four miles and 25 obstacles, kids courses, sprint courses, food, drinks and more, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 24. John Nichols Scout Ranch, 12104 S. County Line Road, Mustang, conquerthegauntlet.com. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS

Outdoor Beer & Yoga, join 405 Yoga OKC, where yoga and beer unite. Bring a yoga mat for a no-pressure, all-levels, feel-good yoga, 10-10:55a.m. June 25. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW. 10th St., 405-879-3808, bleugarten.com. SUN

Chris Killian, his innocent and laid-back demeanor compounded with aggressive hilarity has been seen on Spike TV and has shared the stage with some of comedy’s biggest names, including Greg Giraldo, Jon Reep and Steve-O, June 21-24. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-2394242, loonybincomedy.com. WED -SAT The Taming of the Shrew, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park presents the comedy of delirious tangles of masquerades, enjoy the classic play on the scenic water stage, through June 24. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com.

WED -SAT Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the classic tale of a young boy named Charlie who has received the prize of a special tour of the mysterious Wonka Chocolate factory, 10-11a.m. June 21-26. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org.

WED - MON Thursday Noon Tunes, bring your lunch to the downtown library atrium and enjoy banjo musician Lucas Ross, noon-1 p.m. June 22. Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org. THU Guys and Dolls, a musical comedy by Frank Loesser set in the heart of New York City about a gambler’s redemption in an attempt to gain money to secure a hall for an illegal craps game, 7:30p.m.

June 22-24. Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, 405-467-8413, thebethanystage.com. THU -SAT Gabriel Iglesias, Gabriel’s stand-up comedy is a mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects that bring his personal experiences to life. His unique and animated comedy style has made him popular among fans of all ages, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. June 23. Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, Norman, 405-322-6000, riverwind.com. FRI Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Man, the dashing detective and hapless hero Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Watson have stumbled upon a conundrum of a case.

When an eccentric local millionaire disappears during his own party, its up to Sherlock to save the day, 7 p.m. June 23-24. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. FRI -SAT Summer Breeze Concert Series, singer/songwriter John Calvin Abney, 7:30 p.m. June 25. Lions

Baseball, OKC Dodgers vs Nashville, June 22-25.

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000, milb.com. THU -SUN

International Mud Day Kids get dirty all the time, but what about adults? The whole family has a chance to dig deep into fun during International Mud Day 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. June 29 at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. All ages are welcome, but the earlier event is geared more toward kids. Make mud pies and mud masks or just roll around in it. There will be a rinse station, but bring clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Tickets are $5-$10.

Registration is required. Visit myriadgardens.com or call 405-445-7080.

June 29 Photo Myriad Botanical Gardens / provided

Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN Sunday Twilight Concert Series, presented by the OKC Arts Council featuring live entertainment

by David B. Hooten and the Legends of Dixieland, 7:30-9p.m. June 25. Bicentennial Park, 500 Couch Drive, 405-270-4848, artscouncilokc.com. SUN Bring It On: The Musical, bitingly relevant, sprinkled with sass and inspired by the hit film, the musical takes audiences on a high-flying journey filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal, and forgiveness, through July 1. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-282-2800, thepollard.org.

Beach Volleyball Camp, novice and experienced campers can learn technique, form and strategy catered to specific skill level with full and halfday options available, June 26-30. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org.

VISUAL ARTS Special Art for Special Care, art show benefiting a nonprofit that provides early childhood education, specialized care and on-site therapeutic services for children with and without special needs. Enjoy artwork by watercolor painters Amy Hornbeek and Mary Tevington and hors d’oeuvres provided by Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, 5:30p.m. June 22. Howell Gallery, 6432 N. Western Ave., 405-840-4437, howellgallery.com. THU Art After 5, enjoy a late-night gallery experience and live music on the roof terrace with the best views of downtown and a relaxing atmosphere, 5-9 p.m. June 22.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Kawaii Show, celebrate all things cute, colorful, cuddly and sometimes creepy in a curated exhibition presented by SugaMonsta. Experience an installation, live music, art and market items for sale and a table for visitors to make their own creations, 6-9p.m. June 23. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery.org. FRI Undercover Artists Series, acclaimed Norman photographer Shevaun Williams guides a workshop for participants with tips that show how to turn simple snapshots into works of art, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

June 24. Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405-360-1162, mainsite-art.com. SAT Sole Expression: The Art of the Shoe, featuring the creations of 25 local, national and international shoe designers and artists. Guests examine how the shoe has been interpreted in art throughout history and the science and engineering behind specific shoe designs, through December. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

