Backfire: A Cultural Explosion by Oklahoma Gazette

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Backfire: A Cultural Explosion pushes back against the status quo. BY BEN LUSCHEN P.19

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inside

Mission statement Oklahoma Gazette’s mission is to stimulate, examine and inform the public on local quality of life issues and social needs, to recognize community accomplishments, and to provide a forum for inspiration, participation and interaction across all media.

P.19 Backfire: A Cultural Explosion gathers visual and musical artists together

4 City 2017 bond 6 City AIA Awards 7 Community Downtown Historic Church Tour 8 Education Northeast Academy charter plan 9 Letters 10 Chicken-Fried News

arts & Culture

on Friday to buck what they believe are largely intolerant attitudes permeating Oklahoma and its government. Artist Jamie Pettis said this show provides refuge for our marginalized communities. “I didn’t expect for this event to fall under these circumstances,” she said of it opening after Donald Trump’s Nov. 8 election victory. “It’s almost ironic that it’s happening this way. It’s very much needed now.” By Ben Luschen. Cover artwork “Identity Flow” by Jamie Pettis.

14 Feature The Flea OKC 15 Briefs 16 Gazedibles not Thanksgiving

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13 Review Jerusalem Mediterranean Cuisine

18 Buy This 19 Cover Backfire: A Cultural Explosion 22 Performing Arts Ryan Tigner 24 Performing Arts Meet Me in St. Louis

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To claim your tickets, call 528-6000 or come by our offices by 12/7/16!

25 Buy This 26 Community World AIDS Day 27 Community BetterBox Project sock drive 27 Community Mesta Park Holiday Home Tour 28 Active Devon Ice Rink 30 Active LifeShare WinterFest 31 Calendar 34 Event Tribute to Woody Guthrie 35 Event Space4Lease 35 Event One Last Night with Tiger Lily

36 Live Music

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37 Puzzles sudoku | crossword 38 Astrology

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For information on entering this week’s Gazette Giveaway see pg.26

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NEWS

Community building

Neighborhood improvement projects could be listed in a 2017 bond proposal with input from city residents. By Laura Eastes

Several years ago, a group of neighbors came together to preserve one of Oklahoma City’s oldest known open spaces. Memorial Park, located along Classen Boulevard at NW 36th Street, was scheduled for a city-funded makeover. While neighbors welcomed rehabbing the 15-acre park, a primary issue was ensuring renovation efforts echoed the venue’s historical character. Originally called Putnam Park, the area was renamed following World War I to honor veterans. In 1927, its prominent fountain was unveiled to the public. Over the years, the large park featured a pool, playground, Shakespeare garden and tennis courts. Georgie Rasco, Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma (NACOK) executive director, recalls attending the city’s parks department public meeting as neighbors, community leaders and school officials offered valuable input. Last year, Memorial Park reopened after $1.8 million in general obligation bond funds helped restore it. Today, parents push strollers along wide walking paths that guide visitors around a restored fountain and grounds. “I think back to the public meeting, and exactly what the public called for happened in this park,” Rasco said as she discussed the power of citizen engagement. NACOK’s mission is to motivate metro neighborhood residents to be involved in shaping their communities. As the city readies to present its next general obligation bond program, neighbors play an important role in determining the list of projects. “No one knows more about the neighborhoods than the citizens,” said Kristy Yager, City of Oklahoma City public information director. “This is the first time we are specifically going out and asking people what they want to see in this next bond issue.” Unlike past bond programs that were heavily influenced by citizen surveys and citizen complaints, this time around, the city joins NACOK and University of Oklahoma graduate students to engage citizens and collect their ideas on improving neighborhoods and districts though infrastructure projects. Those projects will be considered by the Oklahoma City Council for the 2017 bond program, which will be called for a Sept. 12 public vote.

Over the next few months, via surveys and neighborhood meetings, OKC residents will answer the question, What would make your neighborhood better? “If a bond project could improve your neighborhood, what are those things you want to improve?” Rasco asked. “Not everyone is saying all projects will be funded. We don’t live in that dream world, but we do live in the world where our city is saying they need us to tell them where the needs are.”

What is a bond?

It is common for Oklahoma municipalities to use bonds to help fund building and rebuilding streets, bridges, sidewalks, parks, public safety facilities and other projects. Bond dollars come from property taxes. In the state’s largest city, 14 percent of collected property taxes go toward city government. The rest is distributed to schools and county and other government entities. The city’s most recent $835.5 million bond program, approved nine years ago by voters, distributed funding to projects including streets, bridges, traffic, drainage, libraries, police and fire facilities, parks, transit and economic development. More than half of the bond funds went to street projects, such as resurfacing and widening. Other major projects included construction of the downtown police headquarters and municipal court building, three new fire stations in south OKC, the Patience S. Latting Northwest Library and the Woodson Park multiuse soccer complex. The city has finished about half of the planned 2007 bond projects and estimates all projects will be completed over the next four years.

Neighbors’ part

Oklahoma City neighborhood leaders are encouraged to gather their neighbors for one-hour meetings and complete a fourpage paper survey that seeks feedback on streets and traffic, walkability and bikeability, public transit, drainage and parks and recreation. Each individual completes a confidential survey, which graduate students then review to create a complete report that will later be used by city leaders to determine bond projects. “What areas need street resurfacing? What areas flood regularly when it rains? What streets need bike lanes? Do we need

No one knows more about the neighborhoods than the citizens. Kristy Yager

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Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma leader Georgie Rasco. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

a park, or what additions do we need to our park?” Rasco said as she listed questions neighbors will hear during meetings. From now through the end of February, residents from an estimated 80 neighborhoods will be surveyed. Neighborhood leaders facilitate meetings, but NACOK staff or a student will lead some of them. As of last week, eight neighborhoods had sent in surveys, and more are scheduled in upcoming months. Most recently, Capitol View Neighborhood Association delivered a package of 100 surveys to City Hall. The community’s boundaries are NE 23rd to NE 36th streets and Lincoln to Kelly avenues. Yager wants to see similar packages from the more than 400 active neighborhood associations within the city’s 620 square-mile radius. The city is also soliciting public comments from a general resident online survey and city-planned public meetings expected to kick off in December. The city meetings will educate residents on bond programs and gather input on future projects. “It is really important to get surveys from areas of the city that might be underrepresented,” Yager said. “Even if residents have taken the neighborhood survey, we encour-

age people to go to the website and take the resident survey, which we ask people to prioritize areas of improvements.” Resident and neighborhood surveys are available in English and Spanish at okc.gov.

Write it down

Many community resident surveys will undoubtedly find a consensus for upgrades to streets and sidewalks, street light improvements and other infrastructure needs. Rasco said it’s also important that neighbors share their neighborhood aspirations. Residents can suggest any project, such as creating dog parks, installing bike trials, building bus stop shelters, renovating community centers, lighting sidewalks and creating pedestrian corridors. “I think we as citizens can get overwhelmed because we think about how we aren’t planners or engineers; will anyone value our opinions?” Rasco asked. “We often forget that, by the mere fact that we live and spend most of our time in our neighborhoods, we are the experts. Citizen input is so important to making the city the livable and walkable place we all want it to be.”

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NEWS

Built beautifully American Institute of Architecture judges praised the quality and quantity of OKC’s expertly designed buildings. By Greg Elwell

Selecting Oklahoma’s best new architecture wasn’t as straightforward as it might sound. American Institute of Architects (AIA) fellow Cheri Gerou led a trio of judges from Denver in evaluating projects the AIA Central Oklahoma chapter submitted for the 2016 Design Excellence Awards. “It was not a quiet affair,” Gerou said during the Nov. 4 awards banquet at Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City. Unlike other juries she has served on, Central Oklahoma’s chapter empaneled architects in different stages of their careers. Gerou is an AIA College of Fellows member, an honor bestowed upon architects who make significant contributions to the profession. Daniel Craig of Shears Adkins Rockmore is an established architect and Jenna Michieli of Anderson Mason Dale Architects is just beginning her career, Gerou said. The mix made for a more dynamic jury and some lively debate, she said. Central Oklahoma chapter executive director Melissa Hunt said a diverse jury brings in different thoughts and perspectives. “Plus, it’s nice to get young architects involved in judging awards early,” she said. Though many chapters prefer juries comprised of FAIA fellows, Hunt said other cities have also moved to mixed jury models. Gerou credited Hunt for keeping judges focused. “Some aspects of the designs speak to you personally, and those are the ones you root for,” she said.

Remembering McClendon

Awards were given for commercial, residential and interior architecture; historic preservation and adaptive reuse; and sustainable design. Rand Elliott, whose Elliott + Associates Architects received an Architecture Honor Award for its work on CHK | Central Boathouse in the Boathouse District and a Citation Award for Chesapeake Car Park Three, thanked his friend Aubrey McClendon, Chesapeake Energy cofounder and former CEO, for his contributions to Oklahoma City. “I’d like to share a sentiment that I think everybody in this room would share with us, and that is we appreciate Aubrey McClendon and everything he did in this community,” Elliott said. McClendon died in a single-vehicle crash in March. Elliott designed all of the buildings on Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s Oklahoma City campus. The 2016 Design Excellence Awards jury awarded more prizes this year than in previous years, Hunt said. Usually, 6

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about 20 percent of applicants win awards, but the judges felt there were more designs that deserved recognition. “They decided that eliminating some of the winners would be based only on numbers,” Hunt said. “Good design should be celebrated.” Gerou said she was impressed by the quality and quantity of projects that showed “a level of competition, economic viability and creativity” and should be envied. “Clearly, quality design is being produced here in Oklahoma. This year’s submissions were quite good and required careful thought as to the projects that should be recognized,” Gerou said. “You should all feel good about the architecture being created here.”

Elliott + Associates Architects’ design for CHK / Central Boathouse earned a Commercial Architecture Honor Award. | Photo Scott McDonald / Gray City Studios / provided

Excellence achieved

Honor Awards are the highest honors AIA Design Excellence Awards bestows, and Gerou said there were several strong contenders this year. The Master Planning Honor Award went to Common Works Architects for its work on Wheeler Park. The Historic Preservation Award takes on special meaning in Oklahoma City, where residents saw iconic buildings, including Union Bus Station and Stage Center (Mummer’s Theater), demolished in recent years. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris won an Honor Award for its work preserving and updating The Plow building in Bricktown. The jury said the work done on the 107-year-old building showed a “thoughtful contrast between the heavy timber frame” and lighter modern elements. “Both the new and the old are elevated due to the appearance of the other,” Gerou said. An Interior Architecture Honor Award went to Fitzsimmons Architects for Fulmer Group law offices inside the Buick Building in Automobile Alley. ADG earned a Residential Architecture Honor Award and People’s Choice Award for its work on the Mason Residence in Midtown. Hunt said her biggest surprise of the night was that 21c Museum Hotel, located along downtown Oklahoma City’s west end in Film Row, did not win a juried award. Hornbeek Blatt Architects did win an Historic Preservation People’s Choice Award for the hotel. More than 4,500 people voted in the competition. “I hope they submit again,” Hunt said. For the full roster of AIA Central Oklahoma 2016 Design Excellence Awards winners, visit aiacoc.org.

from left Architects Mike Mays and Rand Elliott of Elliott + Associates Architects accept an AIA Architecture Honor Award for Chesapeake Central Boathouse from AIA Central Oklahoma chapter president Lisa Chronister. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Hornbeek Blatt Architects won an Historic Preservation People’s Choice Award for 21c Museum Hotel. | Photo Mike Schwartz / 21C Museum Hotel / provided

co m m u n i t y

First Baptist Church Oklahoma City’s sanctuary is featured in Sunday’s Historic Church Tour benefiting Good Shepherd Ministries. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

In service

Celebrating roots

Five decades ago, the First Baptist Church Oklahoma City congregation put its faith into action and established Good Shepherd Ministries, which included a food pantry, clothes closet and community ministry. Two medical students saw an unfulfilled need to help the city’s medically vulnerable population and advocated to establish a faith-based evening medical clinic. In 1977, the two students, along with other

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Measuring what matters

Good Shepherd Ministries continues its mission to improve the health of underinsured residents, and its Historic Church Tour allows the community to contribute. By Laura Eastes

Leaders of Good Shepherd Ministries never lost sight of their mission to provide medical services to Oklahoma City’s most vulnerable, even as their own finances came under serious strain. A year ago, the medical and dental nonprofit clinic for uninsured Oklahomans neared the end of a three-year operating grant. Good Shepherd, which traces its roots back decades as a downtown faithbased clinic, launched a giving campaign and proposed a community fundraiser. Donations trickled in, but the financial squeeze continued. In late May, the ministries experienced layoffs as some fulltime staff roles were displaced by other medical professionals and local college student volunteers. During those arduous times, economically disadvantaged Oklahomans who sought dental or medical services continued receiving the care they relied on from a free community health clinic located at 222 NW 12th St. “I think we hit our bottom and now we are starting to turn around,” said Pam Timmons, executive director. There is hope on the horizon for Good Shepherd with a promising grant application and its signature fundraiser, the Historic Church Tour, which returns this weekend.

clinic. The Historic Church Tour is an opportunity for the community to learn more about seven notable churches and their histories and includes First Baptist, City Presbyterian, St. Luke’s United Methodist, First, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Frontline and First Lutheran churches. The self-guided tour runs 2-5:30 p.m. Sunday. Ticket proceeds benefit the clinic. In addition to gilded iron crosses, stained glass windows, cathedral beams, chancels, organs and communion rails, the tour examines each church’s historical significance. For example, the Sunday following the 1889 land run, St. Luke’s United Methodist’s congregation planted a white flag in the dirt while singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” In 1963, President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon Johnson sat in First Baptist Church pews during Sen. Robert S. Kerr’s funeral.

Make it a Happy Holiday with

Historic Church Tour 2-5:30 p.m. Sunday Downtown Oklahoma City goodshepherdokc.org $20

volunteers, began meeting patients at nowdefunct Chuck and Chris’s Bar. Much has changed since the days of meeting in a tavern. Three years ago, the clinic switched from a twice-a-week evening clinic to full time. Now, patients can see hired medical professionals and volunteer medical and dental students in the fully equipped clinic in the Ramirez Center, which is located on First Baptist Church grounds. Refining the clinic never altered Good Shepherd’s commitment to deliver compassionate health care. Over the years, myriad churches, including ones outside downtown, have contributed to the faith-based

A financial reversal will never overshadow the grace that’s achieved daily by clinic leaders, staff and volunteers. The nonprofit is the cornerstone of indigent services linking medical care to individuals who don’t qualify for Medicaid and are without insurance. Good Shepherd serves people form all backgrounds, including members of the labor force unable to afford insurance plans via health exchanges. Since the start of the year, the clinic has delivered 12,852 services to patients. “Our patients are chronic,” Timmons said. “We see diabetes and heart disease. They don’t have a regular doctor to go to, and over the years, they’ve let their health go. Their only other choice is the emergency room.” Good Shepherd reduces burdens on local hospital emergency rooms, which often treat financially disadvantaged patients in nonemergency medical situations. Unlike an emergency room visit, a patient’s comprehensive medical history is built and care is managed over time at Good Shepherd. Quentin, a former client who utilized Good Shepherd medical, dental and pharmacy services over a 12-month period, is a good example. “Every nonprofit has a client’s story that they love to share,” Timmons said. “Quentin is our client story.” Quentin had a hepatitis C infection, had been homeless and struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. With Good Shepherd’s help, Quentin joined a three-month pilot program for hepatitis C patients and received his $1,000 medical treatment at no cost. After three months, his lab results came back with no trace of the virus. “He doesn’t need us anymore,” Timmons said. Stories like Quentin’s and others keep Good Shepherd’s leadership, staff and volunteers focused on serving their community.

