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in this issue
APRIL 2016
Features
44
BEST OF THE CITY
You voted. We counted. From antique store to charity event, defunct dining establishment to anticipated future development, and including some selections from our editorial staff for good measure – we’re delighted to present more than 100 of the greatest hits to be found in the 405.
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THE GROWTH OF URBAN GARDENS
Fresh crops don’t have to come from vast rural farms, and even small gardens in the heart of the metropolis can produce more than flowers. Urban gardening requires a good deal of planning and patience, but it can bring immense benefits for physical and mental health.
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405 MAGAZINE APRIL 2016
in this issue
APRIL 2016
Departments
Home
77 Mike Elder finds
In the 405
peace in a smaller, well-designed space; a panoply of paper patterns to make your walls more wonderful.
13 On the road with professional cycling squadron Team Arapahoe Resources; Plenty Mercantile’s entrepreneurs discuss some of their favorite merchandise; stylish accessories to withstand the spring rains; BP brings new drive to an old Automobile Alley office; the myths of Oklahoma’s record-setting shoreline; a quick getaway to NE Oklahoma County; a conversation with Max Weitzenhoffer about his lifelong success behind the scenes; Arts Council OKC plans a homecoming for a golden Festival of the Arts; laughably inadvisable options for rapid weight loss.
39 Te r r i t o r y Ah e a d The sculpture’s subject is faceless and anonymous, but his presence is unmistakable in the nation’s largest city; M.J. Alexander visits NYC to investigate a memorial to OKC author Ralph Ellison’s groundbreaking and enduring novel Invisible Man. 42 C r e a t i v e s OKC artist Paul Medina has turned his talents to the printed page: he’s written and illustrated two installments in a series inspired by the fairytales he once told his daughter.
ON THE COVER
4
Dining
85 Italian restaurant Moni’s is fluent in flavor; welcome spring with a lamb recipe from chef Melissa Aust; savory sauces from south of the border; impress your palate with Musashi’s Kobe-style beef; Scratch serves up an absinthefueled dream cocktail.
Travel
100 Discovering the unmatched scenic beauty – and possible supernatural population – that calls Iceland home; a road trip through Arizona reveals plenty of wonders to explore in national parks.
Events
107 Pandora comes
72
Home Sweet Future Homes
While the immense Ferris wheel currently being installed will be the Wheeler District’s visual highlight, its most important feature might be its location, positioning the development as a potential bridge between downtown and the predominantly Hispanic Capitol Hill. There’s plenty of work and community outreach yet to be done to ensure the emphasis is on “neighbor” in the new neighborhood … but developer Blair Humphreys is up for the challenge.
to the ‘Peake as Cirque du Soleil launches the Avatar-inspired show Toruk; Norman Music Festival returns to give Main Street a free musical cavalcade; bestselling author Sebastian Junger’s literary voice.
In Every Issue 8 10 32 92 110 112 114 120
F r o m t h e Ed i t o r W e b Si g h t s On t h e Sc e n e F o o d a n d Dr i n k On F i l m Sp e a k e r Bo x On t h e Ra d a r Ba c k s t o r y
Zipping by on a bike or sitting back to take it all in, Lake Hefner is our choice for Best Place to Watch a Sunset. Photo by Simon Hurst
405 MAGAZINE APRIL 2016
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Pu b l i s h i n g Di r e c t o r Scott Crystal scrystal@openskymediainc.com Ed i t o r - i n - C h i e f Heidi Rambo Centrella heidi.centrella@405magazine.com EDITORIAL Ma n a g i n g Ed i t o r Steve Gill steve.gill@405magazine.com St y l e Ed i t o r Sara Gae Waters saragae.waters@405magazine.com F a s h i o n Ed i t o r Jennifer Salyer jennifer.salyer@405magazine.com C o n t r i b u t i n g Ed i t o r Terry Clark C o n tr ib u tin g W r ite r s M.J. Alexander, Phil Bacharach, Susan Clark, Mark Beutler, Jerry Church, Brett Dickerson, Christine Eddington, Lauren Hammack, Greg Horton, Matt Payne, Elaine Warner ART Ar t Di r e c t o r Scotty O’Daniel scotty.odaniel@405magazine.com
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Gr a p h i c De s i g n e r Brian O’Daniel brian.odaniel@405magazine.com De s i g n & Pr o d u c t i o n C o o r d i n a t o r Tiffany McKnight tiffany.mcknight@405magazine.com C o n t r i b u t i n g Ph o t o g r a p h e r s M.J. Alexander, Justin Avera, David Cobb, Shannon Cornman, Terrell Fry, Simon Hurst, Charlie Neuenschwander, Matt Payne, Trace Thomas, Carli Wentworth ADV ERTISING Bu s i n e s s De v e l o p m e n t Ma n a g e r Heidi Turner heidi.turner@405magazine.com Ex e c u t i v e Di r e c t o r o f Ad v e r t i s i n g Cynthia Whitaker-hill cynthia.whitakerhill@405magazine.com Ac c o u n t Ex e c u t i v e s Ryan Dillard ryan.dillard@405magazine.com Debbi Knoll debbi.knoll@405magazine.com Ac c o u n t Ma n a g e r Ronnie Morey ronnie.morey@405magazine.com
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FROM THE EDITOR
The Res ul ts Are In SEL EC T I NG T HE BE ST IS NO E A S Y TA SK . Considering the abundance of options in our fine coverage area (that’s rapidly growing), it’s no wonder making a definitive choice might be something of a chore, regardless of the category. We have new restaurants opening all across the metro. Our area districts are growing and improving with streetscaping, new venues and more foot traffic. And our list of area movers and shakers is getting longer as more and more influencers from multiple generations are banding together to improve our communities. And though being spoiled for choice is an excellent problem to have in this context, choose you did. While we enjoyed poring over your readers’ picks for the 2016 Best of the City poll, we also made sure to seize the opportunity to name a few of our own editorial selections … despite a bit of internal strife in the selection process. Like I said, no easy task. You’ll find the results – more than 100 genuine greats – beginning on page 44. We congratulate all the winners, and hope you will, too, should you have the opportunity. They truly do help make the 405 a better, richer, more outstanding place to live. Although we have been busy compiling and promoting the Best of the City, we also recognize that not everything is sunshine and roses for central Oklahoma. Economic turmoil has left many without jobs in the public and private sector, the state’s budget crisis is affecting all levels of Oklahomans, and many of us in the community felt an enormous loss with the passing of Aubrey McClendon. I sincerely hope it doesn’t sound flippant to encourage positive thinking during times like these, but there genuinely is much to appreciate and celebrate within the community. And on a personal level, spring is a season of rebirth and rejuvenation. You might even find that gardening, sinking your fingers into the earth and reconnecting a little with nature can be spiritually restorative. And in the longer term, it can be good for your physical and mental health. There’s a reason urban gardening is gaining popularity in the metro; read about this beneficial practice on page 54. The quality of our lives is influenced by the memories we make and relationships we cultivate; do something good for yourself this month, and share happiness with someone you care about. Hopefully we’ll all have great days ahead.
SIMON HURST
HEIDI R A MBO CEN TRELL A Editor-in-Chief heidi.centrella@405magazine.com
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A HAUNTING, “A STORY YOU HARROWING WON’T SOON TESTAMENT TO FORGET” SURVIVAL” —PEOPLE MAGAZINE
—GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
“HEARTSTOPPING... WRENCHING AND MOVING” —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
PEOPLE Book of the Week ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY One of the best books to read this month NEW YORK MAGAZINE Book to Read this Month ELLE February Readers’ Prize PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Starred Review COSTCO Pennie’s Pick INDIENEXT selection AMAZON.COM One of the best memoirs and biographies of the month APPLE iBookstore Best of the Month GOODREADS Best Book of the Month and Best Nonfiction of the Month
THE RIVETING, TRUE STORY OF ONE GIRL’S COMING-OF-AGE IN A POLYGAMIST FAMILY
ruthwariner.com
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405
in the
Kings of the Road
PHOTO CREDIT
If you’ve ever encountered a phalanx of Team Arapahoe Resources cyclists around the metro, you’ve probably taken notice – vividly arrayed in blue and green, they make a striking visual tableau. As members of Oklahoma City’s first professional cycling team, they and director Chad Hodges are hoping to have an equally visible impact on the future of their sport in the 405.
APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
13
in the 405 SPORTS
RAC ING SP IRIT Hitting the streets with OKC’s first pro cycling team shop from Chad Hodges is an experience. The air is full of endorphins, which roll off him in nearly visible waves and may well give everyone in the vicinity a contact high. He’s the director of Team Arapahoe Resources, Oklahoma City’s first professional cycling team, subsidized by Arapahoe Energy. They ride a lot, about 20 hours per week, and they ride fast, at an average pace of 22-23 miles per hour. There are a dozen of them, and in addition to making local cycling history, they consider themselves to be ambassadors for their sport. This smiling, dapper 37-year-old and his merry band of elite cyclists have brought Oklahoma City something never seen before: professional bicycle racing. You’ve probably seen them zooming around the 405 in groups of five or so, wearing vivid blue and lime green jerseys. Today, Hodges is also sporting team colors, Chad Hodges wearing a cheery green North Face vest over a blue and white checked shirt. “You need to not be what people and ethics. The DNA Racing team emcomplain about,” Hodges says. “We wave bodies these same principles.” “What’s great about cyto people as we pass. We’re friendly. I just Team Arapahoe Resources is an cling is that YOU CAN think you should be. Ultimately we want to offshoot of DNA Racing, which is Hodges’ FIND W HAT YOU NEED foster a more bike-friendly culture in Oklabrainchild. homa. We want to be good for cycling.” “DNA Racing came about in 2008. on a bike. If you just want Team members come from across the I’d been riding for a few years and had to get out in the sunshine, ridden with a club and for Bicycle Alley. I country – Texas, South Carolina – and around the world – Germany, Guatemala you can do that.” wanted to try to bring in a different level and elsewhere. Five are salaried, and of riding,” Hodges says. It’s a bigger group, C H A D HODGE S that’s thanks to the visionary support competitive, too, but with a secondary of Arapahoe Resources and its manager mission of bicycle education and advocacy Paul Kloberdanz. in the community. “We supported DNA Racing last year and witnessed their In June, DNA Racing will host the fifth annual Oklahoma successes with the local cycling community and the Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic, the largest multi-day racing event in the City Pro-Am Classic, and saw the team’s great potential as an history of Oklahoma City – filling Midtown, Film Row and ambassador in the sport of cycling for the state of Oklahoma,” Automobile Alley with cyclists and fans. Kloberdanz says. “This new partnership takes the team to that In addition, DNA Racing hosts a weekly OKC cycling series next level. Team Arapahoe Resources is a team with principles called The Wheeler Criterium, held each Tuesday night from centered on hard work, dedication, perseverance, community late March through September. DNA racers and community
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PHOTOS: CHAD HODGES BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER; TEAM ARAPAHOE COURTESY CHAD HODGES
J UST SI T T I NG AC ROS S the table at a coffee
team members also volunteer as bike valets at local events, and continually work with city leaders to increase bike-friendly options in the community. “What’s great about cycling is that you can find what you need on a bike. If you just want to get out in the sunshine, you can do that,” Hodges says. “If you’re stressed and you just need to go hard and wear yourself out, you can do that.” - CHRISTINE EDDINGTON
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APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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in the 405 FAVORITE THINGS
P l ea s ures in Ab unda nc e
There’s a lot to love about Plenty Mercantile
OF A L L T HE R EC E N T progress in retail in the downtown/midtown area, you have to give props to the owners of Plenty Mercantile. The brainchild of Traci Walton, her daughter Brittney Matlock and Chris England, this store was one of the first to venture into an area that was just barely getting its footing. It’s one of a kind, practically unparalleled in uniqueness from the layout to the products, the service – and did we mention the rooftop event space that hosts everything from yoga to weddings? One of a kind is actually an understatement. If you knew the aforementioned trio, you wouldn’t be surprised – they said, “We didn’t dream of having a store, but each of us did want to create something that calls upon our talents and connects us to our wonderful city. Coming together was the perfect storm for what we now know as Plenty Mercantile.” - SAR A GAE WATERS Felt Bowtie Rabbit pillow,, made in India
Felt quote pennant, made in America and available in 15 slogans
Decoupaged glass tray, made by hand in Brooklyn and available in custom designs and various sizes
Hand-punched, threedimensional tin star, available in three sizes; Traci says, “We visited the production facility in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and took part in the process.”
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Snooter Doot felt tomato pillow, made in Seattle
Handmade horsehair tassel by Fredericks & May
PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH
Steven Stolman’s Confessions of a Serial Entertainer, printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper
This Must Be the Place print, handprinted in America, by Idlewild Co.
Jumbo Hurricane vase with base, made in Columbia from hand-blown recycled glass; shown with an 8-by-6 inch Santa Rosa soy candle, handmade in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Cylinder champagne flutes, made in Columbia from recycled glass
Champion trophy by Idlewild Co., made in Kansas City, available in red, yellow, black, gray and white; the double-sided insert is a perfect opportunity to customize a note for your own champion
Hand-beaded crystal rosary necklaces with hand-cast bronze charms, made in Edmond by Love Tokens Jewelry
CHOSEN WITH CARE Traci believes that having the right things is not only important, it’s like a mission. “We approach products with the understanding that there is no perfectly sustainable product, but we can support the makers making wise decisions and beautiful products. When a product has thoughtful packaging and design, we’ve found there is a high probability it also was fabricated in an intentional manner. “As a rule of thumb, we purchase products that take our breath away. We believe when you put together those pieces you adore, it becomes an extension of yourself.” That attention to detail and the level of thoughtfulness is one of the things that makes Plenty so inviting; don’t be surprised if you feel an urge to linger.
Plenty pioneers Brittney Matlock, Chris England and Traci Walton
APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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in the 405 TRENDS
C om e Ra in or . . . Ra in! I T ’ S G OI NG TO H A PPE N. Severe weather is just a fact this time
of year, and Oklahomans are always prepared and ready – when things get really nasty, we all have our storm shelters and places of safety to go to. But what about when it’s just rain? Life must go on, so you may as well look good while going along with it. Stylish raincoats, waterproof footwear, spiffy hats and even rain-themed accessories can help bring a little shine to an otherwise cloudy or rainy day. These all-weather picks hopefully will help lift those rainy day blues. – SAR A GAE WATERS
Ciao Milano anorak jacket in olive (left) from Balliets, $150; Woolrich waxed heritage jacket from Blue Seven, $169.97
Aquatalia Fanya Boots (women) from Balliets, $550
Kate Spade black bucket hat (left) from Balliets, $78; Weatherproof Yellow 108 Helm hat from Blue Seven, $49.97
Save My Bag Lycra tote in red from Balliets, $130
Bellroy Elements weatherproof wallet from Blue Seven, $89.97 Fjällräven waxed rucksack from Blue Seven, $159.97
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Sorel 1964 men’s waterproof boots from Blue Seven, $149.97
Hunter original short boots (women) from Balliets, $185
PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH
Kate Spade umbrella iPhone case from Balliets, $45
Party Save the Date The 2016
Best of the City
PRESENTED BY INTERIOR GILT
Join us in celebra ng the OKC me o’s best
food • libations • merriment • fab door prizes
THURSDAY, APRIL 7 The Showroom at Red 504 N. Broadway, OKC
Tickets on sale at 405magazine.com
in the 405 PLACES
New D riv e in Autom ob il e Al l ey TUC K ED AW AY BETW EEN women’s apparel shop The Factory and the trendy Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar is the new Oklahoma City office for one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. Last fall, BP opened a satellite office in the Pontiac Building at NW 11th and Broadway. “One of my first assignments after joining BP was to help establish a new office in Oklahoma City,” says Laura Leffler, chief of staff for BP’s subsidiary, Lower 48 Onshore. “When we walked through the Pontiac Building we knew instantly we had found what we were looking for,” she continues. “The character of the building shows the richness and foundational elements of an industrial past, and our plan was to blend that past with the elements of what we wanted our future to be: modern, highly efficient and innovative.” The Pontiac Building, a two-story brick Art Deco structure, was built in 1928, and home to one of Oklahoma City’s earliest car dealerships. While it had been empty for a number of years, Leffler said she saw the potential in developing the area into a usable office space. “The building was in terrific shape considering its age,” she says. “The second story was an open room and was very clean, and it had paint on the floor from years of body repair work. This was a selling point for us “Everyone eats tobecause we were searching gether on the ground for authenticity. We were floor, and the SENSE also impressed with the massive, original windows OF ‘ TEAM ’ couldn’t surrounding all sides of the be stronger.” building. The effort to retain L AU R A L E F F L E R the historical aspects was easy to see.” Leffler engaged Fitzsimmons Architects to help design the interior, and worked with Flintco on the construction process. With more than 14,000 square feet of office space, the nearly 50 BP employees have plenty of room to work. The first level has an open floor plan, with various seating areas, nooks and ample overhead lighting. An on-site workout facility ensures each employee has access to healthy exercise, and a break room has an overhead garage door that can be opened on warm spring days. “That is my favorite feature,” Leffler explains. “We can open the overhead door to let fresh air inside, and we have a food truck stop by and deliver lunch. Everyone eats together on the ground floor, and the sense of ‘team’ couldn’t be stronger.” As chief of staff, Leffler was responsible for overseeing the
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PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH
Finding fresh energy in a classic space
renovation. Throughout the building are fine appointments and deft attention to detail. A 1,000-pound onyx table accents the break room, and chic sliding glass doors with polished steel handles grace each office, as well as the board and meeting rooms. One of the focal points is a reclaimed wooden stairway installed over the original car ramp leading to the second floor. And while the past is ever-present, 21st-century technology flows seamlessly with the history of the building. Each office and meeting room is equipped with smart boards, wireless monitors and hidden screens that allow staff to communicate with personnel at the headquarters in Houston and around the globe. “The energy in the office is off the charts,” Leffler says. “There is a sense that we can accomplish anything, even in this incredibly challenging environment. We are very excited to be a part of this community, with such a vibrant location and in such a special building.” - MARK BEUTLER
APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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in the 405 OKLAHOMYTHS
Fact-checking a persistent Oklahoma myth While Oklahoma may be a comparatively young state, it’s nonetheless rich with history, lore and fun facts. Unfortunately, some of those facts aren’t quite so … factual. In this new series, M.J. Alexander hunts for the accuracy – or lack thereof – behind some of our state’s stories. THE C LAIM: Oklahoma has more shoreline than any other state. SOURC E: USA Fact File: usacitiesonline.com/usafactfile.htm F AC T C HEC K : This may be the most frequently repeated myth about Oklahoma. Although the state is one of 20 that have no shoreline on either an ocean or one of the Great Lakes, the claim keeps circulating because of the lack of a single national database that totals all types of shoreline, and differences of opinion on what counts as shoreline and how it is measured. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the state with the most shoreline is Alaska, with 33,904 miles. Second place is Florida, with 8,436 miles of coastline. Third is Louisiana’s 7,721 miles. The Oklahoma argument for claiming more shoreline than any other state is along these lines: Sure, we have no ocean or Great Lakes frontage, but we have a lot of lakeshore! The Oklahoma Water Resources Board notes that Oklahoma has approximately 3,000 lakes and ponds 10 acres or more in size, including more than 200 man-made lakes. The OWRB lists 55,646 miles of shoreline along lakes and ponds. (Even within the state, there is disagreement on the numbers; the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation claims the state has 11,600 miles of shoreline.) A major flaw in this argument is that it does not take into account that every other state also has interior lakes. Minnesota, for example, counts 11,842 lakes sized 10 acres or larger, compared to Oklahoma’s 3,000. And according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska has 3 million lakes of 5 acres or more, many of them seasonal snowmelt. Boosters point out that Oklahoma boasts 1,401 square miles of water area in its lakes and ponds. Which is great … but by way of comparison, the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, measures 31,700 square miles. But wait — not so fast! Oklahoma also has thousands of miles of rivers and streams. Be sure to count them! The INDUS Corporation, under contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has done just that. Its 2012 survey mapped 150,022 miles of linear rivers and streams in Oklahoma. More than three-quarters of them – 77 percent, or 115,611 miles – are classified as “intermittent or ephemeral flow,” containing water only part of the year or after heavy rains. The OWRB comes up with slightly higher numbers, listing 167,600 miles of rivers and streams. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation claims 78,500 miles of rivers and streams. Regardless, the INDUS survey finds that other states contain even more streams and rivers. Texas, for example, has 1,589,190 miles of rivers and streams, with 29 percent (454,453 miles) intermittent or ephemeral. Sometime after the state’s mid-century building boom of man-made lakes, it is likely that an Oklahoma booster added the miles of shoreline of the state’s ponds and lakes and rivers and streams, realized that the total was more than any other state’s seashore and greater than that of the Atlantic Coast (28,673 miles), Gulf Coast (17,141 miles) and Pacific Coast (40,298 miles) – and declared Oklahoma the champion of all, a claim that has been passed on in conversation, guidebooks and school worksheets ever since. However – sorry to burst our state’s watery bubble – it simply isn’t so. - M.J. ALEXANDER
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% PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES Another big-picture measure of the prevalence of water in each state is offered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Its 2010 survey calculated the total land area and water area of each state, including inland and coastal water. Oklahoma ranks 35th among the states, with its surface divided between 1.9% water and 98.1% land, far below the national average of 7% liquid.
