CFN Year in Review

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N-REVIEW I R A E Y

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What a dumpster fire of a year! Former Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant bailed for California. Climate change denier and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt bailed for Washington D.C. to lead president-elect Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency. Gov. Mary Fallin, always the bridesmaid, was denied several opportunities to bail. Esteemed Rep. John Bennett fought to resurrect a twicekilled bill telling transgender Oklahomans which pot they could you-know-what in. We at Chicken-Fried News round up the year’s top stories and our predictions for 2017 with our tongues firmly planted in our cheeks. Happy New Year! By Gazette Staff.

15 Meet the Brewer Elk Valley

Brewing Co. 16 Review Vito’s Italian Ristorante 17 Briefs 18 Review Texlahoma Barbecue 19 Shape Up 20 Gazedibles food trucks go brick-and-mortar in 2016

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Shop Local OKG Shop new year Year in review best films of 2016 Film John Kennedy joins deadCenter Film Film Lost & Found screens in OKC

Gazette Weekly Winner! Latricia Massey

To claim your tickets, call 528-6000 or come by our offices by 1/11/17!

For information on entering this week’s Gazette Giveaway see pg.39

arts & Culture

Letters

music

EAT & Drink

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A&C

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4 Culture state arts consumption 6 State tribal water use agreement 8 Cover Chicken-Fried News

year in review and 2017

predictions

FUN

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COVER

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Arts Nathan Price’s A One Man Show Arts Joshua Cook’s recycled monsters

29 Arts Steve Boaldin, cowboy artist 30 Theater Wu Man and Shanghai String Quartet

30 Theater Les Liaisons Dangereuses

31 Active Riversport Indoor Golf Shootout 32

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Community Waggin’ Wagon pet adoption Books Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma young adult series

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Calendar

35 Year in review best music of 2016 36 Event singer-songwriter Dan Martin

37 Live Music 37 Astrology 38 Puzzles sudoku | crossword

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Art starved

Students participate in an acrylic painting class at Oklahoma Contemporary in 2014. | Photo Gazette / file

A National Endowment for the Arts report shows low art consumption in Oklahoma, but the problem rests with the rural-urban divide.

By George Lang

In August, when the National Endowment for the Arts released its annual Arts Basic Survey, Colorado media congratulated its readers and viewers for being the nation’s most voracious consumers of visual and performing arts.

That includes seeing films, going to art galleries, watching plays or dance performances, listening to music and reading books. To top it off, nearly 65 percent of Centennial State residents created their own art from 2012 to 2015, the years the survey tracked, so not only do Coloradans love art, they love it enough to make it themselves.

Other than close runner-up Vermont, most other states came off like the kid who forgot to draw the family portrait for Parents’ Day. In Oklahoma, Colorado’s neighbor, only 31 percent of residents created their own art, and consumption pales in comparison to most of its bordering states.

About 38 percent of Oklahomans read literature, and 46 percent used electronic media to experience music or arts performances.

Good news

The NEA’s consumption statistics stand in sharp contrast to the vast array of arts organizations and artists creating entertainment opportunities for Oklahomans.

On June 30, Allied Arts closed out its annual fundraising campaign having raised almost $3 million for arts in central Oklahoma, which brought the total raised over the organization’s 45-year history to $60 million. Oklahoma is home to worldclass art museums, popular street festivals, arts districts and the No. 12 highestranked music venue in the United States, Tulsa’s BOK Center, according to Pollstar industry rankings.

This year, thousands queued up at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see the works collected in Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, and thousands more will crowd into the BOK Center Jan. 14 for the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

But while Allied Arts reports that arts and culture deliver a $314 million annual economic impact on the state, on most days, the majority of Oklahomans are staying home to watch the game.

“This is a challenge for us, and it’s not the best news to receive,” said Jeremiah Matthew Davis, artistic director at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

“But if you begin to look at participation by county, activities in the major urban areas of Oklahoma, the numbers are quite different.”

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Davis, whose organization broke ground on a new facility at NW 11th Street and Broadway Avenue in September, said that Oklahoma, Tulsa and Cleveland counties consume arts at high levels.

Oklahoma Contemporary recently commissioned a study indicating that attitudes toward contemporary or modern art had swung to a high positive in Oklahoma compared to findings in 2011.

Some of that shift comes from demographic changes.

With more people and businesses relocating to Oklahoma and younger people beginning to participate in the economy, some sectors of the arts that might not have found favor in Oklahoma are building audiences.

Moving the needle

While the NEA study has the unfortunate effect of painting the state with a broad brush, it ignores success stories of the past year like the Matisse exhibit.

“This past summer, OKCMOA saw unprecedented numbers for Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris,” said Becky Weintz, museum director of marketing and communications. “With over 62,000 visitors during this exhibition, we expect this year’s attendance numbers to be higher than last year. We’re looking forward to continuing to offer exciting exhibitions that bring new visitors to the museum and keep our regular visitors coming back again and again.”

An event like the Matisse exhibit, which was the only North American stop for that collection, expands the audience for arts in general.

Davis said that simple exposure to the arts can move the needle significantly.

“It’s demystifying what art is,” he said.

“Once they realize that it can speak to them, that it can be interesting and fun, that it’s not going to offend their values, people really do change their minds.”

But again, the challenge comes outside of the high population centers. Davis, who grew up in Osage County, said that the impact of arts in the tallgrass or in the lightly populated areas of the panhandle is a continuing issue.

Education plays a significant role in broadening the appeal of art, which means more outreach — something Davis said helped grow the audience in Oklahoma City.

“Some of what we’re concerned with are people who say that arts are for kids,” he said. “They say, ‘Arts are great, but when you become an adult, you put away childish things,’ which includes art. But

what we’ve found with our adult education initiatives is that our exhibitions and classes really change people’s lives for the better. They realize after they participate in making something, in creating something and engaging creatively with art, their entire perspectives can be changed and their lives can be shifted for the better.”

But the last thing you want to do is give Oklahoma a complex about it.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art guests check out an Andy Warhol exhibit in 2015. | Photo Gazette / file

Arts should not be treated like forcing someone to eat their vegetables. Instead, people should think of it as the dessert.

“It’s being friendly about it — it’s not about scolding people for not liking art,” Davis said. “It’s about spreading the gospel that it’s fun. It’s OK to challenge people’s thinking, but you’ve got to invite them first.”

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Secure

A tribal, state and OKC water-rights agreement secures drinking water for central Oklahoma and brings tribes to the table on discussions.

By Laura Eastes

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Oklahoma Gazette 6

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On the morning of June 15, 2010, the ninemember Oklahoma City Council gave the go-ahead for the city to pay more than $27 million for the water storage rights of the Sardis Lake reservoir. For a growing metropolis that was already five decades into drawing southeastern Oklahoma water, the reservoir was appealing. With stateissued water use permits and a new pipeline, it could wipe away water scarcity worries for future generations of people in Oklahoma City and neighboring communities.

“This is a major accomplishment on the part of the city with the strong cooperation of the state and (Oklahoma) Water Resource Board,” Ward 4 Councilman Pete White told the council after the vote approving the contract between the city and the state.

White is chairman of the city’s Water Utility Trust.

“This is not the end of the struggle,” he said. “This might be the end of the beginning of the struggle.”

In that single statement, White predicted the future. A year later, Choctaw and Chickasaw nation attorneys filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent the city from obtaining a water permit to use Sardis Lake reservoir. The lawsuit hinged on questions surrounding tribal sovereignty and asserted water rights on their lands based on an 1830 treaty.

The massive federal lawsuit between the state and city and Choctaw and Chickasaw nations dragged on for five years before ending in August, when they reached an out-of-court water rights settlement that sets the stage for Oklahoma City to tap into a reliable water supply.

Furthermore, it brings the tribes to the table for input on water decisions in 22 south-central and southeast Oklahoma counties. The settlement was one of four Indian water rights settlements included in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act signed into law Dec. 16 by President Barack Obama.

It’s good news for Oklahoma City, southeastern Oklahoma, the tribes and, possibly, Texas. Here are three important things to know about the historic water rights settlement.

1. OKC Metro

Quenching the thirst of a growing population motivated OKC leaders to seek another source of drinking water. Since

water is critical to growth, water management and legal efforts to tap into Sardis Lake were top priorities for the council.

According to city planners, by 2050, OKC is expected to add around 300,000 people to the existing population of 600,000.

Oklahoma City has enough water for today and coming years, but not for the expected growth of hundreds of thousands of additional residents. That’s what makes the settlement so revolutionary; it’s a gift for generations to come.

“It really does provide us with longterm water,” Oklahoma City manager Jim Couch said during a December council meeting. “There is still a lot of work, but it is many years from now until we need the water and use the water.”

Presently, OKC draws around 130,000 acre-feet of water annually to serve citizens and neighboring municipalities that buy water from the city.

OKC water comes from the southeastern Oklahoma county of Atoka, where a pipeline carries it from Lake Atoka to Lake Stanley Draper, located in the city’s southeastern quadrant. Under the settlement, OKC can access 115,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Sardis Lake reservoir.

Sardis Lake is located near the town of Clayton, about 180 miles southeast of OKC. To tap into the reservoir, the city must build a $150 million pipeline to flow water to Lake Atoka. No timetable has been set for beginning the project.

In the meantime, the city is moving forward on a $600 million pipeline project to replace the 50-year-old pipeline that ships water from Lake Atoka to Lake Stanley Draper.

2. Tribal voice

From the beginning of the legal wrangling over Sardis Lake water, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes advocated to participate in and be heard in policy discussions surrounding water in southeastern Oklahoma.

Under the deal, both tribal nations have a role in water management decisions for waterways that fall within Choctaw and Chickasaw lands — the 22

counties in south-central and southeastern Oklahoma.

The state will manage those waterways, and the tribes will be included in rights allocation evaluations. This allows tribes to protect southeastern Oklahoma community water needs while safeguarding lake levels and stream flows, which also are vital to the tourism industry.

Chickasaws, Choctaws and communities within the 10-county area surrounding the reservoir can access a minimum of 20,000 acre-feet of water annually.

The agreement also addresses usage guidelines of the shared water source.

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation lake level management will be developed for OKC, which will be limited on withdrawals. The city must enforce its own conservation measures before withdrawing water.

The tribes, State of Oklahoma and city also will establish a $10 million fund for enhancing recreational use, fish and wildlife habitat and environmental protections at Sardis and Atoka lakes.

3. Out-of-state sales

For decades, the thirsty and booming areas of north Texas have eyed their northern neighbor’s water, stirring debate as it unfolded at the Oklahoma Capitol.

Despite offers from Texas municipalities, lawmakers protected lakes and rivers and wrote into state law that no water would be used or diverted out of Oklahoma without the Legislature’s approval.

The settlement calls for a state-tribal commission to evaluate economic and environmental impacts of any future proposals to sell and send southeastern Oklahoma water over state lines.

If Oklahoma lawmakers withdraw the out-of-state water sales ban, potential buyers would seek evaluation from the commission, authorization from the Oklahoma Legislature and permits from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

Water sale funds would be funneled back to supporting improvements on water infrastructure.

The waters of Sardis Lake, located in southeastern Oklahoma, have been at the center of a federal lawsuit. | Photo State of Oklahoma / provided

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Up in flames

Headliners like San Francisco garage rock act Thee Oh Sees and Washington, D.C., rapper and producer Oddisee help ensure Norman Music Festival 10 will be brought in with style.

So, you think 2016 was a dumpster fire?

Read our 2017 predictions!

Prediction: Let’s imagine for a moment,

By Gazette Staff

We can all agree that 2016 was not the greatest year, right? While the entire country was busy becoming a veritable circus, Oklahoma did not let itself be the odd clown out.

From ginormous budget cuts to our golden boy Kevin Durant cutting himself from the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2016 caused Oklahoma citizens buckets of grief. Even parts of our state, including the May Avenue bridge over Northwest Expressway, the Silver Bullet roller-coaster at Frontier City and the very ground under our feet, proceeded to fail — or fall or shake — on us.

We also lost a lot of beloved Okies like Leon Russell and Merle Haggard, but not everything in 2016 was horrible.

Oklahoma voters decided a constitutional amendment protecting the Ten Commandments monument wasn’t a good idea and bills against certain people don’t really help anyone. We also banded together to support the Black Lives Matter movement and made a huge effort to ditch our lazy, unhealthy reputation by installing a world-class whitewater rafting facility and actually using it.

We bought a Ferris wheel on the internet and finally decided to crawl out of Prohibition and modernize our liquor laws, too.

Join the crack writing team at Chicken-Fried News as we wave goodbye to the immense dumpster fire that was 2016 and say hello to all the possibility that 2017 holds.

Prediction: In typical Oklahoma

Ten Commandments

Oklahoma legislators shook their fingers at the Oklahoma Supreme Court, took a line from University of Oklahoma President David Boren (“Let the people vote”) and began drafting plans for the rededication ceremony of the Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds after passing a resolution pushing the issue to a public vote.

The third-to-last state question on the Oklahoma ballot aimed to repeal Oklahoma’s constitutional amendment separating church and state and, consequentially, allow tablets showing “God’s law” on the capitol grounds. In the ballot booth, voters scratched their heads and thought, “What about the possible lawsuits?” or “Would this allow state money to go to private, unregulated schools?” and “Does this mean the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gets a monster statute?” With lingering questions, voters said no, squashing lawmakers’ plans for a grand rededication ceremony in 2017.

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Legislature fashion, at least one state lawmaker will propose a bill with the underlying goal of moving the Ten Commandments monument back to the Capitol. Bill language could include reclassifying the Ten Commandments as artwork by an influential Oklahoma artist. The Ten Commandments would pay tribute to sundry Okie-tied musicians, Native Americans, athletes, actors, astronauts, pilots, authors, artists, journalists and criminals Belle Starr, Chuck Norris, Rue McClanahan, Garth Brooks, Bill Hader, Sequoyah, Greyson Chance, Brian Bosworth, Joan Crawford, Ralph Ellison, Shannon Lucid, Kathy Lee Gifford, Troy Aikman, Reba McEntire, Wiley Post, Wayne Coyne, Taylor Hanson, S.E. Hinton, Joe Andoe, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Bench, Chester Gould, Will Rogers, Quanah Parker, Steve Largent, Bill Moyers, Phil McGraw, David Duke and Randy Terrill working in tablet arts. Heck, comedian Sam Kinison is buried in Tulsa.

We at Chicken-Fried News strongly recommend he be included, too.

New gameplan

With the addition of whitewater rafting at Riversport Adventures and the OKC National High Performance Center’s status as an Olympic and Paralympic training site for the nation’s rowing athletes, there has never been more activity on the Oklahoma River. Indeed, the sports scene in Oklahoma looks bright.

Legendary University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer pulled the wool over the media’s eyes this month

when he claimed to be president-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Offense, but maybe it’s an idea Gov. Mary Fallin should actually consider. How about Secretary of Playtime and Exercise?

Prediction: Chicken-Fried News pre-

dicts the coach’s official appointment to Fallin’s cabinet. Maybe if the whole state knew how to run the wishbone offense, it could run its way into some more education funding, or at least a way to protect school sports programs.

Gone too soon

The Grim Reaper kept busy during 2016. In Oklahoma alone, we lost icons like “Okie from Muskogee” Merle Hag gard, Tulsa Sound lightning rod Leon Russell and former Oklahoma!

Broadway star Patty Duke.

Prediction: ChickenFried News hopes against all hope that it does not happen, but if 2016’s appetite for entertainment icons bleeds over into 2017, we fear Tulsa-raised actor Gary Busey might be somewhere high on the list.

Busey is, of course, known for his award-winning title role in The Buddy Holly Story and for smaller but no-lesstimeless parts in Lethal Weapon and Point Break. He is also one of only a few celebrities to appear in multiple seasons of president-elect Donald Trump’s reality show The Celebrity Apprentice. Still, if there was any Oklahoma celebrity CFN could grant the gift of immortality, Busey would be high up on the list.

Remember, for instance, this summer, when Oklahoma City social media users went nuts as the actor delivered ice cream across OKC for an Uber promotion? Those are the kind of acts of love and quirkiness that live forever.

Historic headliners

For some college students and relative Norman Music Festival (NMF) newbies, it might seem like NMF is something that has always and will forever exist in downtown Norman. In April, the fest celebrates a decade of free music in the city.

however, that there might be some surprise bookings in store for 2017. A One Direction reunion, perhaps? The Eagles with hologram Glenn Frey? An Oklahoma duet with Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton? No, no and … no. We suggest Jabee rapping over Blake Lusk instrumentation or maybe Lincka in duet with Wink Burcham. Make it happen, NMF.

Modern liquor laws

2016 was a great year for lushes in Oklahoma. After decades of backward alcohol laws dating back to the end of Prohibition when the state chose not to ratify the 21st Amendment, voters across the state chose to move beer and liquor laws into the 21st century with the passage of State Question 792.

Before that happened, though, the Oklahoma Legislature saw the writing on the wall and passed a few bills themselves.

Senate Bill 424 allows craft beer makers in the state to open taprooms and sell fullstrength beer to customers directly instead of requiring them to go through distributors. Then they passed Senate Bill 383, crafted by Sens. Stephanie Bice and Clark Jolley, which set in place the statutory regulations that made the state question possible.

But let’s give it up for the voters, because they truly made it possible. SQ 792 garnered more than 930,000 yes votes to pass by 65 percent. Cheers!

Prediction:

The only problem with the new laws, which will put cold beer and wine in grocery, convenience and liquor stores, is that they don’t go into effect until 2018.

So 2017 will be the year some thirsty, angry Oklahomans make a fuss at WalMart because they can’t get their cold 6 percent ABV beer for little while longer.