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The First Baptist Church Oklahoma City pew where President John F. Kennedy sat for U.S. Sen. Robert S. Kerr’s 1967 funeral is part of Sunday’s Historic Church Tour benefiting Good Shepherd Ministries. | Photo Garett Fisbeck O kg a z e t t e . c o m | n ov e m B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

e d u c at i o n

NEWS

Northeast push School leaders pitch a Northeast Academy charter plan to help deliver high-quality STEM education to urban students. By Laura Eastes

D. Pearl Barnett fondly remembers boarding her northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood bus for the daily, eight-mile journey to Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering. As a magnet school, Northeast Academy accepted only the top Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) sciences students. Launched in the fall of 1998, the sixth12th-grade school at 3100 N. Kelly Ave. ensured all students had access to highquality learning opportunities and prepared them to excel in science, technology, engineering and math beyond the school building, which was first opened in 1936 as Northeast High School. Northeast Academy set Barnett on a trajectory toward her career in public health policy. Now, as the state’s ADvantage Medicaid waiver programs administrator, the 2003 alumna credits her success to the school’s innovative teachings and specialized programs. Gone are the days when the city’s highest achieving students flocked to Northeast Academy.

Each student can learn if they are given the ability and the access to learn. D. Pearl Barnett In recent years, the state has recorded mediocre academic results, which troubles alumni and the community. Rumors spread that the school would soon close, and parents began enrolling their children in neighboring schools. When Barnett joined the Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering Enterprise Board in 2013, she noted many differences from when she attended during its early days as Northeast Academy. About 350 students were enrolled, a difference of about 560 students from the 1999-2000 academic year. She also noticed current students ranked toward the lower end of academic performance scales when compared to other secondary schools. “I saw a difference between the school’s academic rigor,” Barnett said. “When I was on the board, I first heard about the loss of faculty, loss of students and rumors the school would shut down.” Now, the Enterprise Board wants to turn the tide by rebuilding a strong aca8

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demic program and again creating a pipeline into science careers.

Fortune reversal

In mid-October, the board submitted its plan to reestablish innovative teaching and academic excellence. It proposes to convert Northeast Academy into a collegiate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) charter school. As Northeast STEM Academy, the sixth- to 12th-grade facility would operate as a publicly funded charter independent from OKCPS. “It’s the idea that each student can learn if they are given the ability and the access to learn,” Barnett said as she recently discussed Northeast STEM Academy plans with Oklahoma Gazette. “What we want to do at Northeast is deliver interactive experiences that are necessary in the STEM field to students.” The 58-page charter application sent to OKCPS leaders includes Enterprise Board member Brian Corpening’s and Barnett’s signatures authorizing the petition. They, along with longtime community leader Angela Monson, presented the charter request to the district school board during its Nov. 21 meeting. STEM-focused charter schools are not a new concept. If approved, Northeast STEM Academy would become the first school of its kind in northeast Oklahoma City, an area highly concentrated with low-performing schools. Like STEM charter schools across the country, the board wishes to reestablish a learning environment with rigorous and relevant curricula that maximizes individual potential and ensures students are well equipped for their futures. One of the school’s critical goals is building student self-efficacy, the belief in achieving. The board sees a direct link between self-efficacy and academic motivation and success in the STEM field. Under the proposal, Northeast STEM Academy would require students participate in at least 90 hours of community service each academic year. Students who have attended at least two years will be required to complete 120 hours of work experience in a STEMrelated field. Also, graduating seniors must master an independent capstone project before receiving their diplomas. Corpening said school leaders will establish relationships with the business sector as well as institutes of higher education, like the University of Oklahoma and Langston University, to help students accomplish the extra requirements.

D. Pearl Barnett at the Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering campus, an Oklahoma City Public Schools site. Barnett wants the school to convert to a charter model. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

“We all know if we want to truly impact our children, and all of our children, we are going to have to bring all the stakeholders to the table,” Corpening said. “We all must pitch in to provide the type of skill sets, experiences and resources to ensure that students have a quality education and are prepared for future opportunities, regardless of the field.” Northeast Academy would integrate Project Lead The Way, a national curriculum model that empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills through STEM pathways. Project Lead The Way will bring courses like cyber security and digital gaming to Northeast Academy, said Barnett.

Time for change

The school’s enterprise board is convinced the charter school model would be transformative for Northeast. As a charter, the board has freedom to hire staff and pay above the state’s average teacher salary, which would attract highly skilled educators. The board plans to extend the school calendar by 25 days an academic year, tailor curriculum and increase school resources by partnering with outside organizations. In 2012, Oklahoma City’s school board awarded Northeast Academy the status of enterprise, which allowed for establishment of an enterprise board. That board was granted flexibility in spending and staffing, but members said they hit constant roadblocks in their plans

for reinventing the school. District leaders again face a big decision that will arguably influence public education in northeast Oklahoma City for generations to come. The district’s creative committee, charter school committee and legal department must review the charter application before a recommendation is shaped and presented to the eight-person school board. The district could take 90 days to process the charter application. As one of the biggest backers for Northeast STEM, Barnett is doing her part to help promote the charter proposal. She often speaks to alumni, parent, student and community groups, explaining what Northeast STEM Academy could mean for Oklahoma City students, not just those that reside in the northeast quadrant. In August, there could be a new sign on the N. Kelly Avenue building. With a new school name comes higher expectations and a new curriculum model that could be the difference maker for many urban students. “We want our students to be academically proficient, above the state ACT average,” Barnett said. “We want our students to have opportunities in the STEM field and graduate with internships. We want our students to be involved in the community. We want our students to be connected to colleges.”

letters

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

Words vs. deeds

In response to Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers’ commentary “What have we done?” (Opinion, Commentary, Nov. 16, Oklahoma Gazette): As one of those left-leaning Oklahomans, I struggle with understanding the fact that the sermons of my Christian upbringing were so thoroughly eviscerated by Donald Trump, who was then loudly cheered and trumpeted hate, discrimination, torture, sexual assault and a long list of the very behaviors that Jesus spent his short life teaching and preaching against. As a person of faith, how do you justify supporting any person that has no sign of empathy, no sign of compassion, no sign of honesty or value for his word? If 70 percent of his statements are “Mostly False,” according to PolitiFact — mostly false (19 percent), false (34 percent), pants on fire (17

percent) — how do you follow a 30-percent honest leader? Do you allow your bank to give you a 30-percent accurate bank statement? Do you allow your children to only follow your teachings and instructions 30 percent of the time? Do your elected leaders only owe you 30 percent representation? Where is that compassion, where is that kindness, where is that basic foundation of “good” that we were raised with? The vast chasm between what Trump says and does and the teachings of my childhood seem insurmountable. Robin Wolf Kingfisher

God help Trump

Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers, you were correct on a couple of points in your “What have we done?” commentary against the election of Donald Trump for president (Opinion, Commentary, Nov. 16, Gazette). Your article was an unmasking (we already knew) of your false religion of perversion and antibiblical, anti-God, anti-Jesus savior of mankind. You were right about “not enough people go to church.” I will add that there are not enough biblical churches left to go to, where men preach true doctrine of sin, mercy, grace and responsibility. So let’s unmask and consider

your true words: “It is not, in the end, about character or virtue,” which raises a very interesting question. What is America’s basis for defining character and virtue? Is it not the moral standards of the Bible, which our Constitution and American culture was originally founded upon? Or has it now degenerated (you say “progressed”) to a diverse definition of personal preference. I agree with you, “character counts no more” — all we have left is talent, experience and nationalism. President-elect Donald Trump has all of those. I am praying that God will enlighten Mr. Trump to a lifechanging understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ and His way. Michael Moberly Oklahoma City

Corrections

>> The venue of Christie Owen’s Surroundings exhibit was misidentified in a photo caption (Arts & Culture, Visual Arts, “Climbing a Mountain,” Nov. 9, Oklahoma Gazette). Her series is showing at Oklahoma Hall of Fame at GaylordPickens Museum through Jan. 7. >> A Nov. 16 Eat & Drink feature story about new management of The Copa, Finishline and Angles (“Habana time,” George Lang, Gazette) misspelled the name of the owner of the clubs. They are owned by Nick Post.

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chicken

friedNEWS

Mustang speedy

It might be time to institute an “I Can’t Drive 55” Sammy Hagar rule for Hector Fraire Jr. after Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers said they caught the 19-year-old man driving 208 mph on the Kilpatrick Turnpike. Newson6.com reported Fraire was arrested Nov. 12 in Canadian County. Troopers said they tried to pull the young man’s 2011 Ford Mustang over for going 85 mph in a 70 mph zone in Oklahoma City when the car tried to make a very hasty getaway. In an attempt to evade capture during the early morning chase, officers said Fraire turned off his headlights and brake lights, because who would want to be able to see while they’re driving like the Sprint Cup is on the line? The suspect might have gotten away had it not been for a Canadian County Sheriff’s deputy who eyed a vehicle matching the Mustang’s description near Northwest Expressway and Sara Road, NewsOn6.com reported. A trooper finally made the stop at red light at Northwest Expressway and Highway 3, where Fraire reportedly pulled over and dropped his keys out the window, according to NewsOn6.com. Website TheDrive.com reported that Fraire’s speed was “ridiculous” and that, if accurate, “this car must’ve had some serious mods.” That’s no joke. The 200 mph barrier was only broken in NASCAR in 2014 by driver Tony Stewart during a qualifying lap at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Christie’s complot

Police recently responded to an alleged “inside job” at a local Christie’s Toy Box location, but maybe not the type of inside job you might be imagining, OKCFox.com recently reported. An armed robbery occurred just before midnight Nov. 14 at the intimate adult novelty and lingerie store in the 6300 block of S. Western Avenue, the news outlet reported. The suspect bolted with cash but no merchandise. A KOCO.com news report states the suspect entered the store with a firearm drawn and demanded that clerks give him the money from the register and the safe. This is the third time the shop has been robbed in three months, the clerk and police said. A store employee told police that she recognized the gunman as someone who had been in the store before, Oklahoma City Police Department MSgt. Gary Knight told the news stations. OKCFox.com spoke with a clerk who believed the holdup was an inside job.

This is no tinfoil-hat conspiracy or backdoor connection to the Illuminati. The clerk’s suspicions were raised, OKCFox.com reported the unidentified clerk as saying, because the gunman knew the location of the store’s panic button and warned employees not to activate it. The suspect also allegedly knew the location of the store safe. Local news sources reported no one was injured in the robbery. It could also be possible that the suspected robber is no less than the ultradeductive and intuitive Sherlock Holmes of thievery, but someone with such perceptive talent would be better off applying skills toward a higher goal, like maybe helping Nicolas Cage steal the Declaration of Independence. Maybe it is too early to write off the Illuminati in this one.

Throwing shade

It’s said that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but we here at Chicken-Fried News think it’s probably not a good idea to throw things at glass buildings anyway. And if you throw rocks at buildings, we very strongly advise that you should make

sure it’s warranted and the punishment is worth it. For example, when Jenny in Forrest Gump threw rocks at her house, she had a very good reason to do so and the likelihood of her going to jail for it was slim. An Oklahoma City man definitely didn’t give his rocklobbing very much forethought. KFOR.com reported that police arrested 27-year-old Thomas Russell Nov. 17 after receiving a call that someone was chucking large rocks at the Devon Energy Center tower at 333 W. Sheridan Ave. Russell’s actions earned him a felony charge for destruction of property — OKCFox.com reported that Russell caused an estimated $70,000 worth of damage to the iconic OKC skyscraper — but he didn’t stop there. Devon Energy Center security guards caught Russell mid-throw, and he pitched stones at them as they confronted him. OKCFox.com and KFOR.com reported that Devon security officials then peppersprayed Russell before Oklahoma City Police booked him into Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of malicious injury,

disorderly conduct, destruction of property and trespassing. Nobody knows why Russell pelted the building with rocks, but we’re pretty sure he now regrets it.

‘If I could Be Like Russell’

Twenty-five years ago, the famous “Be Like Mike” Gatorade ad debuted with clips of the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan scoring big and chugging the lemonlime noncarbonated sports drink from a glass bottle. Sports fans and basketball players big and small hummed the catchy tune, “Oh, if I could be like Mike.” While the popular commercial played, a young Russell Westbrook was still a few years away from picking up a basketball and playing the game inside a community center gym in the Los Angeles area. Now, a six-time NBA champion says Thunder point guard Westbrook is like Mike. That retired player is Jordan himself, according to the Associated Press. Jordan recently inducted Westbrook into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, saying, “When I watch him play, I see a lot of resemblance of his

passion for the game of basketball, the way I played the game of basketball.” Wow! Kudos to Westbrook for joining the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and receiving recognition from Jordan, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Here at Chicken-Fried News, we think Westbrook is pretty great, too. He’s a baller with mega talent and has

big philanthropic heart for OKC. In fact, Gatorade should consider revising the commercial. We suggest changing “Mike” to “Russell.” “Oh, if I could be like Russell!” That’s a song many would sing.

Quote of the week

“This decision is a victory for state and local governments as well as businesses in Oklahoma and across the country,” said Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt in a Nov. 23 media statement responding to last week’s injunction against U.S. Department of Labor overtime rules, which would have gone into effect Dec. 1. They are now on hold while the U.S. Department of Justice reviews the court decision and considers any possible next steps. “The rule would result in hours reduced, salaries slashed and jobs lost — now, this injunction provides certainty to Oklahoma employees and stability for their families.”