The Complete WPA Collection, featuring a large proportion of rural American landscapes and depictions of labor, infrastructure and industrial development. All are figurative, as was favored by the WPA, and there are significant representations of female and foreign-born artists in the museum’s holdings, through July 2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Lowell Ellsworth Smith: My Theology of Painting, features watercolor studies and Smith’s own words and observations; it introduces the man, his methods and his belief in the power and potential of creative energy, through July 9. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, highlighting the range of Kehinde Wiley’s career with examples of early paintings executed around the time of his 2001 residency and figurative canvases of AfricanAmerican men, inspired by Wiley’s observation of street life in Harlem, marking the beginning of his focused exploration of the male figure, through Sept. 10. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

PublishinG:

July 26, 2017 | october 25, 2017 January 31, 2018 | aPril 24, 2018

to place your ad in Pet Gazette, call your Gazette account executive at 405-528-6000 or email specialsections@ okgazette.com

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike If you think the dynamic between your siblings can get a little zany, check out the hilarious rivalry that emerges between siblings Vanya, Sonia and Masha. Rhonda Clark directs the award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike written by Christopher Durang. Catch the show 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday at Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St. Additional showtimes are 8 p.m. June 30-July 1, July 7-8 and July 14-15; 7:30 p.m.

July 6 and July 13; and 2 p.m. July 9. Admission is $15-$20, and guests must be at least 10 years old. Visit carpentersquare.com or call 405-232-6500.

Friday-Saturday, ongoing Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

32

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Woodcut and Book Arts Workshop, join Nebraskabased artist Karen Kunc of Constellation Studios during a four-day workshop creating reduction woodcuts, June 22-25. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

THU -SUN Body, curated to examine how the body has been used to address the themes of movement, fragmentation and mechanization, geometry and identity, June 23-Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Exhibit C Ledger Art, four contemporary artists will

to okgazette.com for full listings! go to okgazette.com full listings! go go to for okgazette.com for full listings!

have their distinctive artworks on display. Discover a captivating scene showcasing the creations by Paul Hacker, George Levi, Dylan Cavin and Lauren Good Day Giago, through June 30. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com.

Spring show exhibit, enjoy the works of oil painter Phebe Kallstrom and handmade jewelry artist Whitney Ingram, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. through November.

The Studio Gallery, 2642 W. Britton Road, 405-7522642, thestudiogallery.org.

In Designs, Contemporary Abstract, Brian Allan, Christopher Pendleton and Stephen St. Claire dissect abstract design through progressive applications in a new exhibit, through June 25.

Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

WED -SUN Picher, Oklahoma: Catastrophe, Memory, and Trauma, exploring the otherworldly ghost town and reveals how memory can be dislocated and reframed through both chronic and acute instances of environmental trauma, through Sept. 10. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

thank You foR YouR nominations. staY tuneD! Runoff Ballots PuBlish July 19 & July 26

Results PuBlish August 23 thank You PuBlish August 30

B e stofokl ahomacit Y.com Call Today 405.528.6000 or email us aT adverTising@okgazeTTe.Com

Masquerade 5K Dress up and get a move on for Oklahoma Lawyers for Children’s second annual Masquerade 5K 8 a.m. Saturday at Oklahoma County Juvenile Justice Center, 5905 Classen Ct., Suite 202. Participants are encouraged to wear a costume and walk or run the USA Track & Field-certified 5K or 1-mile fun-run courses to raise money and awareness for defending Oklahoma County’s abused and neglected children.

Tickets are $20-$30, and registration is required. Visit olfc.org or call 405-2324453. Saturday Photo Jamal Wiggins / provided

Calendar submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

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

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 37

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

33

event

MUSIC

Mellow yellow Okilly Dokilly delivers metalcore and The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders to 89th Street - OKC.

By Ben Luschen

Somewhere along the United States’ intricate highway system is a lonely, latenight breakfast stop. Around 2 a.m., a large, unmarked van pulls into the parking lot. From the vehicle emerges a crew of five men dressed as clones of each other.

Almost all of them wear the same glasses and bushy moustache. They’re sporting identical pink collared shirts, green sweaters and gray pants as they walk through the restaurant’s front door.

It’s a familiar scene for Head Ned, the vocalist, songwriter and cofounder of Okilly Dokilly, a screaming, intense hardcore metal band with a theme based on The Simpsons’ unfailingly cheery and devoutly religious Ned Flanders character.

But for the diner’s other patrons, it can be quite a spectacle.

“You get a lot of looks,” Head Ned said during a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview. “Sometimes I forget how it looks to others seeing these five guys pop out of a van like this.”