PERCENTAGE OF WATER SURFACE VS. LAND HIGHEST Michigan 41.5% Hawaii 41.2% Rhode Island 33.1% Massachusetts 26.1% Maryland 21.8% Delaware 21.7% Florida 18.5% Louisiana 17.5% Wisconsin 17.3% LOWEST Oklahoma 1.9% South Dakota 1.7% Indiana 1.6% Missouri 1.4% Idaho 1.1% Montana 1% West Virginia 0.8% Iowa 0.7% Nevada 0.7% Nebraska 0.7% Wyoming 0.7% Kansas 0.6% Colorado 0.4% Arizona 0.3% New Mexico 0.2%
PHOTO BY M.J. ALEXANDER
Are Y ou Shore Ab out Tha t?
Lake Hefner’s 3.86 square miles of water are beautiful, but don’t provide enough coastline to move Oklahoma up in the national ranks.
APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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Wine from Tres Sueños
F a r Aw a y in a D a y
Nearby trips for varied experiences DO YOU N EED to get away, but don’t want a long road trip or the grind of airport security? For the mere investment of a 30-minute drive east of Edmond, you can get a little taste of Colorado and Italy, all in one weekend. An g e l ’ s W a y Gu e s t Ra n c h sits directly north of Luther. It’s nestled into the hillside of a small valley in the deepest rolling hills of eastern Oklahoma County. Add to that the log-cabin-style bed and breakfast itself, and the look is every bit Colorado. Phyllis and Paul Dragus are the proud owners, who live in the lodge – unless they have guests, when they stay in a separate building on the property so they’re available to help without intruding on the guests’ privacy. “I have guests come in from all over the place,” says Phyllis. “For example, I have a group of cowboys who come in from Calgary, Canada, for events at the Lazy E Arena. We are their favorite place to stay.” For $160 per night, guests receive the comfortable beauty of the lodge, liberally furnished in Santa Fe style. The main sitting room uses both stories from floor to ceiling; the fully built basement provides two bedrooms in addition to the two on the second floor; and the dining area is near the east windows, which provide a warm and homey feeling. Plus, the price includes a gourmet breakfast cooked by Phyllis.
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Just 10 minutes from Angel’s Way is Tr e s Su e ñ o s V i n e y a r d a n d W i n e r y , home of award-winning blends. It would be easy to imagine being in Italy with the way the grounds of the winery have been developed over the 17 years that Richard Kennedy has owned it. Once blending and bottling to sell at retail-level quantities, Kennedy is changing directions, saying that now they only make enough for their wine tastings and events. “I have three other vineyards that I buy from,” he says. “I used to have 10 when we made a lot of wine. But now I’m sort of phasing down in the twilight of my years.” The winery’s event center looks out onto the rows of vines sloping down the hillside. An open-air pavilion’s festive feel makes it a beautiful site for wedding receptions in nice weather. The additions to the grounds provide comfortable settings for events as small as a family wine-tasting, but as expansive as corporate events and large weddings. The heaviest bookings are for weddings, where the beauty of the facilities and the popular wine blends are in high demand – so much so that they booked “around 70” nuptials last year, Kennedy says. As with Angel’s Way, you will have to call ahead and book your event no matter how many are involved. To get a bigger taste of Oklahoma’s past and culture, a little more than 30
BEFORE YOU HIT THE ROAD Angel’s Way Guest Ranch Phyllis and Paul Dragus 23611 N Luther Road, Luther 405.277.7782 Tres Sueños Winery Richard Kennedy 19691 E Charter Oak Road, Luther tressuenos.com/about.html 405.277.7089 89er Days Celebration April 19-24 Parade steps off at noon April 23 89erdays.com
PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
Angel’s Way Guest Ranch
minutes’ drive northwest will put you in Guthrie, home of what is billed as “the oldest and biggest parade in the state.” As the territorial and first state capital, it’s a national tourist target as a National Historic Landmark, with the multitude of late Victorian architecture in its Historic District a special highlight. The 8 9 e r Da y s C e l e b r a t i o n has long been a key event for Oklahoma. It commemorates the land run of 1889, which opened central Oklahoma for territorial settlement – and gave rise to Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Moore, Norman and a host of smaller towns around those cities. This year, the 89er Days festival runs April 19-24. The highlight of the week will be the parade, starting at noon on Saturday, April 23. Mark your calendars. All of these experiences will give the short-trip traveler a unique weekend to recharge without much transit expense or time, before returning to the daily routine on Monday. - BRETT DICKERSON
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5308 N. CLASSEN BLVD 405.848.6642 w w w.CALVERTS.com APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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A Sta r Behind the Sc enes
Max Weitzenhoffer’s journey to theatrical success
OK LAHOMANS SHOULD BE F AMILIAR with the name
Weitzenhoffer – especially Norman visitors, as it’s sprinkled liberally around the University of Oklahoma campus. There’s the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, the A. Max Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, the actual venue called the Weitzenhoffer Theatre and the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. There’s a lot of personality and passion behind the name, plus a lot of love and loyalty to the theater and to the university.
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It’s all packed in the person of Max Weitzenhoffer, a silver-haired sophisticate whose roots go deep into the Oklahoma red dirt. His grandfather, Berty Weitzenhoffer, was an Austrian immigrant who settled in Lexington, Oklahoma Territory, in 1885. The Weitzenhoffers have been here ever since. Young Max grew up in Oklahoma City, attending Edgemere and Nichols Hills Elementary Schools and Casady before enrolling at OU. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in,” he says. “In those days everybody
After 30 years in New York, enrolled in the Field House. numerous Tony nominations All the professors were sitting and two Tony awards – for around in their tweed jackets “Dracula” (1977) and “The with signs that said ‘English Will Rogers Follies “(1991), Department,’ et cetera. I Weitzenhoflooked over fer began and saw this concentrating professor in “If a SHOW HAS more of his an orange Q UALITY, you’ll efforts in and black London. He Hawaiian find an audience.” and his partshirt. There M A X W EI TZ E N HOF F ER ner in Nimax was a sign Theatres, that said Nica Burns, own six of the ‘Drama’ and I thought, ‘Aha! most important theaters in This looks like the best place to the English capital. go.’ And that’s how I got in the “They (the English) like the Drama department.” spoken word and musicals,” Weitzenhoffer’s attraction he says. “If a show has quality, to the stage began when he you’ll find an audience.” was eight as the family spent During a visit to Oklahoma summers in La Jolla, Califorin 1994, he came up with the nia. Theater-lovers, the family idea of establishing a musical were regular patrons at the theater program at OU. He and prestigious La Jolla Playhouse Greg Kunish, the head of the and he would hang around Drama School, set up offices in backstage, fascinated. Every Carpenter Hall. They had no summer, he worked at La Jolla, faculty and no students. and by the time he graduated “We just went around camfrom OU, he was the company pus grabbing people,” he says. manager. He also found time For a premier project, Weitfor acting lessons. zenhoffer brought in actor “My teacher told me I was John Cullum and a Broadway always going to be the hero’s director to present “Jack,” a best friend. And I decided that musical about John F. Kennewasn’t for me,” he says. dy. Students filled in the other Bypassing opportunities in roles and did the technical Hollywood, Weitzenhoffer’s work. This brought wide next stop was New York, where recognition to the program, he found friends and mentors which today has become like producer Morty Gottlieb one of the country’s leading and actor Alfred Drake. Bernie musical theater schools. Jacobs, president of the ShuSince moving back home bert Organization, taught him to Oklahoma in the ‘90s, about running theaters. he’s invested heavily in OU’s “He taught me about arts emphasis. But he’s relationships. He knew every modest about his long list of member of his organization accomplishments. and knew about their families. “I’ve had a career being able That was extremely importto do what I wanted to do. I’ve ant,” he says. “In our theaters employed a lot of people. And (Nimax), we have 200 employI’ve done a lot of things that a ees. You’re totally dependent lot of people have gotten pleaon the people who work for sure out of. And,” he says, “a lot you. It has to be a family, not of it was luck.” - ELAINE WARNER just a corporate structure.”
PHTOTO BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER
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Arts Council OKC Executive Director Peter Dolese
Ba c k f or the F uture Festival of the Arts finds new old home HOME for downtown Oklahoma City’s Festival of the Arts, celebrating its 50th anniversary April 19-24, has been more than a year in the making for Arts Council Oklahoma City. The move to Bicentennial Park, east of Civic Center Music Hall, marks a return to its original location, one that Arts Council Executive Director Peter Dolese says has great design and features. Returning to its original space – which housed only a couple of food booths at its premiere in 1967 – provided a new approach for one of the region’s most popular festivals. “It’s got built-in seating, excellent lighting, some grassy areas and a lot of hard space to put tents on,” he explains. “It’s very urban and flows nicely between two beautiful art deco historical buildings, City Hall and the Civic Center, that bookend the park.” The move was prompted by a need to create space for OGE Energy Corp’s corporate headquarters, originally a four-tower project currently on hold due to falling oil prices and lack of tenant demand. Despite the delay, Dolese says the festival move was inevitable. “This area will be redeveloped at some point, and relatively quickly,” he continues. “It offered us a unique opportunity to look at other areas, and we felt Bicentennial Park was an exceptional choice for events of this magnitude.”
SEC URING A NEW
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Since city officials requested the move, it contributed $1.5 million from the Economic Development Trust to help create the new infrastructure at the park, which also will be used for other events. Necessary to the project was the creation of portable plumbing to provide hot and cold running water for 21 different locations – plus, the festival requires 7,000 amps of electricity, Dolese said. The task was to engineer underground and overhead delivery systems that connect and run the power overhead. There will be no power lines or cords on the grounds to create trip hazards. “About half of the new system is permanent in the park, and the other half will be stored in trucks and brought out every year,” he says. “It’s all been custom tailor-made to make this park absolutely sparkle.” Food tents will line the north and south sides of the Civic Center. The layout includes three performance stages, and the art tents will surround the park along the curb lines. Festival co-chairs Suzi Clowers and Kevin Frank have heated up phone lines and met frequently with staff and the nearly 5,000 volunteers it takes to make this event happen. “Suzi and Kevin have a long history with the festival,” Dolese says. “It was serendipitous that it was the 50th anniversary and a year we were moving, because they have a lot of experience with pressure situations and are a great pair to have at the helm during this transition.” Clowers said she thinks the move was a good idea and likes that the compressed layout allows people to see from one end to the other. Children’s activities, including the Young at Art Mart, Creative Station and a Saturday-only youth art sale, will be located on the City Hall lawn. More than 500 applicants, chosen by a juried process, applied for the 144 spaces available on Artist Square. Clowers and Frank chose “First of Spring” as this year’s poster art – the oil painting is by local artist David J. Holland, known for his cloudscapes. The food is also juried, and Frank said this year marked one of the biggest responses from the food community. Twenty-one food vendors, including favorites Tad’s Indian Tacos, Strawberries Newport and Café Do Brasil, join newcomers such as Snow S’more and Taste of Soul Egg Roll. Inside the park will be the usual street performers, sculptor art, balloons and flowers, wine and T-shirt tents and a new VIP tent that gives patron-level donors a place to step out of the crowd, enjoy a glass of wine and mingle. The sound stages will offer musical and dance performances and Festival Idol, the popular talent contest where young people – kindergarten through 12th grade – compete against each other for the big prize. The festival once was the only thing happening in a downtown that today has so much happening. “It’s a first rite of spring, and the community has continued to embrace it as being one of the founding fathers of cultural significance for downtown Oklahoma City,” Dolese says. “We owe it to ourselves to perpetuate it for future generations.” Visit artscouncilokc.com for schedules, parking information and more. And be ready for revelry. - SUSAN HENRY CLARK
PHOTO BY TRACE THOMAS
COMMUNITY
WHAT IS A STRESS TEST? A Myocardial Perfusion scan, also known as a Nuclear Stress Test, is a diagnostic imaging tool used to evaluate cardiac blood flow and function. Two sets of pictures are taken, one at rest and the other after an exercise stress test (performed while the patient is walking on a treadmill) or chemical stress test (performed while sitting in a chair or walking very slowly on the treadmill). An intravenous line is started on the patient and a tiny amount of radioactive “tracer” is injected, once at rest and again toward the end of the stress test. The information from the two sets of images and the stress test is used to evaluate blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle, and to measure the heart’s functional abilities such as wall motion and ejection fraction. DWAYNE A. SCHMIDT, M.D. JIM G. MELTON, D.O.
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in the 405 LAUGH LINES
No Tim e to Los e
1 . No o n e w i l l b e m a r r y i n g a n y o n e u n t i l Mo m l o s e s 3 0 p o u n d s b e c a u s e w e d in g p h o to s la s t fo r e v e r . 2 . Ti m i n g o f t h e m a r r i a g e m u s t c o r r e s p o n d to m o n th s in w h ic h lo n g s le e v e s a r e e x p e c te d . 3 . If d itio w e d d o u b
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r e m u s t o v e th e ir is k in g a a k e s .”
Pre-wedding excitement has obviously impaired my daughter’s ability to consider our clearly outlined demands because she chose May 26 as her wedding date. By all accounts, late May is thigh-chafingly warm and teeters dangerously close to the cusp of sleeveless and Spanx®-free weather. And who are we kidding – we’ll all have pancakes that close to June. The big day is now a mere two months away. I’ve lost 2.5 (note the decimal – not 25) of the required 30 pounds to be a svelte mother-of-the-bride. The wedding noose has begun tightening at the same pace as my jeans. Consequently, I’ve become more obsessed with the idea of weight loss than with the practice of it. (Baby steps, people.) If a friend tells me she’s been down with an aggressive stomach flu, my questions of concern take a certain direction
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with an almost Pavlovian predictability: “So … what are we talkin’? Five pounds, maybe? Where do you think you got that virus? Would you mind breathing on me for a few more minutes? Are you going to finish that biscuit?” This deep into the fourth quarter, there’s no more time for a sensible, eat-less-exercise-more approach to losing weight. I’ve now begun taking a mental inventory of dieting’s Greatest Hits – those I’ve either tried for 45 minutes or heard about – and weighing (ha ha) the pros and cons of each: Ta p e w o r m s : proven effective, but too hard to monitor and too hard to know when they’re really gone. Gross-out quotient: high. F a t - b l o c k e r p i l l s : too volatile. Two friends who went this direction recounted the unfortunate penalty for not knowing where to find the closest restroom that very second. They also warned against wearing white. Su r g e r y : sounds intriguing but could involve pain and my threshold is low. Still, modern medicine being what it is, I’d be willing to listen until the end of the surgeon’s nip-and-tuck pitch. Hi g h - i n t e n s i t y e x e r c i s e : extremely effective, a distinct advantage. But high-intensity anything usually involves pain, sweat and probably a sprain of some sort, so … no, no and no. Hu m a n Gr o w t h Ho r m o n e s h o t s : worrisome. I’m not interested in “growing” anything. Plus, hormones are a slippery slope on a good day. Th e t i m e - h o n o r e d s t o m a c h v i r u s : weight loss potential is high, but you
can’t plan for it or around it. Disadvantage: short shelf life. A n o - c a r b p l a n : good potential because it excludes every food in my diet. Th e l e m o n a de d i e t : you probably go into it loving lemonade. After 8-10 glasses of lemonade a day, I’ll bet no one comes out of it that way. Th e Mi r r o r , Mi r r o r p l a n : poses a strong theory that staring at your fat self in the mirror while you eat makes you lose your appetite. This may be true, but I’ll have to walk away from the mirror sooner or later, probably on my way back to the fridge. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of sweating off 10 pounds in my double-Spanx in late May. Barring that, however, I’ve almost accepted that my diet will begin after the wedding, at about the same time I’ll be brushing up on my Photoshop skills. - LAUREN HAMMACK
ILLUSTRATION BY QUIT NGUYEN
A YEAR AGO, MY DAUGHTER and her boyfriend announced their engagement. Within minutes of the expected celebratory cheering, my family devolved into a mob of reality TV celebrity imposters, shouting the kind of rapid-fire list of demands that one might impose on a hostage negotiator:
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM: 100 N. CLASSEN, OKC
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www.youngbrosinc.com MARBLE • GRANITE • TILE EST 1969 Half Page.pdf
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APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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Taste of OKC
Delectable creations from star area eateries help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma raise much-needed funds during a marvelous evening. 1. Kevin White, Keri Lepley, Heather Parker 2. Courtney and Ed Blau 3. Co-chairs Lauren Clark and Jason Henderson 4. Alex Simon, Sarah Johnson 5. Linda and Mike Cooper, Aaron Parker, Candice Baker 3
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An Evening With Kelli O’Hara
1. Stewart and Sandy Meyers, Emcee Ryan Leonard 2. Susan Binkowski, Wes Lane 3. Margaret Keith, Gary and Carol Sander, Chuck Wiggin 4. Susan Dillard, Harold Wayne, Lauren Norton
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PHOTOS BY TERRELL FRY
OCU alumna and Broadway star Kelli O’Hara returns to the metro for a special event benefiting the university’s Meyers Theatre for Young Audiences.