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EAT & DRINK

Club Med

Take your taste buds on a vacation to Jerusalem Mediterranean Cuisine. By Greg Elwell

($4.99). The seasoned chickpea dip is ridiculously smooth and includes a pool of flavorful olive oil in the center. Use a piece of 38 E. 15th St., Edmond | 405-285-0025 pita bread to stir it together. The flavor is a little grassy and What works: Kebabs are great, especially the chicken tawook and kofta. slightly bitter, and its texture is luxuriously creamy. What needs work: Mojaderah is earthy For a larger party, order a but needs hot sauce or citrus to liven it up. sampler ($9.99), which includes Tip: It’s closed on Mondays, despite what the hummus, baba ganoush (a online menu might show. creamy roasted eggplant dip), crunchy falafel bites (seasoned and fried ground chickpeas), Edmond’s bustling Broadway street might vegetarian stuffed grape leaves and pita seem like a weird place to “get away from bread. it all.” Stuffed grape leaves appetizers are worth Along one of the Oklahoma City subordering, even as an entrée (six for $4.99). urb’s busiest thoroughfares is a shopping Each is stuffed with rice and vegetables and center at 15th Street, and inside that cooked in olive oil and lemon juice. The center resides a little restaurant. Step texture is crisp but forgiving. The flavor is slightly tart and habit-forming. inside it and the outside world fades away. The fatoosh salad’s ($4.99 small, $7.99 The music and tastes of the Middle East await visitors at Jerusalem Mediterranean large) lemon and olive oil dressing was Cuisine, 38 E. 15th St. fine, but the salad seemed like the usual The venue is bright and inviting, and house mix with toasted pita in place of shades on the windows give it an airy feel. croutons. Instead, I recommend Jerusalem’s take on tabbouleh ($4.99 Additional light comes from the kitchen, small, $7.99 large) salad with freshly where cooks contend with occasionally roaring flames as they prepare a perfectchopped parsley, tomato and mint mixed ly charred dish over an open fire. with a little fine-ground bulgur wheat. Remember in It’s A Wonderful Life how Too much wheat makes tabbouleh dry and every time a bell rings an angel gets its heavy. This version is lovingly seasoned and full of bright flavor. wings? It’s kind of like that at Jerusalem, except every time you see a burst of flames, you know somebody is getting a Main course beautifully cooked kebab. Now that appetizers have arrived at the table, it’s time to decide on an entrée. A gyro Getting started sandwich ($6, or $9 with fries and a drink) is an easy choice. But after seeing all those But first, let’s talk appetizers, because you’ll need some time to ponder the full flames earlier, it’s tempting and perfectly menu. For a party of two, order hummus acceptable to order a tender kebab. The best of the best is chicken tawook ($12.99, including salad and rice), which Tabbouleh | Photo Garett Fisbeck is marinated and seasoned before going over the fire. The kebab skewers are pre-

Jerusalem Mediterranean Cuisine

Mixed grill kebabs over hashwa | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Hummus | Photo Garett Fisbeck

soaked, too, which helps later on when you pull away the delicate meat to eat it. The experienced hands in the kitchen rotate each skewer so the outside is golden and lightly charred and inside is moist and exquisite. For a little more variety, order the mixed grill kebab ($15.99). Diners get chicken tawook, a lamb kebab and kofta seasoned ground beef cooked until browned. Kofta (or sometimes kufta), meatloaflike meatballs, require great ingredients and skills to prepare correctly. If the meat is overworked, it gets tough and dry. If it isn’t seasoned right, the beef is bland. Jerusalem’s kofta is juicy, tender and flavorful. Beef kebab ($14.99) is straightforward, with two skewers of tenderloin served with rice and a salad, but I thought the marinade overpowered the meat’s delicate flavor. A better choice is lamb shank ($14.99), which has a more powerful taste and a bit more tang. It’s so tender that simply brushing a fork against it is about all it takes to get it ready to eat.

Guests can upgrade from the entréeincluded rice to hashwa or mojaderah for $2.49 more. Hashwa is rice cooked with ground beef, almonds, pine nuts and (for an additional 69 cents) raisins. I’m not a fan of raisins in things, but they are integral to hashwa. The added sweetness makes this side dish pop. Mojaderah is steamed rice with brown lentils and caramelized onions, and it’s a lot earthier. It needs something spicy or sour to make it a must-have. That’s a minor quibble, though, because the bulk of Jerusalem’s menu is so good, it’s almost impossible to choose one dish. Thankfully, Jerusalem is close enough that customers can take a trip to try everything it offers. As it’s open six days a week, no plane ticket is necessary. Find the venue’s Facebook page online by searching “Jerusalem Mediterranean Cuisine.”

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EAT & DRINK Our trash-totreasure idea gives us the ability to be whatever we want.

f eat u re

Grady Wisdom

Get bit Springfield, Missouri, import The Flea finds its own identity in Oklahoma City. By Greg Elwell

As its name implies, The Flea was intended to be a watering hole mixed with a flea market, a place patrons could stop in for a drink and leave with a painting or a piece of jewelry. That’s not quite how things worked out, said general manager Samantha Morphew. “It was built off the idea of a bar where you could buy stuff off the walls,” she said. “They veered away from that because people kept bringing in more sentimental things.” That’s an idea the Oklahoma City location, 733 NW Fourth St., hopes to inherit. The original concept finds its home in Springfield, Missouri. “The one up there, somebody brought in their grandmother’s vacuum,” Morphew said. “That’s the idea we’re going for.”

Historical digs

The name on the building is new, but plenty of drinks have been poured there over the years. Locals might remember it as So Fine Eatery & Pub, which closed last year after owner Larry Jenkins sold it. Before that, it was The Neighborhood Lounge. The 86-year-old structure needed a lot of love and repairs. Jenkins said he invested more than $300,000 to renovate the space and draw in a younger crowd. Just a couple months after Jenkins sold the property to developer David Box, The Flea announced its intention to move in. Despite the massive improvements put 14

The Flea general manager Samantha Morphew enjoys a Genesee Cream Ale, one of the bar’s vintage beers. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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in by the previous owner, it’s still a dive bar at heart, said managing officer Grady Wisdom, who started The Flea in Springfield. The building’s history is an important factor in why Wisdom chose the Oklahoma City venue for The Flea’s second location. “I’m all about repurposing stuff,” he said. “Our trash-to-treasure idea gives us the ability to be whatever we want.” Repurposing an old dive bar into a new dive bar appealed to him. The back bar is made from pallet wood Wisdom brought in from Springfield, and the bar top comes from an old bowling alley called Holiday Lanes.

its own “let loose” attitude. “The vibe is kind of a hole-in-the-wall dive bar,” she said. “Come as you are. Do as you want. Get as loud as you want.” The fun-loving clientele often orders “Ray Charles” shots. “Everyone closes their eyes and throws ice to choose the shot they have to take,” Morphew said. It’s an eclectic group, much like the decor, she said. The Flea is as welcoming to college students and service industry workers as it is to attorneys and employees from the nearby Bob Moore corporate offices. “It’s a little bit of everything,” Morphew said. She hopes to see the clientele expands even more after the bar brings food online in the next few weeks. The menu will feature fare like hot wings, hamburgers

and Frito chili pie. Like the food menu, the beer menu is a throwback. Morphew loves craft beer and gets a few taps to play around with local brews, but most of the beers — including Hamm’s, Genesee, Pearl and Old Style — come from a different era. Wisdom said the classic brews are favorites with customers who are rediscovering the joy of neighborhood bars. His vision for The Flea is cozy and welcoming. The venue’s space is inviting, which is one of the many reasons The Flea is now located in Oklahoma City. “It’s one of the oldest buildings in downtown,” he said. “We were just waiting for the perfect opportunity.” And he said it didn’t hurt that business partner Brad Hitchings previously had success importing Skinny Slim’s from Springfield to Oklahoma City and Edmond.

Low places Wisdom said The Flea reclaims the term “dive” and fashions it into something less scary and more fun. “It’s only recently that the word has gotten a positive connotation,” he said. Instead of being dangerous, many dives are now comfortable and friendly places where guests can be themselves. Morphew said the atmosphere is perfect for karaoke, which the bar hosts on Tuesdays, and its Thursday night trivia games. The venue’s also getting more spacious; she said its patio will expand over the next few weeks. Even with more room, Wisdom said The Flea still feels personal. It should feel even more personal as regulars fill in the nooks and crannies with items that make them feel at home.

Same difference

Though his bars share a name and an aesthetic, Wisdom told his Oklahoma City staff that their Flea will adapt to best serve their customers. “Talking about how the original location evolved is exactly the point,” he said. When the bar opened in 2012, organizers did want to sell items off the walls. But as customers brought in cherished items that had once hung in another bar or in their grandfather’s basement, it became more of a collection. “I’m never going to sell something a customer donates to us for the bar,” Wisdom said. “The bar is ever-evolving.” Morphew said that since the October opening, Oklahoma City’s Flea has earned

The Flea took over the 86-year-old building that formerly housed The Neighborhood Lounge and So Fine Eatery & Pub. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

b rie f s By Greg Elwell

A student setup for Sweets on the Side’s cookie decorating class | Photo Lan McCabe / provided

•Cookie class

Those preparing for a visit from Saint Nick and looking to upgrade from a lump of coal to a diamond might need help making a better cookie. “Some people just have trouble with cookies,” said Sweets on the Side owner Lan McCabe. “Sometimes they come out looking like a blob instead of a snowman.” She hosts Christmas Cookies and Cocktails 7-9 p.m. Saturday at The Collective, 239 N. Broadway, in Edmond to help fledgling bakers make perfectly shaped and decorated cookies. Though she has been baking “forever,” McCabe launched her business selling decorated cookies, cobblers and brownies business about four years ago. Earlier this year, she decided to share her expertise with others via classes at Williams-Sonoma in Penn Square Mall, 1901 Northwest Expressway, and The Black Scintilla, 1112 N. Walker Ave., Suite 104. She said this is her first class at The Collective. “It’s definitely a beginners class,” she said. “It’s going to be fun and relaxed. We’ll take a couple of hours and all the supplies will be there for them to decorate and some boxes to take them home.” The class is $55 and includes cookies to decorate, snacks, “sips” of wine or a signature cocktail and McCabe’s sugar cookie dough and frosting recipes. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com. Visit sweetsonthesideokc.com.

Amazonia reopens

Einar Perdomo sounded heartbroken in 2015 when he explained why he closed his Venezuelan restaurant, Amazonia Latin Flavors, in Moore. His spirits and his restaurant are back up in Norman less than a year later. The eatery, 584 Buchanan Ave., opened in October, and Perdomo said the results are already positive. “The last location in Moore was super bad for us, but we really learned a lot,” he said. There’s already more traffic to his smaller Norman store than there was at the previous location and a better appetite for Venezuelan food, he said. Amazonia’s former Moore location updated its menu to include Mexican fare when it struggled to bring in customers last year, but Norman clientele is more interested in exploring Perdomo’s native cuisine. The menu includes arepas (a sandwich with a thick, handmade tortilla instead of a bun) and pabellón, an entree of stewed shredded beef, plantains, black beans and rice that is considered Venezuela’s national dish. Visit facebook.com/amazoniarest.

Beer-y birthday

Tradition says on the second anniversary, one gives a gift of cotton. Deep Deuce restaurant Slaughter’s Hall, 221 N. Central Ave., takes a different route. Its Two Year Anniversary Party 6 p.m. Thursday gives revelers the gift of an alllocal beer wall and special brews, said Clayton Bahr, Outside The Box Hospitality Management Group chief operating officer. “We will be stripping down our beer wall and serve all local beer on draft only,” he said. That includes some one-off brews by Prairie Artisan Ales, Anthem Brewing Company, 405 Brewing Co. and COOP Ale Works. “My understanding is that these are special brews just for our anniversary and this will be the only chance to try them,” Bahr said. Slaughter’s executive chef Jonathan Groth also celebrates the release of the new menu at sister tavern WSKY Lounge, 228 NE Second St. “I have fun stuff on there like braised beef cheek and duck pot pie,” Groth said. Visit slaughtershall.com and wskylounge.com.

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

No Thanksgiving

Gobble, gobble, go away already. Say “No, thanks” to yet another day of leftovers and give your taste buds something less fowl for a real holiday treat. Wake up the family from Thanksgiving-induced drowsiness and get out of the house for a meal. Here are a few ideas for you. By Greg Elwell Photos Garett Fisbeck and Gazette file

Tamashii Ramen House 321 NW Eighth St. facebook.com/tamashiiramen 405-517-0707

Anybody missing the laughter and noise of family visitors will find a little piece of Thanksgiving lives on at perpetually busy Tamashii Ramen House. Owners Matthew and Wakana Sebacher serve four ramen styles, the most popular being tonkotsu (pictured), a creamy broth full of slurpable noodles, braised pork belly and nitamago, a seasoned soft-boiled egg. At dinner, look for the exquisitely grilled skewers.

La Catrina Mexican Restaurant

1501 NW 23rd St. facebook.com/ lacatrinamexicanrestaurant 405-525-1700 Grown-up and hungry boys and girls need to try a few of La Catrina Mexican Restaurant’s Jr. Specials. Big beef, chicken and shrimp fajita portions are cooked with onions and jalapeños and covered in melting cheese. Served with pico de gallo and guacamole as well as the requisite rice and beans, this entree is big enough for dinner and lunch the next day for leftovers you’ll be excited to eat.

Polar Donuts

1111 N. Meridian Ave., Suite B polardonuts.org | 405-946-7448 Subversive sweets are the name of the game at Polar Donuts. Diners might stifle a laugh when they order a Strong Pimp Hand (pictured at right), but there are no giggles when taking a bite of the fresh-glazed doughnut. The fruit fritters, which are melt-in-themouth tender with chunks of fruit, and the light and airy “Spudnut”-style doughnuts that use potato flakes and flour are outstanding.

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B-Won Korean Restaurant Upper Crust 4517 S. Sunnylane Road 405-670-1170

5860 N. Classen Blvd. okcbestpizza.com | 405-842-7743

Pay a little extra for the dolsot and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be sorry. Korean food comes in a variety of vessels, but the stoneware dolsot bowl is one that elevates the dining experience at B-Won Korean Restaurant. Dishes like kimchi bulgogi dolsot bibimbap (spelled phonetically on the menu) arrive at your table sizzling hot with delicate rice, pickled vegetables and sweet and savory beef at the perfect temperature.

With several Upper Crust locations across the state, the restaurant is known for handmade pizzas cooked in wood-fired ovens, which give crusts a nice char and a little extra flavor. Those seeking extra spice should consider ordering Some Like It Hot (pictured), a pizza covered with spicy sausage, three kinds of peppers and a swirl of balsamic glaze. It pairs great with the venueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ample wine list.

AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE New Days of

Hefner Grill

9201 Lake Hefner Parkway hefnergrill.com/restaurants/ hefner-grill 405-748-6113 After a sometimes taxing week with family, it sure is nice to find some calm. Enjoy your own moment of zen at Hefner Grill. This elegant restaurant overlooks Lake Hefner, giving guests a lovely view of sailboats gently bobbing while diners snack on creamy Baltimore crab dip (pictured) and enjoy a full bar. Save some room and share a piece of six-layer chocolate cake as the sun shimmers across the rippling water at sunset.

Couscous Cafe

6165 N. May Ave. couscouscafeokc.com 405-286-1533 Couscous Cafe has the antidote for postThanksgiving blues. Couscous Cafe soaks, mashes, seasons and fries chickpeas into crispy, fluffy balls of happiness called falafel. They are tasty as an appetizer, stuffed in a pita sandwich or rolled up in a burrito. If your tastes tend toward meatier fare, look for marinated and braised chicken tagine (pictured).

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ARTS & CULTURE

Emotional blowout

“Good Grief” by Brazen Wolf aka Jamie Pettis | Image provided

Artist Jamie Pettis curates Backfire: A Cultural Explosion to retaliate against the establishment and negative state stereotypes while fostering community and love.

By Ben Luschen

It felt like a suckerpunch. Like many other Americans leading into Election Day, artist Jamie Pettis had no reasonable expectation that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might actually win. As reality set in on the night of Nov. 8, she felt shock. Then the tears came. Yes, it was only an election. People voted; somebody won and others didn’t. But for Pettis and many who similarly view the world, a candidate was elected that she felt was outwardly hateful. Upon hearing the news, Pettis’ mind turned to a December art show she began planning months earlier.

