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inside P.21 Oklahoma City is full of Santas of all races, ethnicities and beard lengths — some even represent the jolly man year-round. They don the costume, patiently listen to holiday wishes, radiate seasonal cheer and remind us all what the season is really about: kindness, love and family. Oklahoma Gazette introduces you to three of these special men. By Gazette staff. Cover photo Garett Fisbeck. Cover design Christopher Street.
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15 Feature sous vide cooking 16 Briefs 17 Review Leo’s BBQ 18 Gazedibles dishing daybreak 21 24 26 26 27
Cover Santa season Buy This Shopping Bruno’s and Western Avenue Shopping virtual reality arcade Visual Arts The Project Box closes
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28 Holiday Services Directory 29 Visual Arts Cowboys and Caboodles 30 Visual Arts OKCMOA’s Healing Arts program 31 Performing Arts A Christmas Carol 32 33 34
Performing Arts A Nice Family Christmas Performing Arts Shen Yun Community Holiday for Heroes letter drive
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37 Event Brad Fielder 38 Feature Janessa Monetatchi 39 Review Deus’ Midnight Man 40 Live Music 41 Astrology 42 Puzzles sudoku | crossword
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To claim your tickets, call 528-6000 or come by our offices by 12/21/16! For information on entering this week’s Gazette Giveaway see pg.43
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Sending love
Oklahoma Messages Project connects incarcerated parents and their children through video bedtime stories and messages of love and support. By Laura Eastes
A young mom sits, holding a children’s book in her lap. After the camera clicks on, she smiles brightly and waves at it. She holds up the book, opens it with one hand and animatedly reads it aloud as she uses her other hand to point to each word as she follows each sentence. Her voice reflects jovial silliness as she impersonates the story characters. Soon, the story ends. The young mom wishes her toddler girl a Merry Christmas. Mom’s voice cracks as she assures her little one that she’s healthy and safe and, hopefully, will come home to be with her in the spring. She waves again as she ends the video with “I love you.”
‘I care’ packages
Each year, thousands of Oklahoma children miss the comfort and embrace of a parent who is incarcerated. Since 2011, Oklahoma Messages Project has helped incarcerated mothers and fathers send love and support to more than 6,000 children by recording and sending DVDs much like the one the young mom created for her toddler daughter. Each care package also includes a copy of the book the child’s parent read to them. The Oklahoma City-based nonprofit works to engage in social change on various fronts, helping incarcerated parents bond with their children, promoting parent involvement in literacy and, possibly most importantly, breaking the intergenerational prison cycle through promoting youth education. The impetus of the Oklahoma Messages Project traces back to Edmond resident Cheri Fuller, a former teacher and accomplished writer on subjects like parenting and family. Troubled by the fact that incarcerated fathers and mothers do not experience many of the joys of parenthood, Fuller designed a parenting skills course that she taught through the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. During a lesson on how to write special letters to children, many of Fuller’s students said they rarely or never see their children. While she searched for a way to rebuild families impacted like these, one of Fuller’s adult daughters heard an NPR report about a Virginia-based Messages Project. Created by a news producer-turned state inmate after a marijuana-related drug conviction, the woman, Carolyn LeCroy, launched The Messages Project in 1999. After serving her sentence, she returned to recording video messages with mothers, which were later mailed to children and families as Christmas gifts. Fuller reached out to the Virginia organization. LeCroy traveled to Oklahoma to train volunteers and joined them as they visited a Sooner State prison. 4
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Strong bonds
Throughout the year, Oklahoma Messages Project, which operates independently from The Messages Project, visits various state prisons with boxes of books and a few Sony camcorders. This year, the organization is on track to reach more than 2,800 children with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas DVD messages, Fuller said. Caregiver and children’s calls and emails flood Oklahoma Messages Project after it ships out holiday packages. Some children rewatch the videos nightly. When she’s sick or has a bad day, Fuller said, one girl watches her DVD on repeat to feel closer to her mom. “We’ve heard some of the children watch the videos, pausing so they have a still image of their mom or dad,” Fuller said. “They fall asleep looking at that screen.”
Breaking the cycle
“When we are there, they are not inmates,” said Camden Chitwood, a volunteer and the organization’s board president. “No one is viewed as a felon. … They are just mom or dad.” Nobody is referred to by their DOC, or Department of Corrections, inmate number. This year alone, Chitwood has entered Oklahoma’s prison system nearly a dozen times as a project videographer. She does more than run the camera — she offers kind nods and smiles to the emotional, and often nervous, parents in front of her. Chitwood knows about the impact incarceration has on children, parents and families. Often, they experience a unique combination of trauma and shame, often compounded by social stigma. What Chitwood has witnessed during her prison visits is nothing short of a miracle. For instance, one father admitted he didn’t know how to read. Volunteers worked with him. His DVD was a message to his first-grade son, without him reading a book. “He told his son in that video that he too was going to learn how to read,” Chitwood said. “[Months later,] that same dad was ready to read a book. He stumbled over some of the words, but when he did, he looked at the camera to say, ‘It’s okay. Daddy’s nervous and learning to read too.’” Some studies seem to show that children with a mom or dad or both parents in prison are six times more likely than their peers to end up behind bars. Similarly, Alliance for Excellent Education research finds an indirect correlation between education and arrest and incarceration rates. An Oklahoma Messages Project study by University of Oklahoma researchers shows 72 percent of children who received messages from their parents showed improvements in reading ability and 59
percent showed significant increases in school interest. “This is about breaking that cycle of incarceration,” Chitwood said.
‘Can’t repay that generosity’
Incarcerated moms and dads don’t disappear when they’re behind bars, especially for the kids they leave behind. A parent is always a parent, said Francie Ekwerekwu, whose father was incarcerated during most her childhood and early adulthood. Visiting her father could be frightening. Ekwerekwu remembers a distinctive smell and entering the prison with groups of other people, including children, to visit their loved ones. Sometimes, after long waits, she would see her father. Guards watched closely as visitors and inmates shared quality family time. Hearing her father’s voice over a video message would have been a cherished gift, Ekwerekwu said. Now, as a volunteer board member, she sees inmates picking out books and creating videos. She has also interacted with some of the children on the receiving end. She said it’s a priceless gift for all involved. “You can’t repay that generosity,” Ekwerekwu said. “What Cheri, the volunteers and the donors are providing is a gift that is unrepayable. The people who receive the gift are so appreciative.”
Oklahoma Messages Project founder Cheri Fuller sends personalized DVDs and books to inmates’ children for Christmas. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Filling a void
On a crisp, early December morning, Oklahoma Messages Project volunteers visit the offices of ReMerge, an Oklahoma County female diversion program designed specifically for pregnant women and mothers facing incarceration. Oklahoma Messages Project works with ReMerge clients to record bedtime stories and send messages to their children. As a group of mothers enters a large conference room-turned-temporary-base for Oklahoma Messages Project, one mom walks directly to a table filled with popular children’s books. She quickly found author Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever picture book. Its cover depicts a cartoon child attempting to drop a watch into a toilet. As she holds the book, the mother of two says she remembered the heartwarming tale from her childhood. Her grandmother read it to her. Fuller tells the woman this is exactly what this program is designed to do: capture mothers reading bedtime stories to their children, and during this season, include Christmas greetings. “Remember it’s your kids on the other side of the camera,” Fuller said. “This is just you and your kids. Your kids need to be filled with mommy love.”
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NEWS Oklahoma City leaders usher in reforms to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the municipal court system. | Photo Gazette / file
ings per year. Richard explained the vast majority of cases are first-time misdemeanor offenses. Over the past year, Richard, along with Chief Judge Philippa C. James and other court and city leaders, reviewed and revised procedures in efforts to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the municipal court system. Perhaps more important, though, leaders were determined to prevent people sent to jail because of their poverty. In June, the Oklahoma City Council backed those efforts by unanimously passing a resolution regarding the new policy goals. Already, court officials have seen their efforts pay off, benefiting the city and easing the burden on those coming into court. Oklahoma City’s efforts match similar municipal criminal justice reform efforts taking place in other major cities. In addition to the eye-opening Ferguson report, jailing poor people solely for their inability to pay has been the subject of lawsuits and reforms across the country.
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Expanding dockets
Court reform
Oklahoma City Municipal Court officials call for reform to keep from unfairly punishing people because they’re poor. By Laura Eastes
In attempts to learn what not to do in their cities, many in law enforcement and criminal justice leafed through the findings in a U.S. Department of Justice report on the Ferguson Police Department seven months after a white officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. Oklahoma City’s deputy municipal counselor Cindy Richard was among them. The longtime Oklahoma City attorney analyzed the report for comparison of the city’s municipal court, which hears environmental violations; traffic violations; misdemeanors like public intoxication, theft and possession of drug paraphernalia; and violations of city ordinances. The Ferguson report focused on policing
and court practices in the Missouri city. It described an aggressive ticketing and fining system that flowed into the city’s municipal court system and boosted its revenue collections. The police department’s use of excessive force, lack of accountability and racist bias in law enforcement were illustrated through emails and interviews with residents and city employees alike. “By the time I finished that review, I decided that [Oklahoma City] was a topnotch court and in a good place,” Richard told Oklahoma Gazette. “But there is always room for improvement. An area we needed to focus on was indigency hearings.” Oklahoma City Municipal Court averages between 120,000 and 150,000 hear-
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As recently as a year ago, people were arrested by police officers over misdemeanor warrants concerning unpaid fines and taken to jail. There, an individual could sit, sometimes for days, until they made bond or were brought before a municipal judge. Many times, the original infraction would not have warranted incarceration in the first place,
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Like any municipal court in the nation, Oklahoma City sees its fair share of residents who live in poverty-stricken circumstances issued citations for speeding, trespassing, stealing and other city law violations. Indigent people are entitled to a court hearing on their ability to pay when fines and court fees are issued. Those who request an indigency hearing are handed a packet explaining the process and listing documents to bring for the judge’s review. Recently, the city expanded opportunities for low-income people to come before a judge to explain their financial circumstances. The new policy calls for offering a minimum of eight indigency hearing dockets each week. The dockets are reserved specifically for judges to rule on a reduced or suspended fine, payment plan arrangements or continuing with the set fine.
Richard said. Through the city’s “marshal assist” program, police officers call the city marshal on individuals with municipal warrants for failure to pay. The marshal escorts the person to the municipal courthouse to come before a judge immediately or schedule an indigency hearing. The program works to get defendants in front of a judge rather than in jail, reducing an individual’s likelihood of serving any jail time for a misdemeanor and lessening the city’s contract with the Oklahoma County Detention Center. “It’s great when you do the right thing, but it’s also great when the right thing shows a positive outcome,” Richard said. “Those people have been able to stay in the workforce, which they wouldn’t be if they were seated in jail.” When the municipal court moves into its new facility this spring, marshal assist will spread to cases that have not yet been adjudicated. Another aspect of the municipal court reform is dependent upon the state Legislature. One of Oklahoma City’s legislative proposals for 2017 calls for expanding sentencing options for municipal court judges to include community service. Court leaders would like to see judges have discretion to order an indigent defendant community service in lieu of fines and court costs. Richard explained a community service option coincides with a March U.S. Justice Department letter to colleagues concerning indigency hearings. The courts “must consider alternatives to incarceration for indigent defendants unable to pay fines and fees,” the letter stated. As reforms continue through the city’s municipal court system, leaders like James want the public to know the court’s new mindset. Court officials are focused on the person’s circumstances diverting from jailing options, which only create a further hardship, James told Mayor Mick Cornett on the November episode of Mayor’s Magazine. “We’ve changed the culture of Oklahoma City Municipal Court,” James told Cornett. “If you walk into the municipal court building to resolve a warrant or an issue, we will do everything we can to assist you.”
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Shake up
Recent earthquakes trigger lawsuits, including individual litigation against energy companies and claims of violations of tribal moratoriums. By Laura Eastes
Walk the streets of Cushing these days and you’ll see loose bricks littering the sidewalks, boarded-up storefront windows, blocked entryways into historic buildings and posted “closed for repairs” signs. A few days after a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Payne County community in early November, the city’s manager classified damage from the manmade quake as “substantial,” impacting 40 to 50 structures in the town of more than 8,000 people. A little farther east, just two months earlier, the same thing happened in another of Oklahoma’s oil field towns. The strongest earthquake in Oklahoma’s history shook the community of Pawnee, rattling the rest of the state and six neighboring states. With evidence coming in from one study after another, scientists are certain that oil and gas drilling, specifically the rapid injection of fluid during wastewater disposal, is causing the hundreds of quakes recorded in the Sooner State in recent years. The injection-induced earthquakes are part of the new normal in many of Oklahoma’s oil field towns. In fact, both Pawnee and Cushing residents have felt tremors since their large quakes rolled through. This spring, the USGS published its first map identifying manmade earthquake hazards. Oklahoma earned the top spot for the highest risk and likelihood of a damaging earthquake. While state officials were slow to link earthquakes to wastewater wells, state oil and gas regulators responded after the Labor Day and November quakes. Using current rules, the Oklahoma Corporation
Commission implemented action plans, ordering dozens of wells to shut down and restricting disposal volumes near the earthquakes’ epicenters. Oklahoma’s earthquakes have generated calls of action to the state’s highest officials. With the legislative session set to begin in February, there is optimism that lawmakers could take on the issue, enacting new regulations or laws to effectively end the earthquakes. Others, including an environmental organization and a tribe, are taking their grievances and complaints to court in hopes to drive change in the oil and gas industry.
Class action petitions
“These people, the residents, have damage at no fault of their own,” said Curt Marshall, associate attorney in New Yorkbased Weitz & Luxenberg, which is involved in a handful of earthquake litigation filed in Oklahoma. “We believe this was avoidable,” Marshall told Oklahoma Gazette. “We are not aiming to shut down the industry. We know it is vital to the Oklahoma economy.” In recent months, residents impacted by the magnitude 5.8 Pawnee quake in September and November’s 5.0 Cushing quake have crowded town hall meetings hosted by Weitz & Luxenberg. There, attorneys documented losses, from property value to residents’ peace of mind. In the weeks following both quakes, the law firm served as co-counsel on class action petitions filed in state courts. Most recently, Cushing residents filed suit
A wall of mural bricks fell from the Lions Club building in downtown Cushing following a November 5.0-magnitude earthquake. | Photo Laura Eastes
against five Oklahoma-based energy companies in Payne County District Court. The plaintiffs are local residents whose homes and properties suffered major destruction, including structural cracks, cracks in bricks and mortar and broken windows and doors. The suit alleges the damages “were caused by Defendants’ pollution of the environment around Cushing through their disposal of fracking wastewater with injection wells.” Oklahoma City-based White Star Petroleum and Crown Energy Company were named in the petition, along with Petro Warrior LLC, FHA Investments LLC and Cher Oil Company Ltd. Additionally, 25 unnamed companies were included in the filing. In mid-November, a similar class action petition was filed in Pawnee County. It argues that wastewater pumped into wells near Pawnee caused the earthquake and seeks money from energy companies, specifically Eagle Road Oil and Cummings Oil Company, to compensate residents for damages to property. Both suits seek relief for residents’ physical and emotional suffering, Marshall said. “The fear is when will the next (earthquake) be and will it be bigger than the last one,” Marshall said.
Federal complaint
Troubled by the upswing in earthquakes and the growing scientific evidence connecting wastewater to seismicity, the Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club penned petitions for the governor’s office and arranged meetings with lawmakers in hopes to change regulations and see decreases in tremors. With no proposals or orders put forward, the environmental organization began reaching out to Oklahomans impacted by the quakes. At community meetings, a scientist explained earthquakes’
link to oil and gas productions and Sierra Club leaders explained options for driving change, which included speaking to Oklahoma’s elected officials. “It angers us that the state continues to not take major steps,” said Sierra Club executive director Johnson Bridgwater. “They are continuing to pursue a reactive policy when it is very clear they should be acting in a proactive manner. In fact, they are not issuing moratoriums, but little orders after each incident occurs. That’s not getting ahead of the game.” In February, Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit against some of Oklahoma’s largest energy companies. The suit asks a judge to order Devon Energy Production Co., Chesapeake Operating LLC and New Dominion LLC to reduce the amount of production waste they are injecting into the ground. It also looks to require companies to “reinforce vulnerable structures” that could be impacted in a large earthquake and establish an earthquake monitoring system. The complaint is brought under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which is a law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste. “We want to see the industry held accountable,” Bridgwater said. “Specifically, changing their practices to stop earthquakes. That’s our concern.” The oil companies’ attorneys filed motions to dismiss the case, arguing the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is taking action to reduce the volumes of wastewater in disposal wells. The case awaits a judge’s ruling. The Sierra Club believes its case has the potential to radically alter the impact of wastewater injection wells, whereas class action lawsuits — if won by the plaintiffs — include payouts, not change. Regardless, the Sierra Club supports residents pursuing legal options in class action lawsuits, Bridgwater said. “Frankly, we think that’s the only way people have a voice,” Bridgwater said. “We feel the Oklahoma government has failed them.”