The Phoenix quintet bills itself as a “Nedal” band. The unlikely genre has transformed the medalcore act into an internet phenomenon. It launches a short, two-week tour with a June 30 show at 89th Street - OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. Head Ned said his experience in 34

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Okilly Dokilly, founded in 2015, has been truly unique. The first official band purchase was a complete The Simpsons DVD box set. Each member owns multiple duplicates of Flanders’ trademark outfit. Nobody steps onstage without a green sweater.

“We are kind of like cartoon characters,” Head Ned said. “You look at our closet in our hotel room and it’s just polo, sweater, polo, sweater and five pairs of gray pants just hanging up there.”

Internet fame

Okilly Dokilly is comprised of five Neds: Head Ned, drummer Bled Ned, keyboardist Red Ned, bassist Cred Ned and guitarist Dead Ned. Though clever, band members keep pseudonyms so their real names are not forever associated with a project that Head Ned admits is a novelty.

It should surprise few to learn that Okilly Dokilly is the byproduct of an inside joke. Head Ned and his friend Bled Ned pitched funny band concepts back and forth until the band name and concept took shape.

“We never intended on actually making it a band,” Head Ned admitted. “We were just making ourselves laugh with the concept of a band that was really heavy visually, the music is all crazy and aggressive but then they just had a crazy nickname — something that didn’t fit.”

They told some of their other musician friends about the idea, and they were surprisingly enthusiastic.

Head Ned soon began taking steps toward making the band a reality. They took band photos in complete Flanders costume and put up a Facebook page.

To the vocalists’ surprise, the page garnered around 500 likes in one night, far surpassing the popularity of any other bands he has been involved with. By the next day, they had close to 7,000 likes.

They had around 20,000 Facebook fans by the end of the week.

“We were caught completely off guard,” Head Ned said. “We thought we would be playing tiny local shows in bars and things.

The fact that this caught on was definitely not according to any plan.”

Head Ned said his favorite thing about the band’s unexpected rise on social media was that it soon became a trending news story on Facebook.

“Usually, all the trending stories in the news are just something depressing or terrible,” he said. “To be something goofy that made people laugh and being considered news, it was nice to be a little break from all the sad stuff out there.”

Writing ‘Nedal’

Head Ned’s musical background heading into Okilly Dokilly is quite different from the dense metal he plays now. He has jumped around punk and alternative subgenres within Phoenix’s DIY (do-it-yourself) music scene. He said a lot of his past bands have been compared to Weezer.

Okilly Dokilly self-released its debut studio album Howdilly Doodilly in November. It was preceded by the video single “White Wine Spritzer,” which now has more than 2 million YouTube views.

Head Ned said he is taking a break from writing new material for the band but hopes to begin work on a second album soon. The writing process for Okilly Dokilly might be a little easier than other bands he has written for, but it is also a lot different.

Usually, he starts with some internet research or an idea of his own, extrapolating a certain Flanders quote into lyrics or a song theme, he explained. Many of the band’s tunes are comprised entirely of quotes from Flanders and other Simpsons characters.

“You kind of have a box to work within,” Head Ned said. “You don’t have to conjure lyrics or really delve deep into any huge poetics, and you get to watch a whole lot of The Simpsons, which makes it great.”

Okilly Dokilly has experienced a fair

Okilly Dokilly | Photo Ris Marek / Peach Girl Photography / provided

share of haters and critics. Some claim its music is too gimmicky or not heavy enough. He said he does not mind getting feedback, even if it is negative.

“That’s great,” he said, “because what’s a Ned Flanders band without a bunch of Homers?”

Showing character

Head Ned grew up with The Simpsons and has seen nearly every episode, albeit over the course of the series’ incredible 28-year run. He might not know everything there is to know about the show, but there are few things about the Flanders character in particular that he does not know, especially since launching Okilly Dokilly.

Constantly performing as the Flanders persona has also given him a new appreciation for the Simpsons’ obsessively cheery neighbor. Because of the band’s absurd theme and style, fans sometimes feel free to heckle the group. Remaining placid in the face of mockery is more difficult than it looks.

“One thing about Ned is how constantly friendly he is and how unfazed by criticism he is,” he said. “When we’re living and embodying the Ned character, you realize how difficult that is for a lot of people.”

Other bands might not gig while emulating cartoon characters, but Head Ned said that does not make Okilly Dokilly any less authentic.

“Every time you’re onstage, you’re some kind of character,” he said, “even if the character is just yourself with a guitar.”

Visit okillydokilly.com.

Okilly Dokilly 7:30 p.m. June 30 89th Street - OKC | 8911 N. Western Ave. ticketstorm.com $12-$14

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

35

MUSIC O’Brien said. “It was kind of a mission statement for our band to use music to shine a light. The social hour part of it [was because the band] always felt like a very inclusive community.”

The bassist admitted that he and Roush were not particularly ambitious about the band at first, but they now have a distinct style.