We’re not trying to separate ourselves; anyone can come and celebrate. We’re just trying to be one — one among each other. Jamie Pettis

Backfire: A Cultural Explosion gathers visual and musical artists together on Friday to buck what they believe are largely intolerant attitudes that permeate Oklahoma and its government. Pettis said this show provides refuge for our marginalized communities. “I didn’t expect for this event to fall under these circumstances,” she said. “It’s almost ironic that it’s happening this way. It’s very much needed now.” Pettis, an Arizona-based artist originally from Holdenville, creates her art under the Brazen Wolf moniker. The exhibit includes works by Steven Paul Judd and Jack Fowler. Soul Time with DJ Tom Hudson and rappers Fresh and Jabee will perform. Backfire: A Cultural Explosion is 6 p.m.-1 a.m. at The Root, 3013 N. Walker Ave. Music begins at 10 p.m. The event coincides with Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Art Walk. Pettis wouldn’t wallow in negativity. Instead, she wiped her tears and got to work.

Her piece “I Am in This With You,” featuring two women embracing in solidarity, was her response to how she felt about the election. “It’s like, ‘We’re in this together; what are you so afraid of?’” she said. The show, Pettis said, celebrates all people and how that diversity paints a complete picture of humanity. “We’re not trying to separate ourselves; anyone can come and celebrate,” she said. “We’re just trying to be one — one among each other.”

‘Eye candy’

From her father’s second-floor downtown art studio, it was easy for a young Pettis to pretend she inhabited a New York City loft. Only after glancing out the window and seeing a loaded cattle truck pass by was it obvious she was in rural southeast Oklahoma. Pettis grew up in Holdenville, a town with a population less than 6,000. Her father was a lawyer by profession. Art was his hobby. She often watched him work on his pastels in his loft atop the town. Creativity was his escape. It soon became hers, as well. Intolerance and racism existed in Holdenville, as did love and acceptance. Both extremes are found in every town and city. Pettis said she found a circle of friends that kept her open-minded. It included filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, whom Pettis has known almost since the day she was born. “It’s funny how you could get out of it this way, because there was a pocket of us who … were these really socially conscious people,” she said. After high school, Pettis moved to Stillwater to attend Oklahoma State University. While there, she interned for Marc Jacobs’ head women’s designer in New York City. After college, she moved around the country to places like California, Colorado and even back to Oklahoma before eventually settling in Arizona to be with her then-girlfriend. After moving to Phoenix almost seven years ago, Pettis decided to pursue art full-time. continued on page 20

Jacobi Isham aka Fresh | Photo So Focus Photos by R. Tolar / provided

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ARTS & CULTURE “Jimmy Rushing” by Jack Fowler | Image provided

“I Am in This With You” by Brazen Wolf aka Jamie Pettis | Image provided

continued from page 19

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Her work generally focuses on people and explores sexual openness and humanity’s complexity. It is also full of vibrant color. Lately, she has worked a lot with Prismacolor colored pencils. “It’s like eye candy to me,” she explained. “This sounds kind of weird, but I like to make a painting or drawing that is almost edible. That’s when I lose myself in those pieces.” Though Pettis hasn’t lived in Oklahoma full-time in years, she makes an effort to exhibit her work in her home state several times a year. She said that effort is partly rooted in her obsession with how Oklahoma City’s art community has blossomed recently. A community rawness exists here that can be hard to find in larger cities that carry more corporate influence. She also aspires to be someone whom young people in the local art or gay community can look up to. “There’s something about Oklahoma that has my heart unlike any other place,” Pettis said.

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‘Get ourselves right’

much time thinking about it, though, because his experience was the only Rap didn’t make Jacobi Isham feel special. It was something almost everyone was reality he knew. doing — or at least that’s how he perceived “When we went to rivalry games in it. basketball or football, we expected there Isham, under his rap moniker Fresh, to be a shooting there; we expected there opens for Jabee at Backfire. Long before to be a fight,” he said. “We were always he performed shows in the Paseo, Fresh, just ready for it. I thought that’s how it now 26, was a teenager at was in all high schools.” After graduating high home with a huddle of friends rapping into a school, Fresh played Backfire: small computer microjunior college basketball A Cultural phone. b efore sig n i ng at Explosion Ok l a hom a B a p t i s t They wrapped a University in Shawnee, washrag around the mic 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday to create a makeshift pop where he helped the team The Root filter. advance to the National 3012 N. Walker Ave. “It was either [make Association of facebook.com/therootokc music] or it was go out Intercollegiate Athletics 405-655-5889 into the streets and get national championship $5 in trouble,” Fresh said. game in 2012. Note: Admission is free After college, he fully “When I go back and before 9 p.m. listen to some of that focused his energy on crestuff, it’s embarrassing, ating music, which he said Featured artists but it was cool for the wasn’t necessarily an time being.” easy decision to make. Jabee Fresh attended high Some people look Brazen Wolf school in Lawton and down on local rappers, he Fresh was a standout basketsaid. Steven Paul Judd ball player. “I always rapped, but Jack Fowler Parts of the city were never put it out on Soul Time violent or crime-ridden. Facebook or had that with DJ Tim Hudson image,” he said. “Doing Fresh didn’t spend

that was like, ‘Man, do I want to put myself out there for it?’ I still get it to this day.” Fresh released the single “25/8” last year and plans to promote the song in 2017. Much of his music reflects his positive attitude. “I found myself in hip-hop,” he said. “The more I did that, the more I believed in myself and the easier it was to tune out [negativity] and say, ‘Hey, they’re just scared themselves. They’re trying to project their fears onto other people.’” Fresh said he thinks it is important to lead by example and show the world there is more to Oklahoma than generalized negative stereotypes. But before people can break down those perceptions, they must look inward. “Once we get ourselves right, then yeah, let’s express that and spread that,” Fresh said. “There can be a lot of people who say these things and don’t really feel that way.”

‘Feeling it’

Whatever happens over the next few years, Fresh is sure rap music and hip-hop culture will appropriately scrutinize and confront current events. “Hip-hop has always been the news station of culture,” he said. “There’s not going to be a reason for it, but I think it’s just going to be a natural response.”

Hip-hop has always been the news station of culture. Jacobi Isham aka Fresh

Still, Fresh feels there has been a “watering down” of hip-hop in recent years — specifically on the national and mainstream radio levels. He acknowledged that some of that might be because some younger rappers did not come up facing the kind of oppression older emcees experienced. In a community where prejudiced individuals are now less shy sharing negativity with others, Fresh said he hopes rappers also are more extroverted about speaking out on important issues. “I think we’ll see a lot of that realness and rawness have to come out again, because everyone’s going to be feeling it,” he said. “You can’t run away from it.” Remember, the Backfire concept was conceived long before anyone knew how this year’s election would end. Pettis’ project responds to what she and participating artists believe is a long tradition of intolerance in Oklahoma that is

upheld by those in positions of power. In that sense, she said the show is necessary regardless of who won the election. She said local leaders of minority and marginalized communities will briefly share with guests their needs and what can be done to help. In coming years, Pettis hopes she continues to seek and find artistic expression that also cultivates comfort from within. “You’ll see probably more of me, true to what I do, and finding a way to get a more all-encompassing message across,” she said. She doesn’t have time for bitterness or self-pity, she said. There’s a whole world out there to love. “As infuriating and as angering as some things can be,” she said, “I can’t sit in negativity for too long.”

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Miss Gay Oklahoma 2016 Ry’lee Hilton | Photo Carrie Strong / provided

Life preserver

Ryan Tigner, aka Miss Gay Oklahoma 2016 Ry’lee Hilton, received a medal of recognition from EMSA just months after earning the pageant crown. By Ben Luschen

As Miss Gay Oklahoma America 2016, Ry’lee Hilton stresses the importance of the “man behind the makeup” when selecting a Miss Gay USA titleholder. Hilton is the pageant alter ego of Hidden Dragon Yoga instructor Ryan Tigner, who was recently awarded a Citizen Hero Medal by Oklahoma City Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) after saving the life of a man in one of his classes. Tigner was leading his Saturday morning class in a warrior pose at Midtown’s Hidden Dragon Yoga, 26 NE 10th St., when 50-year-old student Nick Zaizar collapsed. 22

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Zaizar’s heart had stopped. “It’s a moment I’ll probably never forget,” Tigner said. The instructor called 911, and a dispatcher coached Tigner through chest compressions as an ambulance rushed to the studio. Tigner had earned CPR certification in the past and said his training rushed back to him during those intense moments. EMSA responders revived Zaizar, largely thanks to Tigner’s quick actions. Zaizar is in good condition after the scare. While some labeled Tigner a hero, he emphasized that the emergency response crew deserves most of the credit.

“I truly believe they’re the heroes in all of this,” he said, “because they’re the ones who made sure my friend didn’t die.”

Family bond

When he isn’t teaching yoga (or helping save a life), Tigner dazzles audiences and judges as drag performer and pageant queen Ry’lee Hilton. Tigner has danced for years and has always loved performing. Several years ago, while in between jobs, Miss Gay Oklahoma America 2014 Renee Hilton convinced Tigner he should compete in pageants. Drag culture fosters close “family” ties as longtime performers mentor those coming into the scene. The Hiltons share a last stage name, but Renee and Ry’lee are only a year apart in age and longtime friends outside drag. Tigner said Renee and Ry’lee consider themselves sisters. “We always correct people on that,” Tigner said. “No, I’m not her daughter; I’m just her sister.” Earlier this year, Ry’lee won the Miss Gay Lawton America title and then won Miss Gay Oklahoma America in only her second year competing. After losing the Miss Gay Oklahoma America pageant last year, Ry’lee developed her talents by performing shows at The Boom and Finishline and sought advice from longtime performers and past pageant champions. As Ry’lee won, emotion overcame Tigner. “It was one of these really magical moments that took place, and I couldn’t stop crying no matter how hard I tried,” Tigner said. “It was just very overwhelming, very emotional.”

Discovering self

Tigner was asked to become a yoga instructor around the time he began seriously pursuing pageant work. He has practiced the discipline of yoga for five years. Tigner was a Hidden Dragon student when the studio owner, also a good friend, told him she was launching a teachertraining program and he would be in it.

He told her he wasn’t interested; she didn’t listen. “She said, ‘No, I didn’t ask you,’” Tigner said. “‘I told you, and you’re going to be in it.’” Tigner said he didn’t expect how much of an impact teaching would have on his life. In January, he became a certified instructor. “It’s a wonderful experience; I absolutely love teaching,” he said. “It’s one of those things where every now and then, you can see it click with somebody. You can fix someone’s posture over and over and over again, and then you see when it really clicks and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. I get it.’” Tigner said yoga helps him relive the athleticism he enjoyed as a dancer without as much wear and tear on his body. Yoga’s meditative discipline also helped clear his mind, and he’s more comfortable sharing his emotions. Tigner said he appreciates the value of life’s relationships more than he perhaps ever has before.

Renewed friendship

Zaizar and Tigner have talked to each other since Zaizar’s medical scare. Few people experience a friendship-building experience quite like theirs. “I think they’re lucky not to have that,” Tigner said. “But at the same time, I think I’m far luckier to have that bond with him.” Tigner said he isn’t a hero. He said he reflects on what happened and knows he was lucky to be around when someone needed help. He hates to think what might have happened if Zaizar hadn’t come to class that day. Tigner said he wants his story to spotlight a humanity and community-building commitment that pageant participation fosters and supports. “To me, this is a great pairing of the man behind the makeup [with the Miss Gay Oklahoma organization],” he said.

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St. Louis songs

UCO’s Broadway Tonight series features a classic Christmas musical with surprising Oklahoma ties. By Kara Stewart

University of Central Oklahoma’s (UCO) Broadway Tonight series brings Broadway-style shows to students and the community for the holidays with its production of classic musical Meet Me in St. Louis. “The piece is a real charmer,” said Greg White, Broadway Tonight executive director and UCO professor of musical theater. The musical was adapted from MGM studio’s 1944 film of the same name. Originally starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien, Meet Me in St. Louis follows the Smith family leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair international exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Divided into seasonal vignettes beginning in the summer of 1903, the film and subsequent musical follows Alonzo and Anna Smith, daughters Rose, Esther, Agnes and Tootie and son Lon Jr. Esther and Rose are caught up in the perils of young romance as they await the launch of the World’s Fair. An announcement from their father upends their plans. Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe adapted the critically acclaimed film from a series of Sally Benson short stories first published in The New Yorker. The film also was adapted into made-fortelevision films in 1959 and 1966 and a Broadway musical with additional songs in 1989.

State song

Despite its Hollywood beginnings, Meet Me in St. Louis has a few local ties. Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin wrote the popular movie track “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Blane, from Broken Arrow, now has a UCO School of Music scholarship named after him. “The music is the real star of the show,” White said. In the film, the tune, performed by Garland, cheers up Tootie in the face of what seems to be an impending family change. While the lyrics known today are upbeat, Blaine’s draft included lyrics that Garland, along with director Vincente Minnelli, criticized as too depressing. After some hesitation, Martin and Blane 24

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from front left Kylie Groom as Esther, Gabrielle Alspaugh as Tootie, Micheal Andreus as Alonso and Karlin Smith as Anna in Meet Me in St. Louis. | Photo Lauren Bieri / University of Central Oklahoma / provided

eventually rewrote the lyrics into what they are today. Meet Me in St. Louis offers more for audiences than music. “It’s a big show,” White said. “Beautiful sets and costumes; an incredible cast.” The cast is comprised of UCO musical theater students and local children. During their months prepping, they received guidance from White and director Billie Thrash, a UCO adjunct professor. “We’re really going all out to make this really special for our community,” White said. “We have a classic holiday musical on stage, Mitchell Hall [Theatre] will be decorated inside and out, we’ll have a hot chocolate truck out front for our audiences to enjoy — it’s going to be an event.” The Broadway Tonight series runs from August to May each year and features UCO students as well as four to five well-known performers. Meet Me in St. Louis runs 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Mitchell Hall Theatre on the UCO campus, 100 N. University Drive, in Edmond. Visit uco.edu/cfad or call 405-974-3375 for tickets and more information.

Meet Me in St. Louis 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday Mitchell Hall Theatre University of Central Oklahoma 100 N. University Drive uco.edu/cfad 405-974-3375 $10-$20

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Coming together

World AIDS Day 2016 marks progress made in the LGBTQ community as well as an invigorated commitment to equality. By Mark Beutler

When Kay Holladay’s son David came out to his family at age 16, there were no tears or confusion and there was no teethgnashing or condemnation. Instead, he received an affirmation of love, respect and admiration. “We love our children without condition,” Holladay told Oklahoma Gazette. “When David came out to us, he was still the same teenage boy he was the day before: typical crazy, friendly, funny, loving and talented.” Times were different then, she said. There was no Will & Grace, no equality movement and very little acceptance. “The only difficulty was the isolation we felt,” Holladay said. “We were absolutely sure we were the only parents in Oklahoma who had a gay son.” Soon, Holladay became involved in PFLAG, formerly known as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. “My dear friend Jayne called to see if I was interested in joining her and two of her friends in starting a PFLAG chapter in Norman,” Holladay recalled. She visited Jayne’s home, met her friends and shared a bottle of wine, and the rest is history. Today, PFLAG Norman is a strong and respected chapter. Holladay remained active in the organization through the years and was recently named regional director of PFLAG National. The region includes Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. She has seen a cultural shift toward more positive attitudes but said there is still much work to be done, especially in and around Oklahoma.