Pawnee Nation
Last month, the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma filed suit against the federal government on claims the Interior Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued oil and gas permits without consulting with the tribe or complying with tribal natural resource protections laws. A year ago, the Pawnee Nation issued a moratorium on leasing and hydraulic fracturing operations until the tribe and federal agencies could develop a policy to address earthquakes and other concerns. The lawsuit states federal officials did not honor the tribe’s moratorium, issuing drilling permits. “In doing so, BIA and BLM also have run roughshod over Pawnee natural resource protection laws, disregarded a tribal moratorium on new oil and gas approvals, and violated the agencies’ trust responsibilities to the Pawnee,” the lawsuit stated.
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NEWS
Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.
An OKC model for safety
Late last month, the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) reached an agreement with the police department to reinstate its body-worn camera program. You probably know them as body cams. Our group has always supported using body cams. Like many citizens, we believe they are a valuable tool to help create trust between the public and law enforcement. Over the last few years, we have all seen video of police officers in other jurisdictions in violent situations. At the Oklahoma City FOP, we know almost all police officers are dedicated, honorable men and women doing their best in a tough and dangerous job. But sometimes even well-meaning officers can violate policies or rules. Furthermore, situations often arise in which it can be hard to discern whether an officer acted appropriately because eyewitness accounts vary. When a confusing and chaotic incident takes place, body cameras might help set the record straight. They can provide objective information and more detail about what transpired. They can’t give the full circumstances in every case,
They can’t give the full circumstances in every case, but they represent one more way to save officers from false accusations and provide transparency and accountability to the public.
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but they represent one more way to save officers from false accusations and provide transparency and accountability to the public. The videos also can influence future training and policymaking. Police officers cannot safely and effectively do their jobs without public trust. We support new technology to give people even more reason to respect and honor law enforcement officers, and we were glad to have input from many areas as we developed the ground rules for body cams. The guidelines governing the program demonstrate city leaders and labor unions can come together to craft decisions that are in everyone’s best interest. As with any form of oversight, it was important to our officers to put clear rules in place to protect our members. Body cams generate video and audio records.
Before this agreement, it was not clear how those records would be used or who would have access under what circumstances. Now that our union and Police Chief Bill Citty have collectively defined those terms, we greatly anticipate the reinstatement of the program. We expect a successful result and look forward to the day when more officers head out on patrol with this additional layer of protection. The FOP believes this technology will enhance our ability to serve the public and enforce the law. We also believe the agreement will serve as a model that cities and states across the country can emulate. John George is a 26-year law enforcement veteran and president of the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 123 | Photo Provided
letters
happen to our country. Here’s hoping we’re all wrong about our fears of the future. Christen Powell Yukon
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.
A student’s perspective
Debating hate
I am a bisexual, 19-year-old white female who supports the rights of everyone, no matter the skin color. I support LGBT rights and will not change. Love is love, no matter what the gender you are. If two men or two women of any color want to marry each other, go for it! Invite me to the weddings — I will attend them. Yes, I follow in the LGBT and believe in God, but I don’t want to have a religion shoved down my throat just because I am “going against your beliefs.” I believe in having your own opinion; I just don’t have to follow it. If I don’t believe in what you do, leave it alone, because what you’re doing is going against what I believe in because you want to “prove a point.” I support Native Americans who are peacefully protesting, not rioting. People who call peaceful protestors “rioters” are people who watch too much Fox news and support the troll lord Cheeto too much. But spraying objectors with gasses and hitting them with rubber bullets and water? Are they the ones starting trouble? Black people are being killed and accused of having weapons on them (some who have died weren’t armed). It’s history repeating itself. To kids who think putting swastikas on everything is funny or that representing the KKK is great: It’s not funny or cute. Anyone saying history that happened “back then” doesn’t affect you now needs to pick up a book and read it. Anyone who believes history doesn’t mean anything should learn more about at what your ancestors went through to get where you are today.
You are sick if you believe that killing, harming or thinking like that is what helps “make America great again.” Amber Chastain Oklahoma City
Here’s to you, Mrs. Anderson
I wanted to respond, if I could, to a writer from the November 23rd edition of Oklahoma Gazette, a Mrs. Julie Anderson of New Hampshire (Opinion, Letters, “Processing the election”), a retired public school teacher from Edmond. I just wanted to say thank you. Her perspective on the state of the country after this year’s election is so refreshing. I grew up in an upper middle class, mostly white family (my mother, brother and I are significantly Native) that worships whatever right-winger is in the White House. They defended the bumbling fool George W., and now they’re telling me that all the horrible things that Donald J. Trump has said and done (that are documented!) aren’t true or are misconstrued by the “liberal media” and that I need to “educate” myself. I’m attending the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications and I am aware of how the media works, and I am still terrified of the next four years. Why am I thanking Mrs. Anderson?
Because it is so refreshing to see someone in her economic class and situation recognize what electing this man means for everyone in this country. She’s worried about not just the here and now, but for future generations, minorities and people whom she may not even know. She exemplifies what we need to see more of in this country. It would make sense for a person in her situation to not care for others, as is the norm for most economically comfortable white Americans, but she instead chooses to recognize and empathize with all humans. That’s beautiful. That’s amazing. After Election Day, I woke up crying, too, for many of the same reasons, but most importantly because I’ve been trying to help my Native brothers and sisters in Standing Rock, North Dakota, from here in Oklahoma by educating others and writing my own blogs and stories, and I know that Trump will not respect our treaties — our basic human rights — because he’s all about profit and companies. He doesn’t even believe in global warming. It’s heartbreaking for everyone who fights to protect sacred land and water. I know this letter is a bit long, but I truly wanted to thank Mrs. Anderson and tell her how much reading her letter meant to me, a lower-income Native female scared of the next four years. It is so nice to know that there are people out there who truly know the consequences of what we’ve let
I am writing in response to the article “State Question 779 sparks debate over sales tax” (News, Education, “Yes or no,” Aug. 10, Laura Eastes, Gazette). Something has to be done to fix the educational funding problems in Oklahoma. Not only the schools but also the students are suffering from budget cuts that never seem to end. As a high school student and a concurrent student, I have experienced the effects of the budget cuts firsthand. My high school could not afford to buy its own copy paper, so students had to supply it. We also shortened our school year so the school can save money. At the end of last year, 15 teachers lost their jobs due to the district not having enough funds to pay them. I believe that if something is not fixed soon, my school’s advanced placement classes will be cut next. The students who are suffering from education budget cuts are our future, and they are getting less of an education because of these cuts. Teachers are also being hit hard by budget cuts. Many do not want to teach in Oklahoma because the pay is so much lower than in other states. Last year, one of my classes had a student teacher, and after she finished college, she moved to Texas because the pay was so much higher there. She told me she would be getting paid more in her first year of teaching than our teacher who has been teaching for over 30 years. I think the only way to fix the budget problems in the long run is to cut some of Oklahoma’s other areas of spending and invest that money into education. Jacquelyn Powers Shawnee
Correction
A Nov. 30 Oklahoma Gazette story (Arts & Culture, “Coming together”) misidentified Richard May’s role with Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund. May helped cofound the nonprofit and served as an early board member.
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chicken
friedNEWS
Jumping to conclusions
U.S. Sen. James Inhofe is at it again. No, the Oklahoma lawmaker didn’t once again suggest climate change was false and claim to prove it by tossing a snowball while speaking on the Senate floor. This time, the famous climate change denier, and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, falsely reports that a new study “confirms” “hydraulic fracturing has not impacted drinking water” in Pavillion, Wyoming, southeast of Yellowstone National Park. FactCheck.org, a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center, reported on Inhofe’s Nov. 10 remarks on its website this month. “Ultimately, the facts have prevailed and the record is abundantly clear, with even the EPA affirming that ‘hydraulic fracturing activities have not led to widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources’ in its landmark water study,” Inhofe said. As FactCheck.org pointed out, Inhofe’s remarks address an industry-funded Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality study, and a June 2015 draft report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency that stated it “did not find evidence” that hydraulic fracturing has “led to widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources in the United States.” The EPA advisory board challenged that draft report and no final report has been issued. The facts aren’t crystal clear and no firm conclusions have been made; however, Inhofe is quick on the trigger to proclaim fracking has no impact on drinking water. At Chicken-Fried News, we are happy to wait for the official and final report.
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Interior work
President-elect Donald Trump is assembling his presidential cabinet. Among his appointments are Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff — even though everyone has trouble spelling his name — and chief strategist and senior counselor Stephen K. Bannon, former executive chairman of far-right commentary and opinion website Breitbart News. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is a leading candidate for interior secretary. Since most of us got a good ol’ ’Merican education and might not know what that is, Chicken-Fried News will kindly give you a short reminder. The U.S. Department of the Interior is in charge of “us[ing] sound science to manage and sustain A merica’s lands, water, wildlife, and energy resources; honor[ing] our nation’s responsibilities to tribal nations, and advocat[ing] for America’s island communities,” according to the department’s website. The interior secretary leads this department. During her time as Oklahoma governor,
Tulsa World reported, Fallin forged strong ties with the oil and gas industry (which might be considered by some as a conflict of interest) but has also worked well with the state’s many tribal governments, making important negotiations and even resolving longstanding disputes between tribal and state governments. Her work with tribal nations appears to lend credence to her cabinet consideration. “We sent out a support letter,” Cherokee Chief Bill John Baker told the Tulsa World. “(Fallin) understands sovereignty; she understands oil and gas; she understands all of the issues under the Department of Interior. And we hope she has some impact on who is chosen for some of the other positions in the department. She’s somebody who has a history of working with us.” Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett agreed with the Cherokee chief’s sentiments and also supported Fallin’s nomination to Trump’s cabinet. “I absolutely would endorse Gov. Fallin for the secretary of the interior position,” he told KOCO 5 News at 9 on Dec. 5. “I think she’d be excellent. (The position) deals with a lot of land views, and it deals with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And both of those areas, she has a lot of experience with.” Fallin met with Trump and Priebus in late November to discuss her candidacy. They also discussed her work with Oklahoma tribes and position “on the governing board of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreations Department,” reported the
Associated Press. “We had a long conversation about the Indian tribes in our state and how very important they are to economic development, about sovereignty issues. We talked about the energy sector,” Fallin said at a Nov. 22 press conference at the Oklahoma State Capitol. “We talked a lot about the economy and jobs and how to get our economy going again and to create jobs quickly. He was very focused on that.”
Wild bills
The bar for becoming a licensed guntoter in Oklahoma could be lowered if one state senator has his way. OKCFox.com reports that Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Colgate, recently introduced a bill that would reduce the $100 handgun license fee to $25. Such a license permits someone to carry a firearm in the open or concealed for five years. The legislation would also lower the license renewal fee from $85 to $25. The state Legislature is in interim right now but will go back into session in February. If Brecheen’s bill were to pass, it would reduce the cost to legally hold and conceal
a weapon to roughly the price of one large, nicely made pizza. This is not the senator’s only plan to open up state gun laws. Another bill by Brecheen would add eligible state lawmakers to the list of people who can carry a firearm anywhere in the state of Oklahoma. That includes grocery stores, doctor’s offices, churches and yes, even the House floor. OKCFox .com reports current state law allows such a provision for United States Attorneys or Assistant U.S. attorneys. Over the last several years, Oklahoma legislators became known for a number of things. Discernment with a firearm was not necessarily one of them.
Bologna blunder
Finally, a Chicken-Fried News story we can sink our teeth into. NewsOn6.com reported a semitrailer wreck early Dec. 4 that sent one man to the hospital and thousands of pounds of frozen bologna spilling onto a Tulsa roadway. Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers told the news outlet that weather conditions and the speed of the truck caused the crash where interstates 44 and 244 connect and landed the driver in the hospital with back pain. WWLP.com said the semitractor-trail-
er was hauling 39,000 pounds of bologna when it veered off the road, hit a tree and rolled over. The rule of the Internet is almost always, “Don’t read the comments,” but news reports involving large trucks hauling lunchmeat are cause for a special exception. NewsOn6.com commenters dropped several bon mots in response to the story, including questions about the operator (“Was the driver’s first name O-S-C-A-R?”) and suggested alternate headlines (“Semi beats meat on slick street”). But the winner was Facebook user Malc Dekab, who asked, “Where’s a mustard truck when you need one?”
Quote of the week
“The American people deserve an EPA that rejects extreme activism and instead returns to its proper interpretation of environmental law. … Pruitt has demonstrated that he is an expert on environmental laws and a champion of states’ roles in implementing those laws.” — U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, in a Dec. 7 media statement lauding Presidentelect Donald Trump’s appointment of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Flashback to the Dec. 6, 2014, New York Times piece about Pruitt’s fight against Obama administration environmental protections. Pruitt signed and sent letters to the president, EPA and Interior Department that were later discovered to be written by Devon Energy corporate representatives. “When you use a public office, pretty shamelessly, to vouch for a private party with substantial financial interest without the disclosure of the true authorship, that is a dangerous practice,” Republican David B. Frohnmayer, who served 10 years as Oregon’s attorney general, told the Times in 2014. “The puppeteer behind the stage is pulling strings, and you can’t see. I don’t like that. And when it is exposed, it makes you feel used.”
Open 7 Days a Week through Jan. 29 Admission: $12 per person for all ages (includes skates) $8 for guests who bring their own skates $7 for Myriad Gardens members See downtownindecember.com for hours.
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f e at u r e
EAT & DRINK
Sous easy
Sous vide cookers move from high-end restaurants into home kitchens. By Greg Elwell
Sous vide is not the next Slap Chop. Every Christmas, home chefs are inundated with “useful” gifts that are supposed to make cooking easier and more enjoyable but instead end up as clutter. This year’s must-have food gadget is an immersion circulator or sous vide machine, and it has a much bigger impact on how people cook, said Geoff Adleman, Sansaire vice president of operations. But it isn’t really a new technology.
Historical technology
While the words are French — sous vide literally translates to “under vacuum” — the method was somewhat accidentally invented by Massachusetts native (and British loyalist) Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford, in the early 1800s when he tried to cook a leg of mutton at a precise temperature to prove how poorly kitchen fireplaces worked. French scientist Bruno Goussault, who spent much of his career perfecting the technique, resurrected it in 1971. Sous vide cooking is similar to poaching in that a chef slowly brings the cooking medium, in this case water, up to a steady cooking temperature. Cooking on the
stove or in the oven is usually done at high heat in order to cook the center of the food, requiring precision timing to make sure everything is cooked without being overcooked. In contrast, sous vide cooking is done at an exact temperature for longer periods of time. Food is either vacuum-sealed in plastic or simply cooked in food-grade plastic bags with as much air removed as possible to keep water out and flavor in. Vacuum sealing technology found its way to home cooks in the 1990s, but commercial-grade sous vide cooking equipment only recently became affordable for residential use.