Wheeler’s wheel

The Byrds sang, “To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

For the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel,

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that purpose was to become a part of Oklahoma City’s growing Wheeler District.

Bought for $135,000 on eBay, the newly dubbed Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave., quickly became a staple of the Oklahoma City skyline and a popular destination for residents and tourists alike. It also became the centerpiece of a grand dining event in September when Russ Johnson and Jonathon Stranger staged the epic Le Restaurant Francais of the 1939 World’s Fair event there.

Diners were treated to music, cocktails and appetizers at the base of the wheel before taking a ride and being served a four-course meal up in the air.

period of time? Expect some sweatstained suits exiting the stairway.

Prediction: After the success of the

LGBT rights

wheel, Wheeler District developer Blair Humphreys will import the rest of the Santa Monica Pier to Oklahoma City, including a historic carousel, an aquarium and a trapeze school.

It wasn’t enough that antiLGBT Oklahoma lawmakers introduced a record number of hateful bills in 2016. One proposed piece of legislation, which closely resembled North Carolina’s controversial bathroom bill, crept into an amendment to the budget during the last week of session.

The 10-10 tied vote killed the bill that required public schools to provide separate bathrooms to students who didn’t want to share with transgender classmates. In the end, nearly 30 anti-LGBT bills were killed, including one promoting conversion therapy and another allowing business owners to refuse services to people who violated their religious beliefs.

Prediction: While term limits ended State of disrepair

The last calendar year was not exactly a poster for infrastructure in Oklahoma City. Though repaired at an impressively fast pace, nothing will ever match the feeling of confusion (and perhaps minor bemusement) the city collectively felt after a semi truck collided with and collapsed a portion of the N. May Avenue bridge over Northwest Expressway.

City residents might also recall watching in June as rescue workers led eight riders to safety from atop Frontier City’s Silver Bullet roller coaster. All passengers were safely removed within two hours — much to the seeming dismay of international social media users and tabloid news websites, all of which were consumed with the coaster riders and their dramatic rescue by Oklahoma City tactical fire crews as media helicopters circled overhead.

the reign of anti-LGBT Republican Sally Kern, lawmakers like Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw; Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow; and Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, continue to serve the state. We could see those three and others attempt revivals on once-killed bills. It might be too soon for Oklahoma, but what about lawmakers proposing nondiscrimination protection bills for the LGBT community?

Prediction: So what new high-profile

case of malfunction does 2017 have in store? The Wheeler Ferris Wheel is an obvious candidate, but Chicken-Fried News believes the amusement ride is too new to pose any potential problem soon.

Instead, expect something to go wrong with Devon Energy Center’s tower elevators. Who will be the leg-pumping fireman who has to climb up all those stairs for a rescue? What if the elevators are taken out of commission for a long 10

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What’s your damage?

Oklahoma’s rise in seismic activity has caught the attention of scientists, the media, environmental groups, New York law firms, citizens and, at times, the state government. (Have you checked out the

earthquake map at earthquake.ok.gov?)

At this point, it’s fact that oil and gas drilling, specifically the rapid injection of fluid during wastewater disposal, caused the hundreds of earthquakes recorded in the Sooner State in recent years. While most Oklahomans can say they felt the tremors, folks in communities like Cushing, Pawnee, Fairview, Medford and Edmond can point to damage in their homes, workplace, houses of worship and communities.

for a spot in Trump’s cabinet, but he wasn’t announced for any of the positions.

Prediction: Judges in Pawnee and

Islamophobia

Payne counties are reviewing petitions for class action lawsuits from residents who say their homes and businesses suffered major destruction. In the suits, those plaintiffs allege oil and natural gas drillers, through disposal of fracking wastewater, caused the damage.

Additionally, two federal judges are tasked with reviewing complaints connected to the manmade quakes. Cases can move at a slow pace in the legal system. Considering Oklahoma is friendly to the oil and gas industry, it’s likely these cases will move glacially.

OklahomagD.C.

President-elect Donald Trump must have liked what he saw when he visited the Oklahoma State Fair in 2015, because he’s bringing some of the Sooner State with him to Washington, D.C. State Attorney General Scott Pruitt has been tapped to run the federal Environmental Protection Agency, presumably so he can tear it down from the inside after years spent attacking it from Oklahoma City. Pruitt famously sued the EPA in 2014 and 2015 over rules the agency instituted to stop the spread of pollutants across state lines and curb coal-fired power plant air pollution and infamously sent a letter to the EPA lambasting the agency over its natural gas drilling pollution estimates, which The New York Times later discovered was essentially copied and pasted from Devon Energy lawyers. Plagiarist!

Gov. Mary Fallin won’t be making the trip with Trump’s new administration.

After getting snubbed for a vice presidential nod and passed over for a job as secretary of the interior, Fallin seemed destined to remain in Oklahoma for a while longer. Former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon also auditioned

Prediction: The Donald still has a few

weeks before he takes office, so there could be a few more Oklahomans plucked for plum gigs in D.C. Our bet is that Trump sets his sights on presidential rival Joe “Exotic” Maldonado to run the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We all know that history is destined to repeat itself, so should Oklahomans be surprised that Rep. John Bennett hosted an interim study exploring threats posed by “radical Islam” in the Sooner State?

The answer is no. After all, Bennett has made anti-Muslim comments for years.

In 2014, the Sallisaw Republican said Islam “is a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out.” In typical Bennett fashion, the lawmaker demonized the Muslim community during the span of a morning as national media watched. Bennett has vowed to draft legislation to protect Oklahoma from organizations that do harm to the state. In his mind, that includes the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR (Council on A merican-Islamic Relations). CAIR’s mission is to “enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.”

Prediction: While Bennett hasn’t given many specifics on his plans to protect Oklahoma from perceived religious threats, we imagine he will introduce legislation intended to marginalize Oklahoma’s Muslim community. Could we see a bill to restrict the wearing of Muslim burqas or hijabs or create a Muslim registry? Possibly.

Should such legislation be proposed, we imagine calls to action by human rights, civil rights and religious rights groups.

Thunder up-and-up

In July 2016, Kevin Durant decided he wanted off the Thunder train in a decision that the average Oklahoman might have heard a thing or two about.

However, gloom and doom began to fade the next month when Thunder star Russell Westbrook agreed to a multipleyear extension with the team.

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Prediction: This team is finding a

way to compete as is, but look out for general manager Sam Presti to recruit more help for his superstar guard sometime this calendar year. The Thunder doesn’t need a Durant replacement, just someone to take some of the load of Westbrook as he focuses on doing what only he can.

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Matisse in His Time

Oklahoma City Museum of Art scored quite a coup when it became the only North American venue for an exhibit of Henri Matisse’s works and those of his contemporaries, including Pablo Picasso, André Derain and Georges Braque, called Matisse in His Time.

It was a massive hit, selling out tours and bringing an entirely new crowd into the museum. According to NewsOK.com, the museum’s board of trustees chairman Jerome Holmes said more than 62,000 visitors from every state in the U.S. and several foreign nations came to the museum during its four-month stay in Oklahoma.

“It is certainly one of the most successful, if not the most successful, exhibits that we’ve had,” he said.

“Something called ‘the Ok l a hom a St a nd a r d ’ became known throughout the world,” said former Gov. Brad Henry.

“It means resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and compassion that will not be defeated.”

People mostly use the phrase to describe the way people in Oklahoma respond to a tragedy by sending money they might not have to help people they probably don’t know.

But 2016 was a weird year for the standard, as evidenced by our state’s voting record.

On the same night Americans voted in President Donald J. Trump, Oklahomans also chose to deny a raise for teachers (SQ 779) and declare that the death penalty is not “cruel and unusual punishment” (SQ 776).

Then again, voters also approved State Questions 780 and 781, lowering some property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and putting the money saved into rehabilitation programs.

Prediction: How can OKCMOA top

Budget cuts

When will Oklahomans say enough is enough? For the 2014-15 state budget, Oklahoma was short $188 million. The next year, the state saw a budget hole of $611 million. Whew! Then the budget shortfall climbed to $1.3 billion for 2016-17, leading to across-the-board cuts impacting key governmental services.

This year, lawmakers face an $868 million budget deficit. Since the solution to budget woes has been cuts and layoffs, it’s tough to argue Oklahoma has a spending problem. In other words, Oklahoma has a revenue problem and the first step toward change is admitting there is a problem.

Prediction: Gov. Mary Fallin is driving

Oklahoma Gazette

Standard Oklahoma

Since then, Westbrook has racked up triple-double after triple-double at a pace the NBA hasn’t seen for more than 50 years.

Logic tells Chicken-Fried News that Westbrook will be hard-pressed to extend his prolific statistics through an entire season, but CFN also knows it doesn’t do much good to apply mere logic to this kind of player.

the conversation on pushing revenue raiser measures through the House and Senate chambers in 2017. The Republican wants to broaden Oklahoma’s sales tax base, which would call for taxing services currently exempt like tattoos, dry cleaning and car washes. Fallin’s calls have fallen on deaf ears in years past. Let’s hope lawmakers hear the shouts of the unhappy public over four-day school weeks, rural hospital closures, long waits for mental health services, concerns over roads and bridges, social workers with swelling case loads and troopers limited on their daily travels.

Matisse in His Time? It might be difficult to get another exclusive show like that to the museum. Instead, using time-travel technology, Oklahoma City will host Matisse in Our Time, snatching the famous French impressionist from a few years before his death in 1954 to paint new pieces for crowds of onlookers.

Black Lives Matter

This past July, Black Lives Matter OKC rallied thousands of Oklahomans in Bricktown to engage in a peaceful, public conversation on police brutality, racial discrimination and civil rights.

Individuals from NA ACP’s Oklahoma City branch, OKC Artists for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and a slew of lawmakers passed around the microphone and called for Oklahomans to vote and get active in local government. Never stop speaking out against hate, discrimination and violence.

Prediction: Black Lives Matter OKC

charted a course for change with its 2016 march. With resources and continued discussion — for example, increasing public knowledge on the justice system, government and the challenges for communities of color — Oklahoma City can move the needle in combating systemic racism in our communities.

Prediction:

A tornado will hit some of Oklahoma’s crumbling jails and prisons, rendering the inmates homeless. A compassionate and caring electorate will finally approve new facilities to keep them incarcerated in humane conditions. Sadly, the money will be taken from state education funding.

letters

NEWS saluted with reverence at parades and during the singing of our national anthem! I cannot understand how this outrageous, insulting behavior can be protected by the freedom of speech. Burning of the flag cannot be considered speech.

Let’s hope that the changes that are forthcoming to the U.S. Supreme Court will include jurists that will follow the letter and spirit of the writers of the First Amendment without inserting creative, erroneous interpretations of what is clear English. Any and all forms of desecration of the American flag must be considered punishable offenses.

Raoul Carubelli Oklahoma City

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.

Diversify leadership

I am disappointed and saddened to present to my constituents another oversight on the part of our governor. The governor has created a “Health Care Advisory Team” that apparently will be a subcommittee of the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development. I have no problem with highlighting the fact that, as a state, we are woefully lagging in our health status.

From smoking to obesity, we need attention placed on health.

When you look at the geographical areas, the most troublesome areas are our communities of color, yet there’s a lack of financial input to improve these factors. I have worked with our state Department of Health (Minority Health Division) and OK Health Care Authority Committee on Health Disparities, yet the governor does not appoint one person of color to work with her team, which I hope will report directly to her.

I am tired of being able to call these things to our governor’s attention. It was after I brought this lack of individuals of color on her Criminal Justice Committee that she hurriedly added two people of color.

My concern is whether or not she really wants to make a difference, or whether it’s all for show for such significant and important issues to our state. Is it a lack of people of color on her staff or is it her inability to understand the value of diversity?

Governor, please correct this oversight!

Rep. George Young Nichols Hills

Senatorial responsibility

In preparation for taking office, Presidentelect Donald Trump announced new nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions and other high government offices almost every

Coalminer’s daughter

day. Many questions about their fitness for holding high government positions have been raised. Members of the U.S. Senate have the responsibility to vet those nominees before approving their appointments.

Several nominees like Rex Tillerson have no experience at any level of public service.

Some seem to have been chosen to dismantle the very government services provided by the agency they are supposed to lead. In particular, Betsy DeVos, the nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education — the agency that leads efforts to ensure quality public education is available to all Americans — has advocated for closing public schools in Detroit and replacing them with private schools. Sen. Jeff Sessions, the selection for U.S. Attorney General, was previously denied an appointment to a federal judgeship by a Republicanled Senate Judiciary Committee after accusations of racism were raised in confirmation hearings.

Questions of compliance with legal requirements surround several nominees.

Many have business interests that appear to present conflicts of interests violating federal law.

Article II Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires the Senate to review and confirm presidential appointments to important positions in the federal government. This power, reserved for the Senate, is an essential element in the system of checks and balances designed by the founders of

our country. It is the patriotic duty of our senators to thoroughly examine each of the nominees as they come before the Senate.

They must ask the hard questions and ensure any person who is selected for high government office is qualified to serve.

As citizens, we all have the responsibility to demand that Oklahoma’s U.S. Senators, Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, fulfill this responsibility.

Pat Reaves Oklahoma City

Criminalize flag-burning

The last-minute reversal in the vote counts that provided the Republican presidential candidate with ample victory in the Electoral College came as a shocking surprise to nearly everybody.

The frustration of the Democrats is understandable; the way some of them expressed their frustration is unacceptable.

Out-of-control mobs destroying property and torching vehicles is criminal behavior.

Numerous internet messages in social media advocating the assassination of Mr. Trump are alarming and must be taken very seriously; we must not forget the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the attempt on the life of Ronald Reagan.

But the thing that most people find disturbing and offensive is to see “Americans” burning our national flag, a symbol of the glorious history of our country that must be

Thank you, thank you, Rev. Dr. Meyers for writing your commentary, “What have we done?” (Opinion, Commentary, Nov. 16, Oklahoma Gazette). I am a farmer’s daughter and coalminer’s granddaughter who crossed class lines as a single, white woman, earning both engineering and law degrees at my own expense. I worked hard to get myself trained. And I continue to work, to provide for my 12-year-old son after his father passed away of substance abuse, which, I came to learn after our marriage, had a long history in his family.

These voters who claim “hardship” because someone “took away” their jobs and out of their “frustration” thought it was OK to hand both our country and our young girls to a misogynist infuriate me. Both President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton spoke endlessly of retraining. But these people must do their part to seek that training. They are willing instead to jeopardize our country to get their “old jobs back”? Plus, as I understand it, some of these jobs are as grim as jobs can get. My own grandfather lost a foot to a coal mining accident. They could have far superior quality of life with the types of jobs that our current economy could offer: remote work, telecommuting, etc. They should try to convince companies to come where they are or start their own.

This election took the wind out of my sails. Imagine how mightily so many of us women could’ve moved forward with the wind of Hillary under our wings. What have we done, indeed.

Kate Asher Burlington, Massachusetts

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EAT & DRINK

It took a half-year for owner John Elkins to perfect his IPA recipe. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

just want to watch the world burn.”

Elkins isn’t quite so nihilistic. He just wanted a pumpkin beer he enjoyed drinking. In fact, he crafts all his recipes with that goal in mind.

“A beer won’t go out until I’m happy with it,” he said.

Community support

F E AT U R E

Elk Valley Brewing Co. owner John Elkins sits with his barrel-aged beers. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Meet the brewer John Elkins’ hands-on approach pushes Elk Valley Brewing Co. to the forefront of Oklahoma City’s beer scene. By Greg Elwell

Editor’s note: As part of our continuing coverage of Oklahoma craft beer, Oklahoma Gazette presents “Meet the brewer,” a monthly feature profiling beermakers.

Twenty years ago, John Elkins didn’t care much about any beer that wasn’t Bud Light.

Then came a raspberry porter made by Breckenridge Brewing in Littleton, Colorado. It was like somebody flipped on a switch.

Oklahoma’s craft beer lovers should thank their lucky stars for that raspberry porter, because we might not have Elk Valley Brewing Co. without it.

Rave reviews

“I know this beer.”

After going through several rounds of tasting, the panelist in Oklahoma Gazette’s

inaugural Fall Brew Review deeply inhaled the aroma from the glass of beer set in front of him.

“You’re in for a treat.”

If the rest of the panel didn’t know it then, they surely remembered it afterward. Elk Valley’s Pumpion Ale earned second place in the rankings, scoring just a fraction of a point lower than Prairie Artisan Ales’ Barrel Aged Bomb.

Pumpion is a hit and earned effusive (and expletive-laden) praise from beer review website dontdrinkbeer.com.

“This li’l upstart from Oklahoma out of nowhere just started peppering your baby momma’s crib with a 12.4 percent barrel aged pumpkin beer and they put it in a goddamn can,” wrote the reviewer. “I will keep my eye on these Elk Valley madmen as it is clear that they give zero fucks and

Elkins said he owes his new career to two people: his wife Cynthia and his best friend Dave Dillon. Dillon was the one who pushed him to start home brewing in the first place.

“He really taught me how to get started in brewing,” Elkins said. “This was 1999.

There wasn’t a ton of info online at the time. You had to go talk to people.”

After attending the Great American Beer Festival together, they planned to open a brewery, but it never quite worked out.

“Time goes on and Dave moved about the same time I got together with my wife,” Elkins said.

Dillon died shortly after John and Cynthia married. Elk Valley’s Brother Dave’s Chocolate Porter is brewed in his honor.

Elkins stopped brewing for a while after that, but after taking a trip to Colorado with his wife for a belated honeymoon, she urged him to start again.

“It was a fire I couldn’t put out,” he said.

“I started entering competitions and winning.”

He gave up his other hobby — racing cars — and focused on beermaking. Before long, his house was packed full of fermenters, so he built a special room in the garage.