“In the early days, there was a judgmental attitude that seemed to be driven by organized religion,” she said. “People who were LGBTQ stayed in the background for the most part, fearful they might lose their jobs if it was known they were gay.” Holladay said Oklahoma attitudes are still a challenge. “It is challenging with a capital ‘C,’” she said. “Often, we get weary of fighting the discrimination and the ignorance and listening to the Bible verses that are used to whack people over the head. What keeps us going is hearing a mom or dad say, ‘Well, I sure don’t understand it all, but I love my kid.’ That’s a start. … We lift each other up.” The shock many Americans felt after the Nov. 8 elections was heightened within the LGBTQ community. Holladay said the possible consequences of a Donald Trump presidency should concern people and that fight for equality must continue. “Never stand down, never give up any ground, never go backward,” she said. “It’s infuriating to think of the possibility of those rights being rescinded. So stay vigilant, stay informed, stay close to your legislator, both state and federal.” Holladay added that while continued progress can often feel like taking one step forward means taking two steps back, she does believe, long-term, people’s overall attitudes have markedly improved. “I think people are more willing these days to see those who are LGBTQ as their neighbors, their doctors, their teachers,

their mechanics, their accountants — people who are no different than they are,” she said. And underneath it all, there are still generational dynamics of coming out that show Holladay her work is not finished. “A person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is a part of what makes a person unique,” she said. “It’s difficult for me to imagine not knowing my ‘whole’ child. … And it was a mountaintop experience to share their wedding with many friends.” Holladay’s region includes more than 40 PFLAG chapters, and she has visited all four states. Back home, she just helped celebrate Oklahoma’s newest chapter in Guthrie. “They just want to have their rights and be respected, as we all do,” she explained. She is also a strong advocate for HIV and AIDS awareness and in 1998 was instrumental in establishing AIDS Walk Oklahoma City. Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund awarded Holladay the Richard May Award 2010, which is named after the fund’s founder and celebrates exceptional HIV and AIDS service, education and research within the community. She said she will commemorate World AIDS Day on Thursday along with many of her fellow PFLAG members. “As a parent, I want to tell those who are LGBTQ to never be afraid to show who you are,” Holladay said. “Tell your story and let the world see you as the wonderful human being you are.”

Celebrate World AIDS Day >> A World AIDS Day comeand-go art exhibition is 4-6 p.m. Thursday at 1219 Creative Gallery, 1219 N. Classen Blvd. Admission is Free. Visit okaidscarefund. com/events. >> People wanting to wear a red World AIDS Day ribbon can find one at Urban Teahouse, 519 NW 23rd St., Suite 107. Owner/operator Kristy Jennings also offers a special tea to celebrate the day. >> Season of Hope – A World AIDS Day Celebration is 6-9 p.m. Thursday at The Paramount OKC, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. AIDS Walk Oklahoma City awards its annual grants and celebrates disease treatment progress. Tickets are $25-$100. Visit aidswalkokc.org or call 405-673-3786. >> A multifaith World AIDS Day memorial service is 6-7 p.m. Thursday at Expressions Church, 2245 NW 39th St. The keynote speaker is Rabbi Vered Harris of Temple B’nai Israel. Admission is free. Visit expressionsokc.com.

co m m u n i t y

Giving socks

BetterBox Project holds a sock drive to help Oklahoma’s homeless population. By Adam Holt

co m m u n i t y

In the spirit of #GivingTuesday, a global kickoff of the charitable season after Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK) hopes to help those in need with the BetterBox Project sock drive. MHAOK is asking for donations of new socks and undergarments for men, women and children. “Our answer to the call of #GivingTuesday is we’re extending it past Tuesday; we are giving the entire month to give,” said Alisha Fry, Pathways Case Management team leader. Pathways Case Management is a grantfunded program within MHAOK. New socks and underwear can be dropped off 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays at the Pathways Case Management office at MHAOK, 400 N. Walker Ave., Suite 190. The sock drive is part of the BetterBox Project, an MHAOK public awareness campaign to educate the public about ending chronic homelessness by providing safe and affordable housing. BetterBox also connects those in need to critical

services in the community. “It’s about not just thinking outside the box; let’s get people into better boxes,” said Fry. The BetterBox Project operates out of OKC and Tulsa. Fry said the donation focus of the sock drive responds to needs of the homeless and newly housed. “People who are experiencing chronic homelessness and people who have just recently moved into housing, which is the intention of our projects and programs, one of the things that are least donated are socks and underwear and those kinds of essential items,” Fry said.

Focus on advocacy

MHAOK is one of many Oklahoma organizations that focus on advocacy on behalf of the homeless population. The groups work together to reach as many of the unfortunate as possible. “We have programs within the MHAOK, several of them, that do work towards ending homelessness,” Fry said. “Locally,

we work in conjunction with the Homeless Alliance, The Journey Home Project, the Department of Veteran Affairs and different community agencies.” Avocation and supporting the homeless struck with mental illness is one of the primary focuses of MHAOK. Fry said one in four homeless people suffer from a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. “We are helping them get mental health services, which is really hard for a person who has been experiencing homelessness to be able to navigate those systems,” she said. Due to concentrating on their next meal or where they will sleep for the night, many people without homes can’t afford to give much thought to standard medical care. Campaigns like the BetterBox Project help secure care for the unfortunate. “We also help connect them to critical services in the community,” Fry said. “An example would be helping them to get preventative care, get personal doctors so they are not utilizing emergency services, therefore reducing the burden on the taxpayer.” Fry said BetterBox helps people apply for Social Security disability services and any other resources in the community that might be beneficial to them. Besides the sock drive, there are many simple ways to help the homeless. “The Homeless Alliance downtown on Fourth Street, they are awesome at receiving donations for household items,” Fry

BetterBox Project sock drive collects new socks and undergarments for to those in need in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. | Photo Ann Sherman / Mental Health Association Oklahoma / provided

said, “items you don’t think about when moving in like toilet paper and trash cans and stuff like that.” She also said monetary donations to the BetterBox Project and MHAOK stay in Oklahoma and volunteering with the multiple organizations providing aid to homeless people in the area also helps.

Illustrious journey Mesta Park Holiday Home Tour returns for its 39th year. By Mark Beutler

Mesta Park Holiday Home Tour 4-8 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday Mesta Park 704 NW 18th St. mestapark.org Free-$15

In today’s hurried-up world, the slower pace of a Currier and Ives Christmas seems ideal. Friends gather for cups of mulled cider, carolers sing of the season and a cozy, crackling fire welcomes weary travelers. Homeowners in the historic Mesta Park neighborhood have filled their dwellings with gaily decorated trees, warm hearths and jolly elves to make your season bright. The 39th annual Mesta Park Holiday Home Tour is 4-8 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. “This is the largest fundraiser for our neighborhood,” said Sarah Jordan, tour

chairwoman. “Last year, we had roughly 2,000 visitors.”

Value and comfort

Tour proceeds help beautify, improve and maintain the neighborhood park, boulevards, sidewalks, landscaping and historic streetlights and signs, she said. Additionally, the event shows off the community’s value, historic preservation efforts and joys of urban living. Five homes are featured in this year’s tour, and a sixth offers complimentary hot cider, homemade baked goods and Elemental Coffee Roasters coffee. “Visitors will see a variety of homes, including various interior styles and five different architectural styles,” Jordan said. “Each one brings something different to the table. Some are newly renovated, modern and fresh while others showcase a more historic charm.” Mild fall weather in October and early November allowed residents to get a head start on decorating.

Hosting the most

The neighborhood dates back to before statehood. It was named for former resi-

Brigette and Phillip Zorn’s living room in their house at 216 NW 22nd St. | Photo provided

dent Perle Skirvin Mesta, who was the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg from 1949 to 1953 and often held lavish parties, which earned her the nickname of “hostess with the mostest.” In 1949, she was named Time magazine’s Woman of the Year. The Mesta Park Holiday Home Tour began in 1977 and has become a metro holiday tradition. Besides maintenance funds, Jordan said a portion of tour proceeds benefit the neighborhood’s Wilson Arts Integration School. Tickets are available at mestapark.org and several metro brick-and-mortar stores and will be sold at the door. “We are looking forward to seeing our friends and neighbors from throughout the metro,” Jordan said.

Refreshments will be provided at the home of Jennifer and Andy Bowman at 704 NW 18th St. Food trucks also will be located there. She said carolers will circle the neighborhood and Santa Claus will stop by. Mesta Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Historic Preservation District by the City of Oklahoma City. It is bordered on the west and east by Western and Walker avenues and spans from NW 16th to NW 22nd streets. “Mesta Park is an eclectic but tight-knit community,” Jordan said. “We are truly fortunate to live here and hope others can see the neighborhood through our eyes on the home tour.” O kg a z e t t e . c o m | n ov e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

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‘Tis The season To give

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Skaters circle Devon Ice Rink at Myriad

Think rink

From skating and curling to meetings with Santa, Devon Ice Rink is a hub of winter activity. By Greg Elwell

Donate by December 31st

Give at www.kgou.org

Devon Ice Rink events Myriad Botanical Gardens 113 S. Robinson Ave.

David Hamilton KGOU Listener & Donor

myriadgardens.org 405-445-7080 Rock ’n’ Skate nights 6-9 p.m. Fridays

List your event in

$7-$12 Learn to Curl 9-10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 $20-$25 Cookies with Santa 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 Park House Events Center

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125 Ron Norick Blvd. $6-$15

The newest thing at Devon Ice Rink isn’t one skaters will likely see. “We improved a lot of the equipment,” said Leslie Spears, Myriad Botanical Gardens communications and marketing director. New coils help the rink stay frozen longer, she said. It’s not the flashiest change, but it’s one that guarantees a lot more fun for visitors. The rink recently opened for its seventh winter season at 113 S. Robinson Ave., but Spears said lessons of the last past still

can’t overcome the laws of nature. “If it gets to 60 degrees and there’s melting, we have to shut it down,” she said. But when weather cooperates, it’s a joy to behold. Ice-skating isn’t a familiar sport to many Oklahomans, but city residents quickly took to it. “So many people are learning to iceskate on this rink,” Spears said. “It’s fun to see adults out there. It’s becoming a family tradition for a lot of people.”

Rock on

Spears said even those who don’t skate will still find a lot to do. This year, the staff introduced curling classes taught by Oklahoma Curling Club members. Curling is like a cross between shuffleboard and bowling, but on ice. Teams throw large, polished granite stones and use brooms to sweep the ice and direct the stones to a target called the house. The team that gets the stone closest to the target earns a point. Spears said the classes are a hit. The next class is Dec. 10, and it’s sold out. Those who still want to try curling can visit Oklahoma Curling Club at okcurling.com. A different kind of rock takes charge on Friday nights. Chameleon Entertainment DJ Brian Smith drives Rock ’n’ Skate nights 6-9 p.m. Fridays and plays a variety of genres to keep people moving. Spears said Rock ’n’ Skate nights are popular with teens and parents thanks to Smith. His mix of pop, country and disco appeals to multiple age groups and ener-

Rink at Myriad Botanical Gardens. | Photo Downtown OKC, Inc. / provided

1240 S.W. 44th St. | Oklahoma City, OK | 405.429.7940 | southwindwomenscenter.org

gizes skaters to get out on the ice. Entry with skate rental is $7-$12. Guests who bring their own skates pay $8 admission. Rink hours are 3-9 p.m. MondaysThursdays, 3-11 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Sundays. It is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Christmas Day and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. New Year’s Eve.

一伀嘀㌀ ⴀ 䐀䔀䌀㈀㐀

Icing encouraged

On the ice, it’s considered rude to skid to a stop and cover other skaters with frost, but another kind of icing happens at the rink during Cookies with Santa 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at Park House Events Center, 125 Ron Norick Blvd. Kids and adults can decorate and eat cookies, visit with Old Saint Nick and create holiday art before taking to the ice. Tickets are $6-$15. All tickets include skate rental and entry to Devon Ice Rink after the event. Registration is required by noon Dec. 14. Spears said she tries to walk around Myriad Botanical Gardens at least once a day and it’s inspiring to see how the area has become a hub of activity for every season. “Cold weather doesn’t stop families from getting out and having fun,” she said. Since Spears can’t spend all day at the rink, she follows social media to stay informed about what’s going on and to keep visitors informed about schedule changes. “I see the photos they post, and it’s such a good variety of people,” she said. “There are proposals that happen here. Lots of people go on first dates here. A lot of families come out on Sundays. It’s such a fun day.” The fun will go longer during winter break, Spears said, when the rink opens 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays Dec. 14-Jan 2.

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Snow tubing is the main attraction at LifeShare WinterFest in Bricktown. | Photo Outback Photography / provided

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Slippery slope

LifeShare WinterFest guests slide into the holiday season with snow tubing at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. By Christine Eddington

LifeShare WinterFest LifeShare WinterFest 90-minute sessions run noon4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Jan. 1 Closed Christmas Day Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive downtownindecember.com/ lifeshare-winterfest 405-218-1000 | $3-$14

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is officially a winter wonderland. The field is covered, nearly 25,000 feet of Christmas lights are strung, cocoa is brewing, Santa penciled appearances into his calendar and ballpark elves recently completed a new, longer, faster snow tubing run. LifeShare WinterFest at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, launched last weekend and slides to a stop on New Year’s Day. There’s plenty for non-sliding folks to enjoy, too, including holiday lighting, hot chocolate, Santa and his workshop, a holiday train and more. Last year, 17,500 people enjoyed 85 sessions lasting 90 minutes each during the 20-day event, said Alex Freedman, Oklahoma City Dodgers director of media relations and broadcasting.

Improvements and additions

“This year, we have increased the length of the slide, and we’ve increased its pitch and slope,” Freedman said. “The location of the slide has moved slightly, too, and we’ve streamlined the entry points.” The main slide is now three lanes wide and 145 feet long. That’s more than 3,000 square feet of slippery, snowy fun. Guests must be at least 42 inches tall to ride the main slide, Freedman said. A youth slide is 74 feet long. New snow is constantly being blown, with a constant base layer of two to three inches on the slopes. 30

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In years past, the slides had separate entrances. Now, the whole thing has more lanes and the youth entrance is at a lower point on the main slide. For safety’s sake, the one-person-per tube rule still applies and adults cannot ride the youth slide, Freedman said. “But one parent can be stationed at the top of the slide and the other at the bottom,” he said. Measures have also been taken against the occasional bare spots on the slopes that appear on warmer days, thwarting the tubing experience. “We found that it was harder to operate the slides in warmer weather, yet that’s when more people wanted to come out,” Freedman said. “The surface under the snow was made of wood, but this year, it’s been improved. It is now a synthetic carpet that is slick. Worst case, you can slide on the carpet alone.”

Food and drink

The concessions area sells food and drinks during WinterFest events, including adult-friendly cocktails like the ginger martini (vanilla vodka, Kahlúa, and Baileys Irish Cream topped with whipped cream and gingerbread), The Poinsettia (vodka, champagne and cranberry juice), spiked Holly Jolly Cider and the Nutcracker (Kahlúa, amaretto, Baileys, Grand Marnier, whipped cream and graham cracker).