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Oscar Party
Local thespians, performing artists and friends continue a decades-old tradition by gathering to witness the Academy Awards and enjoy one another’s company. 1. Lesley Bross, Kaleb Bruza 2. Adrianna Iwasinski, Scott Seely, Jennifer Pierce 3. Charlie Monnot, Kevin Winsell 4. Sean Eckart, Jodi Nestlander, Victoria Stahl, Devan Benton 5. Nick Peat, Carson Cramer, Brittany Callison, Jason Oser
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CHOCOLATE DECADENCE PHOTOS BY JUSTIN AVERA, OSCAR PARTY PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
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Chocolate Decadence
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The treats are sweet and the atmosphere is festive at this chocolate-fueled fundraiser located in and benefiting Automobile Alley.
1. Madeline Mitchell, Bobby Simpson 2. Sonya Epperson, Teresa Sellers, Leslie Lynn, Debbie Naifeh-Engel 3. Maggie Clayton, Sebastian Oukassou 4. Ronette and Aubrey Jones 5. Lauren and Benjamin Shullaw
APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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Heart Ball
The American Heart Association’s annual black-tie fete remains an elegant, life-saving pleasure … the beat goes on, so to speak. 1. Harper and Margo Ward, Kelly and Adam Gospodarek 2. Cassidy Mask, Blaise Justice, Sydney Wilguess, Maggie Berry 3. Kyle and Kim Hill 4. Michael and Edith Laird, Kelli and Adam Hall 5. Andy and Karen Rieger, Jenna Rader, Derek Johnson
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HEART BALL PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
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territory ahead
New York City’s Ralph Ellison Memorial, honoring the author’s Invisible Man
A MOST VISIBLE MAN NYC’s only monument to an Oklahoman
IT IS THE LARGEST TRIBUTE to a writer in the largest city in the nation, a towering bronze slab framing the silhouette of a man striding southward, larger than life. The memorial, inspired by Ralph Ellison and the title of his groundbreaking novel, is the only New York City monument dedicated to an Oklahoman. It achieves the seemingly impossible task: portraying the author’s Invisible Man. The cutout figure offers a portal to the changing landscape of Ellison’s Harlem neighborhood: the bobbing branches of surrounding dogwoods and azaleas, the restless sky above West 150th, the ornate apartment building at 730 Riverside Drive where he lived for nearly half a century. The figure itself is faceless, ageless, timeless. His gaze tilts upward. His right
BY M.J. ALEXANDER
arm reaches forward, as if reaching for his reflection. The author it memorializes was born March 1, 1913, in a boarding house at 407 NE 1st in Oklahoma City. (Ellison would later give his birth year as 1914.) His father, whose own father had been born into slavery, stressed reading and education, and was determined to raise his son with a love of language and literature. The newborn was named Ralph Waldo Ellison, in honor of 19th century poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Lewis Ellison was proud to link his son to the leader of the Transcendentalist movement, which stressed self-reliance and independence. He boasted to friends and family early on that he was “raising this boy up to be a poet.” APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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HOMETOWN HONORS The summer after winning acclaim for Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison returned to his hometown for the first time since he hopped a freight train for college 20 years earlier. A newspaper report of his stopover noted: “A former Oklahoma City shoeshine boy and waiter whose first novel won the coveted 1953 National Book Award is visiting here this week ‘because I thought if I came back home and looked around, the ideas for my next book would take a more definite form.’” Although Ellison was revered as an educator, essayist, commentator and short story writer, his second novel would be a struggle. He completed 350 pages before the manuscript was lost in a house fire in 1967, and spent the rest of his life rewriting it, churning out more than 1,500 pages and publishing chapters here and there. Only after his death was a version published, in unfinished form, as Juneteenth. On June 21, 1975, he again returned to Oklahoma City for a ceremony dedicating the new public library on NE 23rd named in his honor. He called the library “the nexus of dreams” and “the place where we are able to free ourselves from the limitations of today by becoming acquainted with what went on in the past, and thus we project ourselves onto the future.” His close friend, John F. Callahan, said years later, “That library meant a great deal to him. He remembered growing up when blacks didn’t have a library … when libraries were segregated. And for there to be an integrated library named after him in Oklahoma City meant a great deal to him.” In 1995, the Oklahoma Center for the Book established the Ralph Ellison Award, to posthumously honor writers who had made outstanding contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Its first winner was Ellison, who had died the previous year. After 14 consecutive years of being nominated, he was voted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2002.
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Oklahoma City for the Tuskegee Institute But the name and his dream would be in Alabama. In his shoe he had hidden all he could give. One hundred years ago his worldly wealth: $32. With no suitcase, this summer, on a hot June day, Lewis Ellihe wore his entire wardrobe in layers, son was pierced through the stomach by a making it easier to hop a freight train and frozen shard of ice that sheared off a giant save the cost of the ticket. block he was delivering to Salter’s grocery After three years of study at Tuskegee, store. Three-year-old Ralph, who happily he moved to New York City to earn enough accompanied his father on deliveries money to pay for his senior year. But he around town in their horse-drawn wagon, soon met Harlem Renaissance writers heard the crash and watched as his father Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, was rushed to the hospital. became involved in the Federal Writers’ And so Lewis Alfred Ellison, who had Project and never moved back. moved to Oklahoma six years earlier in Although he would not visit Oklahoma hopes of a better life, died during surgery a City again for 20 years, Ellison continued month later, on July 19, 1916. He was 39. to draw on his hometown for inspiration. The death left his widow, Ida Milsap He incorporated the Ellison, to care for Ralph people and places of Deep and his infant brother, and the tempos Herbert. She worked “My early emotions Deuce and structure of music as a domestic and as FOUND EXISTENCE into his debut novel, the janitor of the Avery Chapel African Methodin Oklahoma City.” Invisible Man. Published by Random ist Episcopal Church at – R A L PH EL L ISON House in 1952 after seven NW 1st and Stiles, which years of toil, the musings allowed the small family of its nameless, self-aware protagonist were to live in the rectory. an instant hit. The novel – the first major Ralph helped out as he grew older, work to look at racism from the perspective selling newspapers at Broadway and of an African-American – won instant Main, shining shoes downtown, washing acclaim. Ellison was 39 years old, the same cars at a filling station on Classen. He age his father had been when he died. began playing trumpet at the age of 8. To Invisible Man spent 16 weeks on save money for college, he later worked for bestseller lists and would go on to win $1 an hour as a waiter at the Skirvin. He the 1953 National Book Award, beating also served at the Huckins Hotel and the out The Old Man and the Sea by his idol, University Club, and waited tables at the Ernest Hemingway. Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club in Ellison would go on to win the Medal of Nichols Hills where, his biographer would Freedom, the highest civilian award in the note, “the boys had to travel in groups to United States, in 1969 and the National fend off the dogs set upon them by whites Medal of Arts in 1985. when they walked from the streetcar line.” In the year before he died, after living in He found kindness elsewhere. As an eleNew York City for more than half a century, vator operator in the Hub Building on West Ellison explained why he still identified as Main, he was allowed by the Lewinson an Oklahoman: “My early emotions found family, who owned the property, to catch existence in Oklahoma City. In houses up on his reading between passengers. and in drugstores and barbershops and In the segregated schools of Oklahodowntown, all of the scenes, the sights, the ma City, he excelled at music under the localities that are meaningful to me are in legendary teacher Zelia Page Breaux. In that city; my father’s buried there, and of exchange for cutting his grass, he received course all the people who were heroes to private lessons in trumpet, composition me as a kid, my role models.” and conducting from Ludwig Hebestreit, On the centennial of his birth, British conductor of the Oklahoma City Orchestra. author D. Quentin Miller reflected on Distracted by outside music gigs, Ellison’s continued relevance: “What is it Ellison fell short on credits and, although that makes a 50-year-old novel so engaghe was photographed with the Douging, especially one that is well over 500 lass High School Class of 1931, did not pages long? There are a few superficial graduate until 1932. The next year, he left
Evoke a sense of emotion and love your home.
explanations. It contains sex (not much), violence (not gratuitous), a naive narrator who takes a long time to learn life’s basic lessons, an honest and unvarnished look at racial oppression and a cast of memorable characters. It is also a carefully crafted work that repeats its own motifs like a symphony, allowing readers to sense its unity and gauge its development without having to struggle. Its plot is engaging: The narrator is always WHERE’S WALDO? in motion, or at least his mind is always racing, and In an essay published in 1964, Ralph Waldo Ellison – who the flow of his words carries used his middle initial, or no the reader along. While all middle name at all – wrote of of these factors contribute the burden and the responto making Invisible Man a sibility he felt of the famous classic, they all support the name bestowed upon him by his father: main factor: Ellison wrote a “Our names, being the gift novel of ideas. Not a single of others, must be made our idea, but a host of them.” own. We must learn to bear Larger than New York’s our names with all the noise statues of Shakespeare, and confusion in which we find ourselves. They must become Robert Burns and Sir Walter our masks and our shields and Scott, Ellison’s monument the containers of all those valcommands views of the ues and traditions, which we Hudson and of the apartment learn and/or imagine as being building where he lived and the meaning of our familial past. … Remember that I did died. Dedicated on May 1, not destroy that troublesome 2003, the Invisible Man middle name of mine; I only statue – paid for by friends suppressed it. Sometimes it and fans, and designed by reminds me of my obligations sculptor Elizabeth Catlett – to the man who named me.” stands near a section of the park where he used to stroll. The east side of the memorial catches the first rays of the sunrise, which stream down the width of 150th. The memorial’s west side absorbs sunset’s last glow, illuminating the bronze surround of the silhouette. Inscribed on pink granite, surrounded by benches inviting passersby to sit and ponder, are opening words from the book written by an Oklahoman, translated into more than 20 languages and read by millions. “I am an invisible man … I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” Nearby, the massive statue of a featureless man is caught in mid-stride, perpetually moving forward.
Your apartment is waiting. no guarantee you’ll spend much time there.
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creatives
Writing in the Round Paul Medina spins, sketches a new circular tale A BEDTIME STORY that Oklahoma City native and visual artist Paul Medina told his imaginative daughter when she was little has become the core of his newest creative effort: self-illustrated books. That daughter, Emily Medina, is now in her 40s. But he told the story so many times that “it just stayed with me over all of those years,” Medina says. Unbroken Circles was published last November, and is the second in a series that bears the name of the first book, Enchanted Circle, published in December 2014.
“The influence for the illustrations comes directly from the RICHLY ILLUSTRATED FAIRY TALE BOOKS
that I grew up reading.”
Author and illustrator Paul Medina
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“It was only after working with at-risk kids that I was able to flesh out these books,” Medina says. He believes that without that influence, the stories would have simply stayed in his memories about his daughter’s childhood. The idea for the series eventually made it into book form because of that work with OKC Public Schools elementary children – beginning in 1999 and continuing today. It was an outgrowth of
PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER
PAU L M EDI NA
training and experience that he gained while leading art activities in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. The program originally was called Art Shaping Character, and was the prevention element of a truancy program started by Bob Macy, then Oklahoma County District Attorney. Today, Medina’s approach has become an initiative within the larger All-Access Arts program administrated by Arts Council of Oklahoma City. All-Access Arts provides students from low-income neighborhoods with art training and meaningful relationships with trained creators. “He does very valuable and meaningful work with at-risk children,” says Sharon Astrid, director of All-Access Arts. She said that Medina does quite well in helping students “give artistic expression to feelings that they cannot otherwise find a way to express.” One of several distinctive aspects of the books is that Medina has both written and illustrated them. The illustrations, especially in the digital editions, possess bold colors with mixed symbolism from Medina’s imagination. It’s a departure from the Southwestern style of art that he was best known for producing for galleries across the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s; today, he is better known for eclectic creativity across a variety of mediums rather than the paintings from his earlier career. But he insists that the books’ art is a departure even from his latest work.
“The influence for the illustrations comes directly from the richly illustrated fairy tale books that I grew up reading,” Medina says. “I would spend hours just getting lost in those illustrations, even more than the story itself. I think that’s why I wanted so much to illustrate these books.” Medina describes the main character, Zac, as partly a composite of many of his unique elementary students … and partly something more. “Zac is really kind of the best of who I thought I was. Taking with him the baggage from issues that I went through when I was a kid,” he says. He set the first book in northern New Mexico because of his childhood experiences, while the second includes Venice, Egypt and West Texas, as well. “When I was a kid, my parents used to love to vacation in northern New Mexico and visit my aunt who lived near Red River,” says Medina. “There were mountains there that I used to explore. They really stimulated my imagination then and provided plenty of settings for my stories in these books.” Fittingly, Full Circle Books in Oklahoma City has been the main retail outlet for Medina’s “Circle” series. “It’s been a good seller so far,” says Dana Meister, Full Circle’s general manager. “People have been looking for it. It’s imaginative.” It was so popular over the holidays that by Jan. 7, the store sold out of both and had to reorder. - BRETT DICKERSON
‘Just Because’ is the perfect occasion
Your love. Our passion.
TM
5521 North Pennsylvania Avenue | Oklahoma City, OK (405)-608-8802 | www.DiamondsDirect.com APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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Best
City of the
101+ metro favorites
Polling is closed, the ballots have been counted and the results are in. No, not for the Presidential election – think local. This is our 4th annual Best of the City survey, and we’re thrilled to bring you the majority selections for highlights of life in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Norman and surroundings … plus a few helpings of our own two cents in the Editors’ Choice categories. These are the people, places, tasty treats and overall delights that you (and we) love most about the 405. photos by simon hurst
' editorcse choi
BEST MAC N’ CHEESE
Slaughter's Hall 221 n central, okc, 405.606.6063, slaughtershall.com
Lots of places list mac and cheese as a possibility somewhere amid their litany of sides – but in this Deep Deuce watering hole it has its own section on the menu. That should give some indication of how seriously Jonathon Groth’s kitchen takes the concept, and the execution isn’t just cheesy and good … it’s fromagical. Our discussion over which of the four flavors reigns supreme got a little heated, but in the end, heat won out: The Fire Mac’s pasta, cheddar-jack cheese and ground sausage are elevated by a sriracha queso that gives your taste buds a persistent but not painful sizzle. Top it with roasted peppers and fried onions, and a star is born. APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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good eats & drinks
' editorcse choi
BEST ALCOHOLIC ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE ADVENT OF SUMMER
Power House's
hatch green chile top shelf margarita 1228 sw 2nd, okc, 512.619.1169, powerhouseokc.com
Summer is coming. And whether you consider that good news or bad, there’s no point in trying to hide from it – lean into it and fight the heat with some heat of a different kind. This specialty of the Power House energizes its mixture of tequila (Cazadores Reposado), Grand Marnier, Cointreau and lime by adding a trickle of ancho/habanero syrup and roasted Hatch chiles for a beverage that’s perfectly drinkable; not too prickly or a personal endurance demonstration like some shots, but deliciously refreshing with a lingering, smoky warmth in the back of the palate. Combined with the bar’s rustic vibe, classic country soundtrack – Hank Sr. to “Hot Rod Lincoln” – and ample patio, it’s a prime choice for the end of a long, balmy day.