Chef’s friend
Chae Modern Korean executive chef Taylor Desjarlais had read about sous vide cooking before, but his hands-on experience with the technology came as part of the Coach House Apprenticeship Program when he worked with The Hutch on Avondale executive chef David Henry. “David taught me how to use it properly,” Desjarlais said. “He showed me what it could do.” At Chae, 1933 NW 23rd St., the chef uses
A T-bone steak cooks sous vide in a water bath. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
it to do massive amounts of prep work. “The main thing we use it for is the eggs that go in the bibimbap,” he said. Chae’s popular iron bibimbap is a base of toasted rice covered in tender beef short rib and seasoned vegetables and topped with a sous vide egg. The white of the egg is perfectly set while the yolk is creamy, almost like fudge. “It gives us the ability to cook 100 eggs and have them ready to go,” Desjarlais said. “It’s just a more efficient way of cooking.” Much like a barbecue pit, sous vide cooks foods at low temperatures for a long time, but the constant temperature of a water bath is much easier to control than a smoker fueled with wood and coal. “Something like a pork shoulder or a whole leg of lamb would have to braise for hours. And you have to take care of it while it’s cooking,” Desjarlais said. “Sous vide lets you look up times and temperatures online. You can cook it for the minimum amount and it’ll be done or you can leave for hours after and it won’t overcook.” It takes some advance work, but he said sous vide is ideal for home chefs who worry about over or undercooking meats. It’s even great for making sauces, such as hollandaise, that intimidate some cooks. (See the recipe at the end of this article to make your own.)
Price plummet
The technology for home sous vide cookers has been available for a while, but someone had to make the leap and trust the con-
sumer would be there. “It’s been unaffordable, over $1,000 or $2,000,” Adleman said. People like Sansaire founder Lukas Svec brought it to home kitchens. Svec dropped out of a Ph.D. program and used a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help bring a consumer-friendly sous vide cooker to fruition. The company is readying its secondgeneration device, Sansaire Delta ($199), for a 2017 debut. In the meantime, other companies have created their own versions. ChefSteps released Joule ($199) earlier this year, and Anova sells both Bluetooth ($149) and Wi-Fi-enabled ($199) Precision Cookers. Adleman said the difference between sous vide machines and other kitchen gadgets is the sous vide machine has yearround appeal. “The idea of cooking something perfectly never goes away,” he said. “Steaks are probably the gateway food for sous vide. That’s what gets people hooked.” Though it takes planning, a two-inchthick T-bone cooked to a perfect mediumrare in about two and a half hours. While the meat cooks unattended, Adleman said, home chefs can focus on making side items or creating a special cocktail. Dejarlais said it’s a pretty impressive feat for a machine that’s basically a fish tank pump with a thermometer. “When we were at [The] Lobby [Cafe & Bar], we used to do 72-hour short ribs. They were the most tender things on the planet,” he said. “Every piece is perfect.”
Sous vide hollandaise sauce Ingredients: 1 large shallot 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or any white vinegar) 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 raw egg yolks 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper Dice the shallot and add it and the champagne vinegar to a pan and reduce by half. Strain out and discard solids. Add the shallot-infused vinegar and all remaining ingredients into a gallon-size resealable zipper storage bag. Place in a water bath at 167 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Blend the contents of the bag at a high speed in a food processor and serve immediately.
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Open Monday Dec. 12 & 19 | 5-9 Tues-Thurs 5PM-10PM | Fri & Sat 5PM-11PM Sun 5PM-9PM
b r i e f s By Greg Elwell
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EAT & DRINK
Now taking reservations on Open Table 1 block from Civic Center & OKC Museum of Art
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Elk Valley Brewing Co. released its newest year-round offering, an India pale ale, to customers Dec. 6. | Photo Jenny Grigsby / provided
•New brew
Christmas arrived early for Elk Valley Brewing Co. owner John Elkins when he released a new IPA into the world Dec. 6. “I did a pilot batch earlier this year in the spring, and people said they loved it,” Elkins said. “It takes longer than I’d like to get a new beer out, unfortunately.” After months of waiting, including getting labels approved for the new beer and securing the right hops, Elkins took to Facebook to announce he was canning the beer and customers could come by the brewery, 520 N. Meridian Ave., to buy it. “It’s super juicy and not too bitter,” he said. Elkins called the beer “truly crushable,” which means the 6.2 percent alcohol by volume beer is easy to drink. Despite customers who are crazy for hops-heavy beers, Elkins said he stays away from using many hops year-round. The price of Australian-grown Galaxy hops, used in Elk Valley’s pale ale, are harder and more expensive to come by, requiring a change in formula. Visit facebook.com/elkvalleybrewingco.
Miraculous rebirth
EARL’S GIFT CARDS LIKE A STOCKING FULL OF HICKORY SMOKED MEAT, WITHOUT THE MESS.
It seemed like a small miracle when New York City pop-up bar Miracle opened a Bricktown location Nov. 25, but a “hiccup in licensing” with the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission (ABLE) caused it to close Dec. 1, said Rockford Cocktail Den co-owner Anna Mains. Miracle made a comeback, though. The bar reopened Dec. 2 inside its new location at Rockford, 317 NW 23rd St., and was scheduled to reopen the Bricktown location by Wednesday at Capt. Norm’s Dockside Bar, 103 E. California Ave., Mains said. “ABLE didn’t like doing a special event for a month, so I’m changing licensing,” she said. Both Miracles are open through Christmas Eve and feature holiday cocktails designed by New York Miracle bartender Nico de Soto. Visit facebook.com/miracleatrockford.
Potluck party EARLSRIBPALACE.COM
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Community education collective SixTwelve is putting a bow on 2016 with a free holiday potluck 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday
at SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St. Founder and executive director Amy Young said the party celebrates the community and the organization’s achievements over the last year, which include early childhood education events, local art shows, erecting a hoop house for yearround vegetable production and kombucha brewing classes. “People are just bringing what they want to bring to share,” Young said. “We will provide plates, silverware, cups and napkins that can all be washed, recycled or composted.” There’s no official sign-up, but plenty of people are communicating what they’ll bring, Young said. Food and drinks are welcome, and SixTwelve will accept any unwanted leftovers for use in the facility’s compost bin. In addition to food, the event features jazz combo The Savoy Trio, ornamentmaking for kids and adults and sales of Katie Pennington’s sweet potato pies to raise funds for SixTwelve’s community kitchen. Visit facebook.com/612okc.
review
Lion’s choice
Leo’s BBQ remains a meat-eater’s paradise under the care of Leo’s son Charles Smith. By Greg Elwell
Bologna
Step away from the cold cut aisle and discover the true potential of this sausage when it’s 3631 N. Kelley Ave. smoked. The heat opens up facebook.com/leosbarbecue | 405-424-5367 bubbles within the meat, giving What works: The brisket is juicy and it a little added texture. smoky, and the ribs have excellent texture. Barbecuing works with the unique properties of bologna, What needs work: The venue is loud and busy. which traps the smoky flavor of the pit inside its homogenous, Tip: Leo’s Special is big enough to share but fine-ground structure. so good you won’t want to. Bologna is obviously great as a sandwich ($7.45 with small There’s no hiding a visit to Leo’s BBQ: You baked potato), and I suggest you will smell like hickory smoke after eating take a few bites before adding sauce. lunch at the restaurant located at 3631 N. Kelly Ave. Hot links That is a compliment. There’s a sneaky heat to Leo’s hot links Leo Smith opened the eatery in 1974 (five in a pound for $14). Like other small and quickly built a reputation for cooking sausages, hot links are best when barbesome of the city’s best barbecue. His son cued. The heat chars and blisters the skin and renders the fat, which cooks the meat Charles took over in 1994 after Leo’s death as it drips out. and keeps his father’s legacy alive. Though the business expanded and They are a sensory delight. Crisp casings contracted in the intervening years, have both crunch and chew. The meat there’s almost always a crowd. During a inside is moist and fatty with a slow-buildrecent lunchtime visit, the hostess seated ing burn that hits the tongue a few bites in. me and a friend with another dining duo to get us all fed more quickly. Ribs “Don’t worry; we don’t bite,” the man Meat that “falls off the bone” is not always next to us joked. a good thing when it comes to barbecued ribs. It’s a sign they were overcooked by The menu is pretty simple, though its an inexperienced or insecure chef. presentation on a grid might confuse a few first-timers. Leo’s serves ribs, brisket, Leo’s ribs ($19.99 for 24 ounces) do not bologna and hot links in sandwiches, differfall off the bone. They are waiting for you ently sized dinners and food by the pound. to take a bite strip the well-seasoned, expertly smoked bark off the top. There are Brisket still pockets of fat in these ribs, which you Beef brisket is the basis on which most can avoid or devour, depending on your Oklahoma barbecue is judged. For me, the preference. ideal brisket is tender with a bit of chew Toothsome is a good word here. The crust — nobody wants a mouthful of meat mush. is blissfully chewy, sheltering melt-worthy meat that is courteous enough to hold onto The smoking process should break down the bone as you lift it to your mouth. the fat and collagen in an otherwise-tough cut of beef without drying it out. Barbecue Leo’s has mastered good barbecue sauce is nice, but if the meat’s flavor and that’s cooked right and unpretentiously texture can’t stand on its own, it needs served to fans of the style. If you decide more work. to use the sauce, do so sparingly. The Leo’s brisket is perfect. A seasoned rub vinegar pop of the hot sauce is a nice conforms a peppery crust that structures each trast to the succulent meat, but too much slice and brings out the beef’s savory drowns out the skill of the pitmaster. aspects. The hickory smoke suffuses the Respect the meat. meat so each bite bursts with authentic With so many tasty meats, it can be pit flavor. daunting to choose just one, so don’t. Leo’s Special ($19.99) includes two ribs, two hot A sandwich ($9.49 with small baked potato) is a great medium for brisket, but links, brisket, bologna, two sides and a small if it’s your first time at Leo’s, consider slice of Leo’s strawberry banana cake. ordering a light dinner ($9.99) portion, A slice on its own is $3.95, and it has which includes a quarter pound of meat the flavor of banana bread and the light, and sides of macaroni salad and baked airy texture of cake. Frosting holds the beans. This brisket deserves to be tasted fresh strawberries and bananas on top on its own before it’s weighed down with and adds a spike of sweetness. The cake, sauce and bread. like a visit to one of Oklahoma City’s finest barbecue joints, is a must.
Leo’s BBQ
from left Leo’s BBQ bologna, brisket, ribs, hot links, Texas toast and barbecue sauce. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
from left Leo’s baked beans and macaroni salad | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Strawberry banana cake | Photo Garett Fisbeck
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g a z e di b l e s
eat & DRINK
Dishing daybreak
People think the “wake-up-word” started with Apple’s Siri. You can ask Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana or say, “OK, Google” and a virtual assistant is suddenly at the ready. But the technology was available long before the age of smartphones. In fact, it’s embedded within each of our brains. Test it out on a loved one. Say, “It’s time for work” or “Let’s get up and exercise.” … Nothing? Hmm. Now say, “Want to get some breakfast?” Here are some places our intelligent brains suggested. By Greg Elwell Photos Garett Fisbeck and Gazette file
Jimmy’s Egg
Old School Bagel Cafe
Oklahoma Gazette Best of OKC voters know Jimmy’s Egg is the best breakfast in the metro, and with good reason. The Oklahoma City-based eatery has expanded into other states and is ubiquitous here at home. The food is delicious, the prices are reasonable and the service blends affability and efficiency. Jimmy’s Egg serves coffee, omelets and pancakes fast enough that everybody has time for breakfast before work.
The school might be old, but the bagels at Old School Bagel Cafe are baked fresh daily. Start the day with a sliced and toasted everything bagel smeared with cream cheese. Those hungry for something more substantial should order the Fire Cracker made with chorizo sausage, habanero jack cheese and egg or Meat Lovers Bagel loaded with the sausage, cheddar, egg and ham. If you miss breakfast, don’t worry; the cafe makes great lunches, too.
multiple metro locations 3741 NW 39th St. jimmysegg.com | 405-949-5522
multiple metro locations 6210 Northwest Expressway oldschoolbagelcafe.com | 405-603-3086
District House
1755 NW 16th St. districthouseokc.com | 405-633-1775 This coffee shop and art gallery stays open late, hosting live music shows and open mics. Early the next day, the doors are unlocked for Plaza District denizens and guests who need a strong shot of espresso and a slice of peanut butter, honey and banana toast. During the day, it’s also a quiet spot to get some work done or host impromptu business meetings.
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Good Gravy! Diner
Florence’s Restaurant
Before you try to argue otherwise, yes there is such a thing as bad gravy — just not at Good Gravy! Diner. It offers a menu with 40 varieties of gravy available daily (and another three made Saturdays and Sundays only), and there’s not a bad one in the bunch. Cover a plate of biscuits with creamy sausage gravy; a jalapeño, onion and bacon gravy; or Italian sausage gravy.
Florence Jones grew up on a farm in Boley in Okfuskee County, just a little more than an hour’s drive east of her restaurant. Though she serves far more city slickers than farmers, her menu still proudly shows her roots with four massive Big Boley Breakfasts. Two eggs, rice, potatoes and a stack of three pancakes are served with your choice of pork, turkey or beef.
3703 N. Western Ave. 405-525-0799
1437 NE 23rd St. florencesrestaurant.com | 405-427-3663
Daylight Donuts on 10th
Shartel Cafe
Somebody is having a lot of fun in the kitchen at Daylight Donuts on 10th Street. The locally owned pastry shop built its reputation with friendly service and delicious doughnuts. It also stands apart from similar eateries with its selection of colorful and whimsical designs. Kids can nibble on their favorite cartoon mouse or animated fish while adults taste banana nut fritters, gorgeous sticky buns and savory breakfast sandwiches.
Caffeine cowboys should mount up and ride into Shartel Cafe. The friendly little neighborhood diner has a lot going for it, including quick access to nearby shops and Interstate 235. And for those who take their cup of wake-up juice by the liter, one of Shartel Cafe’s biggest draws is its self-serve coffee station featuring Java Dave’s coffee. Order at the counter and fill your cup as many times as necessary before you face the day.
2816 NW 10th St. facebook.com/donuts10th 405-945-0644
5116 N. Shartel Ave. shartelcafeokc.com 405-843-0900
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ARTS & CULTURE
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Bo Turner portrays Santa all year long and belongs to the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
City Santas
OKC’s Santas bring the legend to life and celebrate the reason for the season. By Gazette Staff
Santa goes by many names — Santa Claus, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Joulupukki, Kanakaloka, Babbo Natale, Julenissen, Papa Noel and others. The popular version of Santa we know and love today has a long history that began hundreds of years ago. Real-life Turkish samaritan Saint Nicholas of Myra, Turkey; the legend of Sinterklaas from the Netherlands and Belgium; Germanic Yuletide celebrations; and England’s Father Christmas added to the mysterious figure that later became the jolly, bearded icon we know today. The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (now known as “The Night Before Christmas”) and an 1881 Harper’s Weekly cartoon by Thomas Nast cemented modern visions of a white-bearded man in a red suit who checks his list of naughty and nice, flies through the sky in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and sneaks down chimneys to leave presents and eat cookies. Oklahoma City is full of Santas of all races, ethnicities and beard lengths — some even represent Santa year-round. These
cheerful characters don the costume of the Santa they admire, patiently listen to the holiday wishes of children all over the city, radiate seasonal cheer and remind us all what the season is really about: kindness, love and family. We introduce you to three of these special men.
Bo Turner
As Oklahoma chapter president for the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS), Robert “Bo” Turner proudly shows off his rounded, snow-white Christmas beard all year long. While there is plenty of beard envy among members, Turner said there is no sense of elitism over Santa representatives who strap on their beards. “A lot of the adults are judgmental that
way,” Turner said, “but to a child, they just see Santa.” And that’s just how it should be. Turner, who also works as a photographer for KWTV News 9, had just finished participating in No-Shave November one year and was debating whether or not he should keep his new lengthy beard when his wife suggested he play Santa for their grandchildren. He looked online for a good suit, and when he found out how much one would cost him, he knew it would take more than a one-time use to justify the purchase. That was when Turner committed to his double life as Kris Kringle. In the beginning, he donned the red suit to entertain people at businesses and private gigs, but as he has become a more popular Santa representative, many of his jobs now are for photo shoots and larger corporate events. The role keeps him busy year-round. He attended a Santa workshop with his wife this summer and regularly books appearances sometimes more than a year in advance. Turner found out about the brotherhood online. In addition to meeting fellow Real Bearded Santas, IBRBS gives members access to reduced-cost background checks and discounted insurance policies. The brotherhood’s Oklahoma chapter includes 30 Santas from across the state, one of which does not even have a natural beard. Santas who wear “traditional,” or artificial, beards are not necessarily inferior to their natural counterparts. Turner said the traditionally bearded Oklahoma member wears a luxurious replica worth four figures. “And it outshines mine, too,” Turner said. Turner’s beard is about 10 inches long. His hair is not naturally white, so he routinely bleaches the growth. Straighteners, conditioners and beard oils keep the fluff holly and jolly. “I have more hair-care products than my wife,” he admitted. Turner doesn’t just wear Santa’s heavy boots; he walks in them. He tries all year to look at the world through the eyes of St. Nicholas while upholding three key tenets to keeping a Christmas heart: love, joy and happiness. “I look like the symbol that represents those three things,” he said. “If you remember that, it helps you through some pretty bad times and it allows you to share that with others, and hopefully they get to experience that at the same time.”