Cynthia is a perpetual student, Elkins said, and she continued her education until 2013, when some very expensive secondhand brewing equipment came up for auction.

“She said, ‘It’s your turn. Go do what you love,’” Elkins said.

He gave up his job as an aircraft mechanic at Tinker Air Force Base, cashed in his mutual funds and bid on the gear.

Using space at friendly breweries, including Battered Boar Brewing Company in Edmond and Choc Beer Company in Krebs, he made brewing his full-time job in 2014 and created two part-time positions to help out.

There’s a sense of camaraderie among

Oklahoma’s craft brewers, he said. They aren’t competing with each other to sell more beer. They compete against themselves to make the best beer they can.

Most recently, Elk Valley was sharing space with Mustang Brewing Company.

Now, though, he’s moving into his own space in Midtown. That doesn’t mean he’s slowing down production. From December through January, he’s releasing five new beers.

One of them, a whiskey barrel-aged mole version of his Nemesis beer, sold out of bottles in less than a day.

“I’m not scared to try something,” Elkins said. “I was always a mechanical person. I do a lot of hands-on learning.”

In his years of professional brewing, he has only had to dump two batches that didn’t turn out.

As he continues, he grows bolder. In addition to creating “crushable” beers like his new IPA, he’s also experimenting with wild strains of yeast for new bottle-conditioned beers.

Personal pride

Like many of Oklahoma City’s newest breweries, Elk Valley is a labor of love.

Sometimes, it’s challenging to love the labor, though.

Behind the taproom, Elkins shows off his equipment, both old and new. Much of it comes secondhand from other brewers whose needs outgrew their limitations.

“We used this manual seaming machine to make cans,” he said. “We could only do 100 cases on a long day.”

But getting closer to the beer has benefits, too.

“When I moved from Choc to [Mustang], there was nothing like having my hands all over the beer,” he said. “That’s where I wanted to be to begin with.”

It makes it even sweeter when he sees someone enjoying one of his beers. Out at a restaurant or a bar where nobody knows he made the brew they’re drinking, he watches people order an Elk Valley brew, take their first sip and smile. He said it’s a feeling of elation to know he had a hand in that smile.

“It’s so much fun,” Elkins said. “I get to do what I love doing every day.”

Visit elkvalleybrew.com.

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EAT & DRINK

Viva Vito’s

A loyal clientele packs Vito’s Ristorante nightly for delicious Italian cuisine served with a smile.

By Greg Elwell

($9.95). Tender pieces of squid are flash-fried to retain their Vito’s Ristorante delicate texture without becoming chewy. The dish is 7521 N. May Ave. vitosokc.com | ​405-848-4867​ served with Cathy’s sugo, which is the restaurant’s juicy and What works: The meatballs are a delight, vibrant red sauce. It’s an exceland the tiramisu is one of the best in the city. lent starter to share and a good What needs work: Service is fast, but way to introduce otherwise sometimes they clear plates too soon. seafood-averse friends to the joys of squid.

Tip: Owner Cathy Cummings knows her fish, If there are any picky eaters so keep an eye out for daily specials. at the table, steer them to chicken spedini ($16.95).

Spedini, also spelled spiedini, Meatballs seem like the simplest things is a traditional Sicilian dish in which meat in the world until you try to make them. is rolled into balls, dipped in batter and There are a few ways to make a good skewered before it’s cooked. Vito’s version uses marinated chicken breast strips that meatball, but there are infinite ways to screw one up. They require the right blend are seasoned with breadcrumbs and grilled. of meats in the right proportions. Work The chefs brush an amogio sauce on top of the skewer of meat, giving each bite a bit the meat too much and the meatballs become tough and chewy. Put in too much of crunch and a slightly tangy flavor. Amogio liquid and they crumble before they’re is fairly simple concoction of olive oil, butter done cooking. and lemon juice with a variety of seasonings, Should meatballs be baked? Simmered? and it brings the spedini to life.

Sauteed? Some combination of the three?

Eggplant is a pretty versatile fruit, This is why I turn to experts like Vito’s though you might not realize it. It’s the Ristorante, 7521 N. May Ave. main ingredient in baba ganoush and plays Vito’s is a neighborhood Italian restaua big role in ratatouille. It’s also a great rant with a gourmet feel, but it flies under way to add heft to soups.

But one of my favorite preparations is the radar a bit. Though favorites Belle Kitchen and La Baguette Bistro are just a red-sauce Italian recipe eggplant stone’s throw away, garnering more atParmesan ($15.95). Watch smiles spread across the restaurant when the server at tention, Vito’s has a dedicated clientele.

Sit and watch owner/whirling dervish Vito’s walks a giant plate of eggplant Parmesan through the dining room.

Cathy Cummings bounce from table to table, giving diners personal attention. If it There’s a mix of happy recognition and a seems like she knows everyone, you’re probtinge of jealousy as customers think, ably not too far off, considering she ran for “Next time, I’m getting the eggplant.” lieutenant governor a couple years ago.

Vito’s eggplant Parmesan includes four The tables, chairs and walls must have thick slices of the fruit, which has been absorbed an enormous amount of enthubreaded, fried and covered in sugo and siasm and warmth over the years, because mozzarella; a side of vegetables; and a everything about Vito’s feels inviting, generous helping of pasta. It’s a mountain down to the bread on the table. of food, but that’s part of the fun of Italian If a very garlic-infused oil and balsamic cuisine. Eat until you’re full, and then eat vinegar aren’t enough to tide you over, the a little more. Lean back in your chair and appetizer menu is a small selection of tasty smile at your companions as the satisfacoptions. If you’re steering clear of fried foods tion washes over you. later in the meal, I recommend the calamari Lasagna | Photo Garret Fisbeck

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Tiramisu | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Eggplant Parmesan | Photo Garret Fisbeck

While chicken or veal versions of the dish might weigh one down, eggplant is actually pretty light, so any overly full feelings will fade quickly. Don’t expect to taste much of the eggplant, though. This dish is really about the breading, the sauce and the cheese, and Vito’s skimps on none of it.

But if you’re craving meatballs — and you should be, if you’ve ever had a great one — Vito’s is the place to be.

There’s Fat Tony’s Pasta Special ($10.95), which is a heaping portion of your choice of pasta covered in sugo. Meatballs are $4 more and worth every penny. Cathy’s sugo is a little sweet, which balances out the bold, acidic punch of the tomatoes and draws out the flavor of the herbs. The meatballs are a perfect addition, holding their shape until they meet the edge of a fork and then soaking up the sauce.

Meatballs can also be found in lasagna ($15.95) in place of spicier Italian sausage.

Nominally hidden beneath the long planks of pasta and copious amounts of melted mozzarella, the meatballs give the dish a slightly lumpy look, so your fork can easily find them.

Vito’s lasagna proves Garfield the cat

right once again. There’s nothing better than sinking a fork through layers of sauce, cheese and pasta and coming up with chunk of tender, beefy meatball. Also, Mondays suck.

Well, they suck if you’re not going to Vito’s, where they serve one of the tastiest tiramisus ($8) in the city.

Tiramisu is a melange of tasty ingredients that must be put together just right to make an outstanding dessert. If the ladyfinger cookies soak in coffee too long, they become wet and mealy. If the mascarpone cheese is too thick, the dessert will be heavy.

Too much sugar makes it insipid. Too little leaves the sweet tooth unsatisfied.

The only problem with Vito’s tiramisu is that I shared it with my friends. It was a perfectly light dessert, nicely sweet without being cloying and had the ideal mix of coffee and chocolate.

It was a great end to a great experience, which is the norm at Vito’s. The food is excellent, the staff is warm and welcoming and the atmosphere is charming and lively. Go in and see for yourself. You just might become a regular, too.

b rief s By Greg Elwell

catalan chicken

lunch & dinner

6014 n. May 947.7788 | zorbasokc.coM

•Fresh Cup

The Red Cup owners from left Kurt Orth and Patrick Clark introduced a new menu Jan. 2. | Photo Gazette / file

Chef Patrick “Beave” Clark unveiled his new menu for The Red Cup, 3122 N. Classen Blvd., to the public Jan. 2.

“As many locals know, I have been working on new menus for the past three years,” Clark said in an Instagram post. “The time is almost here and that is exciting.”

It’s a learning process for the staff, Clark said. He’ll work nonstop through February to train everyone and get the new recipes nailed down.

A few longtime favorites remain, including GMO Free’toe Pie and classic red beans and rice, but much of the menu is new. Clark drew heavily from the Asian District for inspiration for his new bibimbap and bánh mì dậu hũ, which both include char siu tofu.

The restaurant will also serve all-day breakfast 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy and Benny’s Huevos, made with carrot Canadian “bacon” and plant-based hollandaise sauce.

The Red Cup hasn’t gone to an all-vegan menu, but many of the dishes are vegan.

Clark created a plant-based chorizo sausage that he pairs with cashew cheese and local Della Terra pasta in the chorizo mac dish.

Visit theredcupokc.com.

Closed House

Owner Patrick Boylan closed J. Bruner’s at The Haunted House Jan. 2.

Boylan purchased the restaurant, 7101 Miramar Blvd., at auction in 2015. He told Oklahoma Gazette it held a special place in his heart and he wanted to save it, much as he had the original J. Bruner’s in Osage Beach, Missouri.

“I went to the auction just to see who would end up with it,” he said, but he ended up bidding and winning it.

After a year in business with flagging sales, Boylan brought in executive chef and general manager Cally Johnson, one of the cofounders of Big Truck Tacos, to revamp the menu.

Before it was J. Bruner’s at The Haunted House, it was simply The Haunted House.

After the deaths of the owners in 1963 and 1964, the mansion was converted into a restaurant. It remained in business until owner Marian Thibault died in 2015.

Juicy joint

When Eric Massey brought Avery Cannon some of his homemade juice, something clicked.

“I said, ‘Why aren’t I drinking this every day?’” Cannon said.

Over the next year, the pair joked about Massey’s juice. Then they stopped joking and opened Wheeze the Juice, 30 NE Second St. Cannon, co-owner of Empire Slice House, said the new juice and smoothie bar found the perfect home in the OKSea shipping container project next to Anchor Down.

“I think there are a lot of cool local businesses that are pushing south into that area,” he said.

The ’80s and ’90s theme of Wheeze the Juice, named for Pauly Shore’s line from the film Encino Man, is both new and comforting, Cannon said. But the real draw is the juice.

“I travel all over both coasts, and there are juice bars that have been doing this for 30 years,” he said. “It’s crazy that it’s not the norm here.”

Cannon said the shop specializes in healthy, cold-pressed juices with an interesting roster of ingredients and names.

Mango Tango includes mango, pineapple and yellow curry.

Visit facebook.com/wheezethejuice.

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Chocolate cake | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Smoke rings

Rib dinner with fried okra and coleslaw | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Edmond’s Texlahoma Barbecue serves up traditional favorites made right. By Lisa K. Broad

ing the consistently high quality.

Texlahoma Barbecue The jewel in the crown of Texas barbecue, beef brisket 121 E. Waterloo Road, Edmond 405-513-7631 is one of Texlahoma’s signature dishes. Lucky Peach’s What works: The smoky ribs and the fried handy Guide to Regional BBQ okra are absolute standouts. of the USA notes that slowsmoked brisket “is thought to What needs work: The sausage and the potato salad are good but not great. have originated among the German immigrants who Tip: Ask for recommendations and the came to Texas in the early 19th perfectly balanced spicy sauce. century for work on ranches and in butcher shops.”

On the night I visited, only Housed in an unassuming strip mall the chopped variety was availalongside Subway and Farmers Insurance, able, but it allowed me to sample the apEdmond’s Texlahoma Barbecue quietly pealing range of lean and lush textures dedicates itself to the serious business of that distinguish the cut. The smoking smoked meat. process clarifies and intensifies the disScrawled on the chalkboard above the tinct, richly savory flavor of beef fat. A bit counter in a casual yet easily decipherable underseasoned on its own, the chopped hand, the menu boasts a selection of meats brisket paired incredibly well with the that can be ordered by the pound or paired restaurant’s house spicy sauce, which with two sides in a dinner plate. (Dinners strikes an ideal balance between not too sweet and not too hot. range from $10.25 to $12.25, while the The two-meat platter ($12.25) comes sides can be had à la carte for $2.50 each.)

There is also a small selection of sandon a metal tray lined with crisp white wiches, a two-item kids menu, a couple of paper and is accompanied by sliced red dessert options and a choice of bottled onions, pickles and white bread. The beer or soft drinks. sausage, while not especially disAll in all, it’s a fairly austere affair, but tinguished, exhibited the requisite the limited focus allows Texlahoma, combination of salt and snap. The which opened just over a year ago, to excellent beans were saucy and saexecute each item with a level of care and vory-sweet with a powerful aroma of precision that’s intensely satisfying. The cumin and a rich depth of flavor that reportions are generous but not overwhelmcalled a molasses-laced chili. A neat dome ing — a good value for the price, considerof fairly standard potato salad — chilled, 18

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smashed potatoes infused with mustard and dill — came in a white Styrofoam cup.

Texlahoma’s ribs ($11.25) were a revelation: dark and crisp on the outside with a sweet, black pepper-flecked crust.

Laying a cross-section of rib on its side revealed a dark crimson smoke ring around the outside edge, a visual corollary to its robust, multi-layered flavors. The meat was firm but separated easily from the bone. It was rich without feeling greasy or heavy, and every bite was permeated with fragrant smoke.

The ribs paired well with the crisp, fresh-tasting coleslaw slicked with a light, tangy mayonnaise sauce — a nice rendition of a traditional barbecue favorite.

While the sides were uniformly well executed, the fried okra was a standout — hot and crispy, but not oily, the cornmeal coating was augmented with a hint of spice and just the right amount of salt.

On the way out, I decided to order a dessert to take home. That evening, they had brownies and a few slices of chocolate Bundt cake. I asked the gentlemen at the counter for a recommendation; with absolute confidence and nearly in unison, they both chose the cake

($4). It had a moist, delicate crumb and an intense chocolate flavor. It was topped with the kind of rich cocoa and powdered sugar icing that forms a light, crackly crust while remaining creamy underneath and was decorated with delicate milk and white chocolate curls.

At Texlahoma Barbecue, the brisk yet friendly service and the sparse décor of the dining room echo the uncluttered economy of the menu. There’s a big-screen television on one wall and a couple of neon Budweiser signs on the other. Requests for mild or spicy sauce and other condiments are fielded from a small take-out window.

On the weekday night I visited, the restaurant was quiet. The TV was on mute and a mix of blues and old Christmas songs played in the background. There was only a handful of other diners; some chatted softly, but for the most part, they focused intently on their food. That was fine with me. Texlahoma’s the kind of low-key, refreshingly untrendy place in which you instinctively want to keep to yourself.

Maybe you’ll bring one or two friends along, or guests from out of town. You’ll proudly point out the smoke ring on the ribs and recommend the okra. Soon, your friends will bring their own friends and out-of-town guests, and eventually, everyone will know about the ribs, the beans, the okra and the cake.

And that’s how it should be.

Two-meat dinner with chopped brisket, plain sausage, beans and potato salad | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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eat & DRINK

Growing roots

A rolling stone gathers no moss, but these food trucks have hit the brakes to gather more green — money, that is; paper gold; United States currency. Some transient eateries are putting down roots and going from mobile to brick-andmortar. The food is still great, and it’s even easier for diners to find their favorite dishes no matter the weather outside. Oklahoma City’s food truck craze continues, though, as some restaurants are turning to trucks to find more customers.

By Greg Elwell Photos Garett Fisbeck and Gazette / file

Klemm’s Smoke Haus

2000 S. Broadway, Edmond klemmssmokehaus.com | 405-562-8616 Klemm’s Smoke Haus is a purveyor of fine German barbecue and other Teutonic delicacies. The restaurant began as a catering business before becoming a food truck. In early 2016, the Clem family (John and Jan and son J.J.) set up a permanent home for the business in Edmond. Customers rave about the brisket, pulled pork and ribs, but one of the biggest sellers is Klemm’s schnitzel, a piece of pork loin that is pounded thin, breaded and fried and served with red cabbage, apple slaw and spicy German mustard.

Aloha Shave Ice & Coffee Shoppe

Off the Hook Seafood & More

Inuits might have 50 words for snow, but Hawaiians can say “hello” and “goodbye” with just one word: aloha. At Aloha Shave Ice & Coffee Shoppe, you’ll want to say hello again and again to the restaurant’s Hawaiian-style take on snow cones, with ice cream on the bottom and cream poured on top for a luscious treat. Aloha has a lovely little lobby perfect for saying aloha to some new friends.

One of the best Christmas gifts in the metro was when Off the Hook Seafood & More reopened a few days into 2017. Owners Corey and Loniesha Harris took a well-deserved break for the holidays, but it was torture for those of us who’ve grown addicted to the restaurant’s blend of Southern seafood and soul food. Jump right in the deep end with incredibly satisfying grilled fish, shrimp and grits, which come covered in a spinach lobster cream sauce that is downright addictive.

8000 NW 39th St. facebook.com/ alohashaveicecoffeeshoppe 405-633-7778

Join us for daily lunch & dinner menu specials

125 W. Britton Road offthehookokc.com | 405-840-3474

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1333 N. SaNta Fe | edmoNd 405-471-6587 SALA THAI - 1614 NW 23rd, OKC | 405-528-8424 TASTE OF THAI - 1801 S. Air depOt, MWC | 405-732-1519 ginthaifusion.com 20

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TWEET TWEET! FOLLOW US! @OKGAZETTE

Bay Street Bistro & Smoothie Bar

1315 24th Ave. SW Suite C, Norman thebaystreetbistro.com | 405-701-3717 Formerly food truck Pinky’s Rolling Fresh, Norman’s new Bay Street Bistro & Smoothie Bar retains the mobile restaurant’s focus on healthy eating. The filling and fabulous chicken kebab bowl and black rice stir-fry are both gluten-free options, and the caprese sandwich is packed full of flavorful tomato, mozzarella, avocado and spinach. Bay Street also serves a Cheat Day menu with Indian tacos, Cubano sandwiches and a gourmet grilled cheese worth melting for.