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Readers' Choice COFFEE SHOP Elemental Coffee 815 N Hudson, OKC 405.633.1703 elementalcoffeeroasters.com CRAFT BREWER Coop Ale Works 405.842.2667 coopaleworks.com BREAKFAST Jimmy’s Egg Multiple locations jimmysegg.com WEEKEND BRUNCH Cheever’s 2409 N Hudson, OKC 405.525.7007 cheeverscafe.com WORKDAY LUNCH Park Avenue Grill 1 Park Avenue, OKC 405.272.3040 skirvinhilton.com CASUAL DINNER The Mule 1630 N Blackwelder, OKC 405.601.1400 themuleokc.com FINE DINING Ranch Steakhouse 3000 W Britton, OKC 405.755.3501 ranchsteakhouse.com DESSERTS La Baguette 7408 N May, OKC 405.840.3047 labaguettebistro.com FOOD TRUCK Big Truck Tacos 405.525.8226 bigtrucktacos.com AL FRESCO DINING Redrock Canyon Grill 9221 Lake Hefner Pkwy, OKC 405.749.1995 ehsrg.com OUT-OF-BUSINESS RESTAURANT YOU WISH WOULD MAKE A COMEBACK Nonna’s Euro-American Ristorante BURGER The Garage Multiple locations eatatthegarage.com BARBECUE Earl’s Rib Palace Multiple locations earlsribpalace.com
PIZZA Hideaway Pizza Multiple locations hideawaypizza.com SEAFOOD The Drake 519 NW 23, OKC 405.605.3399 thedrakeokc.com STEAK Red PrimeSteak 504 N Broadway, OKC 405.232.2626 redprimesteak.com SUSHI Sushi Neko 4318 N Western, OKC 405.528.8862 sushineko.com VEGETARIAN Red Cup 3122 N Classen, OKC 405.525.3430 theredcupokc.com ETHNIC RESTAURANT Queen of Sheba 2308 N MacArthur, OKC 405.606.8616 CHEF Kurt Fleischfresser vastokc.com CUSTOMER SERVICE Ted’s Café Escondido Multiple locations tedscafe.com DRINKSMITH Amy Nelms at Red Piano 1 Park Avenue, OKC 405.272.3040 skirvinhilton.com COCKTAIL BAR R & J Lounge 320 NW 10, OKC 405.602.5066 rjsupperclub.com WATERING HOLE McNellie’s 1100 Classen, OKC 405.601.7468 mcnelliesokc.com PLACE TO TAKE VISITING FRIENDS/RELATIVES Cattlemen’s 1309 S Agnew, OKC 405.673.3073 cattlemensrestaurant.com KID-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT Hideaway Pizza Multiple locations hideawaypizza.com
' editorcse choi
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Chae Modern Korean 1933 nw 23rd, okc, 405.600.9040, chaeokc.com
It was a crowded field this year for this category; there have been a lot of new names added to the city’s restaurant scene, and many of them are very good. But however subjective the question of accounting for taste may be, you can’t fake numbers. And we eat here a lot. The menu of modern Korean cuisine positively sparkles with tasty temptations, from tempura shrimp nestled in soft buns through creamy, savory risotto-like duck jook and spice-laden seafood soup jjambbong and a heavenly house take on bulgogi. Honestly, one of the only reasons we aren’t even more frequent customers is that the portions are large enough to keep the office fridge fairly constantly stocked with leftovers. Highly recommended.
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diversions
' editorcse choi
BEST COMEBACK
The Sooners were in only the second game of the season and the first against real competition, down by 14, with less than 14 minutes to go, having a mere field goal as the highlight so far amid 8 punts and 2 interceptions, as the biggest audience they’d ever had (102,455) redefined “hostile territory.” No problem. QB Baker Mayfield led OU 80 yards to score, the D got a 3-and-out, then Mayfield capped another grinding drive by hitting Sterling Shepard in the end zone to tie it with 40 seconds to go. Tennessee scored first in OT, so Mayfield ran it in himself, then nailed a gorgeous TD lob to Shepard in double overtime for the game winner. It was an incredibly gritty, resilient team performance that coach Stoops called “maybe my favorite” of his many victories. If your blood runs even the slightest bit crimson, your heart was racing with joy after this one.
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PHOTO BY JOSHUA GATELEY
Ou vs. Tennessee
' editorcse choi
Readers' Choice ART GALLERY JRB Art at the Elms 2810 N Walker, OKC 405.528.6336 jrbartgallery.com MUSEUM OKC Museum of Art 415 Couch, OKC 405.236.3100 okcmoa.com CULTURAL EVENT Festival of the Arts April 19-24, 2016 500 Couch, OKC artscouncilokc.com PERFORMING ARTS VENUE Civic Center Music Hall 201 N Walker, OKC 405.297.2264 okcciviccenter.com THEATER COMPANY Lyric Theater 1727 NW 16, OKC 405.524.9312 lyrictheatreokc.com DANCE COMPANY Oklahoma City Ballet 7421 N Classen, OKC 405.843.9898 okcballet.com
STREET FESTIVAL H&8th Hudson and NW 8 h8thokc.com CHARITY EVENT Memorial Marathon April 24, 2016 okcmarathon.com LIVE MUSIC VENUE ACM@UCO Performance Lab 329 E Sheridan, OKC 405.974.4700 acm.uco.edu CASINO Riverwind Casino 1544 Highway 9, Norman 405.322.6000 riverwind.com MOVIE THEATER Warren Theatre 1000 S Telephone, Moore 405.735.9676 warrentheatres.com SPORTING EVENT OKC Thunder game nba.com/thunder TOURIST ATTRACTION OKC National Memorial and Museum 620 N Harvey, OKC 405.235.3313 oklahomanationalmemorial.org
HOTEL Skirvin Hilton 1 Park Avenue, OKC 405.272.3040 skirvinhilton.com B&B The Grandison 1200 N Shartel, OKC 405.232.8778 grandisoninn.com ROMANTIC STAYCATION Skirvin Hilton 1 Park Avenue, OKC 405.272.3040 skirvinhilton.com FAMILY EXCURSION OKC Zoo 2101 NE 50, OKC 405.424.3344 okczoo.com SATURDAY DESTINATION Myriad Botanical Gardens 3001 W Reno, OKC 405.445.7080 myriadgardens.org IN-STATE GETAWAY Beaver’s Bend State Park Near Broken Bow 580.494.6300 beaversbend.com
BEST PLACE TO WATCH A SUNSET
Lake Hefner Oklahoma is known for many weather-related phenomena – sweltering summers, torrential rains, ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and so on. On the flip side, it’s also often deserving of its reputation for some of the most stunning sunsets across the nation. Must be the big skies. Whether you’re cycling along the trails, taking a leisurely stroll, making a foray out onto the water itself (warmer weather is coming, after all) or simply enjoying an adult beverage on the deck at one of the local eateries, Lake Hefner provides a stunning stage for the sun to settle; we consider it the best place for viewing the end to daylight hours.
' editorcse choi
BEST IMPENDING DEVELOPMENT
21c Museum Hotel 900 w main, okc, 21cmuseumhotels.com/oklahomacity
While Oklahoma City has no shortage of hotels, or museums, a snazzy new combination of the luxury of a boutique hotel with a twist of modern art is poised to impress. So far, only a few cities, such as Louisville and Nashville, have experienced what the 21c Museum Hotel brand is all about. Now it’s OKC’s turn, and owners say it may prove to be the crown jewel of downtown’s west side. It’s located in the old Fred Jones assembly plant in the 900 block of West Main – where old Model T Fords were built a hundred years ago. Now guests will enjoy all the modern conveniences of the 21st century: The hotel offers a full-service restaurant and bar, workout facilities, a 3,000-square-foot penthouse and exceptionally well-appointed guest rooms. The museum space downstairs houses contemporary art with exhibitions that will change throughout the year. We’ll be taking a closer look in 405 Magazine’s May issue, but for now suffice it to say that our new neighbor has us quite excited for its upcoming opening. APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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gotta love those okies ' editorcse choi
BEST LOCAL GROCERY EMPLOYEE
MarniVincent forward foods
2001 w main, norman, 405.321.1007, forwardfoods.com A resident of Norman, Marni has worked at Forward Foods for seven years, currently serving as store manager and cheesemonger. Yes, really. “I’m there to educate customers about the cheese, charcuterie and other products we sell,” she explains, “but I try to also build relationships with the customers so that they feel welcome and comfortable enough to approach the counter or call the shop with any questions. The world of cheese can be intimidating – I was really intimidated when I started this job – but Forward Foods made that world really approachable for me, so I try to emulate that experience.” Given that cheese is her favorite food, especially Wabash Cheese Cannon Balls, the ability to share her enthusiasm and foster it in others makes the job a pleasure. So next time you’re in Norman, especially if it’s during one of the cheese classes on Friday evenings at 6:45, pop into Forward Foods and ask for Marni; she’ll help you find something delicious.
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Readers' Choice ELECTED OFFICIAL Mayor Mick Cornett CELEBRITY Kevin Durant kevindurant.com MUSICIAN Kyle Dillingham kyle-web.com BAR BAND My So-Called Band mscb90s.com
VISUAL ARTIST Gayle Curry gaylecurry.com
BLOGGER The Lost Ogle thelostogle.com
SPORTS JOURNALIST Berry Tramel The Oklahoman
NEWS REPORTER Steve Lackmeyer The Oklahoman
LOCAL ACTOR (nope, Brad Pitt doesn’t count) Susan Riley Pollard Theatre
COMEDIAN Spencer Hicks okccomedy.com
RADIO DJ Ferris O’Brien The Spy FM
METEOROLOGIST David Payne News9
RADIO TEAM Jack & Ron FUN 96.9 FM
NON-ELECTED COMMUNITY OFFICIAL Jim Couch City Manager
NEWS ANCHOR Erielle Reshef KOCO 5
AMBASSADOR WHO MAKES YOU PROUD TO BE AN OKLAHOMAN Kevin Durant kevindurant.com
FILMMAKER Lance McDaniel AUTHOR/WRITER Laura Wilcox laurawilcox.com
HUMANITARIAN Jan Peery CEO of YWCA ywcaokc.org
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Positive Tomorrows 405.556.5082 positivetomorrows.org LEADER OF A NONPROFIT Brad Barghols American Red Cross 405.228.9500 redcross.org/local/ oklahoma
' editorcse choi
BEST COMMUNITY DEVELOPER
STEVE MASON PHOTO BY QUIT NGUYEN
Steve Mason Building a community isn’t just about buildings, businesses and bright ideas. It takes true vision and leadership. It takes the know-how to not only conceptualize the possibilities but also see projects through to completion. It takes knowing your market and the people within it. Steve Mason has been around that block more than a time or two. From Automobile Alley to Ninth Street to the Plaza District, Mason has shown leadership and the dedication necessary to build and encourage multiple thriving communities that all add to the fabric of the greater metro. And if that’s not convincing enough, he also was recognized at the 26th annual Dean A. McGee Award ceremony as the recipient of the Neal Horton Award, which is presented to a visionary who creates a renaissance in a downtown area. Yeah, he checked that box!
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shopping
' editorcse choi
BEST PLACE FOR VINTAGE SOUND
Guestroom Records 125 e main, norman, 405.701.5974 3701 n western, okc, 405.601.3859, guestroomrecords.com
Digital music is great. Catalogs are huge, streaming is simple, rocking out to your heart’s content is only a few clicks away. But there are times when we yearn for the more concrete experience, and when that urge hits, it’s time to hit Guestroom. Both locations – Main Street in Norman and 36th and Western in OKC – are packed with new and used CDs and vinyl, from local bands to an AC/DC EP you’d forgotten existed to the latest from The Struts (see p. 112). And if you need a recommendation or want to get into a pickup conversation about The Cult or Bowie’s best album, you’re in the perfect place.
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Readers' Choice ANTIQUE STORE 23rd Street Antique Mall 3023 NW 23, OKC 405.947.3800 antiques23.com
HOME ACCESSORIES STORE Interior Gilt 519 NW 23, OKC 405.608.1923 interiorgilt.com
BOOKSTORE Full Circle Bookstore 50 Penn Place 1900 NW Expressway, OKC 405.842.2900 fullcirclebooks.com
FLORIST New Leaf Florist Multiple locations newleafflorist.net
BIKE SHOP Schlegel’s Bicycles 900 N Broadway, OKC 405.232.4040 schlegelbicycles.com
WOMEN’S CLOTHING STORE Five & Company 335 S Mustang, Yukon 405.494.7504 fiveandcompany.com
AUTO DEALERSHIP Bob Moore Auto Group Multiple locations bobmoore.com
MEN’S CLOTHING STORE Mr. Ooley’s Penn Square Mall 1901 NW Expressway, OKC 405.879.0888 mrooleys.com
FURNITURE STORE Mathis Brothers Furniture 3434 W Reno, OKC 405.943.3434 mathisbrothers.com
KIDS’ CLOTHING STORE Uptown Kids 5840 N Classen, OKC 405.418.8881 uptownkidsstyle.com
JEWELRY STORE BC Clark Jewelers Multiple locations bcclark.com
GIFT BOUTIQUE On A Whim 5850 N Classen, OKC 405.848.3488 onawhimokc.com
GROCERY STORE Crest Multiple locations crestfoodsokc.com
SHOE STORE Balliets 5801 NW Grand, OKC 405.848.7811 balliets.com/shoes
VINTAGE STORE Bad Granny’s Bazaar 1759 NW 16, OKC 405.528.4585 DISTRICT SHOPPING Plaza District 405.367.9403 plazadistrict.org EYEWEAR SOURCE TSO Optical 3431 S Boulevard, Edmond 405.341.6941 tsooptical.com FITNESS CENTER YMCA Multiple locations ymcaokc.org
COSMETIC DENTIST Dr. Krista Jones 2000 E 15, Edmond 405.341.0203 edmonddentist.com
SALON Revel Eight 201 NW 10, OKC 405.702.1688 reveleight.com
COSMETIC SURGEON Dr. Tim Love 11101 Hefner Pointe, OKC 405.751.5683 drtimlove.com
SPA Renaissance Salon & Spa 10440 N Broadway Extension, OKC 405.751.8888 salonsparen.com
HAIR STYLIST Rachel Baldwin Revel Eight 201 NW 10, OKC 405.702.1688 reveleight.com
PERSONAL TRAINER Brian Attebery Results Fitness and Nutrition Center
HAIR COLORIST Rachel Baldwin Revel Eight 201 NW 10 OKC, OK 73103 405.702.1688 reveleight.com
YOGA/PILATES STUDIO YogaLab 1745 NW 16, OKC 405.528.4288 yogalabokc.com
MAKEUP ARTIST Jennifer Bentley 6051 N Brookline, OKC 405.209.6267 beautybeebuzz.com
FAMILY DOCTOR Titi Nguyen Fitzsimmons 120 N Robinson, OKC 405.232.3111
BARBER Doc Gattis Broadway Barber Shop 217 S Broadway, Edmond 450.340.0202
FAMILY DENTIST Dr. Krista Jones 2000 E 15, Edmond 405.341.0203 edmonddentist.com
MANI/PEDI SALON Polished Nail Salon Multiple locations polishednailsok.com SALON/SPA FOR A MASSAGE Eden Salon and Spa Multiple locations edensalon.com SALON/SPA FOR A FACIAL Renaissance Salon & Spa 10440 N Broadway Extension, OKC 405.751.8888 salonsparen.com VETERINARIAN (because pets matter) Chris Rispoli 17200 North May, Edmond 405.285.9663 gentlecareah.com EYEWEAR SOURCE Vision Source 3011 NW 63, OKC 405.840.2800 visionsource-eyesokc.com
' editorcse choi
BEST PLACE TO BUY YOUR BOOZE
Broadway Wine Merchants
824 n broadway, okc, 405.231.0031, broadwaywinemerchants.com David Lack, owner of Broadway Wine Merchants, prides himself on one very important thing: He does not put a bottle of wine on the shelf he has not tried and liked. That commitment to curating a quality list means customers can trust they are getting a wine Lack personally recommends. Follow that up with his commitment to ongoing education for his staff, which has at times included sommeliers, and you’ll understand why this is a favorite stop in downtown. The beer selection is as impressive as the wine, including many local brews available in bottle or can, and there’s also an excellent array of quality spirits. Finding a liquor store in OKC isn’t difficult, but it’s worth going an extra mile or two for someplace this dedicated. APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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THE GROWTH kURBAN GARDENS GIVING THE CITY A MORE FERTILE FUTURE BY GREG HORTON | PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
SOMETIMES GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY IS A GOOD THING – ASK ANY GARDENER. IN ADDITION TO CONNECTING WITH NATURE, SMALL-SCALE LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUAL HEALTH, THE COMMUNITY AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. IT’S NO WONDER THAT THE PRACTICE IS BEGINNING TO TAKE ROOT IN OKC.
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aul Mays oversees a large garden right on the west edge of The Paseo, and unfortunately, it’s a garden without cows. In Oklahoma City, you have to have more than an acre of land to raise livestock. “Technically, you can raise cows if you have an acre,” Mays says. “So, if you owned an apartment complex, you could raise cows where the swimming pool usually is?” With a laugh, he adds, “I like the idea of cows in an apartment complex.” Really, who doesn’t? Proponents of urban farms contend that the one-acre restriction is arbitrary, but U.S. cities use the old Imperial standard of land for real estate. Urban gardens or farms are governed by the same zoning ordinances and definitions as any other endeavor within city limits. In other words, no cows in your backyard. But proponents like Mays are working within those restrictions to expand green space in Oklahoma City, even as they work to change legislation and zoning ordinances to make urban farming and gardening more accessible and more productive. When Amy Young purchased the Paseo building that would ultimately be SixTwelve, she knew she wanted an urban garden. Situated on property that once included another structure – since torn down – SixTwelve offers a set of community-building services and learning opportunities, including arts, cooking, gardening, music, sustainable living practices, an afterschool program and a school. Mays had been an avid gardener for about five years when he spoke with Young about volunteering to take care of the urban garden that would be part of SixTwelve’s offerings. During some of those years, he was working with Lia Woods and Allen Parlier of CommonWealth Urban Farms; he calls them his mentors. “I love urban gardening because it brings a little bit of my upbringing into the city,” Mays says. “I grew up interacting with nature – spiders, snakes – so I learned not to be afraid, and I want people to understand we live in an ecosystem, even in the city.”
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PAUL MAYS (AbOvE) HAS HIS HANDS FULL WITH TENDING THE SIxTWELvE GARDEN; LIA WOODS (BELOW) WALKS THE GROUNDS Of GUILFORD GARDENS HARvESTING FLOwERS. Mays planted the 30-foot by 30-foot garden in August 2014, but that was just phase one of his plan to create a sustainable agricultural ecosystem in the center of the city. Systems of all kinds contain interdependent components, and he believes that if it’s planned well, a farm or garden will function better, sustainably, cleanly.