Richard Palmer
Richard Palmer began his career as Santa Claus in the late ’80s at Ralph Ellison Library, 2000 NE 23rd St., after librarian Betty Germany asked him to put on the costume.
I have more hair-care products than my wife. Bo Turner
“I agreed when she asked me, but I thought it was only going to be the one time,” the 76-year-old said. “The next year, I wasn’t asked; I was told.” Palmer never became a mall Santa Claus or worked in a retail store, but he said he has appeared at many libraries over the years. While most kids don’t seem to even notice Palmer as black — he’s just Santa, after all — many parents do tell him they’re put at ease and enjoy meeting him. “For years, we’ve been talking about seeing someone that looks like us,” he said. In 30 years of representing Santa, Palmer said adults have made the mistake of assuming Santa Claus should be white — and told him so — two or three times. Palmer said the children’s excitementfilled reactions are why he started portraying Santa and what has continued to inspire him to do it for decades. Use the words “art” or “craft” to describe what Palmer does and he’ll laugh a jolly laugh, but it’s clear he has put thought into the ethical boundaries of his Santa. For starters, he’s down-to-earth (literally) and fair, and he imparts hope. “I’m not the come-down-the-chimney Santa Claus; I don’t have reindeer,” he said. “What I talk to the kids about, I say, ‘I can’t make a promise of what you’ll get, but I’ll work hard.’” It’s easy to demure when a child asks for a big gift like a life-size personal robot or a mini Ferrari, but he also takes care to respect kids and parents when they make smaller requests. His role as an intergenerational intermediary is a great responsibility. “I never make the promise,” Palmer said. “[But like every hard-and-fast rule,] there are exceptions. There are times when the parent hears what the child is asking for and may nod at me. I pay attention to that.” Because, every once in a while, some parents can have a pretty good idea of what’s happening with Santa and Mrs. Claus up at the North Pole. Palmer admitted there’s another conundrum to being Santa: The version of Christmas celebrated today is one that’s too often driven by economics. “I do believe if there wasn’t a Christmas, we’d have to invent one,” he said. “We do it to keep our economy moving. But now, it’s worked too well and we have to rent storage units to keep the stuff we don’t have room for.” We told you this Santa is down-to-earth. That’s why he takes the few minutes to visit with his young guests and remind them that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t about receiving toys. The most valuable gifts are the ones already around you. “I’m not devout,” Palmer said. “Of course it’s about the family!” As a family man himself, Palmer has some advice for parents when they take the kids to visit Santa. “The young ones, the 2- and 4-year-olds, they get antsy,” he jovially said. “You should sit on Santa’s lap first to show them it’s OK.” continued on page 22
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Rubén Espinosa
With a love for making children smile, an infectious smile and the ability to bellow ho, ho, ho on command, La Tremenda 1460 AM KZUE radio host Rubén Espinosa portrays the quintessential Christmas character each holiday season. This time of year, listeners of the Hispanic radio station know Santa Claus occasionally makes a special appearance on-air, appealing to boys and girls and everyone who believes in the magic of Christmas. “I say, ‘Aquí está Santa Claus,’” Espinosa said as his eyes went wide and
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Richard Palmer has represented Santa at local libraries since the late ’80s. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
his face lit up to reenact one of his on-air announcements. Next, Espinosa’s voice lowered with enough depth to shake a bowl full of jelly. “‘Ho, ho, ho! Feliz Navidad,’” he bellowed. Espinosa sees his role as Santa as a friend to children, one who guides them toward hope, love and peace. Espinosa’s holiday greetings as the jolly old elf are infused with messages encouraging children to obey their parents and grandparents and work hard in school. He also reminds them that Santa Claus is coming to town and he doesn’t forget any child who believes. Since 1989, Espinosa has spread cheer
and life lessons to the many children who listen to La Tremenda or take part in the radio station’s Navidad en el Barrio, or Christmas in the Neighborhood. The annual event is an important part of the Oklahoma City Hispanic community’s holiday tradition. Families line up to meet Santa Claus, sing along to holiday carols and watch live, family-oriented performances. As in Mexico, volunteers hand out bags of goodies filled with peanuts and candies. Thousands of wrapped Christmas presents are lined against the walls, ready to be handed out to children. “I see all the kids smile,” Espinosa said. “For some families with six or seven kids, they might not have any means for buying gifts. I am very happy to look out at all the families and see the toys in the hands of each of the kids.” Last year’s event attracted 3,000 people, including parents and grandparents. This year’s event is 4-6 p.m. Sunday at Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads, 7000 Crossroads Blvd. Navidad en el Barrio began when media professional Nancy Galvan brought Christmas joy to
Rubén Espinosa represents Santa on the radio and at the annual Navidad en el Barrio celebration. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Chicago’s Hispanic community. In 1989, Galvan moved to Oklahoma after purchasing the radio station and quickly organized Oklahoma City’s first Navidad en el Barrio. A crowd of 400 children attended, meeting Santa Claus — portrayed by Espinosa — and taking home Christmas gifts. “I see the kids as my own,” said Galvan, who sometimes dresses as Mrs. Claus. Galvan, along with many of the radio station’s advertisers, donate the toys. “A toy can dry a child’s tears away.” To Espinosa, Navidad en el Barrio embodies the season of giving. Like a proud grandparent, he scrolled through his cell phone to revisit images and videos taken at past events. With a smile, Espinosa explained some children finish their visits with Santa with a hug. He has witnessed children, overcome with happiness, cry when they are handed a gift. “You feel very good,” Espinosa said, “and very happy.”
I do believe if there wasn’t a Christmas, we’d have to invent one. Richard Palmer
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shopping
ARTS & CULTURE
Fresh fixtures
The former Bruno’s Home Furnishings site is reborn as a multipurpose shopping, cafe, Pilates and worship destination. By Mark Beutler
Many local residents might not readily know the address 3714 N. Western Ave., but “Bruno’s Home Furnishings” is instantly recognizable. The 35,000-square-foot store at NW 36th Street and Western Avenue was home to Bruno’s for over 50 years. It sold some of the finest furniture and home décor in the metro. It closed in 2010, but the Bruno spirit lives on in a new generation. “Bruno’s may be gone, but it’s not forgotten,” said Gina Bruno-Dunn, whose father Frank Bruno opened the store. “For all those years, Bruno’s was the entire building, but now we have four separate tenants.” Bruno-Dunn said part of the structure was leased to The Vine Community Church. Other tenants are K&N Interior Consignment and Pilates on Western, Bruno-Dunn’s Pilates studio. She and husband Allen Dunn also own Designer’s Decor by Bruno & Dunn, and Brickstir’s Coffee and Café opens in early 2017. “My paternal grandmother founded the company with a mattress store on SW 29th
Street, and then my father expanded and opened Bruno’s,” she said. “We are very excited about our third-generation development.” Reinventing the Bruno’s legacy has been a bit of a challenge, Bruno-Dunn said. The biggest issue is getting the word out about the new businesses. “It’s been very hard getting customers to realize Bruno & Dunn is open,” she said. “We had no idea how well-trained all our past customers and even friends and family were to entering the one building and having it all connected.” Designers Decor is a unique concept that offers modern antiquities, art and accessories and is a departure from the original family store. “We sell rugs, lighting and accessories, and we also feature artwork from local artists,” Bruno-Dunn said. “Right now, all of our walls are filled with the work of eight Oklahoma City-area artists, and we are always looking for more.” She said the Pilates studio has long been
shopping
Ryan Battles, co-owner of Immersion House, demonstrates a virtual reality game. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Virtual vocation Virtual reality emerges at Sooner Mall in Norman. By Christine Eddington
The future is here, and it’s located inside Norman’s Sooner Mall. Immersion House, a virtual reality (VR) platform experience, provides a muchneeded escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday crush. It might just be the perfect outlet for channeling your leftover Black Friday rage or escaping day-to-day struggles for a precious few minutes. “It’s a 600-square-foot kiosk, or plat26
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form, by Sears in Sooner Mall,” Ryan Battles, who co-owns Immersion House with Tarek Dina, said. The virtual reality experience is made up of four bays. Two are small, 7-by-7-foot rooms used as stand-up spaces. The virtual reality visor’s space is mapped to the actual dimensions of the rooms. There are also two seated bays that house immersion chairs, which simulate the movement of the
a dream. “My partner Linda Tillotson and I met at another Pilates studio,” she said. Their joint love of Pilates brought them to their current studio, which caters to neighbors in Crown Heights, Putnam Heights and Heritage Hills. It opened in March, renovated with modern high ceilings and keeping the original Capital Hardware door that’s now used for its dressing room. “We are living our dream and look forward to many years to come,” BrunoDunn said. The former Bruno’s warehouse facing NW 36th Street is home to Rust & Rot, which
games. Unlike home virtual reality setups, your feet won’t get tangled in cords at Immersion House; special towers suspend the cabling above players’ heads. “You don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy Immersion House. It’s fun. You use your body to control the game,” Battles said. “You hold two controllers, which have four buttons on them. Depending on the game you are playing, in VR, you may be holding a paintbrush or you may be holding a gun.” When your avatar needs to go to a different location within the game, you teleport by holding down a button and jumping from one 7-foot section of the game to another. Sessions are about 15 minutes long and cost $10 for stand-up games and $12 for immersion chair games. One chair session ends up being three or four laps in the racing game. Customers can race one another or, in the case of the stand-up games, team up against the terrible drones. Microphones in the headsets allow for player-to-player communication. Large TV screens are mounted on the outside walls of the platform so people waiting in line or just passing by can see what the players are seeing in real time. Tarek Dina, who also owns Levant Technologies, expects the business to expand sooner rather than later. “We can also fully recreate the Immersion House experience in a player’s home,” Dina said. “We can build them a full setup for a stand-up bay. That includes the HTC headset, controllers, computers and monitors. The cost for a home version is about $4,000.”
Gina Bruno-Dunn and Allen Dunn reimagine the space that once housed Bruno’s Home Furnishings. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
opened late last month and features custom dining tables and unique furniture and accessories. The businesses are planning a grandopening celebration after Brickstir’s opens, which they expect will be in March or April. “We are so excited about the new cafe,” Bruno-Dunn said. “It will basically be a coffee shop that also serves breakfast and lunch, sort of an old-fashioned type of cafe that serves hot lunches.” Brickstir’s will feature a coffee bar and lounge area with Wi-Fi. Renovations begin soon.
Games available immediately include Raw Data, a first-person shooter game in which the player must kill mechanical foes. “AI has become evil, and robots and drones come at you,” Battles said. “It’s an active game. Players duck, jump, hide and reload your pistol.” Space Pirate Trainer is another stand-up VR game, but it’s less intense than Raw Data, making it okay for younger players. “Raw Data is probably best for players 16 and up. There is a little profanity, and it can get really intense, with robots and drones shooting at you,” Battles said. “Anyone younger than 18 needs a parent’s signature to play or become a member. Space Pirate Trainer is still fun, but it’s more like shooting skeet. You aren’t being attacked as much.” The sit-down games available now at Immersion House are Project Cars and Dirt Rally. Project Cars is one of the most technically advanced VR racing games on the market. “The immersion is so complete that players actually experience a state of flow, meaning that they are fully present in the moment in the game,” Battles said. Immersion House is open during regular mall hours. Visit soonermall.com. Players sign in at the desk and are entered into a queue. Text message notifications are sent when it’s your turn. Visit facebook.com/immersionhousevr.
arts
ARTS & CULTURE
List your event in
Boxing up
Submissions must be received by Oklahoma
Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday
Paseo artist Lisa Jean Allswede moves on to her next adventure, this one in Las Vegas. By Ben Luschen
Many of those who visited Paseo Arts District last month during its monthly First Friday Gallery Walk were likely surprised to find The Project Box missing from the brightly colored stretch of venues, studios and storefronts. Owner Lisa Jean Allswede officially closed the gallery Oct. 29 after she announced she was moving to Las Vegas, where her husband Michael secured a job. In its nearly three years, The Project Box noticeably impacted the district with its unique showcases featuring the state’s rising talents. Allswede, a Michigan native, has been an arts advocate her entire life and spent much of her Oklahoma City tenure promoting the work of others. “Because I’m a curious person and an educator,” Allswede said, “the goal for Project Box was always to have a venue that offered the opportunity to expose my audience to different materials, mediums or ideas through the arts.” Allswede spent time in various art communities around the country before moving here in 2011. She also joined Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) and Oklahoma Arts Council programs and immersed herself in the arts community. She earned her art degree from the University of Michigan and spent some time in Pittsburgh to be with her husband and stepson. Stitchings make up a lot of Allswede’s work, but she has also painted landscapes inspired by trips Ireland, France and Japan. In her early career, she also worked as a faux finisher. While in Pittsburgh, Allswede taught art at a private school. She said her experiences there influenced how she worked with artists at The Project Box. She recalls one year in Pittsburgh when several eighth-graders studied World War II, traveled to Washington, D.C. and visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Allswede helped the students create and curate an art exhibit about genocide victims. After opening The Project Box in 2014, exhibits there also tackled complex or serious issues. An early show invited guests to draw on papered walls what freedom meant to them, and February’s Women in War Zones showcased Ebony Iman Dallas and revealed how women from different cultures handled adversity. “That idea of working together in the community to have a conversation about a really tough topic was really intriguing,” Allswede said. “I wanted it to be my studio
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.
Lisa Jean Allswede founded The Project Box in 2014. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
space, but I also saw it as a partnership,” she said. “I didn’t want to represent [resident artists] as a gallery.” One of the last exhibits featured at The Project Box was Michael Litzau’s Packer Land, a unique concept featuring Oklahoma and Japanese landscapes crossstitched in the green-and-gold color scheme of the Wisconsin native’s beloved Green Bay Packers. Allswede said the show drew in some interested football fans — a group not typically associated with gallery viewing — illustrating a core conviction: Art appreciators are not a closed community. “It’s the experience the person has — it’s their lens — that determines what they get out of it,” she said. Allswede rotated featured artists monthly. “I can advocate for my art, but it’s easier to advocate for somebody else,” she said. Allswede called it a labor of love. She said she has no plans for a Las Vegas brick-and-mortar studio space at this time, though she is interested in keeping the Project Box concept alive in some other capacity. Artist Dustin Oswald and Bombs Away Art relocated into Allswede’s former Paseo Arts District space. Native American gallery The Corridor, Gallery of Fine Art filled the remaining vacancy. Allswede is excited to make new connections in Las Vegas and once again help support a rising arts scene. “I feel like I kind of have a knack for finding those places,” she said. “I’m not seeking it personally, but it feels like that.” Visit lisajeanallswede.com.
I can advocate for my art, but it’s easier to advocate for somebody else. Lisa Jean Allswede O kg a z e t t e . c o m | d e c e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 6
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Come join us this Christmas season! Sunday, december 18th Joseph: A Call To Protect 8:30am and 10:45am Worship 9:30am Sunday School for all ages
Saturday, december 24th The Call To Praise 6:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service
Sunday, december 25th The Call of Christmas Anthem 10:00am Worship
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(diScipleS of chriSt) 12000 N. Rockwell Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73162 (405) 722-7445 NCCCOKC.ORG
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EPIPHANY OF THE LORD CATHOLIC CHURCH
Join us this holiday season!