“We take a lot of really disparate elements, mix them together, put them all in a pressure cooker and see what comes out,” O’Brien said.

p r id e

‘Seductively political’

Social climbers

Austin’s The Bright Light Social Hour headlines OKC Pride’s free outdoor concert. By Camila Gonzalez

You’re here, you’re queer (or an ally) and you’re looking for good music. Look no further than OKC Pride’s Friday concert headlined by psychedelic rock act The Bright Light Social Hour.

“I think it’s amazing that OKC has such a lively pride festival,” Bright Light bassist/vocalist Jack O’Brien told Oklahoma Gazette. “We were totally honored to be a part of it and do what we can to help spread the message of love and that love will always prevail.”

The band is excited to bring its eclectic style to OKC Pride Week, but this performance almost didn’t happen.

Guitarist/vocalist Curtis Roush was going to be out of town, and the concert is on O’Brien’s birthday, so he already had plans.

But because the band’s manager forgot to decline the invitation, the band members changed flights and plans so they could make it.

O’Brien said they’re happy they did.

“It’s a pretty cool way to spend my birthday,” he said.

This show is more than just a fun night for the band; O’Brien said it’s an important reflection on the value of love and their relationship with the city.

“We stand for love, ultimately, at the very core of what we do,” he said. “I think we identify with the struggle of any community, particularly the gay community.

There’s not really anyone else that’s oppressed in a way that directly affects love.”

When he last visited Oklahoma City, O’Brien met and befriended a group of self-professed gay men. They had a fun 36

j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

The Bright Light Social Hour | Photo provided

night out, and he asked them about what it’s like to be gay here.

They admitted that it’s not an easy place for them to live and said they want to leave if things don’t get better.

This idea echoes in the band’s most recent album, Space Is Still the Place. It was inspired by the band’s interactions with disadvantaged individuals in the South while on tour.

The title comes from jazz musician Sun Ra’s movie Space Is the Place.

In the film, a prophet predicts that the human race will bring about its own destruction but all black people in the world would escape to another planet in order to survive.

“Basically, [they would] start a life free from all the oppression that they’ve experienced throughout history,” O’Brien said. “We just really liked that idea of oppressed people looking to space as a way to start fresh.”

‘Mission statement’

O’Brien met Roush while attending Southwestern University, located near Austin, Texas. They discovered drummer Joseph Mirasole on Craigslist.

He was working at a music shop with keyboardist Edward Braillif, who soon joined the band, too.

O’Brien said The Bright Light Social Hour’s name comes from Indian activist Arundhati Roy’s idea that activists are meant to cast a bright light on the dark parts of society.

“We really liked that concept,”

Deep thinking and social awareness are nothing new for their band or their recent collaborator Israel Nash.

After putting together a local voting rally, the artists released the Neighbors EP. The collaboration was borne from the social and political awareness that both artists explore in their music.

Along with this release, the band wrote the theme song for the Amazon series Sneaky Pete, starring Giovanni Ribisi. They were happy that their song was chosen even though they aren’t necessarily fans of the show.

“I heard it’s really good, but I haven’t watched it yet,” O’Brien said.

The band is likely too busy to watch the show. The bandmates are currently in the early stages of writing their next album. Its most recent release is “Tear Down That Wall.”

Although this title can easily be connected to a certain situation, O’Brien described the album as a whole as, “more seductively political.”

He feels that many people turn away from music that is obviously or angrily political.

Instead, their observations and opinions will be expressed “in a more layered way.” The band doesn’t want to tell listeners what to think but simply wants to share different opinions.

“For me, it’s more interesting when the music itself is intriguing and that pulls you in,” O’Brien said. “Then you listen to the lyrics and you’re realizing, ‘Oh. This is about this situation.’ I think that’s actually a much more effective way of sharing ideas. It’s there if you want to look for it, but if you don’t, it’s not all up in your face.”

Although the band is focusing on its album, it plans to turn the free OKC Pride concert 8 p.m. Friday in 39th District, NW 39th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Youngs Boulevard, into one big party, and everyone’s invited.

“Life is too short not to celebrate love and to fight for love,” O’Brien said.

OKC Pride Concert 8 p.m. Friday 39th District | NW 39th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Youngs Boulevard okcpride.org Free

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

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

WEDNESDAY, 6.21 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Makj, Kamps.

HIP-HOP

Mike Hosty, Bleu Garten. BLUES Sean Rowe, The Blue Door. FOLK Squelch/O.D.D./Trash Lobster, Warehouse B. PUNK

Super Bob, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK

THURSDAY, 6.22 Broke Brothers, Oklahoma City Museum of Art. REGGAE Grifters & Shills/Brad Fielder, The Deli, Norman.