DON’T FENCE ME IN
One of the key obstacles when creating an urban garden – especially one that’s practical, not ornamental – is that space is limited, so each component has to actually do something for the whole … and if the components have multiple functions, even better. With that in mind, Mays planted fruit trees all around the edge of the property: nectarine, peach, cherry, fig and pear. With the fruit come birds – or as Mays calls them, competition for food. Sure, birds will eat bugs that destroy plants, but they also eat fruit. On the other hand, every blossoming plant brings pollinators, and they are critical to the system. A properly functioning ecosystem is really a beautifully synergistic world unto itself, he said. Lia Woods at CommonWealth functions on a much smaller space than
(CLOCKwISE FROM LEFT) ALLEN PARLIER Of COMMONWEALTH URBAN FARMS PREpARES TRAYS Of SpROUTS AND MICROGREENS; NEIGHbORS COME TOGETHER ON A SATURDAY AT COMMONWEALTH TO HELp PREpARE COMpOST FOR THE NEW SEASON; MICROGREENS FOR SALE AT A LOCAL FARMER’S MARKET SixTwelve, and her experience working on one-seventh of an acre has forced her to think about how the system’s elements work together – lessons she passed on to Mays. “The challenge on a plot this size is to be very selective,” she says. “It forces us to be super conscientious about planning and land use.” Mays, Woods and other urban gardening proponents have been instrumental in guiding legislation that makes their tasks, including planning and use, much easier. (In fact, Mays worked for three years to achieve a zoning redefinition that allows him to raise chickens on his less-than-one-acre farm.) Woods is quick to praise the Oklahoma City Planning Commission and City Council for the work in 2013 that broadened the rights of urban gardeners and farmers. The urban agriculture legislation in 2013 defined compost, clarified the rules for vegetable gardens and community gardens, took the first swing at dealing with backyard chickens and made clear rules about greenhouses and hoop houses on non-commercial property. “At every step of the process, they worked with us to ensure that the legislation would deal with real issues,” Woods says. “The planning department allowed input from urban gardeners, and that allowed us to craft a code that is very specific.”
Woods started as a home gardener and worked in her yard for more than 30 years before making the jump to CommonWealth. A group of her friends and fellow gardening enthusiasts wanted to expand green space in Oklahoma City, so they began cultivating in fall of 2011, and then started their first Community Supported Agriculture program in April 2012. In Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs), people purchase locally produced food by purchasing a “share” or membership in the group. As a return on investment, the farmer will provide goods at scheduled intervals, and participants typically have no control over what ends up in their box. It’s not like a grocery store or website where you check off choices. Instead, it’s much more like a Mystery Box Challenge on “MasterChef,” making your meals based on what’s in the box or bag. For food nerds, the challenge is half the fun, and they get to support local farmers as a bonus. Over the years, Woods and Parlier have assembled a large team of volunteers, and CommonWealth now sells food and cut flowers to restaurants and individuals. Those beautiful blooms aren’t grown on site, though – raising 50 varieties of cut flowers requires much more space than CommonWealth has, so Woods turned to her mentor, and one of the pioneers of urban gardening in Oklahoma City: Chef Kamala Gamble.
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OKC URBAN GARDENING PIONEER KAMALA GAMbLE IS A STAUNCH PROpONENT Of PRODUCING FOOD LOCALLY. (FACING PAGE) PLUMP, HAPpY HENS HAVE A SMALL, NON-INDUSTRIAL COOp ON THE GUILFORD GARDENS PROpERTY.
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THE GENEALOGY kURBAN GARDENING Talk to urban gardeners and farmers in Oklahoma City and the conversation will end up at Kamala Gamble. Much like tracing a genealogy, the network of relationships comes back to Gamble because she dragged Oklahoma City into the slow food movement and helped the city fall in love with CSAs. Gamble started Guilford Gardens in suburban northwest Oklahoma City in 2001. At the time, Oklahoma’s CSAs existed primarily in rural areas. Larger cities around the country had them, but they were utterly new to Oklahoma City when Gamble launched hers. She started small, but when three surrounding residential lots came available, she said it made sense to acquire them. The two-acre garden that is the heart of Guilford was built from those four residential lots, and she now has a greenhouse and two hoop houses. Now she sells produce to more than just subscribers. Asked if it was all part of a grand plan or vision, she tells the story of when the Food Network came to Oklahoma City to interview her as part of a piece on CSAs. “They asked if I’d planned this whole thing,” she says. “I asked them, ‘Why would anyone plan this?!’” Chef, marathon runner, mother of two, former protégé of Rick Bayless, business owner, pioneer … there really is no end to the commas in describing Gamble or her accomplishments. LaVeryl Lower, owner of The Metro – one of the city’s hardest-working people in food – describes Gamble as “the hardest-working woman I know.” Anyone familiar with Lower or The Metro will understand the weight of that compliment.
“She is passionate, and she works tirelessly,” Lower says. “I’ve been using her CSA for 10 to 12 years for my own family, and I keep going back because the food is excellent – locally grown and healthy.” Like many Oklahomans, Gamble grew up with a family garden that contributed substantially to the meals in her home. “It’s important to eat healthy,” she says, “and I think people would be healthier if they ate things grown in their own gardens.” As for Gamble’s family, she feeds her children from Guilford Gardens, adding incentive to practice agriculture in a way that, even if not certified organic, is sustainable and healthy. Training children is always the key to keeping practices alive generation to generation, and urban gardeners believe that if children learn early what food is supposed to taste like, the work of creating healthy eaters who are aware of where their food comes from and what it takes to produce it advances. “When you start gardening, you become aware of things that you didn’t notice before,” Gamble says. “Like with any profession, there are things you notice when you are inside that profession. Farmers and gardeners are tuned into how important the weather is, how dependent we are on rain and how important the difference is between a heavy and light rain.”
HERE COMES THE RAIN
Urban farmers and gardeners’ attention to the weather cycle is a consistent theme because of the commitment to create green spaces free of pesticides and other chemicals. Some of those chemicals can help when the weather isn’t cooperating, or when it’s a particularly nasty year for a particular pest, but Mays points out that those chemicals are not then limited to the garden space. They are washed away by rain, and carried into the waste stream. Cities around the country with scarce water resources have implemented programs to capture storm run-off. One
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of the solutions is very simple, and Mays is working on it: Curb cutouts capture storm runoff water and repurpose it for irrigation without using up city resources. For his space, Mays is planning on creating a rain garden just off the sidewalk using a curb cutout. Much of the land in Oklahoma, including the metro, is primarily clay. Clay is not water-friendly; it acts as a repellent. To better help with water retention, Mays added a layer of organic material to the clay base at SixTwelve. The layer acts like a sponge, holding the water in place, reducing the amount of city water necessary in dry periods. These kinds of synergistic relationships between urban gardeners and municipalities make it easier for legislators to support rules that are helpful for farmers and gardeners, they believe. Helping the gardeners helps the city preserve resources, and it makes healthy, affordable food available to a wider range of people. In 2013, during meetings with the City Council about the urban agriculture legislation, Councilman Ed Shadid highlighted the desirability of these urban spaces by drawing a comparison between the healthy food at Whole Foods and that found in urban gardens. Shadid said many people couldn’t afford to shop at Whole Foods and other grocers featuring genuinely healthy food, but could afford to grow their own or participate in CSAs. The policy helps urban gardeners, local consumers and the city by making more resources available without drawing on city or state resources. The urban gardens and farms are not just micro-ecosystems; they are micro-economies. Amy Young says they want their garden to be a visible sign of people taking care of each other. “We’re producing food, yes, and we are making it available affordably, but we are also developing a seed bank that people can access, and we offer multiple educational opportunities to teach the practices that make sustainability and mutual care possible,” she says.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
SixTwelve incorporates education about farming and gardening into the curriculum for its school and afterschool programs. Hands-on experience for young people is right outside the door, a rare enough phenomenon for city kids. The commitment to education is a common theme with urban farmers and gardeners, too. Gamble offers tours of Guilford Gardens for nearly every community group imaginable, such as schools, scouts and churches. She thinks of it as giving back to the community, as well as helping to transform lives. Exposing people to good food creates a higher level of expectation
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for fresh, locally produced food. “Over the years, I’ve seen how it transforms the way people eat,” Gamble says. “They tell me it changes their habits, and eating this way is healthier.” CommonWealth offers volunteer opportunities every GAMbLE’S SON MASON HAS HANDLED Saturday all year CHICKENS AND GATHERED FRESH EGGS IN THE long. In addition BACKYARD COOp MOST Of HIS LIFE. to helping with composting and gardening, volunteers learn the keys to succeeding, the basics of sustainability and basic rules for tools and implements. Beginning in March, they offer Garden School each year. The school is a more formalized instructional environment, and the instruction is supplemented with hands-on work. Education is central for Mays’ philosophy, too. He talks about sustainability, the ecosystem, composting and gardening with patient excitement. He’s not an evangelist per se, but he does preach a pretty good sermon without sounding like a preacher – a plus when trying to get people on board. Even when he says something like, “We are destroying ourselves by destroying our ecosystem,” he doesn’t sound apocalyptic, nor does he burn with pseudo-religious zeal. He is sincere and calm. Every step of the process is something that can be taught, and when you’re talking to children, he says things like chickens are super helpful in getting and keeping attention, as are bees. Mays hopes to have bees soon, and the chickens arrived in March. The prospect of a beekeeper in a mysterious suit – looking for all the world like a hazmat technician with a smoker – is fascinating, even as the idea of thousands of bees may be horrifying to children (and adults). But Mays is also combating the fear, bringing back his experiences as a child, interacting with nature without fear, understanding the cycle, respecting the place. Bringing the country into the city is good for all of us in more ways than we imagine, Mays believes. “Learning to create a relationship with the natural world that exists all around us in the city is of vital importance,” he says. “Urban farming can nurture our patience while living in the fast pace of the city, and it helps us recognize that we are nature, not something separate from it.”
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
ARTS COUNCIL OKLAHOMA CITY | CENTRAL OKLAHOMA FRONTIER COUNTRY | CHICKASAW CULTURAL CENTER | THE HOWELL G ALLERY | OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART | OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER | ALLIED ARTS NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM | OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL | PASEO ARTS ASSOCIATION | SAM NOBLE MUSEUM | OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME | JASMINE MORAN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM | OKLAHOMA WONDERTORIUM MUSEUM OF OSTEOLOG Y | DALE ROG ERS TRAINING CENTER | OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL & MUSEUM CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: BANK L ANGMORE, “ZX RANCH – PAISLEY, OREGON 1974,” DYE TRANSFER PRINT, NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM | CHAIRS ILLUMINATED IN THE EVENING AT THE OKL AHOMA CIT Y NATIONAL MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM | BANK L ANGMORE, “MC RANCH – ADEL, OREGON, 1974,” NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM | POTEET VCTORY, “THE ROAD THROUGH FALL,” HOWELL GALLERY | HANS HOFMANN, “PROVINCETOWN NUMBER ONE,” OIL ON BOARD, OKL AHOMA CIT Y MUSEUM OF ART | A SECTION OF THE CHICK ASAW CULTURAL CENTER IN SULPHUR
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UPCOMING EXHIBITS & EVENTS ALLIED ARTS
405.278.8944, alliedartsokc.com Apr 1 ARTini Arcade at the OKC Farmer’s Public Market is OKC’s largest martini tasting, mixed with food, an exclusive art auction, retro arcade games, a raffle, music, dancing and more! It’s a throwback party to support the arts that you won’t want to miss. May 9 Enjoy a day of fun with all proceeds going to support the local arts community at the Chip In for the Arts Golf Tournament at the OKC Golf & Country Club.
ARTS COUNCIL OKC artscouncilokc.com
Apr 19-24 Since 1967, the Festival of the Arts has been Oklahoma City’s rite of spring. The community celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts is in Bicentennial Park, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Jun-Jul All Access Arts partners with the City of OKC Parks & Recreation to provide free arts in summer day camps, and with the Metropolitan Library System to bring live performances all summer long to all 18 libraries. Jun-Sep Free music to close the week all summer long in the Sunday Twilight Concert Series in the Myriad Gardens. Aug 25-27 For over 30 years, the Oklahoma City Storytelling Festival has delighted audiences with nationally-acclaimed storytellers, workshops and special performances – the wonder continues at the Oklahoma History Center.
CHICKASAW CULTURAL CENTER 867 Cooper Memorial, Sulphur, 580.622.7130, chickasawculturalcenter.com
Apr 3 Enjoy live music and a delicious brunch buffet at the Chickasaw Cultural Center Jazz Brunch. Reservations required. Apr 10-16 Several activities will take place throughout a special week-long event to celebrate National Libraries Week, begun in 1958 and observed in libraries across the country. Apr 22 Join the Earth Day Celebration! Activities include gardening demonstrations and horticultural tours. Apr 23 Enjoy live music in the beautiful Kochcha’ Aabiniili’ Amphitheater during the Taloowa Music Fair. May 7 Unleash your imagination and view incredible toy brick artwork that depicts Chickasaw culture in the Ikbi: Builds With Toy Bricks exhibit. May 28-29 Celebrate the Memorial Day weekend with festivities including cultural demonstrations, traditional games and a family film in the Anoli’ Theater. Jun 9 Explore the Holisso: The Center for Study of Chickasaw History and Culture in honor of International Archives Day. Enjoy center tours, photo and document preservation workshops and special archival collection presentations. Jun 25 The annual Children’s Festival provides fun events for the whole family, and kids receive a special gift while supplies last!
Jul 16 Native Creativity Day showcases films, music, arts, food, crafts and a variety of other creative mediums. Aug 12-13 Enjoy a selection of Native films at the Holba’ Pisachi’ Native Film Festival. Learn more about the creative process and this modern method of storytelling in interactive sessions with filmmakers.
THE HOWELL GALLERY
6432 N Western, OKC, 405.840.4437, howellgallery.com May 7 Wander through the gallery and courtyard as artists paint, sculpt and create amazing works of art right before your eyes during the annual Painting in the Courtyard, 11am to 2pm. Jun 1-18 Although his work is abstract, Oklahoma native Poteet Victory’s Cherokee-Choctaw influence still shines through, evoking a powerful response in the viewer with his masterful command of composition and breathtaking color. Aug 13 Join Oklahoma City artist Nancy Junkin and admire her newest acrylic creations during Coffee with the Artist, 11am- 2pm. From figurative to still life, Junkin’s paintings have a vibrant and unique personality all their own.
NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM 1700 NE 63rd, OKC, 405.478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org
Now-May 8 The Cowboy Returns: Photographs by Bank and John Langmore offers an intimate view of
Pry the Lid Off OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
Through Aug 12 | 3000 General Pershing, OKC, 405.951.0000, oklahomacontemporary.org In Pry the Lid Off, artist Summer Wheat explores an extensive portrayal of what she imagines to be behind the wall in Vermeer’s historical painting, The Milk Maid. The immersive, site-specific experience includes painting, sculpting, architecture and installation; it’s a homecoming for the artist, who was born and raised in Oklahoma City. 62
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the cowboy over two generations in a collection of 100 images depicting the gritty reality of working and living in the American West. Now-May 8 Explore a uniquely Western adornment’s history and revival in Native American Bolo Ties: Vintage and Contemporary Artistry’s collection of 370 bolo ties. Now-May 8 Learn how the often brutal environment of this region has shaped, and continues to shape, the history of the American West in Riding The Whirlwind: Weather in The West. Broadcast the weather in front of a green screen, and try the many interactive stations throughout the gallery, specially created for kids of all ages. Now-May 8 Showcasing 22 of the more than 60 major weavings donated to the Museum over the past three years, Revision: Contemporary Navajo Weavings from the Pam Parrish Collection features examples of weavings by some of the top contemporary weavers of the late 20th century. Apr 7-28 Brown Bag Lecture Series Reservations are not required, so bring your lunch or buy it from the Museum Grill and fascinating presentations: Sporting and Wildlife by Michael Grauer Apr 7, Awesome Bolo Ties by Norman L. Sandfield Apr 21 and Ranches across the West by John Langmore Apr 28. Apr 12 An Evening with Evelyn Browning-Garriss The renowned historical climatologist uses ocean currents, volcanic activity and natural cycles to determine weather patterns in the future. Mixing pragmatism, humor and the latest scientific findings, she specializes in providing clear, useful advice.
MUSEUM & GALLERY GUIDE
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION April 15-16 Western Heritage Awards Weekend Honor and encourage the legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film, and television reflect the significant stories of the American West.
OKC MUSEUM OF ART
415 Couch, OKC, 405.236.3100, okcmoa.com Now-Aug 28 In celebration of the many extraordinary acquisitions that have made this the premier collecting institution in central Oklahoma, the exhibition Our City, Our Collection: Building the Museum’s Lasting Legacy tells the story of the Museum’s history as a series of transformative gifts, bequests and acquisitions. Jun 18-Sep 18 OKCMOA will be the exclusive North American venue for Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, which presents, for the first time outside Europe, highlights from one of the world’s preeminent collections of modern art. Oct 15-Jan 8, 2017 The first illuminated, handwritten Bible
of monumental size to be commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in the modern era will be on view this fall. Sacred Words: The Saint John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination will include 70 selected folios from “The Saint John’s Bible” as well as other historical illuminated manuscripts, such as a Book of Hours, Quran pages and Torah scrolls.
OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL
Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N Lincoln, 405.521.2037, arts.ok.gov All exhibits free and open to the public Apr 4-Jun 5 Patricia Isbell, El Reno North Gallery, First Floor Apr 11-Jun 12 Keith Murray, Sulphur East Gallery, First Floor Apr 18-Jun 19 Nicholas Bayer, Piedmont Governor’s Gallery, Second Floor
OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
3000 General Pershing, OKC, 405.951.0000, oklahomacontemporary.org Through May 12 Under the guidance of experienced instructors, Spring Adult Classes help artists at any level nourish and build creativity and skills in ceramics, 2-D arts, fiber arts and jewelry. Through Jun 12 In the new media installation In One Ear … by David Steele Overholt, a generatively formed loop of appropriated videos are beat-matched to music playing on a local radio station, creating a spectacle of color at night and a socially interactive environment during the day. Stop by to see and hear the piece literally light up the Showroom at 1146 N Broadway. May 31-Jun 3 Summer Art Camps: Amazingly Abstract helps artists ages 5-6 explore a variety of artistic mediums while learning about American painter and printmaker Jasper Johns; From Ordinary to Extraordinary helps 7-9-year-olds investigate new ways to create painted masterpieces; and Oh What a Relief! is for kids ages 10-12 to engage in unusual sculptures, abstract painting and relief printmaking, all techniques made
famous by Jasper Johns. Jun 6-10 Summer Art Camps: Young artists can spend a week learning to express themselves in fun forms: ages 5-6 can explore portraiture in various mediums in Portraits That POP! or exciting pop-art still-life pieces in Still Life Summer. Ages 7-9 can create a winter count calendar, make a playable flute and craft beautiful beadwork in Native Symbols, while in Good Times With Vermeer they create visual art based on contemporary artist Summer Wheat and learn about her connection to Johannes Vermeer. Aug 20 The annual USATF-certifi d 5K run Midnight Streak, specifically benefi ing educational programing for Oklahoma Contemporary, will weave through Automobile Alley, Midtown, SOSA and Heritage Hills at 8 p.m. Come out for fun at the NW 11th and Broadway starting line, including activities for the whole family.