2016 Christmas mass sChedule
54th Annual Presentation of a Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols 9:15 AM and 11 AM
(carols begin 30-minutes before Masses)
Christmas eVe Saturday, Dec. 24 5:00pm (Children’s Program: 4:30pm) 8:30pm, Midnight Christmas daY Sunday, Dec. 25 10:00am
NeW Year’s eVe/daY
Sunday, December 18th
Saturday, December 24th Christmas Eve Service 4:30 PM Children’s Pageant Family Eucharist 10:30 PM Choral Prelude 11 PM Midnight Mass
sOlemNitY OF marY
Saturday, Dec. 31 5:30pm Sunday Jan. 1 8:00 am, 10:00am, 12:30pm 7336 W. BrittON rOad, OKC 73132 (405) 722-2110
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Sunday, December 25th Christmas Day Service 10 AM Holy Communion
ARTS & CULTURE
arts
Shel Wagner’s Cowboys and Caboodles features artwork based on aspects of Oklahoma. | Photo provided
Trash, treasure Shel Wagner’s new exhibit pulls inspiration from the past and the present. By Ian Jayne
Shel Wagner, an Oklahoma artist who creates art from found objects, proves the maxim that one person’s trash is another’s treasure with her current show and art sale Cowboys and Caboodles. It runs through Dec. 23 at UMB Bank, 1217 S. Agnew Ave., in Stockyards City. She describes herself as an assemblage artist. She incorporates found pieces she calls “tidbits” and “doodads” into her work. “I’m all the time picking stuff up,” Wagner said. “And now, people bring me things.” Before she pieces together those tidbits, Wagner paints a template. Many of the works in Cowboys and Caboodles also feature clay, and some are painted. “I like for every inch to be covered,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll find something in a thrift store or in somebody’s trash that will
inspire a piece.” One such work, “Strummin’ Drummond,” came about after Wagner found a discarded guitar. Wagner said the piece, a mixed-media, 3-D portrait of a clay cowboy playing the guitar, took about three weeks to complete. “Strummin’ Drummond” pays homage to Drummond Ranch, located in Osage County.
State of love
Wagner, who formerly worked on the Discover Oklahoma TV show, said her pieces all have a Sooner State slant to them. “I just have a real passion for Oklahoma,” she said. Relatively new to central Oklahoma’s art scene, Wagner has been pleasantly surprised. “The Oklahoma City art community is a
Cowboys and really encouraging group “As people are looking Caboodles of folks,” she said. “I feel closely and they see an army like it’s a really close comman or an action figure they 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondaysmunity.” recognize … it engages them Thursdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Cowboys and Caboodles that way and then maybe a Fridays and 9 a.m.-noon little bit of that social comis rooted entirely in Sundays through Dec. 23 Oklahoma, from form to mentary seeps in while UMB Bank they’re just enjoying it,” content. 1217 S. Agnew Ave. Wagner said the collecWagner said. “My work is a seeshel.com commentary on how much tion “started out cowboy405-239-5828 stuff we use in life and how ish” but “migrated” to other Free symbols of Oklahoma, as in much stuff we discard. Maybe somehow it would “Our Flag,” “Soaring Scissortail” and “Flirting with Redbuds.” help us to throw away fewer things if they While the themes resonate with the seem to have more value. We get to decide what’s pretty, desirable as an art supply.” state’s culture, so too does Wagner’s process. “I make do,” she said. “I think it’s part of Wagner’s work infuses the no-waste, dothe Oklahoma experience to use what you it-yourself Okie ethos with a larger environhave on hand.” mental significance. Cowboys and Caboodles also has a more While it can be hard for some Oklahomans personal connection to state history. to access recycling programs or other susIn the 1940s, Wagner’s paternal grandtainable options, Wagner’s art provides a father made sausage at the Armour meat useful outlet. company in Stockyards City. “People appreciate having a place to take “Being here with the show, I feel a sort of their trash,” Wagner said. tie to him,” Wagner said. Although the form and content of her She said her art is like a “different work definitely have a social message, her recipe but a similar process” to that of underlying goal is “just that people feel joy.” making sausage. “Really the purpose is for someone to “I take a little bit of this and a little bit of look at what you made and to feel something that and put it together and hope it’s delior to look at something in a different way,” she said. cious,” she said. One piece in the show, “Clarita Amish Quilt Auction,” finds its parallel in another creative process. It resembles a fabric quilt not only in appearance, but also in its composite nature and time investment. “The quilt occupied our dining room table for an entire summer,” Wagner said. A close-up look reveals a mosaic of doodads and tidbits, but a long glance from farther back provides a complete perspective. New perspectives
Wagner hopes viewers will consider pieces from both inches and feet away. She said her work’s approachability might allow audiences to connect with it on multiple levels.
“Strummin’ Drummond” by Shel Wagner | Image provided
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ARTS
ARTS & CULTURE
Artistic outlets St. Anthony and OKC Museum of Art teach children how to express emotions through creativity. By Greg Elwell
Usually, a crisis brings children to St. Anthony Behavioral Medicine Center. “It’s something they can’t deal with,” said recreational therapist Julie Costilla. “Somebody, maybe family, somebody at school, the legal system or sometimes even the kids know something’s not right and they come to the hospital.” Children and teenagers often can’t verbalize what’s going on with them emotionally, she said. But a partnership with Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s (OKCMOA) Healing Arts program gives them an outlet for their feelings. The museum recently received a $7,750 Oklahoma City Community Foundation grant to continue the program. Amanda Harmer, OKCMOA outreach and early learning manager, has met with patients at St. Anthony’s monthly since 2012. “The Healing Arts outreach program lets us visit people who might not be able to visit the museum,” Harmer said. That includes St. Anthony, The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation and work with patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. “Most people have some connection to art,” she said. “For the kids at St. Anthony’s, we’re the only art education, so we teach them some core art concepts.” Costilla said the children love the monthly art classes. “Art offers them an outlet for their feelings and a way to be creative,” she said. “It’s a distraction sometimes, a distraction from worrying about something going on in their family, their life or their school.” It’s also a boon for the staff, Costilla said. “Amanda is so creative and energetic and positive,” she said. “She comes up with projects that challenge the kids but also give them a chance to be successful. They’re eager to take their projects home, to take them to their parents so they’ll be safe at home. There’s a sense of pride in them.” Harmer said the art projects change each month, but the goal stays the same. “It can be frustrating and hard, and things don’t always turn out the way they want them,” Harmer said. “So I try to do things they can feel successful about.” Most projects, including printmaking and painting, are done within the hour, but recently she brought in clay ornaments for them to glaze. She worked with them to help fire the pottery, and the results were gorgeous. The children didn’t want to stop after one layer of glaze; they painted and repainted the ornaments. When the pieces were complete, Harmer said, they were beautiful. Costilla said art lessons help kids build coping mechanisms that come in handy 30
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Young St. Anthony Behavioral Medicine Center patients used imagination to fuel escapism with paintings of undersea creatures. | Photo Amanda Harmer / provided
later in life. “You might see someone draw something or color something violent, but typically, what we’re trying to do is channel those angry feelings into something positive,” she said. Instead of lashing out or getting upset, she said, they can refocus on how creating art made them feel better. “When you’re younger, you don’t think of all the other things you can do,” Costilla said. “You get older and you develop filters when situations bother you. When you’re young, you just do things. We try to get them to slow down and think.” Harmer meets with therapists before classes to help guide her to projects that benefit the kids and avoid unwanted emotional triggers. “Safety is always a concern,” she said. “We have to make sure the materials we use are safe and appropriate.” Since many of the children visit the behavioral medicine center over a series of months, Harmer bonds with them and gets to know them. “At the end of the session, the therapist will usually ask them questions about the class,” Harmer said. “Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if you’re making an impact if a kid is quiet and reserved.” She said hearing them talk about how much they enjoyed the class and what they learned is amazing. When they’re ready to visit the museum, Harmer also shows them works that inspire her, Costilla said. “We meet at the museum, and she shows them around and introduces them to art,” Costilla said. Visit okcmoa.com.
ARTS & CULTURE novel Oliver Twist. Dickens also wrote A Christmas Carol, first published in 1843. Lumbard said his love of Christmas and the holiday season is childlike. The actor’s excitement for the season increases incrementally as the evenings become longer. Even for Lumbard, however, there is a reasonable time to begin celebrating. He recalled walking into a store recently and seeing a version of A Christmas Carol playing on a television. “I thought, ‘Oh my Lord. Really?’” Lumbard said in a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “I love it, but at least can we make it to Thanksgiving?”
Dirk Lumbard | Photo provided
Right timing
arts
Broadway actor Dirk Lumbard portrays Ebenezer Scrooge | Photo KO Rinearson / provided
Getting grumpy
Broadway actor Dirk Lumbard becomes Ebenezer Scrooge in Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s A Christmas Carol. By Ben Luschen
A Christmas Carol 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Dec. 20-22; 7 p.m. Sunday; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Dec. 23; 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and Dec. 23-24 Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma 1727 NW 16th St. lyrictheatreokc.com 405-524-9312 $31-$61
Dirk Lumbard might portray Ebenezer Scrooge, but the actor does not require supernatural intervention to find the Christmas spirit. Lumbard becomes one of literature, film and theater’s most famous curmudgeons in Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of A Christmas Carol, which runs through Dec. 24 at Lyric’s Plaza District theater. The Broadway and nationally touring actor has appeared previously in two Lyric productions, most recently as Fagin in 2011’s production of Oliver!, based on the popular 19th-century Charles Dickens
Michael Baron, Lyric’s producing artistic director, first contacted Lumbard around three years ago about appearing in the holiday classic. At that time, the actor was new to a job at North Carolina’s East Carolina University (ECU) and could not take the time off to fully participate in a production in another state. Earlier this year, Lyric asked him again. This time, he accepted. Lumbard said he is excited to return to Lyric and work again with Baron, whom he said the theater and Oklahoma City are very lucky to have. “He’s incredibly creative,” Lumbard said. “He directed the shows [at Lyric] I did before. He’s one of the finest directors I’ve worked for, and he’s also one of the most pleasant people to work with as a producer and as a director.” Several talented local actors join Lumbard in the production: Charlie Monnot as Bob Cratchit, Stephen Hilton as Jacob Marley/Mr. Fezziwig/Old Joe, Melissa Griffith as Ghost of Christmas Past and Mateja Govich as Ghost of Christmas Present. Lumbard said Oklahoma City is home to a large base of quality actors, in part because of several high-caliber university theater programs in the region. “There’s an incredible group of local talent there,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m glad to be back.”
Holiday heart
A Christmas Carol is one of the most widely reproduced stage and film productions of all-time, holiday-themed or otherwise. Lumbard said there is an intrinsic quality to Dickens’ work that helps the tale resonate across generations. He said the same goes for Oliver! “The language and the characters are just so much fun and over the top,” he said. “Yet the message underlying in each of these pieces is incredibly profound and important. It’s the reason these pieces have continued through history and will continue through eternity.” Lumbard has read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol novel and said the Lyric version largely resembles the original. He used the original text to delve into the root of what makes Scrooge so cold and angry.
As Scrooge visits past Christmases, audiences see Belle, Scrooge’s one-time fiancée, end their relationship. Lumbard said adding onto that pain is the fact Scrooge’s cherished sister Fan, the mother of Scrooge’s nephew Fred, died in childbirth. “I think that’s part of the reason he rebels against Fred,” he said, “because I think it hurts him too badly.”
It’s interesting because I’ve really got to delve into being angry. Dirk Lumbard
It can also be inferred through a close reading of the original text that Scrooge’s own mother died in childbirth and his father possibly blames him for it, which is the reason he has to spend all of his childhood Christmases alone at his boarding school and why he holds a longstanding grudge against the holiday. Lumbard said he enjoys taking a clinical approach to his role and taking the character full circle, from holiday Humbug to the embodiment of the Christmas spirit. “It’s interesting because I’ve really got to delve into being angry,” he said. Scrooge has a revelation after he is visited by the final ghost of the night. Lumbard said his line before Christmas Day is very poignant, not just during the holidays, but for life. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year,” the text reads. “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” “It’s such a wonderful line,” Lumbard said, “and we all need to be reminded of that.” Visit lyrictheatreokc.com.
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A Nice Family Christmas peeks into the dysfunctional Lundeen family’s holiday celebration. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided
Fickle traditions A Nice Family Christmas presents audiences with a family even more dysfunctional than their own. By Jessica Williams
The holidays force most of us to confront an a little too much, despite the family’s inevitable reality: family. Lutheran background. It’s a family of conWhether you love them or would rather tradictions and tension just like anyone’s, leave some out in the cold, Carpenter but much more pronounced than most.” Square Theatre’s production of A Nice Congruent with Carpenter Square’s goal Family Christmas presents one family that to present audiences with contemporary just might be worse than our own. Artistic stories with timely messages, A Nice Family director Rhonda Clark spoke to Oklahoma Christmas also delves into generational Gazette about the play’s Oklahoma City issues. Stacey, a younger character, comes premiere and unpredictable gatherings. out to Grandma, who is less than accus“Take the show Everybody Loves tomed to progressive social realities. Raymond and set it in Lutheran Minnesota, “We chose this play because it deals with and that’s A Nice Family Christmas,” Clark intergenerational issues that audiences said. “It’s a comedy with a sitcom feel, where would find relatable,” Clark said. “Cast every character is larger than life.” members are from their 20s to their 60s. Set in present-day Minnesota, Phil Olsen writes most of his plays based on his Olson’s original comedy centers on the own family experiences, and those always Lundeen’s family Christmas Eve gathering turn out to be such universally appealing stories.” in widowed mom Helen’s apartment. “Each character brings in elements from The play embraces the collective phetheir personal life that they are trying to nomenon of looking at your family and conceal,” Clark said. “Everyone’s truth is wondering how you got stuck with it. gradually revealed as the evening goes on, “Sheryl Martin is directing Carpenter leading to drama and hilarity.” Square’s version of the play, and she’s espeA Nice Family Christmas offers a larger cially good with comedy for the stage,” Clark study of family dynamics during the holisaid. “She’s done excellent work producing a play that engages all ages.” days. Helen’s son Clark, a journalist for a struggling newspaper, has been assigned Although it’s a play about familial dysthe task of writing a piece about his boisterfunction, the tone never turns morose. Clark ous family. Of course, Clark’s plan doesn’t said A Nice Family Christmas delivers an stay secret for very long. authentic look at the holiday experience. “Once the family finds out he’s docu“Each holiday season, we like to do a show menting them for a story, everyone goes into with a Christmas theme but also keep it a tailspin,” Clark said. untraditional,” Clark said. A divisive narrative is “We want to keep people exacerbated by the play’s on their toes and show A Nice Family them what they don’t unpredictable characters Christmas — most of whom weren’t expect but ultimately what even invited to the party. they relate to. … The play 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 “The crusty, inappromight remind you of some p.m. Friday-Saturday priate Grandma Lundeen crazy extended relatives, Carpenter Square Theatre unexpectedly shows up at but you’ll most likely leave 800 W. Main St. Helen’s door, saying what grateful for your own carpentersquare.com she thinks and doing what family.” 405-232-6500 she feels,” Clark said. $5-$20 “Uncle Bob loves to drink 32
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Shen Yun’s vibrant, traditional shows share China’s culture and heritage. | Photo Shen Yun Performing Arts / provided
Historic hues
Shen Yun brings its vibrant tale of Chinese history, culture and art back to OKC. By Michael Kinney
Anyone driving around Oklahoma and the surrounding area the last couple of months has noticed the large, colorful billboards announcing the return of Shen Yun Performing Arts. But what is it? Estelle Lin and the rest of the classical Chinese dance and music company have made it their goal to share the wondrous heritage of China and its people with the world. “The purpose of Shen Yun is to share the true value, the pure beauty of traditional Chinese culture and deeper insight to China,” Lin said.
ture include Monkey Business in the Dragon Palace, Tang Monk from Journey to the West and Yang Zhi Sells His Sword. Shen Yun also recreates some of the country’s most inspirational and meaningful legends. The Legend of the Jade Rabbit, The Emperors Journey to the Moon and The Monk Who Endured are a few of the 11 stories in Shen Yun’s roster of Chinese myths and legends.