Mipso North Carolina-based indie folk quartet Mipso rolls into Oklahoma City to promote its new album Coming Down the Mountain, released in April. The album, recorded on a friend’s garlic farm, follows 2015’s critically hailed release Old Time Reverie. The show begins 9 p.m. June 30 at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave. Admission is $15 and open to all ages.

Visit ticketstorm.com or call 405-6023006. June 30 Photo Sasha Israel / provided

FOLK

Jared Deck, Red Brick Bar, Norman. FOLK Joseph Neville, Cuppies & Joe. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Kiel Grove/No Love’s/Caught Stealing, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS SquadLive, Red Rock Canyon Grill. VARIOUS Taylor Carmona Duo, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe.

JAZZ

Joel T. Mosman & Oklahoma Uprising, Anthem Brewing Company. FOLK Larry Darnell/Cutter Elliott/Jana Cox and more, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY Midas 13, Wicked Piston. POP Phil Smith and the Blend Project, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. VARIOUS Raina Cobb Music, Louie’s Grill and Bar.

Travis Traps, The Venue OKC. ELECTRONIC

FRIDAY, 6.23

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Red Beard Wall/3Hole Invasion, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

Amy Black, The Blue Door. BLUES

Sons Of Texas/Sign Of Lies, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK

Beau Jennings, Native Spirits Winery, Norman.

Squeezebox, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

INDIE

ROCK

Carey Lewis/Wiz/Time Rice and more, Malarkey’s Dueling Piano Bar. PIANO

Stacy Sanders, The Mantel Wine Bar & Bistro.

Dirty Red and the Soulshakers, Hollywood Corners Station, Norman. BLUES

SUNDAY, 6.25

Dresden Bombers/Lost End/Big News, 51st Street Speakeasy. VARIOUS Evolution Underground, Brewskeys. ROCK Helen Kelter Skelter/Colouradio/Sun & Stone, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

SINGER/SONGWRITER

737, By George’s Tavern.

ROCK

Dylan Foley, The Blue Door. FOLK

MONDAY, 6.26

Hi-Def Howlers Acoustic Trio, Fat Dog Kitchen & Bar. ROCK

Adam & Kizzie, Metropolitan Library System. R&B

Kyle Rainer and the Runnin’ Hot Band, Sliders.

Greenbeard/Cobrajab/Turbo Wizard, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

COUNTRY

Luna J./NoiseBleedsSound/Saint Monroe, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS Michael Summers, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Montu, Fassler Hall.

ELECTRONIC

Shelly Phelps, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe. BLUES Stereo Deck, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK The Dirty Little Betty’s, Noir Bistro & Bar. FOLK

SATURDAY, 6.24

Lavola, The Unkempt Beaver. INDIE Young Readers/Knife in the Water/Gabriel Knight Hancock, Opolis, Norman. INDIE

TUESDAY, 6.27 In This Moment/Motionless in White, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK Leche/Weak Boyz, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Nick Dittmeier, Lost Highway Bar. FOLK

1Lady, 89th Street-OKC. HIP-HOP

WEDNESDAY, 6.28

Adam Aguilar Band, Rock & Brews. ROCK

Light up the Sky/Youth In Revolt, 89th StreetOKC. ROCK

Buddy South, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. ROCK Crueligans/Fool Fighters, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Dwight Yoakam, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY ESE, The Drunken Fry. PUNK

Jade Castle, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Jamie Lin Wilson/Bryon White, The Blue Door.

FOLK

Jane Mays, Full Circle Bookstore.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

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

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

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

37

puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Think Twice

By Charles M. Deber | Edited by Will Shortz | 0618

ACROSS 1 Zip along 7 Example of 22- and of 65-Across 12 Conscience-stricken 19 Opposites of alphas 20 It may be grand 21 “Hah!” 22 7- and 112-Across 24 Flashing lights 25 What scouts gather 26 Intentions 27 Donkey’s call 29 Naval engineer 31 Example of 65-Across and 39- Down 33 Subsides slowly 37 Org. for ex-GIs 40 Diddley and Derek 41 Farewells in Florence 42 Take temporarily 44 First lady before Bess 47 116-Across and 96-Down 49 Levin who wrote A Kiss Before Dying 50 Silver, for example, in the opening

to TV’s The Lone Ranger 51 Torah receptacles 52 A professional may need one to

practice: Abbr.

53 Work unit 54 Intimates 55 Wash’n ____ (towelette brand) 56 Caribbean land whose capital is

St. George’s 59 It’ll knock you out 60 Ricochet 62 Ambition for an actor 64 In view 65 7- and 31-Across 67 “So long,” for short 69 Part of a machine assembly 71 Like Odin or Thor 72 Titter 73 Some scratchy attire 74 “Sprechen ____ Deutsch?”