PASEO ARTS ASSOCIATION / PASEO ART SPACE
3022 Paseo, OKC, 405.525.2688, thepaseo.org
DANIEL WORCESTER
BRENT GREENWOOD MARGARET WHEELER
MIKE LARSEN
DUSTIN MATER
S AT U R D AY, M AY 2 8
BRENDA KINGERY
N AT I V E A R T M A R K E T & M U S I C F E S T I VA L ! Browse art tents with artists from across the country. Food trucks, fun for kids and live music, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. JOANNA UNDERWOOD BLACKBURN
W E S T M U S KO G E E AV E . , S U L P H U R , O K • 5 8 0 - 2 7 2 - 5 5 2 0 Free shuttle to the Chickasaw Cultural Center available during festival
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MUSEUM & GALLERY GUIDE
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Monthly More than 80 artists in more than 25 galleries, all within walking distance, participate in the Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk, 6-10 p.m. Four to six opening receptions showcase the new work of gallery/ studio owners or guest artists, many galleries offer light refreshments and live music and food trucks add to the festive atmosphere. Apr 1-29 The Paseo SmallArt Show features small, original work for the beginning collector. Juried by Charleen Weidell, all artwork is 15” x 15” or less and priced under $199. Apr 3 Open Streets OKC: Streets from Uptown 23rd (Western to Robinson) and down Walker through Paseo to 30th will be turned into a car-free space for biking, walking and more! Look for many special events along the route. May 6-27 Tony Grider art show: Opening reception May 6, 6-10 p.m. Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m, Tuesday-Saturday. May 14 Children are invited to dress up for a Fairy Ball to create an evening full of visual delights, music and dance. 7-9pm at the First Christian Church, 3700 N Walker. May 28-30 80 or more visual artists will fill the 40th Annual
Paseo Arts Festival, selling original artwork in a wide variety of media. The festival also hosts dozens of musicians and other live performers on two stages. More than 60,000 people come to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of this event. As the Paseo Arts Association’s largest annual fundraiser, the Festival helps to support arts events in the Paseo year-round. Jun 3-24 Ryan Davidson art show: Opening reception June 3 from 6-10 p.m. Regular gallery hours are noon-5 p.m, Tuesday-Saturday. Jul 1 All types of printmaking, ranging from traditional style to contemporary, are part of the Print on Paseo art show. Through this exhibition, the Paseo Arts Association aims to represent and spotlight the depth and diversity of the work of Oklahoma printmakers. Aug 5-26 Tour de Quartz: A selection of artwork created by Oklahoma high school students during the 2016 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, a prestigious academy held every June.
SAM NOBLE MUSEUM 2410 Chautauqua, Norman,
405.325.4712, samnoblemuseum. ou.edu Now-Jun 12 A lifelike delight for the entire family, Be the Dinosaur features video game stations where players go on a virtual adventure in an immersive recreation of the Cretaceous period, which took place over 65 million years ago. The educational and entertaining exhibit is one of the most extensive restorations of an extinct ecosystem ever created, and visitors are able to explore what a day in the life of a dinosaur may have actually been like. Now-Aug 31 Through the Eyes of the Lynx is the second of two Galileo’s World exhibitions. Galileo and the Academy of the Lynx (named for the sharp-eyed animal) were responsible for the first published report of observations made with a microscope in 1625, stretching the boundaries of European thought in the life sciences, just as Galileo’s discoveries did for the physical sciences. This exhibition is in conjunction with Galileo’s World, a series of exhibits across the OU campus that illustrate connections between science, art, literature, music, religion, philosophy, politics and culture.
Apr 4-5 Join the Museum’s Native American Language department for the annual Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair. Hundreds of pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade Native American language students participate in judged written and oral performance categories that celebrate the use of native languages in traditional and modern ways. Free admission.
OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME
1400 Classen, OKC, 405.235.4458, oklahomahof.com Now-Apr 30 Williard Stone Centennial: A Legacy of Art Through Family celebrates the life and work of an Oklahoma treasure in a multimedia exhibit showcasing artwork, especially sculpture, by the late Willard Stone and his family members.
Presenting artwork from nationally and regionally recognized artists together with exciting works by new emerging artists
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Art for Everyone Education, Exhibition, Performance
Creative outlets: adult classes and youth camps and classes in visual and performing arts First-rate exhibitions: diverse work from living artists across the region, country and world
oklahomacontemporary.org | 405 951 0000 | @okcontemporary 3000 General Pershing Blvd. | Oklahoma City, OK 73107APRIL 2016
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BU ILD ING A BETTER D ISTRIC T The Wheeler development moves toward its starting line BY GREG HORTON PHOTOS BY SIMON HURST
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E. B. W HITE, THE AUTHOR OF CHARLOTTE’S WEB, once
wrote that the view from a Ferris wheel was the most promising thing in space. That is either hyperbole or White was only looking in one direction. Construction is underway to install the Ferris wheel that may become the signature symbol of the Wheeler District. Situated along the south bank of the Oklahoma River, the nine-story carnival ride will provide a remarkable view of the entirety of the proposed $1.2 billion development, as well as an admittedly spectacular view of our cityscape. A passenger
as Wheeler is likely to, but along the western edge of the Downtown Airpark, the roads that would normally cross Douglas all dead-end at a fence. Blair Humphreys hopes to bring an end to that particular visual metaphor. Humphreys, the driving force behind the Wheeler District, talks of creating “dignified access points” for people who wish to drive or walk into the new district. In other words, this will not be a gated, white enclave adjacent to a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, the two largest features of which are the Will Rogers Courts – a WPA
“We hav e a RESP ONSIBILITY to serv e as a bridge between the two com m unities, to create connections and new access p oints.” BL A IR H U M PHR E YS
in one of the 20 gondolas will have an utterly different view to the west, though. Douglas Avenue is the point of demarcation – the bright line, so to speak – between Wheeler and its nearest neighbors. Metaphors abound in any development, especially one that juxtaposes poverty and wealth as starkly
project that is now subsidized housing with monthly rents as low as $100 – and Rotary Park, a plot of ground marred by crime and graffiti.
BUILDING BRIDGES ALONG THE RIVER Bristling with idealistic energy (that’s a compliment, by the way), Humphreys speaks candidly about the challenges the district will face. He is at once likeable and believable, and a brief conversation with him provides understanding of why the Wheeler District has the imprimatur of the Latino Community Development Association. “We are the first development south of the river that is an extension of downtown and Core to Shore,” Humphreys says. “We have a responsibility to serve as a bridge between the two communities, to
Developer Blair Humphreys
create connections and new access points.” The MIT-educated Humphreys hopes to apply the lessons learned in his city planning and urban design graduate program, and when the son of a Republican politician who grew up middle-ofthe-road evangelical lands in Boston for graduate school, lessons multiply in and out of the classroom. “I was in a real estate economics class when I became aware of how difficult this type of urban development
really is,” Humphreys says. “What jumped out at me, though, was that we have a responsibility to address the issue, and a realization how difficult it can actually be.” That point was etched more firmly in his mind when the Wheeler team offered its week-long charrette in summer 2014: Interested and potentially affected parties were invited to participate in planning sessions that allowed input into the final design of the district. Humphreys estimates APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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approximately 1,000 people showed up across the course of the week. A painful realization set in at some point that week, though – the district’s Latino neighbors were visibly absent, in spite of what appears to have been a good-faith effort to distribute invitational fliers printed in Spanish. Humphreys took the setback as a challenge that simply required further effort. To be fair, he had only been heading up the district planning for six months at that point, so the team was still getting a picture of what the plan to integrate the communities would mean. What do you do when you invite people to participate in civic leadership and they
pass? Humphreys’ time in Boston taught him a valuable lesson that could help answer questions along this particular axis. “We were dealing with a population who had never been integrated into our city’s civic leadership structure,” he says. “We thought we had done above and beyond what we should have, but we figured out that an extra level of effort would be required, and the good news was that we could be a positive part of the solution of integrating the community into that leadership structure.”
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culture
BLURRED LINES
will likely need to be some cultural sensitivity training.” Donna Cervantes, director of Calle dos Cinco, said she sees Wheeler as a potential boost for retail in Capitol Hill and along SW 29th. “There is not one magic bullet to bring the communities together,” she says, “but I see it happening already in Capitol Hill. People come down here to try our shops and restaurants. This could attract even more retailers to the district.”
THE NEXT STEPS The district has always planned on having a school, and Humphreys would love to see a dual-immersion (Spanish and English) public school in the Wheeler District. It’s a model that has
of gentrification – a nice way of describing displacement of the poor – and discussions about economic justice, tax structures and community services for the poor are part of any urban planning education. Creating an affluent community alongside a poor community raises questions about how the surrounding neighborhoods will be affected. The Wheeler District is a potential exception to the pattern of re-whiting urban neighborhoods, primarily because no one is being displaced. The airpark is brownfield land, a designation for land that previously was used for industrial or non-residential purposes. There are no houses to be razed, no businesses to be pushed to the perimeter of urban renewal and no homeless communities or campsites. In many ways, it is a best-case scenario for
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urban development, but the challenges still exist, and our state’s sketchy history with our Latino neighbors is not the least of those challenges. “We will always appeal to the best in people,” is how Humphreys addresses the challenge of dealing with entrenched racism and legislation that targets immigrants. Thanks in part to his candor about these issues, Humphreys has secured the assistance of important allies in the Latino community, including the aforementioned LCDA and Calle dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill. Raul Font, the executive director of the LCDA, is optimistic about some of Wheeler’s potential. “It has the potential to attract people who would never have thought of moving here,” Font says. “If everyone gets along, this could be a very good thing, but there
worked in other cities, and according to Font – a career education administrator – Shidler Elementary had a nationally recognized pilot program in the 1980s. The developers also are in discussions with the city of Oklahoma City about possible TIF funding; Humphreys said he believes public spaces and accessible services in Wheeler should be eligible for some TIF support. Finally, a formalized plan is near completion. By the time this article is on newsstands, the PUD (Planned Unit Development) will be filed. Humphreys said he expects it to go before the Planning Commission in April. And then as the days get longer, the sun will rise on a new neighborhood in OKC.
home
PHOTO BY DAVID COBB
Peace From the East
Anesthesiologist Mike Elder wants his new, smaller home in micro-neighborhood Meadowbrook Acres to reflect his personal search for a calmer, less cluttered life. Eastern spirituality is a part of that search, especially noticeable in art like this Buddha statuette perching atop an Asian-influenced chest. “It’s not rare, but it is old,” Elder says of the sculpture and another like it. “The one in the bedroom is 150 years old and still smells like incense.”
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home HABITAT
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A MOD ERN G EM Mike Elder flowers in Meadowbrook Acres BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON PHOTOS BY DAVID COBB
MIK E ELDER LOV ES HIS NEW NEIGHBORHOOD, but he loves his new home even more: a perfectly articulated, modern jewel in the Meadowbrook Acres micro-neighborhood being crafted by OKC developer David Wanzer. The two clusters of modern homes, much like those located in Oklahoma City’s SOSA or Cottage districts, are sure to propagate … at least if Wanzer has anything to say about it. He’s a grand proponent of sustainability and creating community, and the homes he’s building are a testament to his philosophy. For Meadowbrook Acres newbie Elder, it’s the antithesis of his previous home, and it’s the embodiment of where he is at this moment of his life. Peaceful. Also slightly hyper. Searching for calm, and stripping away that which no longer serves him. Mostly that meant lots of stuff and a great big Country French-style home on a huge lot with a pool to the north of the metro area.
(from top) Mike and his buddy Vegas enjoying the flood of natural light that fills their hightech, high-style, high-efficiency home. In the living room, well-placed windows provide natural light while maintaining privacy. Shades can be raised and lowered via a computerized system that also controls the home’s lighting, heating and cooling, sound system, televisions, and alarm and video monitoring systems. The furniture is grounded by Ligne Roset’s Hex Hex rugs. The coffee table is called the Pebble, and, according to Elder, if you’re not careful, your cocktail may slide right off the beveled edge. Party foul. Arching into the room is a design classic, the Achille Castiglioni-designed Arco lamp, which has been in continuous production since 1962. APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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(from top) The kitchen was designed by Scott Pohlenz, AIA, NCARB, of Pohlenz Cucine Moderne in Tulsa. The Valcucine frosted glass countertops and backsplash and Smeg range and oven are from Italy, the Liebherr refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher are German and the Broan vent hood is American. Ligne Roset’s “Pam” barstools anchor the island. Elder’s sleek dining room is a perfect balance of warmth and high style. An antique, Asian-inspired armoire pairs beautifully with a spectacular, willowy chandelier and lacquer-red chairs by Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset, a French company in business since 1860. The dining table is the Odessa, and features legs angled like airplane wings.
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“I was way out there in the country, I’m not married, my kids are grown, and my soul was floating around in a 5,000-squarefoot home. I’m 61 now. I wanted a smaller home that I could button up and travel more,” Elder explains. “This home makes me feel relaxed. It’s a 180 from how I felt at the other home, especially in how well I sleep.” Elder describes himself as very “sciencey” but not very artsy. He has a strong sense of design and knows what he likes but relies on a small tribe of tastemakers to guide him on his interior design vision quest. That group includes his sister Cindy and the designers at the nearby Classen Curve shop BD Home, which has been instrumental in creating the home’s interiorscape. In further pursuit of alternative thinking, Elder attended the Burning Man Festival in 2015. “It was transformative. Of course, my version of Burning Man was very relaxed. I did the 60-year-old’s version.” Just when you think he’s gone ’round the bend, his sense of humor kicks in. “I had to wonder, though, about the carbon footprint of the Burning Man when he was getting burned.” Elder is an Oklahoma City native and an Eagle Scout. He’s an anesthesiologist and owner of the cosmetic procedure center Advanced Aesthetics. A full-throttle career to be sure, but here, too, Elder is interested in simplifying. “My goal is to reel it in a little and relax,” he says. An avid skier and hiker, Elder spends at least two weekends a month at his mountain retreat in Colorado. He’s recently
(clockwise from top) Elder’s love of his family is a constant in his life. Rice bags, beautifully framed, inhabit the dining room wall above a console containing his grandfather’s treasury of genealogy books, some of which are 150 years old. He also still grows his grandmother’s carefully repotted strawberry plants, which still produce berries. She’s been gone 13 years, but her grandson still shares this activity with her. Kiln-formed glass art by Oklahoma City artist Suzanne Wallace Mears illuminates the entryway. Says Mears about the piece, “The theme is tribal, a favorite theme of mine. The totem is a guardian of the home. To protect. Glass is a magical medium to work with.” Silver sculptures on the staircase are artfully reimagined propellers. They’re simple and streamlined, much like Elder’s new home itself. “When I moved in here, I really decided to own fewer things,” Elder says. “It took months to clean out the attic of my other house. I found things I didn’t even know were there!” APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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discovered yoga, and receives private instruction upstairs in a room he’s dedicated to the practice. His favorite pose? Savasana, otherwise known as “corpse pose,” the meditative, restorative, restful pose at the end of each class that allows the body to integrate everything it’s just done. Throughout the home are nods to Eastern spirituality, some overt and some more subtle. Sharing Elder’s gem of a home is Vegas, the standard poodle, who loves nothing more than spending a day at doggy daycare, then snoozing on the couch all evening, occasionally lifting his head to see if anyone’s eating anything they might be willing to share. It’s a happy life in Meadowbrook Acres for Vegas, and for his human, too.
(from top) “Humans need a little fire,” says Elder. His outdoor space contains plenty of seating, a fire pit with sculptural logs created by a local artist and more than 500 bulbs, which will fill the space with a riot of color each spring. This bed is one of only two like it in the United States. It’s an extra-long, European mattress to accommodate Elder’s height. The platform is a uniquely organic shape, further softened with a fabric covering. Warm neutrals and a glass-encased freestanding fireplace are modern yet welcoming. The master bath is a tranquil escape from the rest of the world with its enormous soaking tub and soft flood of natural light. Banish the scale and its perfection would be complete.
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home DÉCOR
2
3
4 1
F ind Y our Wonder Wa l l s
5
Take advantage of versatility to make your walls into canvases
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6 FROM KETCH DESIGN CENTRE: 1. Birch Trees by Seabrook Eco Chic; 6. Tan patterned grass cloth by Paper & Ink; 7. Clementine Chintz by Sanderson FROM KASA WALLPAPER STUDIO IN THE HOWELL GALLERY: 2. Multicolored Snakes by Voutsa; 3. Zebra Palm by Schumacher; 4. Birds on Blue by Voutsa; 5. Orange grass cloth by Thibaut
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PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH
MIR ROR , MIR ROR , ON T HE W A L L … who’s the fairest of them all? In the world of design, it’s often the wall – and the paper that adorns it – in competition for the title. Trying to narrow down the thousands of possibilities, and then actually decide on one to use, are feats to say the least. These colorful examples are a mere fraction of the bounty out there – explore and enjoy! - SARA GAE WATERS
dining
PHOTO BY CARLI WENTWORTH
That’s Amore
When the sight hits your eye of this big pizza pie, think of Moni’s. When you hear “Bada Bing” and your heart starts to sing, think of Moni’s. Options range from this delectably loaded “everything” style to the richly flavored, sauce-less Godfather, and pizza is only the beginning of what’s done well in this charming little Italian restaurant.