Hours and entry

The ticket booth opens an hour before the day’s first session, and please note that workers can accept cash or credit only. Tubing tickets are $14 per 90-minute session and include entry to related WinterFest events. Non-tubing WinterFest tickets are $3. LifeShare WinterFest runs noon-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Jan. 1. The venue is closed Christmas Day. Those who buy tickets online can pick up wristbands at the will-call office located on the west side of the ballpark. Learn more at downtownindecember. com/lifeshare-winterfest.

calendar Mixed Media Art: Ages 6-8, tour the special exhibition Sacred Words: The St. John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination and create your own mixed media artwork inspired by pieces in the gallery, 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT

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

Free Family Make+Take: Snowman Snow Globes, use plastic cups, pom-poms, glue, glitter and fake snow to create the perfect addition to your holiday decorations, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 3. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT

BOOKS Let’s Talk About It Series, discussion of Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, with the discussion led by Harbour Winn, 6 p.m. Nov. 30. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED Nuveau: The Future of Patterns, celebration of Tiffany McKnight’s new coloring book in collaboration with SixTwelve, Penny Candy Books and Ketch Design Centre; enjoy food from Picasso Cafe, a photobooth, a coloring table for people of all ages along with a panel discussion with McKnight and Amy Young of SixTwelve, 7-10 p.m. Dec. 2. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., sixtwelve.org. FRI

FILM Breakfast at Tiffany’s (US, 1961, dir. Blake Edwards), the beloved masterpiece graces the big screen once again, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 30. AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Road., 405-755-2406, amctheatres.com. WED Buffalo ’66, (US, 1998, dir. Vincent Gallo) the first event in a series of pop-up film screenings in Oklahoma; having just served five years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Billy Brown kidnaps a young tap dancer named Layla and forces her to pretend to be his wife, 7 p.m. Dec. 7. Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. WED

HAPPENINGS Holiday Lights Spectacular, free family event and also the largest animated light display in the fivestate region, boasting over 100 displays; over 1 million lights are sprinkled along the 1.5 mile drive that features Illumination Celebration, a dancing forest of lights choreographed to favorite classic Christmas tunes, through Dec. 30. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., Midwest City, 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. Christmas in the Park, over 4 million twinkling lights and 400 displays cover 100 acres of Freedom Trail Playground, City and Chisholm Trail Parks, through Dec. 31. Chisholm Trail Park, 500 W. Vandament Ave., Yukon, 405-350-8937. cityofyukonok.gov Sorghum Mill Christmas Tree Farm, choose and cut your perfect tree for the holidays, Nov. 25-Dec. 23. Sorghum Mill Christmas Tree Farm, 7121 Midwest Lane, Edmond, 405-340-5488, christmas-tree.com/ real/ok/sorghum. Plaza Beer Walk, cool weather and plaid flannel are the themes of the walk, 6-10 p.m. Nov. 30. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-367-9403, plazadistrict.org. WED PAMBE Ghana’s Global Market, seasonal fair trade shop that provides destination shopping for unique

Art Adventures, young artists are invited to experience art through books and related projects for children ages 3-5, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

Holiday Breadmaking Workshop The holidays are here, so bring an apron and rise to the occasion at a Holiday Breadmaking Workshop 1-3 p.m. Tuesday at Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service Conference Center, 2500 NE 63rd St. The $15 hands-on class teaches the basics of making yeast breads and how to choose the right flour for different bread products. Registration is required by Friday. Visit oces.okstate. edu/oklahoma or call 405-713-1125. Visit riversportokc.org or call 405-552-4040. Tuesday Photo Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service / provided gifts, including folk art from around the world; all proceeds benefit PAMBE Ghana’s La’Angum Learning Center in northern Ghana, noon-6 p.m. Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 6-10, 13-17, 20-24. PAMBE Ghana’s Global Market, 6516 N. Olie Ave., pambeghana.org. THU A Dog Day in December, pet-friendly holiday party; photos with Santa, dog costume fun, food trucks and more, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 1. Midtown Mutts Dog Park, 409 W. Park Place. THU Midtown Holiday Pop-Up Shops, more than 40 retailers set up shop in a village of heated geodesic domes; businesses rotate through a weekly schedule including retail, food and beverage vendors, Santa, musicians and artists, Dec. 1-4, 8-11, 15-18, 20-22. OKC Pop-Ups, 399 NW 10th St. okcpopups.com. THU -SUN Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk, see what Paseo Art District has to offer; galleries and shops host receptions for new shows and featured artists along with live music, food trucks and local restaurant options, 6-10 p.m. Dec. 2. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org. FRI WinterGlow 2016, a holiday celebration on the campus of UCO; lighting of the President’s Tree followed by crafts, activities, photos with Santa and much more, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 2. University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405974-2000, uco.edu. FRI Storyland Christmas, take a self-guided tour through eight traditional Christmas stories that come to life in 37 monumental hand-painted murals; also enjoy photos with Santa, children’s activities and more, Dec. 2-18. Charles J. Johnson Central Park, 7209 SE 29th St., Midwest City. Oklahoma City Train Show, operating layouts, sales booths, train set giveaways, and fun for the entire family, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 4. Cox Pavilion State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com/content/ exhibit-buildings. SAT-SUN Gingerbread House Workshop, create a fragrant masterpiece; all supplies provided and all ages welcome, 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT Deck the Halls, this family-friendly activity includes an opportunity to meet and take photos with a variety of gift bringers from around the world, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 3. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. SAT

Hands on a Hardbody University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre students present Hands on a Hardbody, a musical comedy about 10 smalltown Texans competing for a new pickup truck. Opening night is 8 p.m. Friday at the Elsie C. Brackett Theatre near the intersection of W. Boyd Street and Elm Avenue on OU’s Norman campus. Tickets are $15-$40. Call 405-325-4101 or visit the OU Fine Arts Box Office at 500 W. Boyd St. Friday and Sunday, ongoing Photo University Theatre at University of Oklahoma / provided

Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center Craft Extravaganza; Osage Nation, proud to present the third Annual Craft Extravaganza, with a lineup of extraordinary local artisans and craftspeople, 10 a.m. Dec. 3. WahZha-Zhi Cultural Center, 1449 W. Main St., Pawhuska, 918-287-5538, osagenation-nsn.gov. SAT 23rd Street Antique Mall Christmas Open House, special sales all around the mall from 10 percent to 50 percent off, awesome antique Door Prizes given away every hour, noon Dec. 3. 23rd Street Antique Mall, 3023 NW 23rd Street, 405-947-3800, antiques23.com. SAT Pop-Up Shops, eight local craft and retail shops; find unique Christmas gifts for your favorite people, 7 p.m. Dec 3. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. SAT Local Bliss Holiday Market, block party featuring over 25 local, female-run makers and services, 2-6 p.m. Dec. 4. Stash, 412 E. Main St., Norman, 405-7011016, stashok.com. SUN

The Oklahoman’s Downtown Year in Review 2016 with Steve Lackmeyer, Steve Lackmeyer hosts an elite panel of Oklahoma City leaders in a discussion about developments in 2016 and what’s ahead, 6 p.m. Dec. 5. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. MON

Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, immersive exhibit where 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, take rubbings from a sarcophagus and interpret a battle mural to solve the mystery, runs through Jan. 16. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.

PERFORMING ARTS Heaven Can Wait, stageplay by the award-winning Southmoore Theatre program, Nov. 29-Dec. 3. Southmoore High School, 2901 S. Santa Fe Ave., Moore, 405-735-4200, mooreschools.com. TUE-SAT White Christmas, The Musical, Irving Berlin’s story tells the story of a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling for a stunning sister act in the process; full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever writ-

FOOD Twisted Spike Launch Party, OKC’s newest brewery opening, 6-11 p.m. Dec. 2. The Patriarch, 9 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. FRI Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local producers, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. every Saturday. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT 5th Annual Chili Cook-Off, proceeds benefit Integris Cancer Foundation, 3 p.m. Dec. 4. Grady’s 66 Pub, 444 W. Main St., Yukon, 405-354-8789, gradys66pub.com. SUN Ludivine Presents: A Champagne Dinner, a fivecourse champagne dinner with each course paired with thoughtfully selected champagne, 6-10 p.m. Dec. 5. Ludivine, 805 N. Hudson Ave., 405-7786800, ludivineokc.com. MON

YOUTH Junie B in Jingle Bells Batman Smells, in Junie B Jones’ world Christmas means you get presents, elf costumes are awesome and May is a blabbermouth tattletale; things are going well until she pulls May as her Secret Santa and with Santa watching her, what will Junie B do?, Nov. 28-Dec. 18. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. Reading Wednesdays, storytime followed by a small craft, 10-11 a.m. Nov. 30. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-297-3995, myriadgardens.com. WED 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. When the Earth Shakes, learn all about the science of earthquakes, tsunamis and tectonic plates; an immersive interactive exhibit exploring the world below our feet, through Jan. 2. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.

Kendra Gives Back Trunk Show Great gifts and a great cause come together at the Kendra Gives Back Trunk Show 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at 6404 Commodore Lane. Guests can shop for pieces from renowned jewelry designer Kendra Scott’s new collection. Twenty percent of sales benefit Center of Family Love in Okarche, which provides housing and care for developmentally disabled adults. Visit cflinc.org or call 405-263-4658. Tuesday Photo Kenda Scott / provided

ten, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. TUE-SAT

Homeschool for the Holidays: Ages 6-13, paint, sculpt and craft all things jolly in this fun class designed with the holidays in mind, 10 a.m.-noon every Friday Dec. 2-16. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI

Comedy to the Rescue, charity show rescuing Oklahoma’s shelter pets from euthanasia and relocating them to Pacific Northwest no-kill shelters, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED

Storytime, storytime for moms to mingle and little ones to enjoy a story and craft, 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Dec. 3. District House, 1755 NW 16th St., 405-633-1775, districthouseokc.com. SAT

Oklahoma City University Guitar Ensemble, awardwinning OCU Guitar Studio under the leadership of Matt Denman, Kyle Patterson, Lynn McGrath and Brian Belanus, 8 p.m. Nov. 30. Petree Recital Hall, Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-208-5000, okcu.edu. WED

Saturdays for Kids: Holidays at the Museum, designed for children and their families to participate in arts and crafts, 10 a.m. Dec. 3. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT

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O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N ov e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

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continued from page 31 Big Game, live team game show with Alex Sanchez, presented by OKC Comedy and Black Mesa Brewing Company, 8 p.m. Nov. 30 Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. WED

Mike Baldwin, considered by many to be one of the smartest, funniest and most likable comics today, Mike has a clever writing style and one-of-a-kind delivery that will have audiences rolling with laughter, 8 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Dec. 2-3. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED -SAT Lyric’s A Christmas Carol, go on a magical journey with Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com. A Tuna Christmas, two dazzling comic actors play small-town denizens in this laugh a minute, quick change, comic tour de force, Dec. 1-18. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. THU Big Band Christmas Dance, holiday music event, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1. UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., Edmond, 405-359-7989, ucojazzlab.com. THU Turtle Island Quartet, two-time Grammy Awardwinner fuses traditional quartet form with contemporary jazz and blues, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400 S. Bryant Road, Edmond, 405285-1010, armstrongauditorium.org. THU

Wind Philharmonic: Concert II, “Commando March” by Samuel Barber; “Spiel für Blasorchester,” Op. 39 by Ernst Toch; Scenes from “The Louvre” by Norman Dello Joio; Overture to “La belle Hélène” by Jacques Offenbach; Pastorale: “Autumn Rune” by Ron Nelson; “Lost Vegas” by Michael Daugherty, 8 p.m. Dec. 1. Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-208-5000, okcu.edu. THU

SWOSU Fine Arts Auditorium, 100 Campus Drive, Weatherford, swosu.edu. SUN Canterbury Christmas, annual Christmas concert with a variety of guests and Canterbury Youth Choruses; featuring the holiday carol audience singa-long, 7 p.m. Dec. 4. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. SUN Classic Radio Theatre, enjoy beverages, hors d’oeuvres and travel back in time to the golden days of radio; live performance of scripts from various radio shows from the 1930s to 1960s, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11. Actor’s Casting & Talent Services, 30 NE 52nd St, 405-702-0400, actorscasting.com. SUN Andy Hendrickson, stand-up comedy, Dec. 7-10. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED

ACTIVE Edmond Ice Skating Rink, ice skating under the open skies and starlit nights, Nov. 19-Dec. 31. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-359-4630, edmondok.com/parks. OKC Thunder vs Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. Nov. 30. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. WED WWE Live Holiday Tour, WWE superstars live in action, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. SAT OSU Women’s Basketball, OSU vs Georgia, Dec. 3. Gallagher-Iba Arena, 1046 W. Hall of Fame Ave., Stillwater, 405-744-5745, okstate.com/facilities. SAT OU Women’s Basketball, OU vs Oral Roberts, 2 p.m. Dec. 4. Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., Norman, 405-325-4666, lloydnoblecenter.com. SUN

Leading Ladies, Leo Clark and Jack Gable, two down-on-their luck Shakespearean actors, find a newspaper article about an ailing woman who wants to share her multimillion-dollar inheritance with her sister’s children, Max and Steve, but there’s a minor problem: Max and Steve are actually Maxine and Stephanie, 8 p.m. Dec. 1-3, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org. THU

The Golden Girls Christmas Live!, a funny and loving parody tribute to your favorite sitcom senior citizens, 8 p.m. Dec. 2-3, 9-10, 16-18, 22-23. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI A Nice Family Christmas, the family gathers with secrets and dysfunctions, and the fruitcake hits the fan, 8 p.m. Dec. 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and 15, 2 p.m. Dec. 2. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI

OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans, 6 p.m. Dec. 4. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. SUN

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, back by popular demand, this beloved American holiday film classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast, Dec. 2-10. Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-208-5000, okcu.edu. Share at the Showroom, music and discussion series with Oklahoma- and California-based photographer Josh Welch and Oklahoma artist Samuel Regan, 3-4:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway Drive, 405-951-000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT

Child Labor in Oklahoma: Photographs by Lewis Hine, 1916-1917, collection of 25 powerful Lewis Hine photographs taken while he was in Oklahoma. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. Chinese Brushwork Paintings: Swallows and Sparrows, using ink and watercolor on rice paper, students learn to paint swallows and sparrows in the spontaneous brushwork style, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN Christie Owen: Surroundings, a diverse collection of abstract 2-D and 3-D works inspired by everyday environments. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. Cowboys & Caboodles, show and sale of Shel Wagner works, through Dec. 23. UMB Bank Stockyards City, 1217 S. Agnew Ave., 405-239-5828, umb.com. Crossroads of Commerce, showcasing the growth and development of Oklahoma’s economy from 1716 to statehood, the Dust Bowl, the Depression, all the way to present day. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/ historycenter.