The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen 1004 N. Hudson Ave., Suite 106 thehallskitchen.com | 405-520-8202

Another Christmas and another bullet dodged by the Hall family — Lorne, Lori, Elise and Molly — who are in danger each December of being decked by someone who takes song lyrics too literally. They could hide themselves away, but instead, these brave souls are always out in The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen, making wood-fired slices (and delectable cookies) in their food truck. In 2017, the family will make its restaurant a permanent fixture in Midtown. Look for it to open in spring near NW Ninth Street and Hudson Avenue.

The Loaded Bowl

1211 SW Second St. theloadedbowltruck.com 405-820-9599 Vegans aren’t the only ones celebrating the December arrival of The Loaded Bowl’s longawaited restaurant in The Farmers Market District. Using a successful Kickstarter campaign for funding, owner Tevin Grupe moved the popular eatery-on-wheels into a permanent location. If you’re not yet a believer in delicious vegan fare, it will only take a bite of The Loaded Bowl’s cashew mac and cheese to convince you.

Try Our new Lunch SpeciaL Lomo SaLtado + Soft drink $7.99 vaLid mon-fri 11am to 4pm with thiS ad

Trevino’s Mexican Street Beast

2602 NW 32nd St., Newcastle facebook.com/mexicanstreetbeast 405-397-1866 The long trek to Trevino’s Mexican Restaurant in Newcastle is still worth the drive, but owners Richard and Sherry Trevino are now mobile with Trevino’s Mexican Street Beast. The menu is always changing, but a few favorites, including the restaurant’s crave-worthy puffy tacos, have become mainstays. Trevino’s piles beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, green onion and sour cream into a freshly fried puffy shell.

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21

SHOP

Strong start r e ta i l

designs that inspire

happy new year

to you and yours

from all of us

at K&n!

The best thing about a new year is it presents the opportunity for a fresh start. What that means for anybody depends on their priorities.

Some strive to lose weight, and others want to read more books or start a new hobby. Whatever the case might be, Oklahoma Gazette has pulled together a list of local retailers equipped to give anyone looking for a new beginning their best shot at success.

By Ben Luschen / Photos Garett Fisbeck, Gazette / file and provided

designsthatinspire.com

• YMCA of Greater OKC

Several metro locations ymcaokc.org/classes The top goal for many Americans each new calendar year is to get active. There might be no better way to do so than with a YMCA membership. They have gym facilities, of course, but a wide variety of classes and programs can help make fitness more fun than just lifting weights. Many locations also include a pool and youth sports programs.

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Reserve National Insurance

601 E. Britton Road reservenational.com | 405-658-3018 Does the Affordable Care Act not seem like such an affordable option? Make security and peace of mind a priority in 2017 by giving Bryan Waters a call and setting up a custom-fit insurance policy.

Reserve National is a member of Better Business Bureau of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and offers packages for life, health and accident insurance.

•OK Runner

1189 E. 15th St., Edmond myokrunner.com | 405-285-1455 The new year might be the perfect time to get off the couch and start jogging the neighborhood, and it’s a good idea to consult a few experts before jumping right into the activity. Luckily, OK Runner has the knowledge and quality equipment to make running safe and efficient. The trained staff can pair any customer with the shoes and footwear best for his or her body. While 22

j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

known for its original Edmond location, shoppers should not overlook the Norman location at 3720 W. Robinson Ave.

Executive Hair Design

820 W. Main St. hairreplacementoklahomacity.com 405-300-8692 Few things will help someone confidently take on 2017 quite like a full head of luscious hair. The fine folks at Executive Hair Design make sure everyone has that opportunity. Its wide selection of hair-replacement services include human hair wigs, custom wigs, medical wigs and human hair replacement.

Employees are thorough and committed to making sure each customer receives superior quality service and care.

•Native Roots Market

131 NE Second St. nativerootsmarket.com 405-310-6300 Ever get three-quarters of the way through the big, name-brand potato chip bag you bought at the same big-name superstore you’ve been shopping at the last 24 months and think, “Why am I always eating this stuff?” Fear not, for Native Roots exists to help change your habits for the better. Start eating fresh and local in 2017 while selecting from the downtown market’s high-quality selection of organic produce and meats from select local farmers.

SALES, RENTAL, TRADE just north of reno on council road

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• Dog Dynasty Grooming Salon

5026 N. May Ave. 405-602-3004 While contemplating a new hairdo for the new year, it’s important not to forget that Fido deserves some pampering too.

Dog Dynasty is known for great service and quality pet grooming. Its groomers can tame the hair of even the rowdiest fur babies. A quick flea bath and a quality trim will have any pet looking dapper and dandy for 2017. Just make sure to keep the dog out of the mud for a few days.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7

23

film

ARTS & CULTURE

Year in review

2016 featured a variety of original and well-exectued film projects.

By Ben Luschen

From the subtle but haunting scares of The Witch to the absurdity of romance in The Lobster, 2016 offered moviegoers plenty of original alternatives to comic book heroes and big action franchises that dominate much of today’s cinema. But that is not to say the year did not also feature good examples of both. Below is our shortlist of some of 2016’s best local and national pictures.

Deadpool

Director: Tim Miller Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein

pected consequences. The black-andwhite contrast is gorgeous and appropriate. It’s mentally stimulating in a way that harks back to Rod Sterling and The Twilight Zone.

Great Plains

Director: Blair Hayes Stars: Tara Buck, Beth Grant, Spencer Mabrey, Billy Blair

Hell or High Water

Photo Marvel Studios / provided

Electric Nostalgia

Director: Jacob Burns Stars: Lauren Analla, Stephen Goodman, Page Tudyk, Josh Bonzie

Photo MarVista Entertainment / provided

A mother takes off with her son to escape an abusive spouse and soon learns that she must escape not only a violent husband, but a police search amid allegations of kidnapping. Though well acted throughout, young Spencer Mabrey shows strong acting chops and steals nearly every scene he’s in.

Great Plains is one of several films — including new installments in the Children of the Corn and Hellraiser series — made

by Los Angeles co-producer Mike Leahy in Oklahoma.

Heartland

Director: Maura Anderson Stars: Laura Spencer, Velinda Godfrey, Beth Grant, Aaron Leddick

Photo Sidney Kimmel Entertainment / provided

Though not filmed or produced in Oklahoma, Hell or High Water is the best received national film this year to be at least partially set in the state. With strong shades of No Country for Old Men, the new-age Western follows the outlaw Howard brothers, who have taken to robbing several branches of a local bank to pay back their family’s debt to that bank. Bridges shines as the end-of-his-rope lawman who clashes with the violently reckless brother played

by Foster.

The Jungle Book

Director: Jon Favreau Stars: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba Photo Planet Thunder Productions / provided

Many fans of Oklahoma filmmaking agree there was no better project to debut in 2016 than the black-and-white cerebral sci-fi thriller from writer/director Jacob Burns. Lauren Analla stars as a woman who wakes up in a body of her own as part of a developing revival program. Her second lease on life leads to some unex24

j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Photo Heartland Films / provided

In the fantastic script co-written by former Oklahoma resident and film co-star Velinda Godfrey, a young Oklahoma woman deals with the grief of a lost lover by sparking a

The Lobster

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Stars: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly

romance with her brother’s fiancée, played

by The Big Bang Theory’s Laura Spencer. The story introduces audiences to a variety of social and ethical dilemmas and offers perspective for the experiences of LGBT youth in Oklahoma and the South. It’s the second state film of the year to prominently feature celebrated actress Beth Grant, and she does a great job in both very different roles.

Director: David Mackenzie Stars: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham Valentine’s Day movies are often seen as mush made palatable for a mass audience.

With violent and dark-humored Deadpool, Marvel Studios turns the idea of a typical Valentine romance flick on its head. Many fans and critics have said the sassy, irreverent Deadpool role is a perfect fit for Reynolds, and it’s true that the action star shines in this film despite having his face covered for much of it. In 2016, Marvel comes out as the clear winner in its endless rivalry with opposing comic-book name brand DC Comics.

Walt Disney Pictures has taken a liking to remaking its classic animated films as liveaction features. The Jungle Book is a good example of a remake done right. Neel Sethi does a good job of carrying the movie, especially considering his lack of prior experience and his status as the film’s only main flesh-and-bone participant. And Bill Murray shines as the voice of bear Baloo, a role almost perfectly suited for his comedic style.

Photo Walt Disney Pictures / provided

Photo Film4 / provided

While technically released to much of the world in 2015, The Lobster did not make its American debut until 2016. The wholly original allegory to modern romance follows a matchmaking hotel in a parallel universe in which couples are paired based on shared traits and are forced to hunt single “loners” in the wilderness. Those who cannot find a mate at the end of a set time are turned into an animal of their choice. Unique, unorthodox movies like these are rarely ever made and even less often this well executed.

The Witch

Director: Robert Eggers Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw

Photo Parts and Labor / provided

It has been a good while since a film was as uniquely disturbing as The Witch. It relies more on the chilling unknown of the dark 1600s New England forest than cheap jump scares. Those who say Eggers’ original script (pieced together with actual historic testimony from his own research) is not scary should broaden their definition of terror to include more than blood and gore. The Witch is scary because it’s rooted in an accurate past.

List your event in

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma

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

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

OCCC Cultural Programs Presents

A tribute to the Carpenters, complete with all their big hits, including "We've Only Just Begun," "Top of the World" and "Superstar," plus anecdotes and stories about Karen’s life and songs.

"When she hits the lower range of her marvelous voice, if you close your eyes, you can see Karen Carpenter's face." ~Alan Bresloff, Cabaret Critic, Around the Town Chicago

Saturday, January 21, 8:00 p. m. tickets.occc.edu • Box Office 405-682-7579 www.occc.edu/pas OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater Oklahoma City Community College 7777 South May Avenue

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7

25

film

ARTS & CULTURE

Flash forward

DeadCenter Film welcomes board chairman and local commercial real estate investor and developer John Kennedy. By Jessica Williams

DeadCenter Film recently named commercial real estate investor and developer John Kennedy its 2017 chairman of the board, and with him comes a wave of new opportunities for filmmakers and enthusiasts alike. Kennedy and deadCenter executive director Lance McDaniel spoke with Oklahoma Gazette about new prospects in 2017.

“DeadCenter is two things,” Kennedy said. “First, it’s the biggest celebration of film in the city. … Second, it’s an education program that benefits over 3,000 students in the state. I’m excited to ensure and bring more resources to deadCenter in the next year.”

An Oklahoma native and the youngest person ever appointed as Oklahoma’s secretary of state, Kennedy holds an undergraduate degree in history from Oklahoma City University and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.

Gain theory

“The movie A Beautiful Mind [Ron Howard, 2001] was based on a professor I had at Harvard named John Forbes Nash Jr.,” Kennedy said. “He taught us about gain theory, which Irish Realty is modeled after.”

Over 37 years, the Irish Realty CEO and founder has supported Oklahoma City’s community through its investment, development and redevelopment of historical infrastructures, negotiating with construction companies and businesses to restore city buildings into functional workplaces and architectural monuments.

Developed for economic business, gain theory separates an individual’s spoken interests with his or her true interests, ultimately leading to more successful trades and deals. Kennedy said focusing on core human interests speaks for his company’s professional achievements.

“Our consulting company focuses on real estate but also conflict resolution. That’s something that’s important to me professionally and personally, and it has led us to negotiate deals on a national and global level,” Kennedy said. “In 1981, we bought the First National Center just to save it from being demolished. Now, it’s a site of business and a building that people enjoy. That building is a piece of historical architecture and art, and it tells the story of OKC.” A drive to preserve the city’s history and culture also informs Kennedy’s new position as deadCenter Film’s board chairman.

Human interests comprise the basis of any film, and Kennedy’s complex understanding and application of this humanistic foundation makes him a lucrative advocate for deadCenter.

“We were interested in getting John involved with deadCenter because he brings community-minded people to the table,” McDaniel said. “His consulting business is so successful at helping businesses figure out where they should be, and our goal this year is to map out where deadCenter is going for the next five to 10 years.”

Community bonds

Beyond his consulting expertise, Kennedy’s love for cinema is tied to close friendships

John Kennedy | Photo provided

with film industry professionals.

“In the early ’90s, my friend from high school Hunt Lowry gave me the opportunity to be on set to watch his production of The Last of the Mohicans,” Kennedy said. “Thanks to deadCenter, Lowry and I got to watch Last of the Mohicans on a giant screen in the Myriad Gardens. That was one of the greatest cinematic moments I’ve ever experienced.”

Since that moment, Kennedy’s love for film has translated into his support for deadCenter’s festival and education goals. In its 17th year, deadCenter has expanded beyond an annual film fest into an educational resource for the state of Oklahoma.

“I was asked if I’d be interested in serving as deadCenter’s board chairman and knew it was a great opportunity to contribute to OKC’s arts and culture,” Kennedy said. “I try to spend about 30 percent of my time working with the community’s nonprofits, especially in the realm of education.”

Kennedy’s involvement comes at a pivotal point for deadCenter’s education

initiatives. McDaniel said deadCenter’s relevancy in the community will increase with expanded programs for youth and adults.

“We run a statewide education program where we visit around 30 high schools each fall, focusing on rural areas where arts education is limited,” McDaniel said. “Last year, we decided to launch the deadCenter Institute, which will focus on bringing educational opportunities to working professionals. We want to educate younger ages, but we also want to support those already working in the film industry to perfect their craft.”

“The thing that makes deadCenter different than other film festivals is its education component,” Kennedy said. “It has the best film education outreach program in the state and, I believe, the country.”

DeadCenter’s education program started at its festival, where professionals from the industry spoke at sold-out panels about their experiences in filmmaking, directing, acting and scriptwriting.

“It’s about building a community of filmmakers and educators,” McDaniel said. “Our goal is to help individuals improve their craft, communicate with other film professionals and ultimately make Oklahoma a relevant and influential state for filmmaking.”

This year is set to be deadCenter’s most productive one yet.

“With such a varied board,” McDaniel said, “we’ve been able to map out a strong plan for the next five years.”

Added Kennedy, “We want to mobilize creative and financial resources for filmmakers and educators through business connections in the community. Our board is made up of professionals in science, engineering, art and several other major Oklahoma industries. We’re going to ensure deadCenter continues far into the future.”

Visit deadcenterfilm.org.

DeadCenter Film Festival attendees ready to watch film screenings during last year’s event | Photo Gazette / file

26

j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Justin Kelly and Benjamin Stockham in Lost & Found | Photo Lost & Found Film, LLC / provided

film

Lost & Found

Edmond-raised filmmaker Scott Bridges celebrates his homecoming with screenings of his new ’80s-era throwback film.

By Tyler Talley

The way producer Scott Bridges tells the story, he stumbled into his profession almost by happenstance.

“I just kind of fell into producing in 2002 in Los Angeles when my girlfriend at the time was producing a short film. Suddenly, her boss at her day job required her to go out of town, and I suddenly had to step in to produce this short film,” Bridges said. “I had no idea what I was doing. ... I pointed a lot and pretended to know what I was talking about.”

More than 10 years later and with a number of projects under his belt, Bridges, originally from Edmond, returns to Oklahoma for the premiere of Lost & Found, a film he produced through his Sure Crossing Films production company and distributed through Sony Pictures.

Bridges saiwd he selected the metro as one of ten cities to show the film, which begins screening Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24 for a special weeklong engagement, during its limited release not only because of his Oklahoma roots but also the community it represents.

“I think the connection to family and community is very important [in Oklahoma],” Bridges said. “When it came to releasing the film, in many ways, I made this film for that community.”

He added that an additional benefit included the ability to screen the film for his family, which still lives in Edmond.

“My mom and dad get to go see with their friends, which is always a plus for any kid,” he joked.

The film relates the story of Andy (Justin Kelly) and Mark (Benjamin Stockham), two brothers sent to spend a summer with their uncle on a remote island. While there, they learn their eccentric grandfather once owned said island and vanished without a trace along with the secret to a vast fortune.

The two set out on a complex treasure hunt leading to wealth and a means to heal their

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broken family. However, time is against them as forces work to stop them.

Viewers might notice the film sports a darker edge, an element Bridges said was by design. He described the project as a throwback to iconic movies of his youth in the 1980s like Stand By Me and The Goonies.

It even features two icons from the era in supporting roles: Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) and Jason Patric (The Lost Boys).

Bridges said the film is meant to support a demographic he feels is largely underserved, namely preteens and young teens ready for material that skews toward heavier situations without being too intense.

“It’s kind of this forgotten little medium because those 10- to 15-year-olds don’t want to watch a movie about a kid and his dog,” Bridges said.

Director and cowriter Joseph Itaya passed along the script to Bridges nearly a decade ago. Bridges said he knew the film needed a higher budget than one that could be accrued at the time in order to do the story justice.

As the years went by, he said, the project eventually found its way back to Sure Crossing. It finally came together when financing was secured through multiple investors.

For his part in the production, Bridges spoke on the shifting and expanding roles producers are forced to take in the modern moviemaking process.

“What does a producer do now?” he asked. “He does anything and everything that needs to get done.”

As a producer, Bridges’ hands extend to every facet of assembling the project’s production, from securing financing to ensuring craft services is on hand to feed the cast and crew.

“Hopefully, if I’ve done my job right,” he said, “I will show up on day one of the picture and I will have nothing to do.”