75 Lowest points 76 Car for which you “listen to her

tachin’ up now, listen to her whine,” in a 1964 hit

78 Land in the Seine 79 “I cannot tell ____” 81 “Nuh-uh!”

82 Film critic Christopher

83 112-Across and 96-Down 86 Dress adornment 87 Lathers (up) 89 Not esos or estos 90 Coiled killer 91 Nikon product, for short 92 “____ Rebel” (1962 No. 1 hit) 93 Example of 34-Down and 108-Across 94 Dimes, essentially 97 Straight 100 Othello traitor 101 Milky gems 105 Admit 108 93- and 116-Across 112 Example of 83- and 22-Across 113 Little Women author 114 Ruined 115 Dead Sea Scrolls sect 116 Example of 108- and 47-Across 117 “See ya!”

DOWN 1 Desert crossed by the Silk Road 2 Gulf state 3 Celebration 4 Writer/critic James and family 5 Animal with luxurious fur 6 Org. with a “3-1-1” rule 7 Twenty-one words 8 Give ____ all 9 Damage 10 Blight victim 11 Film again 12 Money in the bank, e.g.

13 This and that 14 Razor brand 15 Example of 39- and 34-Down 16 Lang. heard in Haifa 17 Before, to a bard 18 ____ Moines 20 Bugs about the trash 23 Toil 28 Competitor of Petro-Canada 30 Scrub, as a mission 31 Squealer 32 They may be high in a fallout zone 34 93-Across and 15-Down 35 When repeated, a Polynesian getaway 36 What trees do in fierce storms 37 Is on the brink

VOL. XXXIX No. 25 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

19

9

23

25

26 29 38

12

27 31

40 45

46

32 42

56 61

62

79 84

67

Marketing Intern Kendall Bleakley Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

86

95

100 108

109

102

103

104

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

38 Passed quickly 39 31-Across and 15-Down 41 Len of stage and screen 42 They’re often pulled at night 43 131/2-inch gold-plated figure 45 Hall of fame 46 A mere stone’s throw from 47 Upscale London retailer 48 Fatty-acid compound 55 One of a pair of best friends in

Greek legend 56 Heights of achievement 57 Witherspoon of Legally Blonde 58 Fussed over, as a grandchild 60 Like some diplomats 61 AOL alternative 63 Skeptical response 65 Dudes

Digital Media & Calendar Coordinator Aubrey Jernigan

96

101

110

Accounts receivable Karen Holmes

91

94

99

66 Puts forward 68 Holt of NBC News 70 Part in an animated film 72 “Well, look what I did!”

75 Lightly bite 76 Word of wonder 77 “Really!”

79 Ear: Prefix 80 Den denizen 84 ____ the Explorer 85 Guide to studying the night sky 86 What “Mc-” means in a name 88 Richard Strauss opera 90 Sired, biblically 93 Is disposed 94 Need for a professional designer 95 “Me So ____” (1989 rap chart- topper)

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

96 Example of 47- and of 83-Across 98 Excited cry in a casino 99 Highest score in baccarat 100 Privy to 102 ____ Barksdale, drug dealer on

The Wire 103 Jay who preceded Jimmy 104 Big bunch 105 Juice drink 106 Fleur-de-____ 107 ____ Palmas, Spain 109 90° bend 110 Obama health law, for short 111 Old, clumsy ship

38

J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

A R R E S T N O R I N E R D M T S

S A G S S T R O V E T O U R S

S C O L R E E N E R E E D P O O F S E P A T E N C E T A L A M E S M U S O S A U D I U S E C A M I P A E D U N N O B A V O I L E A K S T E

EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell Laura Eastes Ben Luschen editorial interns Megan Prather. Rachel Schaub Contributors Angela Evans, Camila Gonzalez Adam Holt Photographer Garett Fisbeck Photography intern Cara Johnson Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 0611, which appeared in the June 14 issue.

C O M P A D M I N E V E R S P E C C O V E A G E D N O S E A S B A R P A S S R D S Y E A H D O L P O W E A V O I C E R N M R M O A G E N N O D E

Advertising advertising@okgazette.com 405-528-6000 Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn Saundra Rinearson Godwin Christy Duane Elizabeth Riddle

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).

Sudoku Hard | n°1810

VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli Marketing Manager Kelsey Lowe

90

107

68

81

89

98

Associate Publisher James Bengfort

75

85

Please address all unsolicited news items (non-returnable) to the editor.

publisher Bill Bleakley

63

80

Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers.