Fleeting Light, an interactive exhibit featuring the photographic images of artist Zach Burns and participants in NewView’s Creative Visions art program, 4-7 p.m. Nov. 30. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery.org. WED

Silent Night? Not Tonight! Painted Door owner Avis Scaramucci brings back her lunch-and-learn classes at a later hour with Silent Night? Not Tonight! 7-9 p.m. Thursday at West, 1 Mickey Mantle Drive, in Bricktown. The $30 prix fixe menu is a fully seated meal with holiday appetizer, table centerpiece lessons and a jewelry fashion show. Admission includes tax, gratuity and a Poinsettia cocktail (made with champagne and cranberry juice) toast.

Jeff Dunham, Dunham and his sidekicks set out on their red-hot Perfectly Unbalanced tour, 8 p.m. Dec. 2. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. FRI

Ceramics Sale, shop one-of-a-kind handmade pieces, made by area artists, through Dec. 23. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Edmond People, Edmond Politics, showcases a variety of political memorabilia and historic photographs that illustrate the many ways Edmondites have participated in local, state and national politics, through Dec. 16. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard, Edmond, 405-340-0078, edmondhistory.org.

The Christmas Show starring Kelli O’Hara, the entire family can welcome santa and his tap-dancing kickline, Dec. 1-3. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. THU -SAT

The Night Before Christmas, featuring Christmas songs loved by children of all ages, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2. The McGranahan Barn, 12310 Northwest Expressway, Yukon, 405-698-2276, mcgranahanbarn.com. FRI

Beginner’s Clay Class: Adults, experience clay as a sculptural medium; learn various techniques and complete a sculpture with an abstracted figurative influence, 1-4 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT

Da Vinci: The Genius, the most comprehensive exploration of Leonardo da Vinci’s work ever created; interactive experience immersing guests through full-scale interpretations of the mastermind’s inventions and studies of his iconic art. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

OU Symphony Orchestra, the concert, part of the Sutton Concert Series, will feature Brahms’ Tragic Overture, Schubert’s Symphony No. 1, Sibelius’ Death of Melisande and Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite, 8 p.m. Dec. 1. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd Street, Norman, 405-325-4101, ou.edu/aoi/catlett.html. THU

Jane Austen’s Christmas Cracker, dance and sing along with your favorites in this holiday classic, Dec. 2-17. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. FRI

Ornaments 101: Adults, a unique glassblowing class for the holiday season; create your own handmade gifts and learn several techniques for blowing small spheres of beauty and color, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 3 and 10. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT

Thursday Photo Gazette / file

VISUAL ARTS A Sense of His Soul, exhibit featuring only on the eyes, stripping away any additional identifiers, thereby making all subjects in this work equal in the eyes of the viewer, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Brian Regan, comedian, 8 p.m. Dec 3. The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-308-1803, criterionokc.com. SAT

Making a Manuscript in the 21st Century: Reviving a Lost Art, lecture by Eric Hollas examines the challenges scribes and artists confronted as they fashioned a masterpiece of the book arts, 6-7 p.m. Nov. 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. WED

SWOSU Holiday Collage Concert, showcases arrangements of holiday favorites performed by the wind symphony, symphonic band, jazz ensemble, southwestern singers and orchestra, 3 p.m. Dec. 4.

Ashlyn Metcalf Solo Art Exhibition, paintings on discarded library books, paper and panels, through Dec. 4. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-5253499, dnagalleries.com.

Holiday Art Extravaganza, three shows in one: SmallWorks, Ornaments and Dirty Santa Toy Show, through Dec. 21. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com. Melvin Edwards: In Oklahoma, a pioneer in the history of contemporary African-American art and sculpture returns for his first solo exhibition in Oklahoma in 25 years, through Dec. 27. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. Nicki Albright, showcase of contemporary fused glass; a kaleidoscope of kiln-fused glass with subtle nuances ultimately defining the final design, through Nov. 30. The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St., Suite 400, 405-412-7066. Picturing Indian Territory, surveys how the people, land and history of Oklahoma were constructed visually by artists, illustrators and journalists, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Power and Prestige: Headdresses of the American Plains, original exhibition features nine Northern and Southern American Great Plains headdresses along with historical photographs and other supporting artifacts including ledger art depicting Indian warriors and bonnets from the museum’s permanent collection. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-974-2000, uco.edu. Rebecca Mannschreck, acrylic paintings, Nov. 11-Dec. 31. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R , 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com. Sacred Words: The Saint John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination, includes 70 selected folios from The Saint John’s Bible as well as other illuminated manuscripts such as a Book of Hours, Quran pages and Torah scrolls, Oct. 15-Jan. 8. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

Santa’s Art Workshop Kids can meet the big guy a little early this season at Santa’s Art Workshop 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 10 at Edmond Fine Arts Institute, 27 E. Edwards St. Children can create holiday art, mingle with elves, drink cocoa and eat cookies, listen to Mrs. Claus read a story and spend quality time with Santa. A 45minute session is $15 for each child and two adults. Visit edmondfinearts.com or call 405-340-4481. Dec. 10 Photo Edmond Fine Arts Institute / provided

Solo Exhibition by Annavittoria Conner, art, live music, prints and more, 6 p.m. Dec. 3. Resonator, 1010 N. University Blvd., Norman. SAT The Modernist Spectrum: Color and Abstraction, how postwar American artists, especially those associated with the Washington Color School, made new, producing novel work that sought to reinvent abstract art through an alternatively rigorous and playful manipulation of color, line and shape. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Utopia, exhibition illustrates the various definitions and dreams for a utopian future, through Dec. 31. Current Studio, 1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-6731218, currentstudio.org. Visage: Photography from the Permanent Collection, explore how photographers have examined individuality through portraiture, through Dec. 4. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Women at War, works of renowned artists Ebony Iman Dallas, Gay Pasley and Edward Grady. 1-4 p.m. Dec. 10. Owen’s Arts Place Museum, 1202 E. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-260-0204, owensmuseum.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 36

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N ov e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

event

MUSIC

Folk fight

The Blue Door owner Greg Johnson’s annual Tribute to Woody Guthrie showcase kills fascism. By Ben Luschen

Greg Johnson’s annual that and fought very hard tribute to Woody Guthrie for the equality of all men.” Tribute to is in its 26th year, and it’s Johnson said the spirit Woody Guthrie quite possibly more releof Guthrie is about fighting vant today than it has ever for the rights of others with 7 p.m. Sunday been. And that’s saying no expectation for anything The Blue Door something. in return. The owner said 2805 N. McKinley Ave. Johnson owns The Blue the folk musician would bluedoorokc.com have been for raising the Door, 2805 N. McKinley 405-524-0738 Ave., an Oklahoma City minimum wage and a vocal $20 venue that regularly feaadvocate for many of All ages tures some of the best today’s social movements singer-songwriters and acoustic artists like Black Lives Matter. “Woody would have been 100 percent from across the state and nation. This year’s tribute to the Okemah-born working against Donald Trump in every single class folk icon and outspoken social activway,” he said. ist begins 7 p.m. Sunday. The showcase Guthrie does have a documented features John Fullbright, Red Dirt Rangers, history of opposition to the Trump family. Michael Fracasso, Kierston White, Susan The New York Times reported in January Herndon, Andy Adams, Annie Oakley, that British scholar Will Kaufman discovGregg Standridge, T.Z. Wright, Miss Brown ered lyrics about Trump’s father, Fred C. to You and more. Trump, written while the latter was President-elect Donald Trump’s Nov. 8 Guthrie’s Brooklyn apartment complex win added accelerant to a fire in Johnson. landlord. Shortly after signing his lease, Guthrie He said Guthrie was a man who always looked out for the next person in line and realized that Fred Trump restricted blacks his songwriting and personal beliefs don’t from renting apartments in the building. gel well with many things the New York Kaufman, author of the 2015 book businessman said during his campaign. Woody Guthrie, American Radical, discov“Woody was a guy that evolved greatly ered the writings while conducting refrom growing up in very racist traditions in search at Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Center Oklahoma,” Johnson said. “He overcame public museum and archive.

Woody Guthrie | Photo Robin Carson / Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. / provided 34

N OV E M b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

John Fullbright is one of many artists performing at Sunday’s 26th annual Tribute to Woody Guthrie show at The Blue Door. | Photo Gazette / file

“I suppose Old Man Trump knows just how much racial hate he stirred up in the bloodpot of human hearts when he drawed that color line here at his eighteen hundred family project,” Guthrie wrote in his “Old Man Trump” song. The nomadic songwriter and poet moved to New York City in 1940, and some of his earliest songs were recorded there. His first album, Dust Bowl Ballads, was recorded in New Jersey.

Personal stand

Johnson said Guthrie would not be proud of the political makeup of today’s Oklahoma. “We live in our beloved state of Oklahoma, home of Woody Guthrie and Will Rogers, and seven out of 10 people voted for Donald Trump and we have a governor like Mary Fallin,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of work to do.” Johnson clarified that his consternation is not attributable to feuding political parties. He believes Trump’s election is a sign that fascism has a foothold in the United States. “I don’t care if it’s going to be subtle or if it’s going to be blatant; I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is that people voted for hatred.” Johnson said he refuses to be silent when he encounters injustice and discrimination. He said he actively promotes human and civil rights. “If it means not being very polite sometimes,” he said, “that’s just tough.” The annual tribute does more than make a political statement. It also provides an opportunity for like-minded artists and music fans to come together and hang out. “It gives us a sense of unity and it gives us a sense of belonging,” Johnson said. “That’s one reason we really think it’s important to continue, even with the annual Woody Guthrie [Folk] Festival each year in Okemah.” Johnson’s Guthrie tribute predates

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, which launched in 1998. His first tribute happened in 1991 in Austin, Texas, when Johnson lived in that city. His first local tribute show happened in 1994 after he moved to Oklahoma City. The event draws at least a partly familiar crowd each year, though Johnson said he had been involved in the community long enough that it is hard for him to tell if the people he recognizes at the show are regulars from previous years or not. “The thing sells out so quick that I don’t know who comes and who doesn’t,” he said.

Decked-out December

The Guthrie show is sandwiched between sold-out, two-night gigs by John Fullbright (Friday and Saturday) and John Moreland (Dec. 8 and 9), spearheading a successful and busy month at the venue. Johnson said he sometimes hears people complain that too many of his shows sell out, but that usually only happens for his most popular shows. “What most people don’t realize is The Blue Door is only sold out 10 percent of the time,” he said. December’s schedule features a Thursday Billy Crocket album release show celebrating Rabbit Hole, his first new project in seven years. Austin folk and Latino singer-songwriter Tish Hinojosa performs Dec. 10. Ian Moore performs Dec. 15, and Travis Linville holds an album fundraiser show Dec. 16. Acclaimed Austin guitarist and songwriter Jon Dee Graham gigs there Dec. 17. At 2 p.m. Dec. 18, Red Dirt Rangers hosts its annual kids Christmas show, followed by an 8 p.m. Hard Candy Christmas showcase with Sunny Sweeney, Brennen Leigh, Courtney Patton and Jamie Lin Wilson. “There’s always something going on here,” Johnson said. Visit bluedoorokc.com.

f e at u r e

Space voyage

Space4Lease’s latest EP is a journey for selfdiscovery and an expanded national audience. By Ben Luschen

Hiraeth is a Welsh word with no direct English translation. In a way, it can be taken to mean “homesickness,” but for a home that one can never return to. It’s the feeling of longing for something that is lost or gone, or perhaps something that never even was. Hiraeth is also the name of the new EP from Oklahoma City indie rock four-piece Space4Lease. It’s hard to place the project, or the band in general, in any specific genre, and that’s the way the bandmates like it. Characterized by soulful vocals, introspective lyrics, dramatic keys and punchy melodies, the five-track offering is diverse in its range. Listeners might spot influences from bands like My Morning Jacket and Coldplay.

Vocalist and principal songwriter Grayson Hamm wrote some of the material while living in Edmond and attending the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@ UCO). At the school, he met guitarist Walt Blythe, bassist Brandon Brewer and drummer Wes Belk. As many students can relate, Hamm said he went through a self-discovery period during his early years in college. He lived alone and kept himself occupied by writing songs that would later make up the EP. Some days, he spent all his time writing. However, the Hiraeth concept solidified after he met his bandmates. Hamm credits Belk for its title. It took a word from outside

Songwriting for me was almost a way of questioning who I was, what the world is, who do I want to become, who do I want to be.

event

Grayson Hamm

Space4Lease | Photo Travis Warren / provided

the English language to describe how Hamm, and many other people that age, felt. “All of these questions start coming up,” Hamm said. “I think it happens with everybody in different ways. At that point in time, songwriting for me was almost a way of questioning who I was, what the world is, who do I want to become, who do I want to be.” An example of this existential quest is found on standout opening track “Holding on to Hope,” an anthem for preserving oneself in a time of great uncertainty. “You’re searching for something, but you don’t really know what it is yet,” he said. “All that you know is you’re searching.” The EP took about 10 months to develop. Space4Lease took its time and sought advice from ACM staffers like professional musician Derek Brown and composer and producer Patrick Conlon. Blythe wanted the EP to be a smart, professional introduction loaded with songs that define the band. In a way, Hiraeth is a sampler of everything Space4Lease can be.

Proper sendoff

“I think it would be good to let people know from the get-go we’re not honed in on one exact thing,” Blythe said. “A lot of times, that can kill a band, or it just makes it more difficult for them when they do try to expand.” Hamm might have written some lyrics in isolation, but his creative process becomes more collaborative and intricate as the band works together. They share a broad range of music influences, and that scope deepens their sound. “That’s one thing I feel like we’re really good at: letting songs be themselves and not really pushing it,” Belk said. “When it happens then it happens, and it’s great.” Space4Lease already has new music it’s waiting to release. As always, though, it is in no rush. For now, the quartet is focused on touring the country and promoting the EP. “It’s taken time, and our limits have been tested a little bit,” Brewer said, “but I think it’s been good for us all around.”

Tiger Lily | Photo provided

Oklahoma City’s Tiger Lily reunites one last time for a 2000s-themed cover show Saturday at 89th Street Collective. By Ben Luschen

All good things must eventually end. Oklahoma City-based pop-punk and emo band Tiger Lily plays its last show 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 89th Street Collective, 8911 N. Western Ave. It would be enough of a draw to see Tiger Lily’s grand finale, but the night also is dedicated to some of the best alternative and emo acts of the 2000s. Tiger Lily covers Taking Back Sunday and performs original tunes at Saturday’s showcase. The act covered Taking Back Sunday more than a year ago at a Bad Granny’s Bazaar gig in Plaza District and had such a good time that it decided to do something similar for its final act. “We’ve just always listened to them, and they’re one of our favorite bands,” said singer-guitarist Jimmie Miles. “It was super fun, so we decided for our last comeback thing to get some bands to do some covers.” Three local bands join Tiger Lily for its farewell show: Life Lessons covers AllAmerican Rejects, Alice Awaits interprets My Chemical Romance and Shywriter performs Weezer tunes. Miles said Tiger Lily has shared shows with Life Lessons and Alice Awaits several

One Last Night with Tiger Lily 6:30 p.m. Saturday 89th Street Collective 8911 N. Western Ave. 89thstreetokc.com 866-966-1777 $5-$7

times. He said he’s also eager to perform with the relatively new powerpop act Shywriter.