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27

ARTS & CULTURE arts

Beyond Broncho Broncho drummer Nathan Price shows his visual side with a new art exhibit in Norman. By Brian Daffron

It is not unusual for longtime artists of on the road. While he cannot paint on tour, one medium to want to try another. Yet he finds other aspects of visual art that for Nathan Price, the drummer of he can do.

Norman-based indie pop-rock band “Visual art is more of an emotional, Broncho, music and painting have always therapeutic activity where I’m usually been a constant. From an early age, he saw alone,” Price said. “I’m an introvert, so his father, Brad Price, it’s quite helpful. With painting, in addition to music, it’s more of a social his whole family who, job where I’m having to A One Man Show according to Price, “did meet people and hang out music.” with people all night, col6-9 p.m. Jan. 13 “In my personal life, laborating. … I don’t get The Depot Gallery in my head, they’re both to choose; the music 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman quite equal,” Price said chooses for me. The businormandepot.org about music and visual ness chooses for me.

405-307-9320 Whenever I’m not on art. “I hear just as many Free songs in my head as I tour, I paint. When I’m see paintings.” on tour, I can’t. I’ll fill in the blank with graphic design, sketching The paintings that Price sees will be on and computer work.” canvas for the public in A One Man Show, Price said that he doesn’t adhere to a opening 6-9 p.m. Jan. 13 at The Depot Gallery, 200 S. Jones Ave., in Norman as specific style. Instead, his mood deterpart of the 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk mines the style. Some days, he might paint event. like the paintings of the Santa Fe School he saw on trips to the Southwest with his Because of Price’s touring schedule, he doesn’t get much time to paint. If he gets family as a child. On other days, influa week off, he will paint as much as posences from artists he discovered in high sible at his Tulsa home before going back school, such as Dali and Picasso, might

Cook’s creations often draw inspiration from iconic Oklahoma animals and industry. | Photo provided

arts

Beautiful beasts Joshua Cook’s steampunk-inspired sculptures transport viewers to another world.

By Jack Fowler Most of the artwork displayed in the world has to suffer the indignity of watching the vast majority of human beings walk right past it, day after day, year after year.

Different work speaks to people for a variety of reasons, of course, but admit it — most of the paintings and sculptures you see at street fairs, arts festivals, restaurants and bank lobbies tend to blend themselves into one big, amorphous piece of art in your 28

j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

brain. Like any other undertaking, art doesn’t only produce brilliance. Sometimes it’s not worth remembering. Sometimes it can be boring and easy to ignore.

Joshua Cook’s work isn’t easy to ignore.

Even if it’s something you think you’d never have in your home, you will notice it. You’ll probably even linger in front of it for a few seconds and mention it to whomever you’re with. You might even buy it.

Broncho bandmate and artist Nathan Price debuts his A One Man Show exhibit Jan. 13 at The Depot Gallery in Norman. | Image provided

inspire him. Price’s more recent works before booking A One Man Show were more abstract due to drastic life changes.

“I got a divorce, and I went through a more abstract, losing my mind sort of direction,” Price said. “I booked this show and thought I should make some pretty stuff people would want to buy. I put a few personal things on hold and started painting the things I enjoy that are a little less exposing, personally.”

While Price struggles with finding time to paint, he finds ways to blend his two worlds of music and art. For years, he was the cover designer for Fowler Volkswagen’s annual Blackwatch Christmas album. Yet he resisted designing Broncho band art for years until this year, when he designed the cover of its 2016 Double Vanity release.

Price’s work has previously shown in “Recycled monsters,” said Cook, smiling, when asked how he’d describe his work.

A collection of it is now on display at CMG Art Gallery, 1104 NW 30th St. A steampunk menagerie of dinosaurs, lizards, insects and anglerfish constructed from refuse found in the world’s recycling bin, Cook’s sculptures almost always guarantee a second or third look.

“A lot of it is made from soda can metal, and I also go to garage sales and find old printers, typewriters, anything I can tear apart and make into something else,” said Cook, a 24-year-old Yukon native. “They’re basically steampunk aesthetic animals, like animals plated with armor.”

The bolts on the animals’ joints are reminiscent of old GI Joe action figures, and when Cook adds lights to the inside of the sculptures, the movement created by the jutting angles and sliced shadows is especially anthropomorphic.

“I also really try to make it look like they could be moving, which is why there are joints and plates and sections to most of them,” he said. “So even if they’re not made to move, it looks like they could on their own.”

An anglerfish that doubles as a desk lamp looks so sentient and menacing that one hesitates to reach out and touch its teeth.

Artistic reach

Cook, who works full-time as an emergency room scribe, said the sculptures have become his primarily artistic discipline.

“I used to draw a lot more,” Cook said.

Nathan Price | Photo provided

Norman, where it was displayed in the Generations exhibit alongside his father and grandfather’s art. Outside Norman, he has exhibited in Tulsa and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is represented by Art Exchange Gallery. Price is also interested in branching out into children’s book illustrations in the near future.

When asked why people should come see his work, Price emphasized both emotion and his lack of a formal art education.

“My art is natural — I don’t have an education for art,” Price said. “I’m technically an amateur. I do it for the love. I think in my artwork, what I see through doing it, is a highly honest and emotional type of art.”

Price’s show continues through Feb. 26. Additional events tied to the exhibit include an art chat with Price 2 p.m. Jan. 22 and a second reception 6 p.m. Feb. 10.

Visit normandepot.org.

“I’ve just become so focused on the sculpture thing that it’s primarily what I do now.”

The aforementioned angler fish is the sixth one he has sold — all of them are different; Cook doesn’t make duplicates — and he has enjoyed some success at comic-con shows from Chicago to New Orleans.

“The nerd stuff like Pokémon really sell well at shows,” Cook said.

He has only been making these metal beasts for a few years and has refined his process in several ways.

“For starters, they’re way sturdier now than they used to be,” Cook said. “I especially learned that when I started having to transport them everywhere. I’d have to judge it not just on how it looked, but on whether or not it would survive the trip.”

He also said his painting skills have grown by leaps and bounds. After bolting the sculpture together, Cook has perfected a painting technique that adds a faux patina to the finished pieces, giving them a bronzed, aged look. He had a booth at the Paseo Arts Festival for the last two years and showed in the Blue Dome Arts Festival in Tulsa, but he’s a relative newcomer to the Oklahoma City art scene. He’s also admittedly not a self-promoter, so it’s probably more likely that you’ll recognize his work rather than his name.

“I guess that would be ideal,” Cook said when asked if becoming a full-time artist is a goal. “But I just want to keep getting better at what I do, and we’ll see what happens.”

Visit cmgartgallery.com.

arts

Go west

Steve Boaldin’s Western paintings feature cowboys in action. By Jack Fowler

There’s just something about cowboys.

From the public library to Hollywood, from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show to HBO’s Westworld, the romantic legend of the American cowboy has cemented itself in our national consciousness as much as baseball and Election Day. He’s rugged, uncompromising and unafraid to go it alone; we love the cowboy’s independence while empathizing with his loneliness.

While clutching to our comforts while he’s mending fence in a blizzard, we still envy his freedom.

Through his labor, he allows us to imagine that we, too, could pick up one day and drive the herd to Montana.

Cowboys reflect so much of what’s good about America, and maybe that’s the reason Edmond artist Steve Boaldin is so passionate about preserving cowboy culture through his painting.

“I just have such a good feeling about it, and I think a lot of people do,” said Boaldin of the cowboy way of life. “It’s in my blood. It’s how I was raised. I think a lot of people feel the same way I do about it, but they don’t know how to express it.

This is just my way of keeping it alive. It’s a romantic art. It’s a romantic way of life, even though it’s hard. It’s still classic Americana, though. It’s the American dream for a lot of people.”

Boaldin, 54, was raised on an 8,000-acre cattle ranch in Elkhart, Kansas, a tiny map dot on an endless, sunbaked skillet just over the border from the Oklahoma panhandle.

He migrated south to Oklahoma City over 30 years ago, when he attained a degree in commercial art.

He spent most of the next three decades working as a graphic designer and illustrator for The Oklahoman and Mardel.

“Lethal Weapon” by Steve Boaldin | Image provided

However, three months ago, the latest rounds of layoffs at The Oklahoman thrust Boaldin into the realm of the full-time artist, a move that he’s making the most of.

“I hope it keeps going, but so far, so good,” said Boaldin. “I showed in the Clifton Classic in Clifton, Texas, this year, which is a great stepping stone for bigger shows. There are three galleries handling my work right now, and I’m going to keep supplying them with new stuff. Other than that, I’m going to enter the Prix de West and Small Works[, Great Wonders] shows at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.”

Displaying his work at the formerly named Cowboy Hall of Fame fulfills one of Boaldin’s goals and was decades in the making.

“It’s probably the finest Western show in the world,” Boaldin said. “It’s a place where you can get known. People come from all over the world to see shows there, and so as far as I’m concerned, if you can get your work in there, you’ve done something pretty good.”

His work merits consideration. Ultrarealistic, honest portraits of cowboys are Boaldin’s specialty, and his pieces gently swerve between hyper-detailed and loose, almost watercolor paintings.

His “action shots” of cowboys plying their trade are reminiscent of old rodeo posters or 1950s magazine covers.

His charcoal sketches of old cowhands, which showcase his illustrator chops while simultaneously lending a colorless Old West feel to the work, are especially interesting.

Boaldin’s illustration days saw him paint subjects from Donald Trump to Russell Westbrook, but his heart is still on horseback, driving the herd.

When asked how he would describe his work, the lifelong cowboy doesn’t mention technique or genre.

Instead, he mentions maybe the most un-cowboy thing ever: emotions.

“To me, it’s all about the feeling you get,” he said. “I want to create a feeling, an emotion that people pick up, even though they may not even know what they’re feeling. It’s just in my heart, and I want people to see that when they look at my paintings.”

EXPERIENCE

FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK Friday, January 6, 2017 • 6-10pm

ARTS DISTRICT

In the Paseo Art Space: Jason Wilson — “Perceptual Art Going Big” January 6-20 Local and national art, great food, art classes and plenty of shopping!

#FirstFridayPaseo

405.525.2688 • thepaseo.org

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T h e at e r

ARTS & CULTURE

Sharing culture

Wu Man and Shanghai String Quartet introduce Western audiences to the pipa. By Ben Luschen

T h e at e r

When Wu Man plays a show with Shanghai Zhao Jiping to give American audiences a good feel for contemporary Chinese clasString Quartet, they’re more than colsical music. leagues. In some ways, the group is like an extension of her family.

Man attended Beijing’s Central “It’s kind of like an old friends reunion, Conservatory of Music with the quartet’s and we’ve been talking second violinist, Yi-Wen about working together Jiang, and the brother of for over 20 years,” Man violist and founding A Night in Ancient q u a r t e t m e m b e r said. and New China Honggang Li. The quarMan is one of the planet’s best and most tet’s other featured musi7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 celebrated players of the cians are first violinist Armstrong Auditorium Weigang Li and native pipa (pronounced pea14400 S. Bryant Road New Yorker Nicholas paw), a traditional armstrongauditorium.org Chinese stringed inTzavaras.

405-285-1010 strument resembling a The Jan. 12 program $31-$71 mandolin or banjo. The will feature separate persound of the plucked formances by Shanghai strings is one of the most recognizable charString Quartet and Man before they team up for the remainder of the evening. Man acteristics in many Chinese folk tunes.

She performs with Shanghai String said the quartet will start with some pieces Quartet Jan. 12 at Armstrong Auditorium, of Western music before she performs a 14400 S. Bryant Road, in Edmond. Their traditional, 19th-century pipa piece. program, A Night in Ancient and New China, Part of the purpose of the show is to incorporates multimedia elements and the highlight old and new Chinese music and music of famous Chinese film composer culture.

Dramatic danger OCCC’s National Theatre Live partnership brings top-notch theater to everyone. By Jessica Williams

“We’re rooted in so many kinds of traditional Chinese music,” Man said. “We wanted to bring that to our audience.”

A multimedia presentation helps facilitate the quintet for Raise the Red Lantern, composed by Jiping, whom Man calls “the John Williams of China,” and his son Zhao Lin. Video of a traditional Chinese courtyard and other culturally evocative images are played while the musicians go through the composer’s work. Man said the idea to incorporate music from Jiping into the performance was a joint effort with the quartet.

“You hear his music and you can see — you have the image in your mind,” she said.

“We said it would be great if we could bring in some kind of image.”

Jiping is known for his work in Chinese films like Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine. His musical scores are known for their visceral power, and Man said she hopes the multimedia display helps American audiences feel like they’re somewhere in China.

For Man, Jiping’s work represents contemporary Chinese classical music, a part of their culture that is sometimes overlooked.

Wu Man and Shanghai String Quartet | Photo Ben Doyle / provided

“He kind of represents the modern music scene in China today,” she said.

Man sometimes hears people say the future of Western classical music is in China. The country is producing many of the best young classical piano players.

As technology improves and information is shared at an even faster rate, cultural and musical boundaries begin to vanish. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days, and any type of music is available to them at all times.

“It’s not like it used to be,” Man said. “It’s so easy to communicate with each other musically. To me, it’s important to let audiences know about another culture.”

She thinks it is imperative to spread Chinese music to outside audiences as a means of broadening their horizons and, in turn, shrinking the world into something smaller and relatable.

“I think especially for younger generations, they need to know more about outside of where they live so they can survive in the future,” she said.

Visit armstrongauditorium.org.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses 6 p.m. Jan. 15 Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater Oklahoma City Community College 7777 S. May Ave.

Romance, scandal and betrayal make for fascinating themes to watch, especially when A-list actors perform them.

Oklahoma City Community College presents National Theatre Live’s broadcast of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a timeless drama about the vicious games wealthy aristocrats play. Set to air live 6 p.m. Jan 15 in OCCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave., the period piece stars Dominic West (The Wire), Janet McTeer (The Honourable Woman) and Elaine Cassidy (The Paradise) in a vicious game of seduction.

Based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses has been adapted frequently for stage and screen, such as English adaptation Dangerous Liaisons starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer (1988) and modern reformulation Cruel Intentions starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon (1999). Even after 200 years, the 18thcentury tale of promiscuity and revenge never grows old.

Lead characters Marquise de Merteuil (McTeer) and Vicomte de Valmont (West) engage in a series of bets to seduce innocent 30

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victims, yet their plans eventually backfire.

To display the characters’ petty games and jealous acts, National Theatre Live broadcasts the performance using multiple highdefinition cameras so cinemagoers have the closest seat in the house.

“Our National Theatre Live program at OCCC provides audiences with a prestigious theatrical experience,” Lemuel Bardeguez, OCCC’s director of cultural programs, told Oklahoma Gazette. “The stage settings and high-definition cameras put you right in the performance, and watching a play from many angles creates a unique perspective of the story.”

With as many secrets each character in Dangereuses holds, audiences will certainly want a variety of shots to get the whole story. Viewing a live performance from the college’s large screen also presents an exceptional opportunity to get up close and personal with high-profile actors.

“The star power draws people in, but they stay intrigued by the high quality of the storytelling and innovative set design,” Bardeguez said. “We’ve shown Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein, the wellknown story War Horse and several other stage productions. It’s an accessible way to

tickets.occc.edu 405-682-7579 $15-$16

Les Liaisons Dangereuses will be broadcast live Jan. 15 from London to OCCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater. | Photo Oklahoma City Community College provided

watch theater.”

Bardeguez said each show’s Sunday airdate also encourages those involved in theater to watch it rather than perform it.

“Most of our performance students or theater actors in the community rehearse on the weekends,” he said. “Sunday night showings allow for more of our own students to see these high-quality plays, and [it] therefore helps them improve their own craft.”

Especially in performing arts, education happens through stage experience and observation. With a variety of performances on schedule to play during OCCC’s school year, students and the community alike can sharpen their critical skills.

“We pick professional plays that will be both interesting and challenging to audiences,” Bardeguez said. “Some are contem-

porary, and some are revivals of classics, but all of them hold the ability to make audiences think critically about their complicated ideas and themes.”

Dangereuses reveals the fragility of human relationships when tested with aristocratic hubris. As every good literature teacher knows, if it’s about sex, it’s not really about sex.

“Even though this play is about sexual manipulation and more adult themes, it has a universal, human message to it,” Bardeguez said. “People always respond to stories with unexpected twists, and this one definitely delivers some shocks.”

When the Christmas cheer wears off and you’re ready for something more dramatic, become a player in Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ wicked games, if only for a few hours.

Act i v e

Riversport Adventures is finding new ways for residents to stay active during cold winter months. | Photo Riversport Adventures / provided

Splash shot

Riversport OKC offers winter activity options with its Indoor Golf Shootout. By George Lang

Even diehard golfers balk at putting snow tires on their carts and losing their balls in massive drifts, but Riversport Adventures offers a warm alternative to the season’s cold fairways.

Utilizing the complex’s new indoor sports simulator, Riversport hosts its inaugural Indoor Golf Shootout beginning Jan. 16 at SandRidge Youth Pavilion, 800 Riversport Drive, in the Boathouse District.

The simulator, which supports other activities such as soccer and tennis, will provide the participating teams with advanced simulations of renowned courses such as Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida, and Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, California.

Greg Newby, marketing coordinator at Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, said the simulation is an improvement over the original projection units, providing golfers with both accurate play and realistic views.

“Basically, you have an actual golf setup where you hit the ball into the video screen and then the sensors pick up how far and how straight you hit it,” he said.

For the Indoor Golf Shootout, men’s, women’s and co-ed teams of four players and one alternate will draw tee times on weekday evenings or Saturdays to play nine holes of golf, with heads-up matches scheduled on a round-robin format.

The event culminates with the Riversport Shootout Championship in the spring, in which the top two teams from each category will face off for the win.