The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

First-class mail subscriptions are $119 for one year, and most issues at this rate will arrive 1-2 days after publication.

72

93 97

36

58

74

92

106

57

71

88

35

53

78

87

34

43

66

83

33

52

73

82

18

51

70

77

17

49

65 69

16

48

60

64

15

47

55

59

14

28

41

54

13

24

50

105

11

21

30

39

44

76

10

20

22

37

8

S T A R T I N A A L I Z M E R E A D E N E T R A F R A G U T A P S P S T B E A S E L O O N T R N O E C R E D A N C T O D R E D I E R E D S

L E I N C A A N C M E H O T S H A S T A C T H Y O U T H

K N E E

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

Art Director Chris Street

A N N O Y S D A D S S T E T Y R S

Production coordinator Arden Biard Graphic Designers Anna Shilling Megan Nance www.okgazette.com Order mounted or ready-to-frame prints of Oklahoma Gazette covers, articles and photos at okgazette.yourheadline.com 3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 Copyright © 2017 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

P h o n e (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - m a i l a dv e r t i s i n g @ o kg a z e t t e . c o m

free will astrology Homework: What were the circumstances in which you were most amazingly, outrageously alive? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) There are places in the

that you'll never overlook potent little breakthroughs as you scan the horizon for phantom miracles. And it will help you change what needs to be changed slowly and surely, with minimum disruption.

oceans where the sea floor cracks open and spreads apart from volcanic activity. This allows geothermally heated water to vent out from deep inside the earth.

Scientists explored such a place in the otherwise frigid waters around Antarctica. They were elated to find a "riot of life" living there, including previously unknown species of crabs, starfish, sea anemones, and barnacles. Judging from the astrological omens, Aries, I suspect that you will soon enjoy a metaphorically comparable eruption of warm vitality from the unfathomable depths. Will you welcome and make use of these raw blessings even if they are unfamiliar and odd?

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Now that you've mostly

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) I'm reporting from

an up-close and personal encounter with some form of lightning. To ensure it's not a literal bolt shooting down out of a thundercloud, please refrain from taking long romantic strolls with yourself during a storm.

Also, forgo any temptation you may have to stick your finger in electrical sockets. What I'm envisioning is a type of lightning that will give you a healthy metaphorical jolt. If any of your creative circuits are sluggish, it will jumpstart them. If you need to wake up from a dreamy delusion, the lovable lightning will give you just the right salutary shock.

the first annual Psychic Olympics in Los Angeles. For the past five days, I’ve competed against the world's top mind-readers, dice-controllers, spirit whisperers, spoon-benders, angel-wrestlers, and stock market prognosticators. Thus far I have earned a silver medal in the category of channeling the spirits of dead celebrities. (Thanks, Frida Kahlo and Gertrude Stein!)

I psychically foresee that I will also win a gold medal for most accurate fortune-telling. Here's the prophecy that I predict will cinch my victory: "People born in the sign of Taurus will soon be at the pinnacle of their ability to get telepathically aligned with people who have things they want and need."

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) While reading Virginia

Woolf, I found the perfect maxim for you to write on a slip of paper and carry around in your pocket or wallet or underwear: "Let us not take it for granted that life exists more fully in what is commonly thought big than in what is commonly thought small." In the coming weeks, dear Gemini, I hope you keep this counsel simmering constantly in the back of your mind. It will protect you from the dreaminess and superstition of people around you. It will guarantee

cLASSIFIEDS

Jobs.

paid off one of your debts to the past, you can go window-shopping for the future's best offers. You're finally ready to leave behind a power spot you've outgrown and launch your quest to discover fresh power spots. So bid farewell to lost causes and ghostly temptations, Cancerian. Slip away from attachments to traditions that longer move you and the deadweight of your original family's expectations. Soon you'll be empty and light and free -- and ready to make a vigorous first impression when you encounter potential allies in the frontier.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) I suspect you will soon have

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Signing up to read at the

open mike segment of a poetry slam? Buying an outfit that's a departure from the style you've cultivated for years? Getting dance lessons or a past-life reading or instructions on how to hang-glide? Hopping on a jet for a spontaneous getaway to an exotic hotspot? I approve of actions like those, Virgo. In fact, I won't mind if you at least temporarily abandon at least 30 percent of your inhibitions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I don't know what

marketing specialists are predicting about color trends for the general population, but my astrological analysis

has discerned the most evocative colors for you Libras.

Electric mud is one. It's a scintillating mocha hue.