No home
China is one place none of the performance companies can visit. According to Lin, after the Communist Party of China (CPC) took over, “they destroyed the auEducational and spiritual thentic Chinese culture.” Lin said with its grand traditions, costumes, The CPC is officially an atheist regime, music, theatrics and historical focus, Shen and Shen Yun Performing Arts company’s Yun is different than most stage shows. mission is to revive the essence of Chinese “Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance with a live orchestra that combines culture, traditionally considered divinely Eastern and Western music and an aniinspired. The Oklahoma City show is the first of mated backdrop,” Lin explained. “It’s not two stops in the state during the Shen Yun just entertainment but also very educa2017 World Tour. The company returns to tional and spiritual.” Shen Yun creators said the show emphaTulsa in February. This is the third straight sizes China’s culture and people. year and fourth since 2009 that it has performed in Oklahoma. “More than 5,000 years of Chinese “Because I am living in the Oklahoma culture with music and dance in one night,” Lin said. City area, I would like to bring this great Shen Yun has performed around the culture event to the Oklahoma people so world since 2006. From Denver, Colorado, they can experience Shen Yun,” Lin said. to Tokyo, Japan, the performance has “It is an unforgettable journey, because the become a worldwide hit. show touches people’s “Shen Yun is celebrating heart. Whoever enjoys the its 10th birthday this year, show will recommend their Shen Yun and they just announced family or friends to experitheir fifth company, the ence Shen Yun too.” 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and Shen Yun North America Shen Yun performs 7 2 p.m. Dec. 23 Company,” Lin said. p.m. Dec. 22 and 2 p.m. Dec. Thelma Gaylord One reason the show has 23 in Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre become so popular is its Performing Arts Theatre at Civic Center Music Hall storytelling. The mini-draCivic Center Music Hall, 201 201 N. Walker Ave. mas are straight from N. Walker Ave. Tickets are okcciviccenter.com Chinese legends passed $70-$150. Visit shenyun. shenyun.com down for centuries. com or okcciviccenter.com 405-297-2264 or call 405-297-2264. Some of Shen Yun’s $70-$150 stories from Chinese literaO kg a z e t t e . c o m | d e c e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 6
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Merry mail
Holiday for Heroes delivers happy holiday wishes to soldiers and veterans across the state. By Adam Holt
Oklahoma soldiers and veterans are feeling appreciated this holiday season thanks to a grateful state and a city counselor. Joe Dorman, Rush Springs city counselor, former District 65 Oklahoma Representative, 2014 Democratic nominee for Oklahoma governor and CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, continues to wear many hats when it comes to serving the state. One surprising role is that of mailman. Holiday for Heroes provides holiday cards for soldiers receiving care at Reynolds Army Hospital at Fort Sill and Oklahoma veterans through the state’s seven veterans centers. The program started in 2009, when Dorman was a representative, because of some goodhearted schoolchildren.
Good intentions
Books
“Some students at the Rush Springs Middle School had sent Christmas cards to a recovering soldier at Walter Reed,” Dorman said. “They got that idea from an email being circulated requesting that people consider
that when sending out Christmas cards.” However, the effort was almost all for naught after they were confronted by a troubling truth: The email was a hoax, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center couldn’t accept anonymous cards. With numerous cards and no one to deliver them to, the school asked Dorman for a miracle. “The way I had worked it out was to contact the commanding general at Fort Sill at the time and ask if they could be delivered to Reynolds Army [Community] Hospital there at Fort Sill, which was also in my district,” Dorman said. “The Commander General said certainly, so we delivered those cards.” The decision to deliver the cards to soldiers at Reynolds wasn’t difficult for Dorman and was informed by family experience. “What gave me the idea for that is my nephew had recovered there over the holiday,” he said. Dorman’s nephew told him about hospital workers and patients there who couldn’t
Renewed mission
Dorman sent out a press release about the hoax and said he would instead deliver letters to Fort Sill. The next year, Holiday for Heroes received about 500 cards. The number increases each year. In 2015, Dorman’s office received almost 8,200 cards. He began searching for those in need of holiday cheer. Rita Aragon, Oklahoma Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs, suggested he send cards to veterans centers around the state. He said all kinds of people and groups participate in the mailing, including churches, schools and even an assisted living facil-
Southern sagas
Red Dirt Press helps writers tell stories about the New South. By Ian Jayne
Two things that best define a region are its soil and its literature. One physically roots the land; the other marks qualities slightly harder to describe. Red Dirt Press, a Shawnee-based independent publishing house, recognizes the stories inherent in geography as well as the geography in stories. In 2013, Amy Wilson and Yasser ElSayad, friends and University of Oklahoma graduates, had a discussion about Red Dirt music, which eventually turned to Red Dirt literature. As a result, Wilson and El-Sayad launched an online journal called Red Truck Review, now Red Dirt Forum. Although El-Sayad lives in California and works at Stanford as a physician and professor, Wilson said technology allows him to be the development editor and copy editor at Red Dirt Press. After receiving what Wilson described
as “flurries of submissions,” Red Truck Review grew into something bigger. “We decided we would take the same concepts for a magazine and start a publishing press,” said Wilson, who founded Red Dirt Press, LLC in 2015 and serves as its publisher. “We’re looking at a New South that’s not a caricature or stereotype.” The voices of the New South represent ones that were not necessarily heard or amplified in a pre-segregation society. Wilson said she often publishes books that embrace the complexities of the contemporary American South. Red Dirt Press features writers such as William Bernhardt, Clay Cantrell, Steven L. Parker and Terry Barr. Wilson said today’s industry climate could make it difficult for writers to publish their work. Independent presses provide another channel for writers whose
We’re looking at a New South that’s not a caricature or stereotype. Amy Wilson
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be with their families during the holidays. Dorman said there are 20 to 30 soldiers recovering at Reynolds at any given time. He decided his own address would be the destination for holiday cards for soldiers, and Holiday for Heroes was born.
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Amy Wilson is publisher and a cofounder of Red Dirt Press. | Photo Red Dirt Press / provided
stories are regionally specific and perhaps outside the mainstream in terms of theme or content. “I think the writing community in Oklahoma is eclectic, very broad and extraordinarily friendly,” Wilson said. “This is a very supportive and great place to be a writer.”
Collaborative effort
As an independent publisher, Red Dirt Press pays attention to its authors. Wilson said the company works with one author on one book at a time. The small press publishes four to six books per year and determines best publication format, whether softcover, hardback or e-book, on a case-by-case basis.
Joe Dorman’s Holiday for Heroes program delivers thousands of holiday cards to hospitals and veterans centers each year. | Photo bigstock.com
ity in southeastern Oklahoma. “The best ones are always the handmade cards the grade-school kids make,” he said. The experience continues to teach him about those who serve and those who appreciate them. “There are a lot of people grateful for the service of these men and women, especially the ones who are recovering from injury or have sustained lifelong injuries,” Dorman said. “Having the chance to visit with these soldiers and veterans and see the look on their faces whenever you deliver a stack of cards to them, it’s heartwarming just to know you are making a difference in their life.” To join Holiday for Heroes, send a holiday card with an uplifting message and no solicitation to Holiday for Heroes, care of Joe Dorman, PO Box 559, Rush Springs, OK, 73082. Visit facebook.com/holiday.for. heroes.
“We work together as a collaborative team,” Wilson said. She said that close collaboration reflects a larger trend within alternative publishing. “You’re a team together with the author; it’s not a top-down management paradigm at all,” she said. While small publishing houses can provide high-quality, region-focused literature by talented writers, it must also pay careful attention to long-term business models. “We are running a business as much as we are dealing with art,” Wilson said. She said Red Dirt Press faced challenges in finding the intersection between its goals, its mission and sustainable viability. “But I think we’ve met that goal and we are able to publish good-quality books,” she said. Red Dirt Press’ long-term goals are to continue finding great work by independent authors and to take it public. “I don’t have words to describe how gratifying it is that someone’s work has gone from a computer .zip file to a book,” Wilson said. “That transformation is very rewarding, and that’s why we do it.” Learn more at reddirtpress.net.
calendar a.m-12 p.m. Dec. 20. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. TUE
are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
Junie B in Jingle Bells Batman Smells, in Junie B Jones’ world, Christmas means you get presents, elf costumes are awesome and May is a blabbermouth tattletale; things are going well until she pulls May as her Secret Santa, and with Santa watching her, what will Junie B do?, through Dec. 18. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. MON
BOOKS Steve Clark book signing, in Justice Is for the Deserving, Kristen Kerry starts a law firm after meeting her first client, the tragic Dunn family, which has lost their baby due to a hospital error, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 14. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED
Red Dirt Dinos, the dinosaurs that once roamed over Oklahoma’s red dirt landscape return to Science Museum Oklahoma; three interactive, lifelike robotic dinosaurs and a variety of hands-on components help visitors explore. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. MON
Ed Frost book signing, Now That’s a Good Question! covers seasons 1895 through 2015, in fun-filled look at the first 121 years of OU football, 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU
Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, immersive exhibit in which visitors are transproted to Palenque, Mexico, where an archaeological team has mysteriously disappeared from a dig site, runs through Jan. 8. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.
Writing Children’s Fiction, Oklahoma City writers meet with speaker Meg Welch Dendler, 10 a.m. Dec. 17. St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 222 NW 15th St., 405-232-1371, stlukesokc.org. SAT John J. Dwyer, signing his book The Oklahomans: The Story of Oklahoma and Its People, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 17. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT Steven Hunter book signing, his photography book The Wichita Mountains: An Oklahoma Treasure. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-3409202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT
FILM Tampopo, (JP, 1985, dir. Juzo Itami) billed as the world’s first Noodle Western and hailed by critics as one of the best food movies of all time, Tampopo is an ecstatic, multisensory paean to the art of ramen, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Dec. 16-18. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI Penny Serenade, (US, 1941, dir. Cary Grant/Irene Dunne) Reel Classics at the Paramount presents classic screen teams each third Saturday, 4-9 p.m. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. SAT A Very Wes Anderson Christmas, this holiday season, Museum Films presents its 10-day-long series, A Very Wes Anderson Christmas, Dec 21-31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. WED
HAPPENINGS Storyland Christmas, take a self-guided tour through eight traditional Christmas stories that come to life in 37 monumental hand-painted murals; also enjoy photos with Santa, children’s activities and more, through Dec. 18. Charles J. Johnson Central Park, 7209 SE 29th St., Midwest City. 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. Tour of Historic Parlor Car, visitors escaping the December chill at Science Museum Oklahoma have
After the Storm sneak preview Oklahoma City Museum of Art presents a sneak preview of Hirokazu Koreeda’s newest film After the Storm 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the museum, 415 Couch Drive. The Japanese movie follows part-time detective Ryota and his mother, ex-wife and son as a typhoon threatens their home and future. Tickets are $5-$9. Visit okcmoa.com or call 405-236-3100. Saturday-Sunday Photo courtesy 2016 Fuji Television Network Bandai Visual AOI Pro Inc. Gaga Corporation / provided
an extra reason to head to the museum during the holiday season: tours of SMO’s 1929 Pullman parlor car, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Jan. 1. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Trivia Night, Oklahoma’s highest skill level, free trivia, 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. WED PAMBE Ghana Global Market, seasonal fair trade shop that provides destination shopping for unusual and unique gifts, including a wide selection of folk art from around the world; all proceedes benefit PAMBE Ghana’s La’Angum Learning Center in northern Ghana, noon-6 p.m. Dec. 13-17, 20-24. PAMBE Ghana Global Market, 6516 N. Olie Ave., pambeghana.org. WED Cal Ripken Jr. for Fields & Futures Bowtie Ball, third annual Fields & Futures Bowtie Ball, Dec. 15. Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave., 405236-4143, chevyeventscenter.com. THU Mysteries of the Mansion tour, extended tour allows guests to see the mansion at night, examine archival materials and hear stories, 7-8 p.m. Dec. 15. Henry Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., 405-5255325, overholsermansion.org. THU Midtown Holiday Pop-Up Shops, more than 40 retailers set up shop in a village of heated geodesic domes. Dec. 15-18, 20-22. OKC Pop-Ups, 399 NW 10th St., okcpopups.com. FRI Merry & Bright presented by OG&E, free admission 6-9 p.m. Dec. 18. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-297-3995, myriadgardens.com. SUN All About Essential Oils, the many benefits of aromatherapy are why it has become a recognized branch of alternative health support. Have fun while mixing up your own essential oil blend, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. MON Red Earth Tree Festival, celebrate the season with a decidedly Native twist with features over 15 Christmas trees decorated with handmade ornaments created by Oklahoma tribes, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri through Jan. 13. Red Earth Museum, 6 Santa Fe Plaza, 405-427-5228, redearth.org. Holiday Lights Spectacular, free family event and the largest animated light display in the five-state region boasting over 100 displays and over 1 million lights along the 1.5-mile-long drive, through Dec. 30. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., Midwest City, 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org.
Harkins Holiday Classics: A Christmas Story Don’t shoot your eye out, kid! You’ll need both of them to fully appreciate the return of fan-favorite films to the big screen during the Harkins Holiday Classics 7 p.m. Tuesday at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. Join Ralphie on his quest for a Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story. Tickets are $5. Visit harkinstheatres.com or call 405-231-4747. Tuesday Photo courtesy MGM/UA Entertainment Co. / provided
Christmas in the Park, over 4 million twinkling lights and over 400 displays covering 100 acres of Freedom Trail Playground, City and Chisholm Trail Parks, through Dec. 31. Chisholm Trail Park, 500 W. Vandament Ave., Yukon, 405-350-8937. Free Holiday Water Taxi Rides, enjoy a fun-filled float down the beautifully adorned Bricktown canal free of charge, courtesy of the Downtown Business Improvement District, 6-9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays through Dec. 31. Bricktown Canal, 115 E. California Ave., 405-234-8263. FRI
FOOD Italian Cooking 101 with Chef Dio, improve your Italian cooking skills! Chef Dio of Papa Dio’s Italian Restaurant returns with another delicious presentation. 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Uptown Grocery Co., 9515 N. May Ave., 405-242-6080, uptowngroceryco. com. WED
PERFORMING ARTS Beauty and the Beast, performances of Disney’s classic through Dec. 18. Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St., Norman, 405-321-9600, soonertheatre.com. FRI The Dinner Detective, interactive murder mystery dinner, 6 p.m. Dec. 17. Sheraton Hotel, 1 N. Broadway Ave., 405-235-2780, sheratonokc.com. SAT
Bubbles Tasting, taste sparkling wines and small plates of specially paired food, 7-9 p.m. Dec. 14. Bin 73, 7312 N. Western Ave., 405-843-0073, bin73. com. WED Third Annual Deep Deuce Christmas Crawl, a local charity fundraiser; proceeds benefit Infant Crisis Services of Oklahoma. 6-11 p.m. Dec. 16. Deep Deuce District, 100 NE Third St. FRI Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local producers, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. every Saturday. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT
Fruitcakes, a moving story of alienation, understanding and reconciliation, this play provides audiences with holiday warmth and Christmas cheer, through Dec. 20. The Stage Door Theater, 601 Oak Ave., Yukon, 405-265-1590, stagedooryukon.com. A Tuna Christmas, two dazzling comic actors play all the denizens of a small town in this quick-change comic tour de force, through Dec. 18. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. WED
Cozy Vegan Holiday Bowls, whether vegan, thinking about going plant-based or just want to have options for plant-based friends, these will not disappoint, 6-7 p.m. Dec. 20. Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. TUE
YOUTH When the Earth Shakes, learn about the science of earthquakes, tsunamis and tectonic plates; an immersive interactive exhibit, through Jan. 2. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. SAT Young Company Production Series, second session of Young Company brings a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol to the main stage; young performers work alongside directors and technical staff to great a special production, Saturdays through Dec. 17; performances 7 p.m. Dec. 22-23. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. SAT Drop-in Art: Holiday Card Making, get into the holiday spirit by making a specially designed, handmade card. Be inspired by the works on paper in the special exhibition Sacred Words: The St. John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Free Family Make +Take: Collage Paper Penguins, using an array of materials, artists draw, paint and cut their way to an original penguin masterpiece, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 17. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Let it Precipitate Ice Particles: A Winter Holiday Extravaganza, tinker with old-timey toys, take a tour of the Pullman Parlor Car, make popcorn the old fashioned way and explore the coldest stuff in the museum with liquid nitrogen hot chocolate slushies, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 17. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SAT Frozen Blast Ball, hear ye, hear ye, fair lady and noble knights of Arendelle, Queen Elsa requests your presence at the Frozen Blast Ball, 2-4 p.m. Dec. 17. Mad Hatter Par-Teas, 7638 W. Reno Ave., Suite E590, 405-641-0086, mad-hatter-parties.com. SAT Nutcracker Tea in the Kingdom of Sweets, enjoy treats and meet your favorite characters from The Nutcracker as the Kingdom of Sweets comes to life for a special event 4:30-6 p.m. Dec. 18. Meinders Hall of Mirrors, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. SUN Tiny Tuesdays: Snowflake Handprints, dress for mess at this come-and-go art-making program, geared toward children ages 2-5 with a parent or guardian, 10
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
Positive Tomorrows Pajama Party Local musician and former The Voice contestant Chase Kerby, like many of us, shares childhood memories of eagerly unwrapping Christmas presents while wearing warm, cozy pajamas. Some children, however, are not so lucky, and Kerby’s helping change that. Chase Kerby + The Villains host a concert and pajama party benefiting Positive Tomorrows and making sure many more children can make similar memories. The party is 9 p.m. Saturday at Power House, 1228 SW Second St. Admission is a suggested donation of one pair of children’s pajamas, size 4T to child’s large. Visit facebook.com/ chasekerbymusic or call 405-702-0699. Saturday Chase Kerby | Photo provided
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Thunder vs Phoenix Suns, basketball, 4 p.m. Dec. 17. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. SAT
Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker, dance and sing along with your beloved favorites in this holiday classic, through Dec. 17. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-2972264, okcciviccenter.com. WED
Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks, basketball, 7 p.m. Dec. 19. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. MON
Tommy Emmanuel, noted fingerstyle guitarist Emmanuel frequently operates as a one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass at once, 8 p.m. Dec. 14. Rose State College, 6420 SE 15th St., Midwest City, 405-733-7673, rose.edu. WED
Josh Gondelman/Steve “Wampus” Reynolds/Spencer Hicks, comedy presented by Black Mesa Brewing Co. 8 p.m. Dec. 15. ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-974-4700, acm.uco.edu. THU Dirty Christmas, Balthazar takes on a Dirty Dancing tribute including interactive performances, hit songs from the movie and the full Kellermans experience, 8 p.m. Dec. 15. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. THU
OKC Blue vs Grande Valley Vipers, 7 p.m. Dec. 20. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. TUE Devon Ice Rink, ice skating, through Jan. 29. Devon Ice Rink, 100 N. Robinson Ave. downtownindecember.com. FRI Edmond Ice Skating Rink, enjoy skating under the open skies, through Dec. 31. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-359-4630, edmondok. com/parks. SAT
VISUAL ARTS A Sense of His Soul, exhibit focusing only on the eyes, stripping away anything that would clearly identify who the person is, thereby making all subjects equal in the eyes of the viewer, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Art is a Serious Thing, Peeter Allik and Toomas Kuusing exhibition, through Jan. 13. Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405-360-1162, mainsite-art.com. Beginner’s Clay Class: Adults, experience clay as a sculptural medium; learn techniques and complete a sculpture with an abstract figurative influence, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Ceramics Sale, shop one-of-a-kind handmade pieces by area artists, through Dec. 23. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.