Newby said the Indoor Golf Shootout is part of Riversport’s plan to offer fitness alternatives during the winter, when many people revert to sedentary lifestyles.

While traditional gym-based fitness gets many people through the cold weather, competitions provide people with a break from the monotony of treadmills and spinning cycles. The shootout

joins other Riversport winter events such as February’s indoor rowing, canoeing and kayaking championship.

“There’s a lot of people in the Oklahoma City area who like playing golf and like staying active, but in the winter months, it’s harder to do that,” Newby said. “So we’re working on ways for people to maintain their activity.”

In May 2016, the Boathouse District added Riversport Rapids, a MAPS 3 project that offers whitewater enthusiasts a local alternative to Colorado River rafting and kayaking trips, and the area’s expansion continued in September with the installation of the Velosolutions Pump Track, which was built in part through a grant from the federal Recreational Trails Program.

At 15,000 square feet, it is the largest seamless asphalt biking and skating track in the U.S., and its embedded electronic timing systems allow users to compete with other athletes on Velosolutions tracks in New York, Utah, Canada and Thailand.

“A lot of kids like to come over after school — they get a really good workout,” Newby said. “And we’ve been approached by some cycling groups to host races and stuff, so that’s something we’re looking to expand next year.”

Plenty of hardy souls will get on their boards and bikes even during the cold weather, but for the winter-averse, Newby said Riversport wants to add as many indoor options as possible.

“Those are just kind of the beginnings of what you can do to stay active in the wintertime,” he said.

Registration for the Indoor Golf Shootout is $240 per team and closes Thursday.

Visit riversportokc.org.

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Co m m u n i t y

ARTS & CULTURE

Happy tails

The City of Oklahoma City’s Waggin’ Wagon helps shelter animals find forever homes. By Mark Beutler

Making its way through the streets of Oklahoma City is the one of the newest additions to the city’s Animal Welfare division.

Waggin’ Wagon is a converted recreational vehicle being used to help find forever homes for pets needing adoption.

“Taking the Waggin’ Wagon to locations other than the shelter is a huge advantage in the sense it gets animals’ faces out into the community and … seen by adopters who may never visit the shelter,” said Oklahoma City shelter supervisor Crystal Wise.

“Maybe they are not necessarily looking to adopt, or maybe they are not aware of the shelter’s existence. So taking animals to other locations greatly increases adoption numbers, which means more animals are in a home and being loved.”

The Waggin’ Wagon is a 26-foot recreational vehicle donated by Massachusettsbased The Stanton Foundation in 2014. It has space for up to 28 animals, mostly dogs, that need to be adopted.

“The interior is stocked with kennels for animals and all the necessary things to care for them,” Wise said. “It has lots of

Books

The City of Oklahoma City’s Animal Welfare Waggin’ Wagon | Photo provided

storage space for items such as blankets to make the animals cozy, a refrigerator for any food the animals need that needs to stay cool, and is equipped with heat and air conditioning to keep animals and visitors comfortable.”

The color inside is a bright, inviting blue.

It also has a canopy that can be turned out so passersby can see the animals inside, and it is spacious enough visitors can go inside.

On any given day, the shelter has between 100 and 200 animals waiting for adoption.

Adoption fees are $60 for one or two animals, unless the animal is over 4 years old or has been in the shelter for two weeks or longer. In those cases, the adoption fee drops to $30, and the shelter provides reduced-price or fee-waived adoptions as often as possible.

The response to taking the animals on the road has been overwhelmingly positive, Wise said.

“People are loving it,” she said. “The wagon is well maintained, clean and has a beautiful colorful design. It is also very spacious for the animals. The shelter is

receiving a great deal of response from businesses and community events wanting the Waggin’ Wagon to visit and have an adoption event at their location.”

For the most part, the RV travels mainly within the boundaries of Oklahoma City but sometimes does travel outside the city limits. The most frequent location to find it, Wise said, is at local PetSmart locations, multiagency adoption events and other community events.

Anyone who has ever tried to take a cat on a car ride knows they don’t travel well.

For that reason, Wise said Waggin’ Wagon is limited mainly to the canine population.

“Cats do tend to stress out more than dogs when it comes to change,” she said.

“Cats enjoy being in quarters they are accustomed to, so cats are not often taken to

Young views

This season’s Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma series at OCU focuses on books for young adults.

By Lea Terry

Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma 7 p.m. Tuesday Walker Center for Arts and Sciences, Room 151 Oklahoma City University 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. okcufilmlit.org 405-208-5707 | Free

Reality TV, smartphone apps, social media — there are a lot of distractions in today’s world, but an ongoing book discussion series at Oklahoma City University proves that interest in literature is alive and well.

The winter session of Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma kicks off 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 151 of Walker Center for Arts and Sciences on the Oklahoma City University campus, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. This session’s theme is Young Adult Crossover Fiction: Crumbling Borders Between Adolescents and Adults. English 32

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professor Tracy Floreani, who oversees the series, said the theme was an easy choice because it’s a relevant topic and there’s growing interest in young adult literature among adults of all ages.

Many of the group’s core participants have adolescent grandchildren, so they’re interested in reading the kind of books their grandchildren read. Plus, much of today’s YA literature is so well-written that it appeals to adults and teens, something true of all the books chosen for this series.

“These titles are really the kind that are just good literature, so they’re not pandering,” said Floreani, chairwoman of English and Modern Languages department and director of OCU’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film & Literature.

Founded by Oklahoma Humanities Council, Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma is held at several venues throughout the state. OCU’s program is one of the largest, with a dedicated core of participants and anywhere from 45 to 60 people attending each session.

Liz Willner, an education professor at OCU, leads a Tuesday discussion about After the First Death. | Photo provided

Multiple perspectives

Floreani said one of the goals for the series is to expose participants to other perspectives, as was the case with last year’s civil rights theme. She said that session helped people understand racial injustice and the struggles faced in the battle for civil rights, and she hopes the upcoming YA theme will help adults better understand the young people in their lives.

“We were all young adults once, but we forget how complex those experiences can be,” Floreani said. “It reconnects adults with that time in their life and gives them an understanding of people of another generation who are going through a really different world than they did.”

Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma features a 35- to 45-minute lecture from a scholar to help shed light on the meanings and themes of the books. Participants then

adoption events in the Waggin’ Wagon for their safety as well as visitors’.”

Cats are available for adoption at the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter noon-5:45 p.m. every day (excluding major holidays) and also at Midwest City’s PetSmart location, 7177 SE 29th St. Besides the kennels, the wagon is selfcontained with a generator, an audio system, storage space and a desk for paperwork.

“Anyone interested in having the Waggin’ Wagon attend an event they are hosting is welcome to call us,” Wise said.

Call 405-297-2098 or visit the shelter’s website at okc.gov/animalwelfare for more information. A calendar of events is online with dates, times and locations, and visitors can view the wagon and check out animals waiting for homes.

break up into smaller groups to discuss the book further. Floreani said the quality of the discussions is enhanced by the insight provided by the scholar.

This session’s first scholar is OCU education professor Liz Willner, who will discuss After the First Death by Robert Cormier. The book follows two pairs of men: 16-year-old Ben and his father General Marchand, who is in charge of an antiterrorist program, and Miro, a teenager who’s a terrorist, and his mentor Artkin, the leader of a group of freedom fighters struggling to take control of their country.

The book’s themes play out via the hijacking of a school bus full of children and the interaction between their teenage bus driver Kate and Miro. It uses multiple narrators to provide the reader with several perspectives of the same events.

Other books in the five-part series include Monster by Walter Dean Myers on Jan. 24, True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff on Feb. 7, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie on Feb. 21 and Annie John by Jamaica Kinkaid on March 7. All discussions start at 7 p.m. in Walker Center Room 151. OCU encourages adolescents to attend the sessions.

The university has a limited number of books to loan to participants, given out on a first-come-first-served basis. They are available at OCU’s Dulaney-Browne Library Room 211 or 207.

For more information about the series, call 405-208-5707, visit okcufilmlit.org or email filmlit@okcu.edu.

calendar are events recommended

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

District House Storytime, for moms to mingle and little ones to enjoy a story and craft, 10 a.m. Jan. 7. District House, 1755 NW 16th St., 405-633-1775, districthouseokc.com.

SAT

Saturdays for Kids, decorate a saddle bag to hold a bucket list of ideas for the new year. Designed for children ages 4-12. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 7. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org. SAT

BOOKS Red Earth MFA Faculty and Visiting Instructors Reading, Kerry Kohen, Katt Meads, Bayard Godsave and Jenny Yang Cropp will be reading their work. Writers will be available to chat and sign copies after the event.

7-9 p.m. Jan. 7. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. SAT Dorothy Alexander, a poet, storyteller and editor/ publisher of a small independent poetry press that has published the work of 17 finalists and five grand prize winners of the Oklahoma Book Awards for Poetry since 2004. She is the author of four poetry collections, including Lessons From an Oklahoma Girlhood, Borrowed Dust, The Dust Bowl Revisited and Rough Drafts as well as a memoir in prose and poetry, The Art of Digression. 2 p.m. Jan. 8. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN Kim Liggett Book Launch Party, meet the author and receive her new horror thriller The Last Harvest; 7-9 p.m. Jan. 11. Half Price Books, 6500 N. May Ave., 405-843-5837, hpb.com. WED

FILM Princess Mononoke: 20th Anniversary, (Japan, 1997, Hayao Miyazaki) on a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest, he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime. Jan. 5. and 9.

Harkins Theater, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. THU The Flowers of St. Francis, (USA, 1950, Roberto Rossellini) a dozen vignettes from the life of St. Francis and his early followers, starting with their return in the rain to Rivotorlo from Rome when the Pope blessed their rule and ending with their to preach. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU

Cloth Diaper Bootcamp, this informational class covers all the basics, including the different styles available, how many diapers you need to get started, how to wash your diapers, how to make cloth diapering easily work for you and your family and more. 9-10:30 a.m. Jan. 7. Green Bambino, 5120 N. Shartel Ave., 405-848-2330, greenbambino.com. SAT

Bakersfield Mist Carpenter Square Theatre’s newest comedy-drama Bakersfield Mist pits trailer park thrift store junkie Maude against fine art expert Lionel as the two debate the authenticity of a supposed Jackson Pollock original. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

The production runs through Jan. 28. Tickets are $5-$20. Visit carpentersquare.com or call 405-232-6500. Friday-Saturday, ongoing Photo bigstock.com Things To Come, (France, 2016, Mia Hanson-Love) a philosophy teacher soldiers through the death of her mother, getting fired from her job, and dealing with a husband who is cheating on her. Jan. 6-12.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

La La Land, (USA, 2016, Damien Chazelle) A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles. Jan. 6-12. Circle Cinema, Tulsa, 10 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, 918-585-3504, circlecinema.com.

Hungry for Change, (Australia, 2012, James Colquhoun) exposing shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don’t want you to know about; deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more Jan. 9. 6-8 p.m.

GreenAcres Market, 7301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-681-6060, greenacres.com. MON

HAPPENINGS The Big Give Back: Edmond Leaders of Tomorrow, teaming up with Project 66 Food Pantry, enjoy free food, drinks, live music and company while celebrating 2017. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 5. The Patriarch, 9 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-2856670, thepatriarchedmond.com. THU Kaiba Corp Takeover, play games and enjoy the hilarity that ensues when Kaiba, Mokuba, Pegasus and Hair Guy are all in the same room. 4-5 p.m.

Jan. 6. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. FRI High Performance Expo, created with the engine enthusiast in mind, this expo is packed with all things horsepower: race cars, hot rods, tools, motorcycles and ATVs. Friday features a consignment sale and auction; Saturday offers an all-day trade show, auction and swap meet.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 6. and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 7. Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com.

FRI -SAT

First Friday Gallery Walk Most of us probably made a New Year’s resolution to be more cultured and walk more. How about a resolution to support local businesses and artists? Good news! Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Walk 6-10 p.m. Friday between NW 27th and 30th streets and Walker and Hudson avenues is the perfect opportunity to stretch your legs and your mind. Look for artist Jason Wilson’s Perceptual Art Going Big at Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo Street. Also check out artist Tracy Lewis’ paintings that incorporate things she picked up while working around aircraft. Her Industrial Mixed Media Paintings opening reception is 6-10 p.m. Friday at The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St. Visit thepaseo.org or call Paseo Art Space at 405-525-2688 or The Purple Loft at 405-412-7066. Friday Art Jason Wilson / provided

Izumicon 2017, Izumicon is an annual anime convention with the goal to promote cultural awareness through popular media such as anime, manga and music.

Jan. 6-8. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. FRI -SUN Oklahoma Winter Bead and Jewelry Show, millions of beads, beading supplies, pearls, silver, findings, chain, designer cabochons, fine minerals and more. The Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society will also be teaching and demonstrating various lapidary techniques. 10 a.m. Jan. 6-8. Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com. FRI -SUN Group Gallery, an evening with psychic Cortney Kane Sides. She will be conducting a group gallery sharing many messages for the new year. 7 p.m.

Jan. 7. Sanctuary Salon, 2433 NW 16th St., 405204-3570, vagaro.com/thesanctuarysalon. SAT Old School 4th Annual Latin Night PJ Party, a fun opportunity to sport those snazzy pjs that you got for Christmas. You’ve had a whole week to recover from New Year’s Eve and don’t wanna get dressed up but ya wanna go out and dance. 8 p.m. Jan. 7. Old School Business Center, 201 N. Broadway St., Moore, 405-412-7386, oldstonebridge.com/ oldschool. SAT OKC Land Run Antique Show, antique dealers offering antiques, collectibles, toys, primitives, jewelry, art, books, pottery, glassware, records, dolls, clothing, architectural salvage, furniture and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 7. and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 8. Cox Pavilion State Fairgrounds, 3001 General

After School Art Program, activities include visits to the museum’s galleries with related art projects and guest speakers and performers.

Activities include printmaking, weaving, flute making, soap carving/sculpting, roping, working in clay, watercolor painting and experiencing a oneroom school house. 3-4:30 p.m. Jan. 9. through March 31. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. MON

Pershing Blvd., 405-948-6800, okstatefair.com.

SAT-SUN Wonderful Wonder War, discuss the different wonderlands of Disney. 3:30-5 p.m. Jan. 8. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-6028500, coxconventioncenter.com. SUN Extreme Couponing Workshop, insider tips, secrets and time-saving techniques from experienced couponers featured on TLC. 4-7 p.m.

Jan. 9. Moore Norman Technology Center, 13301 S. Penn Ave., 405-364-5763, mntc.edu. MON Local Natural Health Meet Up, learn how to take control of your health in 2017, This month’s topic will be Thyroid: why lab testing isn’t accurate, strange symptoms that point to thyroid dysfunction and ways to support your thyroid naturally. 7 p.m. Jan. 9. The Stuffed Olive Cafe and Catering, 12215 S. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-7357596, stuffedolivecafe.com. MON Grassland Extravaganza, raffle prizes, surprises and bubble going all night long. All donations will go to Hawthorne Elementary. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo Drive, 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo. com. TUE Hot Topic Lunch, Cindy Rosenthal will share her insight on financing city government. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 11. Interurban, 1150 Ed Noble Pkwy., Norman, 405-307-9200, interurban.us. WED Coffee with Entrepreneurs, sit around with likeminded individuals meeting and networking over coffee. 5-7 p.m. Jan. 11. Starbucks, 5836 Northwest Expressway, 405-720-5877, starbucks.com. WED Red Earth Tree Festival, celebrate the Christmas season with a decidedly Native twist. This popular new holiday tradition features over 15 Christmas trees decorated with handmade ornaments created

by Oklahoma Native tribes 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri through Jan. 13. Red Earth Museum, 6 Santa Fe Plaza, 405-427-5228, redearth.org.

FOOD Roughtail Pint Night, join for Little Blue Pils and Polar Night with complimentary co-branded mason jar glasses. 7 p.m. Jan. 4. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave. 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. WED Advanced All Grain Brewing Class, free All Grain Brewing Class is for advanced brewers wanting to learn the all grain method of brewing. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Jan. 7. The Brew Shop, 2916 N. Penn Ave., 405528-5193, thebrewshopokc.com. SAT Cooking for a Healthy Lifestyle, learn to cook healthy, tasteful food. Fun, simple easy-to-follow recipes for intermediate cooks. Includes meal with wine and bonus basic knife skills tutorial. 7-9 p.m.

Jan. 10. Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-607-8600, dunlapcodding.com. TUE

YOUTH African Painted Peps Wellness Exams, watch zoo animal exams as they happen at the new Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital. This is a real-time look into the medical side of taking the best care of zoo animals. Jan. 5. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 405-424-3344, okczoo.org. THU

13th Screening Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th explores the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” The film links the qualifying clause to the modern-day slavery of mass incarceration. Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City hosts a screening 6-8:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at Church of the Open Arms United Church of Christ, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave. There will be time for reflection and conversation after the film.

Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/ blacklivesmatterokc or call 405-525-9555.

Jan. 13 Photo bigstock.com

Homebirth Mama Meet-up, homebirth meet-up is for families interested in childbirth at home, firsttime parents considering all options, experienced home birthers and family members. 7:30-9 p.m.

Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16 St., 405-6325684, thrivemamacollective.com. TUE Red Dirt Dinos, following a journey around the state and across the world, 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 Oklahoma’s dinosaurs. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

continued on page 34

Books and Board Games, for students in grades 6-12, play Munchkin and talk about fantasy books or any other combination of books and games imaginable. 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 5. Mabel C. Fry Public Library, 1200 Lakeshore Drive, Yukon, 405-3548232, mabelcfrypubliclibrary.com. THU

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

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c a l e n da r

continued from page 33 Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, immersive exhibit in which visitors are transported to Palenque, Mexico, where an archaeological team has mysteriously disappeared from a dig site; translate glyphs, discover which rainforest animals are poisonous, learn how the Maya recorded dates, take rubbings from a sarcophagus and interpret a battle mural to solve the mystery, runs through Jan. 8. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. WED -SUN

PERFORMING ARTS 2 Wrongs Get Their Poems On, feature set

by Adrienne and DRGNFLYY, as well as the usual open mic madness, 8-10 p.m.