Visualize silver-blue sparkles emerging from moist dirt tones. Earthy and dynamic! Cybernatural is another special color for you. Picture sheaves of ripe wheat blended with the hue you see when you close your eyes after staring into a computer monitor for hours. Organic and glimmering! Your third pigment of power is pastel adrenaline: a mix of dried apricot and the shadowy brightness that flows across your nerve synapses when you're taking aggressive practical measures to convert your dreams into realities. Delicious and dazzling!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Do you ever hide behind

a wall of detached cynicism? Do you protect yourself with the armor of jaded coolness? If so, here's my proposal: In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to escape those perverse forms of comfort and safety. Be brave enough to risk feeling the vulnerability of hopeful enthusiasm. Be sufficiently curious to handle the fluttery uncertainty that comes from exploring places you're not familiar with and trying adventures you're not totally skilled at.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) "We must

unlearn the constellations to see the stars," writes Jack Gilbert in his poem "Tear It Down." He adds that "We find out the heart only by dismantling what the heart knows." I invite you to meditate on these ideas.

By my calculations, it's time to peel away the obvious secrets so you can penetrate to the richer secrets buried beneath. It's time to dare a world-changing risk that is currently obscured by easy risks. It's time to find your real life hidden inside the pretend one, to expedite the evolution of the authentic self that's germinating in the darkness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) When I was four years old, I loved to use crayons to draw diagrams of the solar system. It seems I was already laying a foundation for my interest in astrology. How about you, Capricorn? I invite you to explore your early formative memories. To aid the process, look at old

photos and ask relatives what they remember. My reading of the astrological omens suggests that your past can show you new clues about what you might ultimately become. Potentials that were revealed when you were a wee tyke may be primed to develop more fully.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) I often ride my bike

into the hills. The transition from the residential district to open spaces is a narrow dirt path surrounded by thick woods on one side and a steep descent on the other. Today as I approached this place there was a new sign on a post. It read "Do not enter: Active beehive forming in the middle of the path." Indeed, I could see a swarm hovering around a tree branch that juts down low over the path. How to proceed? I might get stung if I did what I usually do. Instead, I dismounted from my bike and dragged it through the woods so I could join the path on the other side of the bees. Judging from the astrological omens, Aquarius, I suspect you may encounter a comparable interruption along a route that you regularly take. Find a detour, even if it's inconvenient.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) I bet you'll be extra

creative in the coming weeks. Cosmic rhythms are nudging you towards fresh thinking and imaginative innovation, whether they're applied to your job, your relationships, your daily rhythm, or your chosen art form. To take maximum advantage of this provocative luck, seek out stimuli that will activate high-quality brainstorms. I understand that the composer André Grétry got inspired when he put his feet in ice water.

Author Ben Johnson felt energized in the presence of a purring cat and by the aroma of orange peels. I like to hang out with people who are smarter than me.

What works for you?

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.

cLASSIFIEDS

Homes DAVE’S APPLIANCE REPAIR All makes washers, dryers, ranges, dishwashers, refrigerators, disposals.

24 years experience

314-3191

$25 service calls

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in . our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis

cLASSIFIEDS

music Gotta’ BAND?

5805 NW 50th • Warr acres • 603.3997 Sunday-ThurSday 11am-8pm | Friday & SaTurday 11am-9pm

NEED A PLACE TO REHEARSE? OKC MUSIC BOX | 405-232-2099 DOWNTOWNMUSICBOX.COM

cLASSIFIEDS

ETC.

Better Franchises Interested in Money Making Ventures?

Better Investments is seeking new members Opportunity open until 7/28/17 email betterfranchise@outlook.com for details & upcoming meeting.

AffordAble & PrivAte >> Outpatient medication assisted detox >> Long term medication management for addiction >> Pain management Now acceptiNg Soonercare

405.230.1180

3033 N. Walnut Ave. West Building 73105 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

39

The BMW X1

cooperbmw.com

2017 X1 xDrive28i | $339/month*

2017 320i Sedan | $359/month*

2017 740i | $959/month*

2017 230i Coupe | $389/month*

2017 650i Gran Coupe | $1,089/month*

2017 X5 xDrive35i | $639/month*

IMPORTS 2017 X1 xDrive28i, 36-month lease, $3,000 down, MSRP $38,595, Standard Terms 2017 320i Sedan, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $36,095, Standard Terms 2017 740i, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $84,395, Standard Terms

BMW

14145 North Broadway Extension Edmond, OK 73013 | 866.925.9885

2017 230i Coupe, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $35,795, Standard Terms 2017 650i Gran Coupe, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $93,895, Standard Terms 2017 X5 xDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3,500 down, MSRP $61,995, Standard Term

Web: www.cooperbmw.com Email: rkeitz@cooperautogroup.com

Standard terms & Tag, Tax. 1st Payment, Aquisition fee, processing fee WAC *See dealership for details — offers subject to change without prior notice. *May prices subject to change. European models shown.