Victorian Walk Evening Visitors to Oklahoma’s original capital can take a walk into the state’s territorial past during Guthrie Territorial Christmas Victorian Walk Evening 5-9 p.m. Saturday in the historic downtown district along Division Street and Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie. The shops will be open and lights lit as period-dressed carolers greet visitors. Visit guthriesterritorialchristmas.com/WALK or call 405-412-4132. Friday-Saturday Photo Heath Shelton / Shelton’s Photography & Design /Provided
John Evans, comedian who has opened for legends George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberge and Lewis Black, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Dec. 15-17. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-2394242, loonybincomedy.com. THU Beyond the Stratosphere by La’Charles Purvey, a gritty snapshot of the effects of HIV and AIDS on a group where the topic of the disease is still considered taboo, Dec. 15-30. Civic Center Music Hall, CitySpace Theatre, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. THU
Child Labor in Oklahoma: Photographs by Lewis Hine, 1916-1917, 25 powerful photographs taken by Lewis Hine while he was in Oklahoma 100 years ago. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. Christie Owen: Surroundings, a diverse collection of abstract 2-D and 3-D works inspired by everyday environments; materials and compositions in Owen’s body of work perpetually change in relation to time and her life experiences, through Jan. 7. GaylordPickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. Crossroads of Commerce, exhibit showcasing the growth and development of Oklahoma’s economy from 1716 to statehood, the Dust Bowl, the Depression, all the way to present day. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. Da Vinci: The Genius, the most comprehensive exploration of Leonardo da Vinci’s work ever created; interactive experience immersing guests in da Vinci’s timeless brilliance through full-scale interpretations of inventions and iconic art. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. December artists, Sean Vali and Heidi Ghassempour, through Jan 8. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405525-3499, dnagalleries.com. Drop-in Art, join guest artists each Saturday as they interact with families to create extraordinary
works of art inspired by the museum’s collection, exhibitions and special occasions, 1-4 p.m. every Saturday. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Edmond People, Edmond Politics, showcases political memorabilia and historic photographs that illustrate the many ways Edmondites have participated in local, state and national politics, runs through Dec. 16. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard St., Edmond, 405-3400078, edmondhistory.org. From Diaghilev to Terekhov and Chouteau, an exhibition of material from the Ballets Russes special collections and archive, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. Holiday Art Extravaganza, three shows in one: SmallWorks, Ornaments and Dirty Santa Toy Show, through Dec. 21. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com. Holiday Rawk, showcase event presented by RAW Artists OKC, 7-11 p.m. Dec. 14. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. WED Melvin Edwards: In Oklahoma, a pioneer in the history of contemporary AfricanAmerican art and sculpture returns for his first solo exhibition in Oklahoma in the last 25 years; Edwards creates new, site-specific complex welded sculptures from chains, tools and steel found in Oklahoma scrapyards, through Dec. 27. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. Off the Beaten Path, a joint photo exhibit by Scott and Katie Henderson; tour many of the state’s unusual, intriguing and lesser-known areas, though May 4. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. Oklahoma Art Guild Holiday Party, a special exchange of artwork, finger foods and fun, 6 p.m. Dec. 16. 1219 Creative, 1219 N. Classen Blvd., 405-3614927, 1219creative.com. FRI Paseo Art Works Gallery, Edwin Eldridge sculpture design, through Dec. 31. Paseo Art Works Gallery, 3005 Paseo St., 580-470-5031. Picturing Indian Territory, surveys how the people, land and history of Oklahoma were constructed visually by artists, illustrators and journalists from the early decades of the 19th century before and after the creation of Indian Territory in 1834 to the the creation of Oklahoma in 1907, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Power and Prestige: Headdresses of the American Plains, original exhibition includes nine headdresses from Northern and Southern American Great Plains along with historical photographs and other supporting artifacts. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St, 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. Rebecca Mannschreck, acrylic paintings, through Dec. 31. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R , 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com. Sacred Words: The Saint John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination, includes 70 selected folios from The Saint John’s Bible as well as other historical illuminated manuscripts, through Jan. 8. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.
The Golden Girls Christmas Live!, a funny and loving parody tribute to your favorite sitcom senior citizens, 8 p.m. Dec. 16-18 and 22-23. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI
Hip Hop Nutcracker Metro-area elementary students join dancers from six area high schools and talented RACE Dance Company performers in Hip Hop Nutcracker’s sixth annual holiday showcase. Shows are 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Oklahoma City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave. Tickets are $20. Visit tickets.occc.edu or call 405-682-7579. Saturday Photo Britts Eye View / provided
Small Works VI, original artwork by many artists making great gifts for the holiday season, through Dec. 23. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. The Complete WPA Collection, the museum’s Works Progress Administration collection features a large proportion of rural American landscapes and depictions of labor, infrastructure and industrial development, through July 2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. The Modernist Spectrum: Color and Abstraction, explore the invigorating ways in which postwar American artists, especially those associated with the Washington Color School, made it new, producing novel work that sought to reinvent abstract art through an alternatively rigorous and playful manipulation of color, line and shape. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Utopia, through this exhibition, visitors will consider many possible futures and how our actions today contribute to the reality of tomorrow, through Dec. 31. Current Studio, 1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405673-1218, currentstudio.org. Vibrant Women of Oklahoma: Art by Anthony Pego, paintings and handcrafted jewelry depicting the diversity of the women of our state, 6-9 p.m. through Jan. 6. 1219 Creative, 1219 N. Classen Blvd., 405-361-4927, 1219creative.com.
Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
Cody Woods, stand-up comedy, Dec. 21-23. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-2394242, loonybincomedy.com. WED Lyric’s A Christmas Carol, go on a magical journey with Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, 7:30 p.m. through Dec. 24. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com. WED
ACTIVE OSU Men’s Basketball, OSU vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8 p.m. Dec. 14. Gallagher-Iba Arena, 1046 West Hall of Fame Ave., Stillwater, okstate.com. WED Ugly Holiday Sweater PPR, sixth annual Ugly Sweater event, 6-7 p.m. Dec. 15. Red Coyote Running/Classen Curve, 5720 N. Classen Blvd., 405840-0033, redcoyoterunning.com. THU Rage in the Cage, premier MMA action, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. FRI OU Men’s Basketball, OU vs Memphis, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 17. Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., Norman, 405-325-4666, lloydnoblecenter.com. SAT 36
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Die Hard X-Mas party Say “Yippie-ki-yay!” to Mr. Falcon, Hans Gruber and shoeless New York City cop John McClane at Individual Artists of Oklahoma’s Die Hard X-Mas party 8-11 p.m. Saturday at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave. The event features a showing of 1988 classic film Die Hard, karaoke and more. Tickets are $5-$10. Visit individualartists.org or call 405-232-6060. Saturday Photo provided
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
For okg live music
see page 40
MUSIC Brad Fielder 9 p.m.-midnight Dec. 22 McNellie’s The Abner Ale House 121 E. Main St., Norman bradfielder.net 405-928-5801 Free
The songs required only a couple of takes each, if that, adding a rough-and-real texture over Fielder’s already relatable lyrics, many of which chronicle the role of alcohol and relationships in everyday life. Fielder said the album concept arose after a friend suggested he record a fulllength banjo project. He sometimes plays banjo during his acoustic gigs. He traces his relationship with the banjo to his days as a middle-school band trumpet player. A friend had a banjo, and Fielder had never played one before, so he worked out a trade for one of his trumpets. “I just started getting into banjo music here and there, mostly the old-time stuff,” Fielder said. “As you can hear [on The Banjo Tapes], I’m not a bluegrass banjo player by any means.” Fielder tunes his instrument to an open G chord, a standard five-string banjo setting. “It’s not a whole lot different [than playing guitar],” he said. “You just have to remember the different chords. I play more of a fingerpicking style — some strumming here and there.” The youth on the other end of Fielder’s fateful deal used the trade as a way to foster a larger interest in brass instrumentation. “He was a guy I was in a couple of bands with years and years ago,” Fielder said. “Like me, he’s just a guy who was always exploring instruments and wanting to learn anything and everything.”
New work
event
Brad Fielder | Photo Marissa Johnson / provided
Good pluck
Brad Fielder’s youthful musical curiosity developed into a lifelong passion and career. By Ben Luschen
Norman-based roots and folk musician Brad Fielder released The Banjo Tapes in April, but the album could arguably be traced to a pair of inquisitive junior-high musicians and a spare trumpet.
Fielder is known as one the metro’s most engaging songwriters and often performs acoustic sets at venues around the state. The Banjo Tapes was recorded at a leisurely pace in just over a day.
Fielder, who works by day as a real estate photographer, began his musical journey with grade-school piano lessons. “That gave me a great basic knowledge of how notes work and how music and chords can be arranged,” he said. He moved on to a variety of instruments, including guitar and banjo. Fielder said he has always had a natural curiosity about music and how it is played. The Banjo Tapes was recorded in less than two days, and many of Fielder’s other projects were produced in a similar, do-ityourself fashion. This summer, however, he decided to spend a little more time recording a yet-tobe-released solo studio album at Norman’s Breathing Rhythm Studio. In August, he worked alongside bassist Charley Reeves, fiddler Kent Graber and drummer Mike Jenkins from Norman outlaw country tribute band Empty Bottles. The project included several other contributing instrumentalists, including Beau Mansfield on keys. The resulting tunes carry a full country band sound with a hint of blues-rock. “It’s not really a band I play out with a whole lot. There’s some stuff I have done
in the past with them, but not a whole lot; it’s more of just a studio band,” Fielder said. “In the past, some of the other things I have on Bandcamp, like The Banjo Tapes, I recorded all myself here at home. I’ll just do it really fast and put it out there. With the studio recording, we made sure we did it right, and I’m definitely not trying to rush this at all.”
Finding inspiration
In addition to the solo project, Fielder spent the last year and a half focusing on booking more gigs. In the last month, he has toured through New Orleans, Louisiana, and Austin and Fort Worth, Texas. He’ll play Chicago, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, in January. His travels and the three to five days a week he spends driving around the metro taking pictures of real estate sites are fuel for his songwriting. Fielder said he has taken inspiration from many things, including his family and the differences between urban and rural living.
With the studio recording, we made sure we did it right, and I’m definitely not trying to rush this at all. Brad Fielder
Fielder grew up in and around Enid, and he said a lot of his material examines the duality that existed between his days on the farm and his experiences going into town. The musician will take out his phone and jot quick notes when he sees something at a bar or restaurant that interests him. He tries hard to remember various lines he hears spoken throughout the day or thoughts that occur to him while dealing with his surroundings. “Everything is a potential song or story,” he said. Fielder performs an acoustic set Dec. 22 at McNellie’s The Abner Ale House, 121 E. Main St., in Norman. Visit bradfielder.bandcamp.com to buy or stream The Banjo Tapes or bradfielder. net for more information. Image provided
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MUSIC
f e at u r e
Janessa Monetatchi aka Rockstar Diamond | Photo Eric Epperly Images / provided
Diamond shine Native American singer-songwriter Janessa Monetatchi’s debut album Fire burns down cultural misconceptions. By Ben Luschen
After nearly three years of piecing together her independent music debut, Janessa Monetathchi is ready to celebrate. Under the stage name Rockstar Diamond, the mostly acoustic musician and singer-songwriter hosts a private CD release party Saturday in Sulphur for her new album Fire. Monetathchi is planning a public release at a future date, but for now, she wants to take the time to thank those who helped make her dream possible. “These people have stuck with me all this time, so it’s more or less for them,” she said. Monetathchi lives in Tishomingo, a south-central Oklahoma town of about 3,000. Part of what makes her album distinct is its partial incorporation of the Chickasaw language. In addition to song titles “Napakali” (meaning “wildflower”) and “Chokma” (“good”/“hello”), Fire includes 14 different Chickasaw words among its mostly English lyrics. Monetathchi is Chickasaw, Cheyenne and Comanche. She said she began incorporating Chickasaw words into her lyrics as a way to learn the terms for herself. “I don’t know my whole language yet, so it’s like I’m learning too as I go,” she said. “It’s very interesting.” She previously worked as a cultural instructor at Sulphur’s Chickasaw Cultural Center. Her experiences with visitors inspired her to use music to teach others about her culture and how modern Native 38
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Americans live. Monetathchi said some assume everyone still lives the same way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Through her work at the cultural center, Monetathchi learned to make things like moccasins and bows. She also stomp dances. But she still goes out to casinos, sees live music and enjoys life in just like many other young women do. “In the cultural center, you see people from Sweden or Japan — or even people who are just four or five hours away from you — and they don’t really understand how Native Americans live,” she said. Monetathchi hopes other Native American youth will hear her music and understand that they do not need to choose between two cultures. “Even someone who is not Native American,” Monetathchi said.,“they can look at the songs and say, ‘This is interesting; this is unique.’”