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LOCAL FLAVOR
F LU ENT IN F LAVOR Italian restaurant Moni’s is speaking your language IF YOUR HIGH SC HOOL was anything
like mine, the foreign language options were French and Spanish, the end. College was a little more varied – I managed to learn a bit of Latin and German, at least for a while – but when it comes to the Italian tongue, I’m basically Kevin Kline from A F ish Called W anda, unable to do anything but smile and overpronounce the names of food items. Fortunately, I’m living proof that you don’t have to speak Italian to love the food, and Rachel Foster of Moni’s Pasta and Pizza in Edmond is proof that you don’t have to be from Italy in order to dazzle with its cuisine. Chef Rachel – who’s from Minneapolis – brings over a decade of experience, including training at Le Cordon Bleu in L.A. to the kitchen, and her husband John is a natural for the front of the house. “She runs everything from day to day, I manage and do the business stuff,” he says with a laugh. Together they’ve
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BY STEVE GILL PHOTOS BY CARLI WENT WORTH
brought a fresh energy to the restaurant they purchased from the original Moni in 2014, filling the small space (which is either in Edmond or OKC, depending on whom you ask) with a welcoming vibe and food that approaches the sublime. Take the Risotto di Rachel – it’s a signature dish, “so I can change it the way I want,” laughs the chef. Its current iteration features spinach and walnuts as a landing bed for a nicely grilled salmon filet, and it’s hard to imagine much in the way of improvement. Or the chicken rollatini, a breaded chicken breast pounded flat and wrapped around a blend of mozzarella, parmesan and basil, served with a mushroom-laced pink sauce (marinara with a dab of Alfredo)
MONI’S PASTA AND PIZZA 17200 N May, OKC | 405.285.5991 monisokc.com
Chef Rachel Foster
on spaghetti. Speaking of sauces, John says the marinara takes about six hours to make, and the Alfredo is outstandingly rich and creamy without being thick; a choice accompaniment to the seafood fettuccine’s shrimp and mussels. The palpable (and palatable) improvement in flavor that comes with making so much of the menu in-house and to order also carries the side benefit of extra flexibility. The pasta can be gluten-free if you wish, and many ingredients can be substituted or removed – like a lighter shrimp scampi served on a bed of spinach rather than spaghetti. Its unusual orange hue is the result of a little paprika in the sauce. Even the free bread is great: flaky, with a salty crust on top, and the accompanying oil-and-cheese-and-garlic “Italian butter” elevates it to the realm of delectable treat. “I’ve been known to make a meal of it from time to time,” John says. If nutrition weren’t a factor, you could do worse than a basket of bread capped off with a fresh cannoli or slice of tiramisu or limoncello cake. Calories, schmalories. “We kind of give an upper-scale experience for a lower price,” John says in reference to the restaurant’s consistently positive customer feedback. “My favorite thing I’ve heard someone say is that it feels like they’re in their friends’ living room eating.” The key to understanding the extra quality in the Moni’s experience might be best summed up by John’s anecdote about one of the menu’s humbler-sounding dishes: the mozzarella sticks. “We used to serve frozen, but it killed Rachel whenever we did, so she spent three months tinkering with a recipe using the house bread.” Yes, the fabulously tasty rolls I mentioned above – when a tray gets made but part of it isn’t served, the remainder becomes the breading for their house-made appetizers. “It takes way longer [now], but it’s worth it,” John says. “Every time we get something like the mozzarella sticks right, it leaves something else on the low end of the totem pole that we then want to try to improve.” Simplistic as it may sound, it’s that constant desire to better their menu that results in a continuously better menu. If you love to eat Italian, Moni’s is an excellent choice … whether or not you say “mangiare.”
EN ROUTE TO AL FRESCO
The Moni’s mission of giving a quality experience for less diner investment is going well – in fact, they’re about to outstrip their current space. At the end of this year, the Fosters are planning to expand next door, which means they’ll be able to do something a little special with the exterior space between: a courtyard area with an atmosphere like a Tuscan boulevard. Should be worth taking a tour.
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CHEF’S TABLE
Lea rn to Lov e La m b
Chef Melissa Aust grills a springtime treat
L A M B T E N DS TO BE POL A R I Z I NG, an amazing accom-
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HOW IT’S DONE THE CHOPS Marinate the chops for one hour in the refrigerator using a mixture of five cloves of minced garlic, one tablespoon of minced, fresh rosemary, a quarter cup of EVOO, salt and pepper. Grill at high heat, approximately six minutes per side. Twelve chops will serve six. If you don’t like mid-rare, medium is about as high as the lamb will go without drying rapidly.
SALAD ALA FENNEL Shave one fennel bulb. Toss your preferred greens (spinach or kale work best) with fennel, four cups of chickpeas (canned is fine), a quarter cup of sun-dried tomatoes and a good vinaigrette. Aust uses a rosemary vinaigrette to complement the marinade. - GH
PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
plishment for a baby animal. Many people avoid cooking with it, either because of its pungency or the perceived complexity of working with a whole rack. While it has been a staple in Mediterranean cooking for millennia, it has never been as central to American diets. The truth is, lamb is not at all difficult to work with, and also amazingly flavorful. Melissa Aust, executive chef at Stella Modern Italian, uses lamb somewhere on almost all the restaurant’s menus, but it’s a must for the spring menu every year. In fact, the salad described below is the same one she is using on the Stella spring menu this year, largely because Aust loves fennel with lamb. “Lamb goes well with stone fruits – apricots, cherries and plums are my favorites – and my go-to vegetables for lamb are fennel, parsnips and mustard greens,” she says. “Fennel also reminds me that star anise is my favorite spice to add to red wine if I’m braising; I love the licorice with lamb.” Aust uses lamb from Colorado or New Mexico, as a rule, but the main point is to use domestic. Lamb from New Zealand, which used to dominate the American market, is one of the reasons the meat has been so difficult to sell to American palates. “The stuff from Australia and New Zealand has a stronger game flavor,” she says, “and the fat is even more intense.” She’s being kind. New Zealand lamb can often be smelled from 10 tables away in a restaurant, and while pungency is often wonderful in cheese, red meat that smells like dirty feet can be a tad repulsive. The fat she speaks of is in fact worse, and if you want to work with a rack of lamb, you have to contend with the “fat cap.” “The fat cap can be peeled off, which will leave a little additional trimming,” Aust says. “Don’t trim all of it, though. Leave a little to add moisture.” For the genuine beginner, she recommends ground lamb, as it’s widely available and can be used like any other ground meat; think burgers or meatballs. Simply use your preferred binding agents as you would for beef. Lamb is exceptionally lean, and fat acts as a binder, so you will need to add an agent or two. When braising muscle cuts or shanks, she prefers chopped fresh rosemary and Dijon. She often adds mustard seed too, and pistachios or hazelnuts pair well for a crust. Chops are really very easy to work with, and Aust said to grill the chops to medium rare (an internal temperature of 120 degrees). - GREG HORTON
D O W N T O W N : 1 4 5 W. S H E R I D A N AV E . | 4 0 5 . 2 0 8 . 8 8 0 0 M E M O R I A L : 3 2 4 1 W. M E M O R I A L R D . | 4 0 5 . 7 4 8 . 5 9 5 9
w w w. m a ho g a n y pr i m e s t e a k ho u se . c o m
dining
INTERNATIONAL SAVOR
G etting Sa uc ed Latin American flavors gaining culinary momentum
Empanadas are a specialty at El Fogon de Edgar, thanks in part to the accompanying house-made aji
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the least sexy word in food. Thanks in large part to mass production, American condiments have become massively less appealing, especially when we talk about the sauces. Ketchup, anyone? Ranch dressing? This “blanding” of American condiments – except for gravy, of course – is likely one of the chief reasons Latin American food has such resonance in our culinary lives now. Even the basic chipsand-salsa combination can be a meal unto itself. Latin American cultures still have condiments that go on the table at every meal, and the wide variety of spices and vegetables in them means there is a sauce for every occasion. Chimichurri probably has the best name recognition, thanks in large part to its origin in the steak and potato culture of Argentina. It seems that where there is beef, there are also potatoes. Chimichurri is made from a base of chopped herbs, jalapeño (or other peppers), olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic. Cilantro and parsley are its main herbs, and standard recipe deviations also call for chervil or oregano. Mahogany Prime Steakhouse uses various
PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN
C ONDIMENT IS PERHAPS
Café Antigua’s montuleños (left) include a zesty dose of Guatemalan sauce chirmol; chimicurri adds a little spice to a bone-in ribeye (right) at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse.
preparations, depending on the food it’s accompanying – they also add a little cracked red pepper for extra heat. Brad Johnson, the executive chef for Hal Smith Restaurant Group, said they purée the sauce when it’s accompanying fish, but with meats, they use a more coarsely ground version. “Most importantly, you want the best olive oil you can get,” Johnson says. “The oil is the carrier, so always go with the best EVOO. Also, make it a day ahead of time – at least. It tastes better after a day or two of refrigeration.” As chimichurri is to Argentina, so aji is to Colombia. This jalapeno-based salsa is considered a must with empanadas (Colombian ones are made with corn) but it
sits on tables all over that country and is used liberally. El Fogon de Edgar serves traditional Colombian food, and diners are given a small bowl of aji with each empanada order, but truthfully, the fresh, semi-hot salsa is good on everything: rice, chicken, beef, bread and sausages. The base is jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes, vinegar and onion – and Edgar said he uses magic. As with any jalapeno-based salsa, the later in the season you make it, the hotter it’s going to be. At Café Antigua you can find one of Guatemala’s official condiments: chirmol sauce. Although chirmol is most often used for grilled meats, Antigua also puts it on eggs at brunch, a combination that
works beautifully. The base of chirmol is tomatoes, but it’s not going to remind you of a traditional tomato sauce. That may be because lime juice is one of the main ingredients, combined with garlic, onion, olive oil and optional jalapeño – fresh and delicious. And the appetizing fact is that these caliente condiments are becoming more common around Oklahoma City. La Brasa and Café Kacao feature several Latin American sauces, and Kacao also uses creamy chimichurri on its flank steak entrée called Tipico Panchoy – and that’s after they marinate the steak in the non-creamy version. Amazing. Here’s one more you’re less likely to find around
town: Lizano is one of the most popular condiments in Costa Rica, but it has been slow to get traction in U.S. restaurants. For one thing, it’s far more complicated to make, with nearly twice the ingredients of the other sauces. Also, it is one of those polarizing flavors like licorice or liver – people love it or hate it. The smoky, sweet sauce is often made from dried guajillo peppers, but not always; some recipes merely call for onion, cauliflower and carrots. There is simply no standard recipe, but the Feria Latina on NW 23rd carries Lizano, allowing you to try it for yourself. Like its brethren from south of our border, it rewards the adventurous taste traveler. - GREG HORTON APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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food drink S ym bols $
most entrees under $10 most entrees $10 to $25 $ $ $ most entrees over $25 outdoor dining reservations accepted valet parking new or updated entry $ $
American ANC HOR DOW N Sip a beer or specialty cocktail and munch on a selection of gourmet corndogs in this fresh Deep Deuce concept housed within repurposed shipping containers. 30 NE 2nd, OKC, 605.8070 $ C AF É 5 0 1 Rustic stone oven pizzas, fresh salads and specialty sandwiches on house-made artisan breads. Add welcoming atmosphere and enjoy. 501 S Boulevard, Edmond, 359.1501; 5825 NW Grand, OKC, 844.1501 $ $ C OOLGREENS This health-conscious establishment has a menu, but customization is encouraged; every available component in their salads, wraps and even the frozen yogurt is naturally delicious. 3 metro locations, coolgreens.com $ $ DEEP F ORK GRILL Crisply elegant atmosphere complements the menu of superb seafood (wood-grilled cedar plank salmon is a house specialty), steaks and accoutrements. 5418 N Western, OKC, 848.7678 $ $ THE F IT PIG The flavor is abundant in this Automobile Alley stopover’s selection of healthy grab-and-go meals; the menu covers breakfast, quick salads or heartier meals, and most options are gluten-free, dairy-free or both. 722 N Broadway, OKC, 290.7080 $ $ F LINT Approachably casual style, plus the kitchen’s impeccably serious attention to detail in the outstanding contemporary cuisine, winningly combined in the Colcord Hotel. 15 N Robinson, OKC, 601.4300 $ $ GUYUTES The vibe is definitely and deliberately mellow in this Uptown watering hole; the diverse and musically named collection of pizzas and wraps and such have a ton of flavor to offer, adding more temptation to the loaded drinks menu and incredible patio. 730
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NW 23rd, OKC, 702.6960 $
HEF NER GRILL Upscale fare of hand-cut steaks and seafood plus a tempting brunch to boot, enhanced by a live piano and a spectacular view overlooking scenic Lake Hefner. 9201 Lake Hefner Pkwy, OKC, 748.6113 $ $ INTERURBAN Great food in casual comfort – while there are plenty of options for the health-conscious on the menu, visitors really should try the chicken-fried steak and anything with honey-pepper bacon. 4 metro locations, interurban.us $ $ K AISER’ S DINER A venerable Midtown location is back in business, offering juicy burgers, sandwiches, tempting entrees and a vintage sodafountain experience. The handmade shakes are a summertime must. 1039 N Walker Ave, OKC, 232.7632 $ K ITC HEN NO. 3 2 4 A seasonally inspired café and craft bakery serving spectacular rustic American cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner, and a thorough treat for breakfast or brunch. 324 N Robinson, OKC, 763.5911 $ LEGEND’ S A Lindsey Street landmark for over 40 years, this casually upscale restaurant still serves exceptional seafood, steaks and more amid welcoming surroundings. 1313 W Lindsey, Norman, 329.8888 $$ MEATBALL HOUSE The focus in this Campus Corner restaurant is right where the name says, but the variety of ingredients, sauces and presentation in salads/sandwiches/pizza/pasta gives a surprising breadth of satisfying dining options. 333 W Boyd, Norman, 701.3800 $ $ PAC K ARD’ S NEW AMERIC AN K ITC HEN They’re not kidding about the “new” – the entire lunch and dinner menus are filled with innovative tastes for a distinctive dining experience. 201 NW 10th, OKC, 605.3771 $ $ PIC ASSO C AF É Their neighbors in the Paseo are painters, potters and sculptors, so it’s apt that creativity abounds in these zippy sandwiches, salads, pizza and surprises, including plentiful selections for vegetarians. 3009 Paseo, OKC, 602.2002 $ POPS There may not be room in Nichols Hills Plaza for a duplicate of the giant bottle-shaped sculpture found at the Arcadia location, but the incredible profusion of soda varieties will still dazzle visitors – and the sandwiches, salads, burgers and diner fare are certainly worth careful, repeated
examination. 6447 Avondale, OKC, 928.7677 $
PROV ISION K ITC HEN The concept sounds deliciously promising: fresh and local meals for the taking. This Nichols Hills Plaza locale offers chef-prepared portion-controlled meals and salads in a seasonally rotating menu of organic and locally sourced ingredients; perfect for taking a healthy lunch or dinner to go. 6443 N Western, OKC, 843.2310 $
recommendation for the Ambassador Hotel’s in-house restaurant; don’t overlook the brunch options. 1200 N Walker Ave, OKC, 600.6200 $ $ W AF F LE C HAMPION A food truck that expanded into a brick-and-mortar location in Midtown, its gourmet flavor combinations use waffles as the foundation for sweet and savory sandwich treats. 1212 N Walker, OKC, 525.9235 $
THE R& J LOUNGE AND SUPPER C LUB A sentimental dining experience with vintage recipes and atmosphere. Seating is limited but the patio is a year-round treat, and the drinks menu is a thing of beauty. 320 NW 10th, OKC, 602.5066 $ $
W
REDROC K C ANYON GRILL Rotisserie chicken, enchiladas, pork chops and steak by the lake in a casual, energetic, hacienda-style atmosphere of stone walls and mahogany beams around an open kitchen. 9221 E Lake Hefner Pkwy, OKC, 749.1995 $ $
Asian
SATURN GRILL A star of the lunchtime stage in Nichols Hills Plaza, its rotation of daily specials and tasty twists on pizza, sandwiches and salads keep it crowded on weekdays. Calling ahead is recommended. 6432 Avondale, OKC, 843.7114 $ SC RATC H Isn’t that the best place for food to come from? Top-of -the-line ingredients are combined into entrees and sides that are carefully concocted in-house, as are the bevy of wondrous craft cocktails. 132 W Main, Norman, 801.2900 $ $ SUNNYSIDE DINER A new day dawns for breakfast and lunch on the west side of downtown as a former service station becomes a no-pretense, made-from-scratch diner. Order up! 916 NW 6th, OKC $ SYRUP The most important meal of the day is also the most enticing at this unique breakfast boutique serving a heaping helping of signature dishes (the crunchy French toast is something special) and Stumptown coffee. 123 E Main, Norman, 701.1143 $ V AST Keeping your attention on the steaks, seafood and other temptaitons might be difficult; the view from atop the Devon Tower is truly unparalleled in Oklahoma, making this a fantastic date spot. 280 W Sheridan, 49th floor, OKC, 702.7262 $ $ $ V IC EROY GRILLE Opulent décor, comfortable environs and some outstanding cuisine make a strong
HISK EY C AK E High-quality locally sourced ingredients, prepared using slow cooking techniques that’s a prime recipe for outstanding dining. Enjoy – and don’t forget the namesake dessert. 1845 NW Expressway, OKC, 582.2253 $ $