Jan. 4. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Jersey, Jersey’s punchy comedic style makes him one of the top comics in Orlando from the early 2000’s until now. He has performed in clubs, bars and lounges across the Southeast. Jan. 4-7. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-2394242, loonybincomedy.com. WED -SAT

winstarworldcasino.com. SUN

ACTIVE Zumba: Happy New Year, a combination of Latin and international music that creates a dynamic, exciting and effective fitness system. 6-7 p.m.

Jan. 5. Moore Public Library, 225 S. Howard Ave., Moore, 405-793-5100, pioneerlibrarysystem.org.

THU

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast Committee / provided

Comedy Night, Cameron Buchholtz hosts another night of side-splitting comedy with local comics from the OKC Area. 7 p.m. Jan. 5. Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar, 2127 SW 74th St., Suite B, 405702-0302, thunderalleyokc.com. THU An Evening of Coffee and Music, live music by Baylee Goley, Aerist and Samuel Regan. Jan. 6. 8 p.m. Cafe Evoke, 103 S. Broadway Ave., Edmond, 405-285-1522, cafeevoke.com. FRI Centennial Rodeo Opry, hosted by Allison Arms music, 7 p.m. Jan. 7. Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-297-9773, ohfo.org. SAT Gypsy Unplugged with Danielle Mercurio, Danielle uses storytelling to discuss her path of awakening, the ins and outs of making it as a successful entrepreneur and the seven months she spent as a gypsetter on the road. She also makes light of spiritual trends and adventures in dating as a spiritually conscious single woman. 6-8 p.m. Jan. 7. The Venue, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-283-6832, thevenueokc.com. SAT Travis LeDoyt, a tribute to The King, 8-9:30 p.m.

Jan. 7. Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, Norman, 405-322-6000, riverwind.com. SAT Kraig Parker, from Las Vegas to London, Kraig Parker has been called the ultimate image of Elvis Presley. 1:30 p.m. Jan. 8. WinStar World Casino, 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville, 580-276-4229, 34

j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

OKC Basketball, Thunder vs Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m. Jan. 7. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena. com. SAT Men’s Basketball, OU vs Kansas, 8 p.m. Jan. 10.

Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., Norman, 405-325-4666, lloydnoblecenter.com. TUE

Michelle Keys Power Class WERKshop, special edition WERKshop with Michelle Keys, 8 p.m. Dec. 6. The Loft on Film Row, 700 1/2 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-208-8836, filmrowokc.com. FRI

OKC Basketball, Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. Jan. 11. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com.

Arcadia Lake Eagle Watch, dress warm and bring your binoculars. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Arcadia Lake, 9000 E. Second, Edmond, 405-216-7470, edmondok. com/parks. FRI -SUN

Men’s Basketball, OSU vs Iowa State, 8 p.m. Jan. 11. Gallagher-Iba Arena, W. Hall of Fame Ave, Stillwater, 877-255-4678, okstate.com. WED

Landrunners OKC Running Club, OCMM Spring Training, 3/6 miles. 7 a.m. Jan. 7. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, 620 N. Harvey Ave., 405-235-3313, oklahomacitynationalmemorial. org. SAT HD MMA 7: Sailor Jerry Rampage, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7. Remington Park, 1 Remington Place, 405-4249000, remingtonpark.com. SAT Run for Health with Red Coyote Running and Fitness, discussing available training programs including running clinics for those both new and seasoned runners as well as half marathon and full marathon training programs for those participating in the Memorial Marathon. 1-2 p.m. Jan. 7.

GreenAcres Market, 7301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-681-6060, greenacres.com. SAT Star Wars Day, skate and take photos with your favorite Star Wars characters brought to you by Jedi OKC. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 7. Devon Ice Rink, 100 N. Robinson Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownindecember.com. SAT

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast Former Midwest City Police Chief Thomas Michael Jahn started the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast in 1996. Get tickets now for the 20th annual event 7 a.m. Jan. 16 at Sheraton Midwest City Hotel at the Reed Conference Center, 5750 Will Rogers Road. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of the civil rights leader with people from across the metro. Tickets are $10 and include a breakfast buffet followed by a Tapestry of Unity program featuring former state Rep. Gary Banz and former state Sen. Constance Johnson.

Visit facebook.com/mlkbreakfastokc or call 405-623-1957. Jan. 16 Photo Midwest City

Gardens, 405-602-8500, coxconventioncenter. com. SAT

Learn to Curl, Oklahoma Curling Club will walk you through the basic rules and etiquette of curling, explain the hows and whys of delivering and sweeping a stone and get you on the ice enjoying the sport of curling. 9-10:30 a.m. Jan. 7. Devon Ice Rink, 100 N. Robinson Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownindecember.com. SAT Belly Dance Workshop, several new events and lots of new choreography, 1-6:30 p.m. Jan. 8. Mirage Dance Company, 9110 Harmony Drive, Midwest City, 405-570-2661, amiragedancecompany.wixsite.com. SUN Meditation on the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Compass of Zen by zen master Seung Sahn, presented by Ashley Riddle, followed by a sitting and walking meditation. 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m.

Mindessence Zen Center, 5400 Garrett Road, 405414-3635, thienvienchontam.net. SUN Radical Forgiveness Ceremony, based on a Native American healing circle ceremony, this largely nonverbal process preserves privacy and anonymity, yet has proven itself to be extremely powerful and effective in allowing people to forgive themselves and others and find peace and happiness. 2-5 p.m.

Jan. 8. Yoga at Tiffanys, 9610 N. May Ave., 405753-9642, yogaattiffanys.com. SUN Ballroom Dance Class, American Indian Dance Association (AIDA) Beginners Ballroom Dance Class taught by professional ballroom dance instructors Tracy York and David Frank, 7-8 p.m.

Jan. 9. Muscogee Creek Association, 4111 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-605-2621, muscogeenation-nsn.gov.

MON

Yoga Flow, be ready to sweat and to be engulfed in the musical stylings of Radiohead. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Climb Up Gym, 2701 Washington Drive, Norman, 405-310-4648, climbupgym.com. MON Zen Meditation and Buddhism Class, level one meditation class, 7-9 p.m. Jan. 10. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S. Anderson Road, 405-869-0501, ctbuddhamind. org. TUE Family Yoga in the Gardens, class participants should bring a yoga mat and water. Yoga for the entire family. Come, exercise and unwind from the day together. 5:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m. Jan. 11. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-4457080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com. WED Indoor Kart Racing Qualifying Event, qualifying race for the finals. The finals will be our best drivers against several other drivers from other car clubs.

6-8 p.m. Jan. 11. Pole Position, 2905 NW 36th St., 405-942-2292, polepositionraceway.com. WED Women’s Basketball, OU vs Kansas State, 7 p.m.

Jan. 4. Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., Norman, 405-325-4666, lloydnoblecenter.com.

WED

Women’s Basketball, OSU vs Baylor, 2 p.m. Jan. 7. Gallagher-Iba Arena, W. Hall of Fame Ave., Stillwater, 877-255-4678, okstate.com. SAT NBA D-League, OKC Blue vs Greensboro Swarm, 7 p.m. Jan. 7. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad

WED

VISUAL ARTS A Year in Review, the most stunning works from 2016. Jan. 6.-Feb. 13. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Art Reception: Annalisa Campbell, admission is free with light hors d’oeuvres. 6-8 p.m. Jan. 9. Will Rogers Lobby Cafe & Bar, 4322 N. Western Ave., 405-604-4650, willrogerslobbybar.com. MON Art Is A Serious Thing, Peeter Allik and Toomas Kuusing exhibition, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.through Jan. 13. Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405-360-1162, mainsite-art.com.

ArtNow, an exhibition that highlights the diversity of Oklahoma art today, before the works are sold off the walls. With 24 local artists, more than 200 works and a diverse array of styles, media and content, you’ll see the depth and breadth of Oklahoma’s talent. Jan. 9-20. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Beyonce Celebrity Paint & Wine, a simple step-bystep painting process created by portrait artist Ray Tennyson while sipping wine and going home with a painting. 6-9 p.m. Jan. 7. Level III Lounge, 315 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-9555, level3bricktown. com. SAT Child Labor in Oklahoma: Photographs by Lewis Hine, 1916-1917, exhibit highlighting a collection of 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.

December Artists, exhibit showcasing works from Sean Vali and Heidi Ghassempour, through Jan 8.

DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. WED -SUN From the Belly of Our Being, art by and about Native creation, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through Jan. 28.

Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, 720 S. Husband St., Stillwater, 405-744-6016, museum. okstate.edu.

Hand + Eye, exhibition highlighting work showing a high caliber of hands on illustrative and drawing skills from all levels of the graphic design, interior design, illustration and foundations programs.

Jan. 11.-Feb. 10. UCO Department of Design, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-5200, design@ uco.edu.

Julie Nutting Valentine Card Class, create three Valentines cards using the Julie Nutting doll stamps, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 10. Paper Arts, 632 W. Edmond Road, Edmond, 405-330-2055, paperartsedmond.com. TUE Lowell Ellsworth Smith: My Theology of Painting, features watercolor studies and Smith’s own words and observations, it introduces the man, his methods, and his belief in the power and potential of creative energy, through July 9. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org.

New Works, Carolyn Faseler, Corazon Watkins and B.J. Wood. Through Jan. 13. Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405360-1162, mainsite-art.com.

Off the Beaten Path, a photo documented joint art exhibit by Scott and Katie Henderson; tour many of the state’s unusual, intriguing and lesserknown areas, through May 4. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Pl., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Patterson Private Collections Showing on Paseo, the Patterson Private Collection contains over 30 years of eclectic art collecting from detailed realism portraits, cutting edge experimentation of oils, watercolors, visually explosive nudes and early works of local Oklahoma artists. Art pieces from Kenyan and Sudanese artists will also be exhibited.

Through Jan. 28. Prairie Arts Collective, 3018 Paseo Drive, 540-533-5883, thepaseo.org.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

Classics 4 Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s quest for a new conductor and music director continues with its latest Classics series concert featuring candidate David Lockington as guest conductor.

Lockington is a U.K. native and served as music director of Michigan’s Grand Rapids Symphony 1999-2015. The performance is 8 p.m. Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Admission is $19-$65.

Visit okcphil.org or call 405-842-5387.

Saturday Photo Oklahoma City Philharmonic / provided 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, such as a Book of Hours, Quran pages and Torah scrolls, through Jan. 8.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

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. All are figurative, as was favored by the WPA, and there are significant representations of female and foreign-born artists in the museum’s holdings, through July 2.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

The Cultivated Connoisseur: Works on Paper from the Creighton Gilbert Bequest, Creighton Eddy Gilbert (1924-2011) was a renowned art historian specializing in the Italian Renaissance and was one of the foremost authorities on Michelangelo.

The bequest includes a total of 272 objects, the majority of which are works on paper, spanning a time period from the 14th century to the 20th.

Through June 4. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Vibrant Women of Oklahoma: Art by Anthony Pego, a collection of paintings and handcrafted jewelry depicting the diversity of the dynamic 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.

For okg live music

see page 37

f e at u r e

MUSIC

Year in review Oklahoma Gazette arts and entertainment writer Ben Luschen rounds up the best music of 2016. By Ben Luschen | Images Provided

It was a musical year full of headlines lamenting the deaths of icons like David Bowie, Prince and Glenn Frey and Okietied artists Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, Steve Pryor and others. Despite 2016’s morbid tangent, it was still a year filled with life and vibrant jams both in and outside Oklahoma. Oklahoma Gazette reflects on some of the year’s best and most compelling local and national albums.

Blackstar | David Bowie art rock, experimental jazz released Jan. 8

The extraordinary circumstances surrounding Blackstar were the music world’s first clue that 2016 would be no average year. Paired with Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker or even Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Skeleton Tree, Bowie’s final effort leads a strong year for dark, moody and, at times, morbid tunes from some of the industry’s most well-established musicians and songwriters.

Wilder Side | Carter Sampson singer-songwriter, folk released Jan. 12

Wilder Side might be a collection of songs for restless spirits, but Okie singer-songwriter Carter Sampson was not short on focus when crafting her Jan. 12 release. Tulsa musician John Moreland contributes vocals, and Travis Linville assists with production from a small house in Norman. Sampson’s project was the Oklahoma road-trip album of 2016.

Emotional Mugger | Ty Segall garage rock | released Jan. 22

Ty Segall is a prolific artist, but January’s Emotional Mugger sticks out in his extensive discography. The album is at times eccentric, but mostly fun and cocky, with cuts like “Candy Sam,” “Diversion” and “Breakfast Eggs” that prove hot additions to the playlist rotation even months after the initial release.

99¢ | Santigold

pop | released Feb. 26

Pop singer and producer Santigold is not an artist known for pushing out music as fast as she can. Her patience and persistence has led to consistent ly g reat albums, and her 2016 release is no deviation.

The album is at times overly sweet and polished, but darker, softer moments elsewhere help balance out the tracklist.

The Very Last Day Parker Millsap folk | released March 25

It’s hard to say for sure if Parker Millsap knew the extent to which The Very Last Day would be an appropriate playlist for 2016, but the result is exactly that. The artist proves he can not only revive the sound of another time, but also cover a gamut of styles. It’s a project that makes him worthy of his Rising Star distinction in this year’s Gazette Music Awards.

Jared Deck | Jared Deck country, singer-songwriter released May 6

Jared Deck ventures out from his roles as guitarist, lead vocalist and main songwriter for Weatherfordbased rock act Green Corn Revival to great success in his new role as country soloist. His honest lyrics, drawing heavily from his experiences growing up in rural western Oklahoma, are striking. The singer-songwriter’s self-titled debut makes fans eager for what the future has in store.

Double Vanity | Broncho alternative, indie, dream pop released June 10

Broncho and frontman Ryan Lindsey tap into an ’80s dreampop aesthetic while crafting the follow-up to 2014’s Just Enough Hip to Be Woman.

Some longtime fans might struggle to adjust to a more downtempo version of the band, but with enough listens, one finds a meatier, more substantial release than some of its more pop-inclined predecessors.

The Glowing Man | Swans noise rock, experimental released June 17

Swans frontman, instrumentalist and creat ive force Michael Gira faced ser ious sex ua l assault allegations in 2016, but while he protests t hese claims, the experimental aspirations behind his latest work cannot be denied.

The noisy, two-hour project is a lot to digest but a musical meal worth contemplating.

To Be Human | Blake Lusk

noise, experimental | released July 5

Blake Lusk did not make the most accessible Oklahoma album of 2016, but the Oklahoma City artist did find great success is crafting one of the state’s most daring releases. Sounds range from upbeat guitar jams on “Guts” to the experimental screeches of “Weird Fires,” but the album as a whole never lacks cohesion. Wellexecuted contributions from a long list of talented state musicians must be acknowledged as well.

Saccharine | Cherry Death rock, lo-fi | released July 19

Songwriter and band creative visionary Tim Buchanan calls the large, rotating cast of musicians t hat compr ise Cherry Death a “family band,” and the distinction shines through on Saccharine. The OKC band makes sharp nods to ’80s garage and folk rock. Though the project weighs in at a hefty 19 tracks, there’s little to no filler in this hour-plus run of denim-clad bliss.

Sleeping Summer

Audrey Oden moody pop | released Aug. 3

Oden’s EP might appear unassuming to some, but those who dive deep into the dreamy six-track will find one of the most emotionally effectual projects of the year. As an antithesis to the standard summer album, Sleeping Summer props the promising songwriter onto a bright new stage with the OKC artist’s contemplation and moody release.

Black Future | Jabee hip-hop| released Aug. 12

In 2015, singersongwriter John Moreland scored the Oklahoma breakout album of the year with High on Tulsa

Heat. This year, that distinction belongs to OKC rapper Jabee and Black Future. Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, along with a roster of Oklahoma artists, assist with guest vocals on the album and high praise for the local emcee in an exclusive Oklahoma Gazette cover story in August.

My Woman | Angel Olsen

indie rock, dream pop | released Sept. 2

Did you start a new romance this year?

Are you a fan of great music? If so, there’s a decent chance singer-songwriter Angel Olsen might have supplied at least part of your soundtrack for 2016. This album tackles the complexities of womanhood with skill and poetry.

Splendor & Misery

clipping. experimental hip-hop | released Sept. 9

The Hamilton Mixtape scored much acclaim, but this year’s best album with a tie-in to the powerhouse Broadway musical was Splendor & Misery, helmed by emcee and 2016 Tony Award-winning actor Daveed Diggs. While Hamilton found wide appeal, clipping.’s concise, experimental, slavery-themed trek through outer space features auditory breadth that will keep its following niche.

A Seat at the Table | Solange

pop, R&B, psychedelic soul released Sept. 30

Beyoncé Knowles nearly broke the internet with the buzz around Lemonade’s April release, but it was her equally talented yet less worshipped sister who put out the more solid 2016 record. With heady narration from Master P, A Seat at the Table is as poignant a pop record as one will find in these times.

We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service A Tribe Called Quest hip-hop, jazz rap | released Nov. 11

There was reason to be skeptical when it was announced the legendary New York hip-hop quartet would release its supposed final album just eight months after cornerstone emcee Phife Dawg’s death. Concern that the project was a hastily made posthumous money grab quickly faded after the music surfaced. Tribe rocks its vintage (but slightly updated) sound with a bevy of star supporters.