Moving on

Tiger Lily technically split about two years ago, though it has performed several reunion shows since then. Bandmates said they’re sure Saturday’s showcase will be their last show together as Tiger Lily. Fellow guitarist Cale Horton will soon move to Portland, Oregon. Bassist Seth Kellerman manages tours for electronic music artists and, at the time of this interview, was on the road with Swedish-born artist Liquid Stranger. Horton and drummer Jordan Huckabaa

started trippy, melodic post-rock act wallclouds. shortly after Tiger Lily officially broke up. Miles was engaged this year and is in school majoring in sociology and human services. “We all were just doing other things,” Miles said. “Everyone just went on to do their next thing.” The band reached out to 89th Street Collective to plan its final show and wanted to have a good time with Horton before he moves. Tiger Lily formed in late 2010 and split in November 2014. It released several projects, including the 2014 EP Won’t Let This Kill Me, and toured for about a year and a half. Miles said his tour memories are a highlight of his time with the band.

“I like just going all over the country and seeing people that knew our music and would sing it back to us and would hang out with us,” he said. “Just a lot of really cool and nice people we got to meet. That was probably the highlight for everyone.” Miles said he is looking forward to Tiger Lily’s last big hurrah. “I’m excited to see all my old friends, and I’m excited to see all the new kids who maybe haven’t gotten to see us before,” he said. “They’ll get to see us for one last time, and we’ll get to see all of them and make new friends.” Saturday’s showcase is also a holiday canned food drive. Admission is $5 with a canned food donation, $7 without. Visit 89thstreetokc.com. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | novem b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

CLICKBAIT FREE SINCE 1956.

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY, 11.30 Amelia White and BettySoo, The Blue Door. VARIOUS

Habstrakt/KRNE, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ELECTRONIC

Maurice Johnson, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER Smoke Signals/We gave it Hell, 89th Street Collective. PUNK The Exclusives, Bourbon Street Bar. R&B

THURSDAY, 12.1 Billy Crockett, The Blue Door.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Dan/Shay, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. COUNTRY David Wax Museum/Kierston White, Opolis, Norman. VARIOUS Logan Samford/Anthony Enriquez, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Steve Crossley Solo, Margarita Island. VARIOUS

FRIDAY, 12.2 Cody Johnson, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY

91.7 OKC | 107.5 TULSA | KOSU.ORG

A Very Salli Christmas Oklahoma City electropop artist Salli kicks off the Christmas season with A Very Salli Christmas featuring Ciara Reece and other Academy of Contemporary Music at University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@ UCO) acts. Salli performs Christmas classics and selections from her album XLIV. The show begins 8 p.m. Friday at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave. Tickets are $8. Visit facebook.com/vzdsok or call 405-602-3006. Friday

Photo Salli / provided

SUNDAY, 12.4 Blues Jam with Freddy Rice, Bourbon Street Bar.

Crash Random/Fallen & Follow the Wolves, OKC Limits. ROCK

BLUES

Duel/The Well/Turbo Wizard, Blue Note Lounge.

VARIOUS

Electric Okie Test, 51st Street Speakeasy. VARIOUS

HKS/Locust Avenue/Sun and Stone, Opolis, Norman. VARIOUS Max Ridgeway Trio, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ Otis Watkins, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Overdrive, Remington Park. ROCK Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Space Race, ACM@UCO Performance Lab. ELECTRONIC Tony Foster Jr Band, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Wayne Hancock, The Shrine, Tulsa. COUNTRY William Clark Green, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

Earthless/Ruby Hatchet, Opolis, Norman. Jam Session, Ghost Riders Saloon. VARIOUS Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Winter Wind Concert: Sam Baker, The Depot, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER

MONDAY, 12.5 Jazz Ensembles, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Metal Jam/Comin Up Zero, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK Wood Brothers, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ROCK

TUESDAY, 12.6 Austin & Marie Nail, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Steve Vai, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. VARIOUS

SATURDAY, 12.3

WEDNESDAY, 12.7

Aaron Woods Band, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. COUNTRY

Berwanger, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

Boss County, OKC Limits. ROCK

Marshmello, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ELECTRONIC

Casey & Minna, OKC Pop-Ups. FOLK

Soulmen, Bourbon Street Bar. R&B

Fat Nick w/ Lil Peep, OKC Farmers Public Market. HIP-HOP

Midas 13, Okie Tonk Cafe, Moore. ROCK Miss Blues, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. BLUES Mystery Lights/Warbly Jets, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

One Last Night with Tiger Lily, 89th Street Collective. VARIOUS Rachel Goldie Lahr, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Riverfield Rocks, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. INDIE Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES The Washitas, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

N OV E M b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle CRoss References By Ed Sessa | Edited by Will Shortz | 1127 ACROSS 1 Like good whiskey 7 Signed notes 12 They might jump through hoops for you 20 Civil rights activist ____ Helen Burroughs 21 Place for a home pool, maybe 22 Comforting words 23 What Bart Simpson has been since 1989 24 Draw forth 25 One of the Borgias 26 Rap’s Salt-N-____ 27 Bad thing to be behind 29 Shame 30 Wham-O toy introduced in 1961 33 Late actor Bill who played Radio Raheem 34 Some break dancers, informally 35 Diminutive suffix 36 Quickly 37 Entice 38 Bit of fiction 39 See 2-Down 41 Blow away 43 Famous crosser of the 12-Down 48 Brisk rival 49 It’s easy to park 51 Euro pop? 52 Baghdad’s ____ City 53 Highway infraction, for short 54 Zuo Zongtang, aka General ____ 56 “Vox populi, vox ____” 57 Biblical figure referred to as a “son of the desert” 60 Blue Moon ____, three-time World Series winner for the 1970s A’s 63 Deletions 66 Famous crosser of the 45-Down 68 Ben who played the Wizard in Broadway’s Wicked 70 See 62-Down 72 Yes vote 73 Fidgety 74 Separated by a hairbreadth 75 Picked as the one, say 77 Fourth-largest news agency in the world 78 Rugrats baby 79 Internet ____

81 Abbr. seen in some dictionary definitions 83 Little more than 85 Flair 87 Bugged? 91 Beseeches 94 Patron saint of soldiers and athletes 96 Mama baaer 97 Put on 99 The Tell-Tale Heart author 100 Pale purple shade 102 Like gymnasts 104 Outside: Prefix 105 Spread by light strokes 108 “Teach” at a college 109 Famous crosser of the 90-Down 111 Airline with famously tight security 112 Summoned from the office, say 114 Tenerife, por ejemplo 115 See 86-Down 117 May 8, 1945 118 As well 120 Displaced 121 Civil rights leader Medgar 122 Fidgety 123 Alms recipients 124 Bullpen setting 125 Coral-reef predators DOWN 1 Grabs before someone else does 2 Famous crosser of the 39-Across 3 Like jumpsuits 4 Ready to be drawn 5 7-up, e.g. 6 Partridge family mother 7 Cassock wearer 8 Was creative 9 Employed 10 ____ truck 11 Earthy color 12 See 43-Across 13 Milk shaker? 14 Letters teachers send to colleges, informally 15 Yossarian’s tent-mate in Catch-22 16 Sound from the Road Runner 17 WWII beachhead

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58 In one’s dotage 59 Schoolroom with brushes and paint 61 Olive ____ (Popeye’s gal) 62 Famous crosser of the 70-Across 64 9mm gun 65 Main character on How I Met Your Mother 67 Pertaining to bones 69 Goggle at 71 Instant: Abbr. 72 Long Island campus 74 “Pretty please?” 76 Major theme of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 80 Something observed in church 82 Something observed in church 84 Write again

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers

Account Executive / Advertising assistant Leah Roberts

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Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Nathan Ward Walter Agnitsch

86 Famous crosser of the 115-Across 88 Damsel, to a knight 89 Register, as for a class 90 See 109-Across 92 Pepsi Max, e.g. 93 Field for Alfred Kinsey 95 Trinity part 98 Supports the Red Cross, say 101 Should that happen 103 Parent’s definitive “End of argument!” 105 Opening 106 First Hebrew letter 107 Wilkes-____, Pa. 108 Like windows 109 Used hip boots, say 110 One dishing out digs 112 Name 113 “Whip It” band 116 Actress Saldana 118 Certain cat 119 Yoko from Tokyo

Puzzle No. 1120, which appeared in the November 23 issue.

P A S S G O

M A N U A L S

C A N N I B A L

P O T T U R S T I B T U L A T A P E W E B O N A M A N A D D N E S

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

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

Accounts receivable Karen Holmes Digital media & calendar coordinator Aubrey Jernigan

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

Marketing Manager Kelsey Lowe

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

Sudoku Puzzle Easy

Associate Publisher James Bengfort

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18 Hoity-____ 19 Wins over 27 Protester’s sign 28 Hunky 31 Commerce pact mentioned in the 2016 presidential debates 32 Surveilled 34 Catcher near the plate? 37 Chivalrous deeds 38 CEO and pres. 40 Puts out 42 Iraq War subj. 44 DC nine 45 See 66-Across 46 Jill Stein’s group, with “the” 47 Unauthorized withdrawals? 50 Anarchic action 55 Mantra syllables 57 Gives the runaround

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

publisher Bill Bleakley

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VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli

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O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N OV E M b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

free will astrology Homework: If you had a baby clone of yourself to take care of, what would be your child-rearing strategy? Tell me at Freewillastrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) “I frequently tramped

eight or ten miles through the deepest snow,” wrote naturalist Henry David Thoreau in *Walden,* “to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.” I’d love to see you summon that level of commitment to your important rendezvous in the coming weeks, Aries. Please keep in mind, though, that your “most important rendezvous” are more likely to be with wild things, unruly wisdom, or primal breakthroughs than with pillars of stability, committee meetings, and businessas-usual.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) For you Tauruses,

December is “I Accept and Love and Celebrate Myself Exactly How I Am Right Now” Month. To galvanize yourself, play around with this declaration by Oscarwinning Taurus actress Audrey Hepburn: “I’m a long way from the human being I’d like to be, but I’ve decided I’m not so bad after all.” Here are other thoughts to draw on during the festivities: 1. “If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone.” - Barbara De Angelis. 2. “The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.” - E. E. Cummings. 3. “To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections.” - Sandra Bierig. 4. “We cannot change anything until we accept it.” - Carl Jung.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Are your collaborative

projects (including the romantic kind) evolving at a slower pace than you expected? Have they not grown as deep and strong as you’ve wished they would? If so, I hope you’re perturbed about it. Maybe that will motivate you to stop tolerating the stagnation. Here’s my recommendation: Don’t adopt a more serious and intense attitude. Instead, get loose and frisky. Inject a dose of blithe spirits into your togetherness, maybe even some high jinks and rowdy experimentation. The cosmos has authorized you to initiate ingenious surprises.

By Rob Brezsny

CANCER (June 21-July 22) I don’t recommend that

you buy a cat-o’-nine-tails and whip yourself in a misguided effort to exorcize your demons. The truth is, those insidious troublemakers exult when you abuse yourself. They draw perverse sustenance from it. In fact, their strategy is to fool you into treating yourself badly. So, no. If you hope to drive away the saboteurs huddled in the sacred temple of your psyche, your best bet is to shower yourself with tender care, even luxurious blessings. The pests won’t like that, and -- if you commit to this crusade for an extended time -- they will eventually flee.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Nobel Prize-winning novelist

Gabriel García Márquez loved yellow roses. He often had a fresh bloom on his writing desk as he worked, placed there every morning by his wife Mercedes Barcha. In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to consider initiating a comparable ritual. Is there a touch of beauty you would like to inspire you on a regular basis? It there a poetic gesture you could faithfully perform for a person you love?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “For a year I watched as

something entered and then left my body,” testified Jane Hirshfield in her poem “The Envoy.” What was that mysterious *something*? Terror or happiness? She didn’t know. Nor could she decipher “how it came in” or “how it went out.” It hovered “where words could not reach it. It slept where light could not go.” Her experience led her to conclude that “There are openings in our lives of which we know nothing.” I bring this meditation to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect you are about to tune in to a mysterious opening. But unlike Hirshfield, I think you’ll figure out what it is. And then you will respond to it with verve and intelligence.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) A reporter at the magazine

*Vanity Fair* asked David Bowie, “What do you consider your greatest achievement?” Bowie didn’t name any of his albums, videos, or performances. Rather, he answered, “Discovering morning.” I suspect that you Libras will attract and generate marvels if you experiment with accomplishments like that in the

coming weeks. So yes, try to discover or rediscover morning. Delve into the thrills of beginnings. Magnify your appreciation for natural wonders that you usually take for granted. Be seduced by sources that emanate light and heat. Gravitate toward what’s fresh, blossoming, just-in-its-early-stages.

contemplating a new loophole in regard to your own self-limiting behaviors, Capricorn. Is there a taboo you observe that no longer makes perfect sense? Out of habit, do you deny yourself a pleasure or indulgence that might actually be good for you? Wriggle free of the constraints.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) According to traditional

was overflowing the borders of the map,” wrote Pablo Neruda in his poem “The Sea.” “There was no place to put it,” he continued. “It was so large, wild and blue that it didn’t fit anywhere. That’s why it was left in front of my window.” This passage is a lyrical approximation of what your life could be like in 2017. In other words, lavish, elemental, expansive experiences will be steadily available to you. Adventures that may have seemed impossibly big and unwieldy in the past will be just the right size. And it all begins soon.

astrology, you Scorpios are not prone to optimism. You’re more often portrayed as connoisseurs of smoldering enigmas and shadowy intrigue and deep questions. But one of the most creative and successful Scorpios of the 20th century did not completely fit this description. French artist Claude Monet was renowned for his delightful paintings of sensuous outdoor landscapes. “Every day I discover even more beautiful things,” he testified. “It is intoxicating me, and I want to paint it all. My head is bursting.” Monet is your patron saint in the coming weeks. You will have more potential to see as he did than you’ve had in a long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) A journalist dared

composer John Cage to “summarize himself in a nutshell.” Cage said, “Get yourself out of whatever cage you find yourself in.” He might have added, “Avoid the nutshells that anyone tries to put you in.” This is always fun work to attend to, of course, but I especially recommend it to you Sagittarians right now. You’re in the time of year that’s close to the moment when you first barged out of your mom’s womb, where you had been housed for months. The coming weeks will be an excellent phase to attempt a similar if somewhat less extravagant trick.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Hundreds of years

ago, the Catholic Church’s observance of Lent imposed a heavy burden. During this six-week period, extending from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, believers were expected to cleanse their sins through acts of self-denial. For example, they weren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Their menus could include fish, however. And this loophole was expanded even further in the 17th century when the Church redefined beavers as being fish. (They swim well, after all.) I’m in favor of you

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) “The Pacific Ocean

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) “I have a deep fear of

being too much,” writes poet Michelle K. “That one day I will find my someone, and they will realize that I am a hurricane. That they will step back and be intimidated by my muchness.” Given the recent astrological omens, Pisces, I wouldn’t be shocked if you’ve been having similar feelings. But now here’s the good news: Given the astrological omens of the next nine months, I suspect the odds will be higher than usual that you’ll encounter brave souls who’ll be able to handle your muchness. They may or may not be soulmates or your one-and-only. I suggest you welcome them as they are, with all of their muchness.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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