Flickering star
The songwriter chose Fire as the title of her debut because it’s a short, visual and punchy name. It could also be an extension of Monetathchi’s inner flair. Presentation is always one of her priorities. She is interested in facepainting and is toying with the idea of making it a part of her Rockstar Diamond persona. “I love glitter, so I thought about putting that on,” she said. “But then I thought to
myself, ‘What if I did a whole fire thing around my eyes?’ Then I was like, ‘What if the people at the concert got their face painted too?’” She is taking her new career in music seriously. She started Rockstar Diamond Music company earlier this year and has dreamed for years of being an entertainer. She has kept a diary since she was a young girl. One day, it occurred to her that her notes could also become lyrics. She and her siblings grew up singing in various churches and listening to music from Christian rock bands Petra, GS Megaphone and Disciple. Though most of the songs on Fire have limited instrumental backing, Monetathchi aspires to one day achieve a sound similar to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kansas, Journey and other vintage hard rock bands. She said Fire is most often compared to Jewel or Cher. Monetathchi hopes her debut is wellreceived, and she wants to tour and start work on its follow-up in 2017. “I’ve been working on the same songs for so long,” she said. “It was hard getting the funding, because I had to work to make this happen. I worked really hard, so I want to work on some new songs now.” After taking years to prepare her first project, she is eager to see what the future holds. “I want to start writing as soon as I can, maybe even on the road,” Monetathchi said. “I think it would be so great to write another album as soon as I possibly can.” Visit rockstardiamondmusic.com.
review
Night life
Oklahoma rapper Deus builds on recent momentum with Midnight Man. By Ben Luschen
Pretty much anyone who has heard even one verse from Oklahoma-based rapper Deus will forever recognize the emcee’s voice in whichever song he appears. He is distinct. Deus (formerly Deus Eyeslow and Takeoff Eyeslow) is every bit as recognizable as Method Man, The Game or Danny Brown, and his potential is just as high. His cadence is reminiscent of a deeper and more casual Ab-Soul. He lets syllables linger for maximum potency. Deus also had a standout appearance on Jabee’s “Flashes” on Black Future, one of the most prolific Oklahoma releases of any genre this year. His newest release, November’s Midnight Man, capitalizes on that momentum. The project boasts nine tracks and a succinct, 32-minute runtime. Midnight Man packs plenty of bravado. It is an ideal playlist for the first Friday night out after payday. Deus projects himself not as the guy popping bottles in the club as he tries to show everyone he’s cool, but the guy who already knows he’s cool and requires no validation. Midnight Man gets bold right away, starting off with squad-centric “We Focus.” It’s a fairly simplistic beat, but Deus’ potent rhymes take center stage (“Feel like Three 6, pop my collar; that almighty dollar make the choir folk holler”). The album gets a darker, trap flavor on the second track “Recognize!” At several points, one can sniff hints of Chance the Rapper influence. “Those Drugs,” for instance, starts off with a halfsung, harmonized and catchy lead-in to one of the album’s most aggressive set of verses. The contrast plays well, making this tune one of the project’s best.
However, it’s hard for any song to top infectious single “Starstruck.” The album’s fifth track typifies everything Midnight Man is about and more. The lyrics are inyour-face — even cocky — and the song is all the more fun for it. Deus offers more than self-important arrogance to listeners. Categorically, he offers aggressive self-love, something the world arguably needs more of. Despite its many strengths, Midnight Man is not perfect, but few things are. Deus could benefit from some diversified subject matter. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a cocky rap song about having a good time. In fact, the subject permeates many of the genre’s best examples. But the best rap albums usually have a lot more balance. If you take out the chest-pounding and references to women and substance use, there’s not much else left on this project. Deus has branched out to other areas before; he just doesn’t do it much here. That being said, it was likely the emcee intented to create a brash party record, and to that point, he found great success. Midnight Man will serve him well in live sets for a long time to come. For Deus’ next project though, it would be nice to see him use his distinct voice to deliver more uncommon sentiments. And that doesn’t mean rapping with any less confidence. Midnight Man has all the ups but doesn’t show listeners many downs. It’s mostly party and little hangover. When looking for a good time, this record is the right call. Stream Midnight Man at boydeus.com.
Midnight Man packs plenty of bravado. Brent Tongco
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LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
WEDNESDAY, 12.14 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Bryce Merritt: Christmas with the Mrs., UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Husky Burnette/Soda Gardocki, Lost Highway Bar. BLUES
Larry V TheRemedy, Oklahoma City Limits. ACOUSTIC
THURSDAY, 12.15 A Tribute to Leon, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. VARIOUS Boy Hits Car, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK Honey West, Noir Bistro & Bar. VARIOUS Ian Moore, The Blue Door. ROCK Kiel Grove, Blue Note Lounge. FOLK Smooth and Soulful Sax and Axe, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe. JAZZ Steve Crossley Solo, Margarita Island. VARIOUS Steve Helms Band, Stoney LaRue Music House. COUNTRY
The Uh Huhs/Ugly Duck/Cosmostanza, Opolis, Norman. VARIOUS
FRIDAY, 12.16 Avenue, Riverwind Casino, Norman. VARIOUS Bill Crain, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe. ROCK
Victor & Penny Folk-jazz duo Victor & Penny highlight The Depot and Jazz in June’s Winter Wind concert. The act is a throwback to fun, Prohibition-era, swinginfused jazz with its tightly synced lead duo and its backing band, Loose Change Orchestra. The show begins 7 p.m. Sunday at The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., in Norman. Tickets are $20. Visit normandepot.org or call 405-307-9320. Sunday
Photo Tom Dunning / provided
OakVille, Oklahoma City Limits. VARIOUS Replay, Remington Park. VARIOUS RPM, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. ROCK Scott Keeton, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES The Brave Amigos featuring Edgar Cruz, Puebla Tacos y Tequileria, Norman. ACOUSTIC Zack Baker, Noir Bistro & Bar. VARIOUS
Boogie Fever, Remington Park. VARIOUS
SUNDAY, 12.18
Burn the Past, Sherlock’s. ROCK
Blake Lankford, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY
Chebon Tiger, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES
Brennen Leigh, The Blue Door. BLUEGRASS
Chris Sullivan, The Greens Country Club. INDIE
Eric Herndon, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC
Darrin Kobetich, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe. FOLK
Harumph, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. JAZZ
David Wayne Broyles, Sliders. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Jam Session, Ghost Riders Saloon. VARIOUS
Josh Sallee, 51st Street Speakeasy. VARIOUS
Legen Drey, The Root. HIP-HOP Midas 13, Alley Club. ROCK Reckless Kelly, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Robert Earl Keen, Civic Center Music Hall. COUNTRY Slowvein, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Stringents, Full Circle Bookstore. VARIOUS Tanya Sol, District House. R&B The Brave Amigos featuring Edgar Cruz, The Blue Door. ACOUSTIC The Chad Todd Band, Sliders. COUNTRY The Flaming Lips, The Criterion. ROCK The Stringents, Full Circle Bookstore. ROCK Travis Linville, The Blue Door. FOLK
SATURDAY, 12.17 Aaron Einhouse, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY
Metal Jam/Comin Up Zero, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK Red Dirt Rangers Kids Christmas Show, The Blue Door. VARIOUS
MONDAY, 12.19 Famous Last Words, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Wax/The Palmer Squares/Josh Sallee, The Deli, Norman. HIP-HOP
TUESDAY, 12.20 Austin and Marie Nail, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Edgar Cruz and The 3 Brave Amigos, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. ACOUSTIC
WEDNESDAY, 12.21 Maurice Johnson, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club.
JAZZ
Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER The Soulmen, Bourbon Street Bar. R&B
Bruce Benson Trio, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. JAZZ Hail Santa! with GUM/Special Thumbs/Helen Kelter Skelter, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK Harold Bear and The Skin Rugs, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ELECTRONIC Howard Brady, Full Circle Bookstore. ROCK
Gift CertifiCates
personalized for rentals and/or purChases just north of reno on council road
Jane Mayes: A Christmas Spectacular, Bedlam BarB-Q. VARIOUS Jon Dee Graham, The Blue Door. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Legends Night, Deep Deuce Grill. JAZZ
Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
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free will astrology Homework: Homework: Talk about the pleasures you’d enjoy if you went a week without consuming any media. Write: Truthrooster@gmail.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Living is a form of not
being sure, not knowing what next or how,” said dancer Agnes De Mille. “We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” As true as her words might be for most of us much of the time, I suspect they don’t apply to you right now. This is one of those rare moments when feeling total certainty is justified. Your vision is extra clear and farseeing. Your good humor and expansive spirit will ensure that you stay humble. As you take leap after leap, you’ll be surrounded by light.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) “We are torn between
nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange,” wrote author Carson McCullers. Are you ready to give that adage a twist, Taurus? In the coming weeks, I think you should search for foreign and strange qualities in your familiar world. Such a quest may initially feel odd, but will ultimately be healthy and interesting. It will also be good preparation for the next chapter of your life, when you will saunter out into unknown territory and find ways to feel at home there.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) “If you don’t use your own imagination, somebody else is going to use it for you,” said writer Ronald Sukenick. That’s always true, but it will be especially important for you to keep in mind in 2017. You Geminis will have an unparalleled power to enlarge, refine, and tap into your imagination. You’ll be blessed with the motivation and ingenuity to make it work for you in new ways, which could enable you to accomplish marvelous feats of creativity and self-transformation. Now here’s a warning: If you DON’T use your willower to take advantage of these potentials, your imagination will be subject to atrophy and colonization. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Why are Australian
sand wasps so skilled at finding their way back home after being out all day? Here’s their trick: When they
By Rob Brezsny
first leave the nest each morning, they fly backwards, imprinting on their memory banks the sights they will look for when they return later. Furthermore, their exiting flight path is a slow and systematic zigzag pattern that orients them from multiple directions. I recommend that you draw inspiration from the sand wasps in 2017, Cancerian. One of your important tasks will be to keep finding your way back to your spiritual home, over and over again.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Vault 21, a restaurant in
Dunedin, New Zealand, serves sautéed locusts. For $5, patrons receive a plate of five. The menu refers to the dish not as “Oily Sizzling Grasshoppers,” but rather as “Sky Prawns.” Satisfied customers know exactly what they’re eating, and some say the taste does indeed resemble prawns. I bring this to your attention, Leo, because it illustrates a talent you will have in abundance during 2017: re-branding. You’ll know how to maximize the attractiveness and desirability of things by presenting them in the best possible light.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) The literal translation
of the German word *Kummerspeck* is “grief bacon.” It refers to the weight gained by people who, while wallowing in self-pity, eat an excess of comfort food. I know more than a few Virgos who have been flirting with this development lately, although the trigger seems to be self-doubt as much as self-pity. In any case, here’s the good news: The trend is about to flip. A flow of agreeable adventures is due to begin soon. You’ll be prodded by fun challenges and provocative stimuli that will boost your confidence and discourage *Kummerspeck.*
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “Since you are like no
other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable,” wrote journalist Brenda Ueland. Pause for a moment and fully take in that fact, Libra. It’s breathtaking and daunting. What a huge responsibility it is to be absolutely unique. In fact, it’s so monumental that you may still be shy about living up to it. But how about if you make 2017 the year you finally come into your own as the awesomely
unprecedented creature that you are? I dare you to more fully acknowledge and express your singular destiny. Start today!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “To dream . . . to dream
has been the business of my life,” wrote author Edgar Allan Poe. I don’t expect you to match his devotion to dreams in 2017, Scorpio, but I do hope you will become more deeply engaged with your waking fantasies and the stories that unfold as you lie sleeping. Why? Because your usual approaches to gathering useful information won’t be sufficient. To be successful, both in the spiritual and worldly senses, you’ll need extra access to perspectives that come from beyond your rational mind. Here’s a good motto for you in 2017: “I am a lavish and practical dreamer.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Physicist Stephen
Hawking is skeptical of the hypothesis that humans may someday be able to travel through time. To jokingly dramatize his belief, he threw a party for time travelers from the future. Sadly, not a single chrononaut showed up to enjoy the champagne and hors d’oeuvres Hawking had prepared. Despite this discouraging evidence, I guarantee that you will have the potential to meet with Future Versions of You on a regular basis during the next nine months. These encounters are likely to be metaphorical or dreamlike rather than literal, but they will provide valuable information as you make decisions that affect your destiny for years to come. The first of these heart-to-hearts should come very soon.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) During these last
few weeks, you may have sometimes felt like smashing holes in the wall with your head, or dragging precious keepsakes into the middle of the street and setting them on fire, or delivering boxes full of garbage to people who don’t appreciate you as much as they should. I hope you abstained from doing things like that. Now here are some prescriptions to help you graduate from unproductive impulses: Make or find a symbol of one of your mental blocks, and bash it to pieces with a hammer; clean and polish precious
keepsakes, and perform rituals to reinvigorate your love for them; take as many trips to the dump as necessary to remove the congestion, dross, and rot from your environment.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Singer-songwriter
Tom Waits has a distinctive voice. One fan described it this way: “Like how you’d sound if you drank a quart of bourbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes and swallowed a pack of razor blades. Late at night. After not sleeping for three days.” Luckily, Waits doesn’t have to actually do any of those self-destructive things to achieve his unique tone. In fact, he’s wealthy from selling his music, and has three kids with a woman to whom he’s been married for 36 years. I foresee a similar potential for you in the coming weeks and months. You may be able to capitalize on your harmless weirdness . . . to earn rewards by expressing your charming eccentricities . . . to be both strange and popular.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Was punk rock born
on June 4, 1976? A fledgling band known as the Sex Pistols played that night for a crowd of 40 people at a small venue in Manchester, England. Among the audience members was Morrissey, who got so inspired that he started his own band, The Smiths. Also in attendance was a rowdy guy who would soon launch the band Joy Division, despite the fact that he had never played an instrument. The men who would later form the Buzzcocks also saw the performance by Johnny Rotten and his crew. According to music critic David Nolan, these future pioneers came away from the June 4 show with the conclusion, “You don’t have to be a virtuoso or a musical genius to be in a band; anyone can do it.” I see parallels between this seminal event and your life in the coming weeks.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Action Stars By Bruce Haight | Edited by Will Shortz | 1211 ACROSS 1 Kind of marker 8 Auto-sharing company 14 Solid 20 Attack 21 Harshly bright 22 Earning a Purple Heart, say 23 ____ into a major film star 25 7Up, in old ads, with “the” 26 Vale 27 Salacious look 28 Sibling of Helios and Selene, in myth 30 Something to shoot with, briefly 31 “Phooey!” 34 ____ for just the right film role 39 Many a suit has one, for short 42 New employee 43 “You think I won’t!” 44 Bio word 45 Radius, for one 47 ____ Doggie of old cartoons 48 Psychedelic experience 52 ____ several film-making awards 54 Maker of business jets 55 Spellbound 56 Hybrid citrus fruits 57 The Lion King villain 59 Stick close to 60 Went after 64 Something that turns up when you snap your fingers? 65 Pay dirt 66 ____ a new film adaptation 69 ____ two film studios against each other 71 ____ nova (musical style of the late Middle Ages) 72 Like businesses on Yelp 73 Land near a wharf 74 Org. with the magazine America’s 1st Freedom 75 Spellbound 76 Leader who was Time’s 2007 Person of the Year 77 Italy’s Isola d’____ 81 “Ha! I was right!” 83 ____ for meatier film roles 87 Brisk tempo 89 Cads 90 Like food 91 Despicable Me supervillain
92 Evidence of a brawl 94 Baylor’s home 95 Salon offering 96 ____ the film deal 99 Giggled 101 Honey ____ Clusters (breakfast cereal) 102 Milne character 103 Java neighbor 104 Church recess 108 Too much, in music 111 ____ himself as a big-screen film star 117 “If you say so” 118 Strive 119 Actions of environmental extremists 120 Stacking game 121 Pines 122 Confronts DOWN 1 Lash 2 Lady’s man 3 Country singer Lovett 4 First African-American Disney princess 5 Spike TV’s former name 6 “____ be my honor” 7 Sunbathing locale 8 Jewelry chain 9 Borodin’s prince 10 1993 accord grp. 11 Surveillance device 12 Middle word in a mall map phrase 13 Cash in 14 “Quiet down!” 15 Half a score 16 Story ____ 17 Immunity enhancer 18 French city near the Belgian border 19 Modern greeting 24 ____ noire 29 Student taking Contracts, maybe 32 Villagers the Grinch stole from in Dr. Seuss 33 Surround 34 Hogwarts groundskeeper 35 Native New Yorkers 36 Eco-friendly building certification, for short 37 Runner-up’s amount in an auction
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