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event

MUSIC

‘No boundaries’ Tulsa singer-songwriter Dan Martin brings his one-man set to Norman. By Brian Daffron

Songwriters find their way to constructing lyrics in many ways. For Dan Martin, the roots of songwriting began while attending Tulsa’s Memorial High School, changing the lyrics to songs he liked. Martin then discovered the guitar in 2010, where he said “songwriting happened almost immediately.”

His growth with the guitar coincided with playing football for Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas, between Fort Smith and Little Rock. But when football ended, the guitar became the answer for Martin.

“After my last season, I had such a void,” Martin said. “I had so much of ‘What do I do now?’ I had such an amount of energy to give to something that I couldn’t give to one thing anymore.”

Martin, now 29, has over two years of Dan Martin | Photo Phil Clarkin / live performances in Tulsa venues as well Horton Records / provided as recent time on the road that included a large loop through Texas, New Mexico, the His full performances can be found on San Diego and San Francisco areas and YouTube, a strong example of his songwritColorado. In early January, two of his live ing being “You Don’t Know That Town shows happen in Norman 9 p.m. Saturday Like Me.” The lyrics paint a portrait of at The Bluebonnet Bar, 321 E. Main St., verisimilitude within any small American and 8 p.m. Jan. 12 at Red Brick Bar, 311 E. town, where some people live vicariously Main St. through its Friday night heroes.

According to Martin, the solo version “We got a new coach with some 2A rings of his set “will be a lot of original music and / He don’t know the words when the fight assorted covers from the song sings / That shit likes of Townes Van don’t fly when you’re 2 Zandt, Guy Clark and and 3.” Other lyrics in the Dan Martin John Prine. I’m a huge song talk of struggles for Townes Van Zandt fan. I survival: “She’s a day9 p.m. Saturday know probably more of dream lost in the dollar The Bluebonnet Bar his songs than anyone bin / Ain’t seen her out 321 E. Main St., Norman else’s.” since she had twins / danmartinband.com Martin said that, for Food stamps only come 405-928-4550 him, Van Zandt and with custody…”

Another Martin perClark are pillars of song8 p.m. Jan. 12 writing, and he deformance from YouTube, Red Brick Bar scribed Clark as tangible “I Don’t Do That 311 E. Main St., Norman and Van Zandt as galacAnymore,” is a metaphor danmartinband.com tic. Therefore, his own of heartbreak or any 405-579-6227 other type of loss. The songs, from his own admission, are a product of line “I got splinters in my these influences. fingers holding a door” has a feel reminis“There are no boundaries,” Martin said cent of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe.” of his lyrical subjects. “I have songs about With Martin’s songwriting process, he real obscure descriptions — a feeling. It doesn’t worry about whether or not an audience will like his music. However, reflects my influences from Townes; it would be my more obscure, poetic and when he does perform, “it often results in a song that is more appealing to people.” artistic, hard to put your finger on. Then there’s that Guy Clark influence. I’ve got For this reason, he works on staying a song called ‘The Fly Fisherman.’ It’s all humble to expand his art. about that [subject]. It’s very clear on what “If you get too caught up in people I’m singing about.” saying ‘good job,’’ he said, “you lose the In 2014, he recorded a demo with musiessence you had when you created those songs.” cians Cody Woody, Kevin Smith and Jacob Flint. Instead of a demo, an album came Visit danmartinband.com. Listen to to the surface. It’s titled Hoka Hey, and the and purchase Hoka Hey at hortonrecords.

Lakota phrase usually translates as “It’s a bandcamp.com. good day to die.” Martin’s lyrics, guitar and harmonica blend with mandolin, fiddle, bass and three-part harmonies.

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These are events recommended

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

Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES

Lab, Edmond. VARIOUS

The Mighty Regulars, Belle Isle Brewery. ROCK

MONDAY, 01.09

Violent Affair/From the Archives, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

SATURDAY, 01.07 WEDNESDAY, 01.04

An Evening with Dionne Warwick, Grand Casino, Shawnee. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Maurice Johnson, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

Chad Todd Band, Wicked Piston. COUNTRY Dannie Carson, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

The Impulsive/Shields/Isaiah Harrell, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ROCK

Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon.

ROCK

Pure Disgust/Nosebleed/Memory Loss/Life as One/Druj, Powerhouse. VARIOUS Replay, Baker Street Pub & Grill. VARIOUS Terminus/Oberon, The Root.

ROCK

Time Machine, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Catoosa. VARIOUS

FRIDAY, 01.06 38 Special, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Catoosa.

The So Help Me’s Those who still have not heard the Relativity EP are sleeping on one of the more interesting Oklahoma music releases of 2016. The So Help Me’s are a selflabeled “existential rock” band highlighted by the beautifully complimentary dual vocals of Lindsey Cox and Bailey Pelletier.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for food and drink, and the show begins 10 p.m. Saturday at Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave. Tickets are $5-$7.

Guests must be at least 18 years old to enter.

Visit opolis.org or call 405-673-4931.

Saturday Photo Jes Nemeth / provided

TUESDAY, 01.10 FACS: Trio Antiqua, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond.

CLASSICAL

Empire Grey, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, 01.11

Imzadi, Baker St. Pub & Grill. ROCK

Dreamhouse, The Paramount Theatre. ROCK

Kylee Laynee, Stoney LaRue Music House. COUNTRY

Katie Thiroux Quartet, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond.

Lazy Rooster, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman.

Mike Hosty, Noir Bistro & Bar.

Let’s Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Shrine, Tulsa. ROCK Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK Mothership/Cobrajab/Redneck Nosferatu, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Stars, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. VARIOUS

Catlett Crawlers Jazz Trio, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. JAZZ

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Rivers Edge, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Catoosa.

VARIOUS

JAZZ

The Devil Makes Three, ACM@UCO Performance Lab. BLUEGRASS

BLUES

SUNDAY, 01.08

Inamorata/40% Dolomite/Sine Cura, Earth Rebirth, Norman. ROCK

Soul Time Tuesday with Tom Hudson, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS

Herman’s Hermits/Pete Noone/The Association/ Chubby Checker, WinStar World Casino & Resort, Thackerville. VARIOUS

Vacant Mind, Your Mom’s Place. ROCK

ROCK

Max Ridgeway Trio, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ

Gentry Counce/Shelby Lanterman/Marie Manning, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. VARIOUS

FNG, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER BAND

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

THURSDAY, 01.05

Art of Rap, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah and Cafe. RAP

Celtic Music Jam, Full Circle Bookstore. VARIOUS

The Friends No BS Jam, Friends Restaurant & Club.

VARIOUS

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.

Legends; Tribute to Barbra Steisand, UCO Jazz

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

free will astrology Homework: Send me a list of your top five New Year’s resolutions. Go to RealAstrology. com and click on “Email Rob.” ARIES (March 21-April 19) Light, electricity, and

magnetism are different expressions of a single phenomenon. Scottish scientist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was the first to formulate a theory to explain that startling fact. One of the cornerstones of his work was a set of 20 equations with 20 unknowns. But a younger scientist named Oliver Heaviside decided this was much too complicated. He recast Maxwell’s cumbersome theory in the form of four equations with four unknowns. That became the new standard. In 2017, I believe you Aries will have a knack akin to Heaviside’s. You’ll see the concise essentials obscured by needless complexity. You’ll extract the shining truths trapped inside messy confusions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) “The thornbush is the

old obstacle in the road,” wrote Franz Kafka. “It must catch fire if you want to go further.” Let’s analyze this thought, Taurus. If it’s to be of maximum use for you in 2017, we will have to develop it further. So here are my questions. Did Kafka mean that you’re supposed to wait around passively, hoping the thornbush will somehow catch fire, either through a lucky lightning strike or an act of random vandalism? Or should you, instead, take matters into your own hands -- douse the thornbush with gasoline and throw a match into it?

Here’s another pertinent query: Is the thornbush really so broad and hardy that it blocks the whole road? If not, maybe you could just go around it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) The fictional character

Scott Pilgrim is the hero of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of graphic novels. He becomes infatuated with a “ninja delivery girl” named Ramona Flowers, but there’s a complication. Before he can win her heart, he must defeat all seven of her evil ex-lovers. I’m sure your romantic history has compelled you to deal with equally challenging dilemmas, Gemini. But I suspect you’ll get a reprieve from that kind of dark melodrama in 2017.

The coming months should be a bright and expansive chapter in your Book of Love.

By Rob Brezsny

CANCER (June 21-July 22) The creature known as

the short-eared elephant shrew is typically four inches long and weighs a little more than one ounce. And yet it’s more genetically similar to elephants than to true shrews. In its home habitat of southern Africa, it’s known as the sengi. I propose we regard it as one of your spirit animals in 2017. Its playful place in your life will symbolize the fact that you, too, will have secret connections to big, strong influences; you, too, will have natural links with powerhouses that outwardly don’t resemble you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) “When I look back, I see my

former selves, numerous as the trees,” writes Leo poet Chase Twichell. I’m sure that’s an experience you’ve had yourself. Do you find it comforting? Does it feel like being surrounded by old friends who cushion you with nurturing familiarity? Or is it oppressive and claustrophobic? Does it muffle your spontaneity and keep you tethered to the past? I think these are important questions for you to meditate on in 2017.

It’s time to be very conscious and creative about shaping your relationships with all the people you used to be.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “’Life experience’ does

not amount to very much and could be learned from novels alone . . . without any help from life.” So said Nobel Prize-winning author Elias Canetti, who was born in Bulgaria, had British citizenship, and wrote in German. Although his idea contradicts conventional wisdom, I am presenting it for your consideration in 2017. You’re ready for a massive upgrade in your understanding about the nature of reality -- and firsthand “life experience” alone won’t be enough to ensure that.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I am rooting for you to be

flagrantly unique in 2017. I vehemently want you to be uninhibited about expressing your deepest, rawest, hottest inclinations. In this spirit, I offer the following four rallying cries: 1. “Don’t be addicted to looking cool, baby!” - my friend Luther. 2. Creative power arises when you conquer your tendency to stay detached. - paraphrased from poet Marianne Moore.

3. If you want to be original, have the courage to be an amateur. - paraphrased from poet Wallace Stevens.

4. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” - Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “There is a desperation

for unknown things,” wrote poet Charles Wright, “a thirst for endlessness that snakes through our bones.”

Every one of us has that desperation and thirst from time to time, but no one feels the pull toward perplexing enchantments and eternal riddles more often and more intensely than you Scorpios. And according to my astrological meditations on your life in 2017, you will experience this pull even more often and with greater intensity than ever before. Is that a problem? I don’t see why it should be. In fact, it could make you sexier and smarter than ever -- especially if you regard it as a golden opportunity to become sexier and smarter than ever.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) I hope you will seek out a wide range of intoxicating experiences in 2017. The omens predict it. Fate sanctifies it. I hope you will gracefully barrel your way through the daily whirl with a constant expectation of sly epiphanies, amusing ecstasies, and practical miracles. There has rarely been a time in your life when you’ve had so much potential to heal old wounds through immersions in uncanny bliss. But please note: The best of these highs will NOT be induced by drugs or alcohol, but rather by natural means like sex, art, dancing, meditation, dreamwork, singing, yoga, lucid perceptions, and vivid conversations.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) I thought of you

when I read a tweet by a person who calls himself Vexing Voidsquid. “I feel imbued with a mysterious positive energy,” he wrote, “as if thousands of supplicants are worshipping golden statues of me somewhere.” Given the astrological omens, I think it’s quite possible you will have similar feelings on regular occasions in 2017. I’m not necessarily saying there will literally be golden statues of you in town squares and religious shrines, nor am I guaranteeing that thousands of supplicants will telepathically bathe

you in adoration. But who cares how you’re imbued with mysterious positive energy as long as you are?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) When it’s summer in

the Northern Hemisphere, the birds known as arctic terns hang out in Greenland and Iceland. Before the chill sets in, they embark on an epic migration to Antarctica, arriving in time for another summer. But when the weather begins to turn too cold there, they head to the far north again. This is their yearly routine.

In the course of a lifetime, a single bird may travel as far as 1.25 million miles -- the equivalent of three roundtrips to the moon. I propose that you make this creature your spirit animal in 2017, Aquarius. May the arctic tern inspire you to journey as far as necessary to fulfill your personal equivalent of a quest for endless summer.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) In June 1962, three

prisoners sneaked out of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, located on an island in San Francisco Bay. Did they succeed in escaping? Did they swim to safety through the frigid water and start new lives abroad?

No one knows. Law enforcement officials never found them. Even today, though, the U.S. Marshals Service keeps the case open, and still investigates new evidence when it comes in. Are there comparable enigmas in your own life, Pisces? Events in your past that raised questions you’ve never been able to solve? In 2017, I bet you will finally get to the bottom of them.

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.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j a n u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 7

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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Married Couples

By Kevin G. Der | Edited by Will Shortz | 0101 ACROSS 1 Leave a permanent mark on 5 Stows, as a banner 10 Ice carving?

15 Frequently 18 Romance writer Roberts 19 Ultimately succeed 20 Coin portraying Queen Victoria, once 21 Quaint cry of disapproval 22 Play by heart?

25 Monastery title 26 Sphere 27 Personal problems 28 Relay segment 29 Roman emblem of power

adopted by Mussolini 31 Big name in grills 33 Toward the back 34 Gymnastics event 36 Means of death for Judas Iscariot 37 A plus average?

41 Tight-lipped 42 Took first 43 2007 Peace Prize recipient 44 Rio greeting 45 Makes minor observations?

50 Gum that comes in Fire and Ice varieties 53 Begot 54 Letterhead?

55 Star Trek: TNG counselor 57 Leeway 58 Life force in Eastern medicine 60 Handle with care?

64 Chart of the heavens 68 River more than 2,700 miles long

that crosses the equator twice 69 Two turtledoves, e.g.

70 Cry at a surprise party just before

the honoree arrives 72 Get a groove on?

73 Drink Gatorade after a workout, say 75 Calm before the storm?

78 Blow it 79 Red-haired biblical twin 80 Marco Polo crossed it 81 “Gnarly!”

82 What a lead runner sets 85 Learns 88 Some Bavarian brews 91 Under the weather

92 “Pronto!”

93 Part of a film studio tour 95 Disney Channel’s ____ and Maddie 96 Grab and go?

104 Land bordering Nepal 105 Errands, e.g.

106 ATM expense 107 Provider of limited coverage?

109 Subject to a recall, maybe 111 Ginger ____ 112 “You betcha!”

114 Middle X or O 115 Milne young ’un 116 Stay ahead of the curve?

120 Dec. 31, e.g.

121 ____ Hawkins dance 122 Glossy fabric 123 Baja’s opposite 124 Setting for much of Lord Jim 125 Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse ____ 126 Stuck-up sort 127 Spot for brooding

DOWN 1 Support, as a foundation 2 Dara who swam at five Olympics 3 Curmudgeonly 4 Common Christmas entree 5 Former Saudi king 6 Release from shackles 7 Way up a bunny slope 8 San ____ Obispo, Calif.

9 Thérèse, e.g.: Abbr.

10 Make available 11 Bars for swingers?

12 Go (for) 13 Coral bleaching locale 14 Drive mad 15 Salty or spicy 16 Event with steeply discounted prices 17 Interest piquer 19 Sports team tally: Abbr.

23 Boeing competitor 24 Dollar, in slang 30 Pittance 32 One of nine for Tina Fey 34 Swedish lake that’s the largest in

the European Union 35 Suffix with beta or cyclo-

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67 Isn’t over yet 71 Maker of the fragrance Sauvage 74 Wreck, informally 76 Russian moolah 77 Triangular road sign 79 Big purveyor of sports talk 82 Imagines 83 Like a machine that prints, scans

and faxes 84 Provider of the fizz in a gin fizz 86 Worm or fly 87 Blubber 89 Setting for some aerial maneuvers 90 “Well, Did You ____?” (Cole

Porter tune) 92 “Hurry!”

94 Soy-based frozen- dessert brand 97 Flight attendant’s offering

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

EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com

98 Fisher of fashion 99 Design feature 100 Hawks’ hangouts 101 John Wick star 102 Mark with spots 103 Passes 108 Onetime alternative to Facebook Messenger 110 Website with a Watch list 112 Vigorously debate (with) 113 Man cave, maybe 117 Employee badges, e.g.

118 It’s a “gift” 119 Name whose Italian equivalent is Giovanni

R A S P

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X O R T E H E R F E T A D I S E P O T N A E G A D G M N A B L W O O S U N L E E D D E O R

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

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

Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Mark Beutler, Lisa K. Broad, Brian Daffron Jack Fowler, George Lang, Lea Terry Jessica Williams Photographer Garett Fisbeck Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley Art Director Chris Street

Advertising/Marketing Design Coordinator Erin DeMoss Graphic Designer Anna Shilling

Puzzle No. 1225, which appeared in the December 28 issue.

R U N O V E R

Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering

Production coordinator Arden Biard

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers T R U M A N

Advertising Director Christy Duane, cduane@okgazette.com Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Leah Roberts Nathan Ward, Walter Agnitsch

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

Sudoku Puzzle Hard

Associate Publisher James Bengfort VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli

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38 Drops 39 Metaphor for punishment 40 Standing 45 Luau locale 46 Cupronickel, e.g.

47 Like some uncertain dates 48 Poppycock 49 1998 NL MVP 51 Night at the museo?

52 ____ the line (obeying) 53 Canoe builder’s bark source 56 “Quite true” 59 Padlock’s place 61 Find common ground 62 What spirits can do 63 Toward the back 64 Kept for later 65 “A Visit From St. Nicholas” writer 66 Very loud

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P h o n e (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - m a i l a dv e r t i s i n g @t i e r r a m e d i ag r o u p. c o m Advertise in the Gazette’s

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All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in . our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis

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