C HAE Found near OCU, this pan-cultural treat puts a delectable influence on embracing traditional Korean cuisine and showcasing its versatility by blending its ingredients with dishes from around the world. Grab your chopsticks and enjoy. 1933 NW 23rd, OKC, 600.9040 $ $ DOT W O GARDEN With an elegantly appointed location, Dot Wo continues its crowd-pleasing legacy of over two decades by pairing sumptuous classics of Chinese cuisine with fiery, fresh sushi. 6161 N May, OKC, 608.2388 $ $ GRAND HOUSE The takes on Asian classics are quite delectable, and this venerable Chinese restaurant goes the extra mile to provide enjoyable ambiance alongside its excellent cuisine. 2701 N Classen, OKC, 524.7333 $ $ GUERNSEY PARK A hidden treasure on an Uptown back street, reflecting traditional Asian flavors expertly fused with a hint of French influence. Try the chicken lollipops and curry salmon. 2418 N Guernsey, OKC, 605.5272 $ $ O ASIAN F USION Sublime quality in a wide span of culinary influences – freshly rolled sushi to fiery curry – in cool, vibrant digs. Call ahead for dinner, because it becomes a packed house in a hurry. 105 SE 12th, Norman, 701.8899 $ $ SAII With a dark, rich ambiance that elevates it over its surroundings, the captivating Saii serves expertly done Japanese, Thai and Chinese fare plus an extensive and adventurous sushi menu. 6900 N May, OKC, 702.7244 $ $
Bakery C UPPIES & J OE The name is only part of the story: the Uptown nook holds cupcakes and coffee as well as pie, live music, a cozy, trendy vibe and more. Park around back and take a peek. 727 NW 23rd, OKC, 528.2122 $ LA BAGUETTE Comfort and exquisite baking make a tres chic destination for brunch and beyond. They supply pastries throughout the metro, but the source is especially delicious. 1130 Rambling Oaks, Norman, 329.1101; 2100 W Main, Norman, 329.5822 $ PIE J UNK IE A Plaza District haven for serious pie aficionados. Call ahead to order a whole pie or quiche or walk in and choose from what’s on hand; either way the flavors are incredible, and you may never find a better Key lime. 1711 NW 16th, OKC, 605.8767 $ SARA SARA C UPC AK ES The ambiance and milk bar make great additions to the variety of specialty cupcakes - selections range from traditional chocolate to blueberry honey and even bacon, egg and cheese. 7 NW 9th, OKC, 600.9494 $
Bar & Pub Food THE BARREL The menu is wellstocked with intriguing and delicious twists on pub cuisine like shepherd’s pie
and shrimp and chips, but the equally ample bar makes it a great spot to relax over drinks as well. 4308 N Western, OKC, 525.6682 $
fare from barbeque wings to pork chops is a constant pleasure. 3720 W Robinson, Norman, 701.5844; 3121 W Memorial, OKC, 608.2200 $ $
tasty spin on comfort food.” While its entrees are excellent, the sides here are equal players as well. 3700 N Shartel, OKC, 524.5925 $ $
BLU F INE W INE & F OOD Just south of Main Street, this sleek bar stands out due to quick, courteous service and a menu with gourmet range from mojitos to barbeque chicken pizza to fresh hummus. 201 S Crawford, Norman, 360.4258 $ $
REPUBLIC GASTROPUB Part beer bar and part upscale eatery, this noisy, amply attended Classen Curve locale pairs a vast selection of quality brews with tasty menu items, including a great burger selection. 5830 N Classen Blvd, OKC, 286.4577 $ $
LEO’ S BAR- B- Q Dense, rich flavor and tender texture, delivered in genuine unpolished style for commendable value – no wonder its ribs and brisket are favorites among Oklahoma connoisseurs. 3631 N Kelley, OKC 424.5367 $
THE MONT While the food should tempt palates inclined toward a Southwestern zing, it’s beverages like the beloved Sooner Swirl and the primo patio (with misters) for which this landmark is justly renowned. 1300 Classen Blvd, Norman, 329.3330 $
SIDEC AR The fully stocked “barley and wine bar” (including wine on tap and plentiful spirits) keeps Automobile Alley patrons fueled, with a few delicious tidbits to boot. 1100 N Broadway, OKC $ $
Burgers & Sandwiches
OAK & ORE A Plaza District port of call built with repurposed rustic materials, it offers more than a handful of creative sandwiches that practically require a knife and fork, as well as a tantalizing selection of lovingly chosen craft beers. 1732 NW 16th, OKC $ O’ C ONNELL’ S IRISH PUB & GRILLE Beloved by students, alumni and townies alike, it’s served up killer burgers, beer and festive atmosphere since 1968. A St. Patrick’s Day must. 769 Asp, Norman, 217.8454 $ PUB W Multiple sections provide a choice of atmosphere, but the menu filled with choice beer and “new classic”
V Z D’ S A revamped menu yields a new dining experience in a classic locale on Western – soups, sandwiches and salads can be found in plenty, plus a few special touches and gourmet twists as well. 4200 N Western Ave., OKC, 524.4203 $
Barbeque EARL’ S RIB PALAC E A popular choice among locals in a genre that’s hardly lacking in options, the local chain pounds out hit ribs and turkey as well as a top-tier burger. 6 metro locations, earlsribpalace.com $ IRON STAR URBAN BARBEQ UE Named for notorious outlaw Belle Starr, Iron Star specializes in “a unique and
C OW C ALF - HAY This tempting burger spot offers ample flavor combinations, and the delicious neverfrozen patties are mmmmmassive. Don’t forget the onion rings. 3409 Wynn, Edmond, 509.2333; 212 N Harvey, OKC, 601.6180 $ THE GARAGE BURGERS & BEER It can get noisy in the sports-bar atmosphere, but even so your focus will likely be on savoring the many tempting flavor possibilities of huge, juicy burgers and fries. 8 metro locations, eatatthegarage.com $ HILLBILLY’ S There’s mighty appealing flavor in their land-based or seafood sandwiches, and the licit thrill of moonshine cocktails is a bonus. The shady patio is a genuine pleasure. 1 NW 9th, OKC, 702.9805 $
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IRMA’ S BURGER SHAC K Hand-cut fries, hand-breaded onion rings and simply great burgers, especially with No Name Ranch patties - lean and flavorful thanks to a local breed of cattle. 1035 NW 63rd, OKC, 840.4762; 1120 Classen Dr, OKC, 235.4762 $
ELEMENTAL C OF F EE Seriously spectacular coffee roasted in-house - the passionate staff is always eager to share knowledge about the process augmented with locally sourced salads, breakfast options and other treats. 815 N Hudson, OKC, 633.1703 $
LOUIE’ S GRILL & BAR Casually cool and come-as-you-are, these popular bar-type hangouts excel at inexpensive burgers, sandwiches and pizzas - and there’s probably one right nearby. 12 metro locations, louiesgrillandbar.com $
RED C UP Comfortably ramshackle surroundings encourage curling up for conversation over great coffee, baked treats, vegetarian-friendly breakfast and lunch specials, and live music. It’s highly recommended. 3122 N Classen Blvd, OKC, 525.3430 $
THE MULE Solid beer and beverage selection plus a delectable array of gourmet grilled cheeses and melts (ingredients range from fontina to figs) fill the menu at this relaxation destination in the Plaza District. 1630 N Blackwelder, OKC, 601.1400 $ NIC ’ S GRILL It’s small, it’s crowded … and it’s incredible. It’s only open for lunch and the lines are often long, but the colossal burgers are easily among the metro’s best. Don’t forget some money, since it’s cash-only. 1202 N Penn, OKC, 524.0999 $
Ma st erf ul Mors el s
Musashi’s dishes up a chief among beef IT’S BASICALLY THE PORSCHE of protein, a convenient way to say “luxurious-verging-on-outright-extravagant deliciousness that’s practically divine” in way fewer syllables: Kobe beef. Top of the line in flavor, tenderness and marbling, the name doesn’t necessarily mean that it came directly from the capital city of Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, but you can be certain when you see it on a menu that you’re in for a treat, especially if you’re in Musashi’s at the time. The Japanese steakhouse on Western specializes in teppanyaki cuisine, so a meal consists of dinner and a show as chefs like Minh Nguyen dazzle diners by spinning knives, twirling spatulas and performing classic bits like the onion volcano, a beating heart of fried rice and a juggling routine that ends with catching a saltshaker in his hat. But the food would be worth a visit all by itself: that steaming fried rice, a cup of delicately savory miso soup and the perfectly prepared star that is the Kobe-style beef. It comes with a pair of sauces, one mustard-based and the other ginger, but while they guide the beef’s flavor in different and interesting directions, they’re hardly necessary with this much savoriness in wait. Kampai! - STEVE GILL
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S& B’ S BURGER J OINT Good news: these burgers’ exquisite flavors - including such showcase ingredients as peanut butter or a coffee crust - come as sliders too, the better to sample more kinds. 5 metro locations, sandbburgers.com $ TUC K ER’ S ONION BURGERS With one burger, one side dish (fries) and one salad, the menu is easy to remember - and the execution makes the meal unforgettable. Add a shake and enjoy. 3 metro locations, tuckersonionburgers.com $
Coffeehouse & Tea Room
T, AN URBAN TEAHOUSE Proving that an establishment’s focus can be at once narrow and broad, these retreats offer over 100 varieties and expert counsel to explore a world of possibiliteas. 511 NW 23rd St, OKC, 7518 N May, OKC, 418.4333 $
Continental BIN 7 3 Think of it as a wine bar but don’t overlook the tasting menu - diners can fill up on filet mignon or simply top the evening off with tapas while enjoying the full gamut of libations and chic ambiance. 7312 N Western, OKC, 843.0073 $ $ BLAC K BIRD A Campus Corner gastropub pairing succulently creative dishes like pot roast nachos with a broad beer, wine and whiskey list. There’s little on the menu that won’t tempt palates. 575 S University, Norman, 928.5555 $ $ C HEEV ER’ S Southwesterninfluenced recipes (the chicken-fried steak is a house specialty) and love of seafood drive the contemporary comfort food in one of the city’s finest dining destinations. 2409 N Hudson, OKC, 525.7007 $ $
ALL ABOUT C HA Universal standards and unusual concoctions (the sweet potato latte is a wonder) in a cheerful atmosphere; the food options are worth investigating as well. 4 metro locations, allaboutcha.net $
LOTTINV ILLES Rotisserie chicken and wood-grilled salmon are the featured players among a host of Southwestern-influenced entrees, salads and panini; the Sunday brunch is sincerely pretty epic. 801 Signal Ridge, Edmond, 341.2244 $ $
C AF É EV OK E Outstanding coffee drinks and other beverages from one of the area’s great caterers; if patrons wish to stick around to sample soup, sandwiches, snacks or sweets, so much the better for their palates. 103 S Broadway, Edmond, 285.1522 $
LUDIV INE The menu adjusts constantly to reflect availability of elite-quality, locally sourced ingredients - but every dish is the result of genuine culinary artistry. 805 N Hudson, OKC, 778.6800 $ $ $
C LARITY C OF F EE The vibe is crisp, clean and cool while still remaining welcoming and comfortable – including seating for sipping or getting some work done – and the brewers have their beverages down to a science. As the sign says, “Drink the Coffee.” 431 W Main, OKC $ C OF F EE SLINGERS Rocking a brisk, urban vibe on Automobile Alley, it has become a gathering place for genuine java enthusiasts, especially during its periodic educational sampling seminars. 1015 N Broadway, OKC, 606.2763 $
THE MANTEL Marvelous steaks, seafood and other specialties combine with a refined atmosphere and outstanding service to set the stage for a truly memorable meal, especially if you have a date to impress. 201 E Sheridan, OKC, 236.8040 $ $ $ THE MELTING POT Special occasion? Here’s where to make a meal into an event. Specializing in fourcourse fondue dinners, this Bricktown restaurant rewards a time investment with delectable memories. 4 E Sheridan, OKC, 235.1000 $ $ $
PHOTO BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER
GOOD TASTE
ROC OC O An “East Coast-style” restaurant with a diverse menu of international dishes, all set off by carefully selected wines to create the perfect dinner pairing. 12252 N May, OKC, 212.4577; 2824 N Penn, OKC, 528.2824 $ $
MIC HAEL’ S GRILL Thoroughly urbane dining in an intimate setting: the steaks, chops, seafood and pastas are all reliably excellent, and the Caesar salad prepared tableside is the stuff of legends. 2824 W Country Club, OKC, 810.9000 $ $ $
SEV EN4 7 A Campus Corner hotspot boasting sleek, swank décor, an appealingly broad menu including a tantalizing brunch and a consistently celebratory vibe - in toto that makes this a winner. 747 Asp, Norman, 701.8622 $ $
THE MUSEUM C AF É A setting as inspiring as the OKC Museum of Art warrants something special in cuisine: delicately light or delectably robust, its European-inspired menu delights for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. 415 Couch, OKC, 235.6262 $ $ PARK AV ENUE GRILL A one-ofa-kind dining experience inside the luxurious Skirvin Hilton, blending traditional steak and seafood with the high style of its 1930s setting. 1 Park, OKC, 702.8444 $ $ $ PASEO GRILL Quiet and intimate inside, cheerful and comfortable out on the patio, with an award-winning menu filled with distinctive flavors inspired by the cuisines of Europe in both areas – try the duck salad. 2909 Paseo, OKC, 601.1079 $ $ $
SIGNATURE GRILL Unassuming locale; magnificent culinary rewards. The expertly considered menu mixes French and Italian flavors to present a wide spectrum of amazing flavors in a few select dishes. 1317 E Danforth, Edmond, 330.4548 $ $ $ W
EST The staff is speedy, the décor sleek and modern, and the entrées - like beef pad thai or roasted airline chicken - are wide-ranging but elegantly simple. 6714 N Western, OKC, 607.4072; 1 Mickey Mantle, OKC $ $
French BONJ OUR Make your morning tres bien with marvelously executed breakfast and lunch classics in this petite café - biscuits and gravy to salmon linguine, the menu isn’t vast but the
execution is sublime. 3705 W Memorial, OKC, 286.9172 $ LA BAGUETTE BISTRO Les Freres Buthion have deep roots in the city’s culinary landscape, and this flagship combines fine dining with a great bakery, deli and butcher on site. 7408 N May, OKC, 840.3047 $ $
German DAS BOOT C AMP Longtime fixture for Deutsch festivities Royal Bavaria has brewed up a second round of exceptional cuisine and magnificent beer in a less expensive, faster-paced location in downtown Norman. 229 E Main, Norman, 701.3748 $ F ASSLER HALL Bringing festive German flavor to Midtown via housemade sausages, warm soft pretzels with cheese sauce, duck fries and a heftig beer menu, plus a weekend brunch – what’s not to love? 421 NW 10th, OKC, 609.3300 $ INGRID’ S Authentic German fare at its best, including outstanding Oklahomamade bratwurst. Join weekend regulars for breakfast, and remember the bakery counter. 3701 N Youngs, OKC, 946.8444; 6501 N May, OKC $ $ ROYAL BAV ARIA Superb takes on traditional dishes like Weinerschnitzel, Jagerbraten and sausages, plus fantastisch house-brewed beers. The
time spent is a worthy investment in this family-style dining hall. 3401 S Sooner, Moore, 799.7666 $ $ $
Indian GOPURAM - TASTE OF INDIA A full-service restaurant whose richly appointed interior and attentive staff accord patrons the feel of fine dining, even during the inexpensive and plentifully stocked lunch buffet. 4559 NW 23rd, OKC, 948.7373 $ $ MISAL OF INDIA A Norman institution for over 30 years, specializing in tandoori-cooked delicacies and boasting healthy, natural, delicious cuisine served amid splendid ambiance. 580 Ed Noble Pkwy, Norman, 579.5600 $ $ TAJ A tremendous set of Indian staples and delicacies - the menu has sections for vegetarian, tandoori, South Indian and Indo-Chinese specialties - plus full lunch and dinner buffets. 1500 NW 23rd, OKC, 601.1888 $ $
Italian & Pizza BELLINI’ S Tasteful in décor and Italian offerings alike, this romantic nightspot quietly, confidently exudes elegance. It’s worth a visit even if only for a couple of the namesake beverages on the shady patio. 6305 Waterford, OKC, 848.1065 $ $
REFINED DINING INTRODUCING PAR K AVE N U E G R I LL’ S SOUTHERN TABLE MENU Park Avenue Grill’s new Southern Table menu concept was created to evoke the food memories of generations past. A simpler time when folks came together to cook, converse, and consume. Our farm-to-fork fare is handcrafted from local, organic sources and is equally satiating, whether enjoyed with a night on the town or over a quick business lunch.
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THE METRO A perennial favorite that feels comfortably upscale without exerting pressure to impress on its clientele, the far-reaching menu covers culinary high points from vichyssoise to crème brulée. 6418 N Western, OKC, 840.9463 $ $
702.8444
PA R K AV E G R I L L . C O M
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EMPIRE SLIC E HOUSE Reigning over the Plaza District in New York style (that means thin, flexible crust with a lot of surface area to cover in cheese and tasty toppings), it offers whole pizzas or slices, a full bar and a primo patio. 1734 NW 16th, OKC $ F LIP’ S W INE BAR & TRATTORIA Managing to feel rustic despite its location in a busy corridor of OKC, this cozy Italian joint keeps extended hours, and tends to get busier and louder as the hour gets later. 5801 N Western, OKC, 843.1527 $ $ HIDEAW AY PIZ Z A If you’ve been serving a devoted following for over half a century, you’re doing something right. In this case, that’s incredible pizza in jovial surroundings - a true Oklahoma success story. 7 metro locations, hideawaypizza.com $ $ HUMBLE PIE PIZ Z ERIA There’s really no need to be humble about this true Chicago-style pizza, boasting perhaps the best crust known to man. It’s one of our favorites; choose your toppings and think deep thoughts. 1319 S Broadway, Edmond, 715.1818 $
D rea m
Wea v er
Go green – or rose – at Scratch
DON’T LET YOUR EYES deceive you: The lusciously complex cocktail called The Green Hour has, in fact, more of a rosy orange hue. The name is a reference to its key ingredient, absinthe, which was so popular in 19th-century French bars that 5 p.m. often was called “l’heure verte,” but in this concoction, the color comes more from the house-made hibiscus grenadine syrup. Contrary to its often-exaggerated historical reputation, absinthe is not hallucinogenic. It is potent, though, especially in conjunction with Benedictine liqueur and brandy from a THE GREEN HOUR specialty distiller in Kentucky. The Green Hour is a carefully Pernod absinthe Copper & Kings craft brandy balanced recipe, and artful Benedictine presentation elevates it niceLemon juice ly, so don’t try this at home; Hibiscus grenadine head to Scratch on Main Seltzer Street in Norman and let Garnish with an “orange rose” and Kristin Weddendorf make you a sprig of rosemary a glass of magic. - STEVE GILL
J OEY’ S A creative pizzeria on OKC’s Film Row, Joey’s serves first-rate appetizers and salads along with its mouth-watering pies. Try to budget room for both, but remember to come back for a sandwich or pasta. 700 W Sheridan, OKC, 525.8503 $ $ K NUC K ’ S W HEELHOUSE Homemade daily with sauces from scratch and local beer in the crust, it’s a tasty and varied stopover for Bricktown wanderers as well as a pizza-lover’s destination in its own right. 103 E California, OKC, 605.4422 $
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STELLA MODERN ITALIAN C UISINE A luscious spate of legitimately Italian tastes for a casual lunch, or romantic dinner, amid stylish scenery. The weekend brunch offerings are especially superb. 1201 N Walker, OKC, 235.2200 $ $ TOMMY’ S ITALIAN- AMERIC AN GRILL An old favorite returns to the metro to provide fresh, plentiful doses of primo pasta and pizzas, always served with plenty of ambiance. 5516 W Memorial, OKC, 470.5577 $ $ UPPER C RUST A chic, contemporary pizzeria and wine bar specializing in wood-fired, thin-crust New York-style pies complemented by a full menu and wine list. 5860 N Classen Blvd, OKC, 842.7743; 1205 NW 178th, Edmond, 285.8887 $ $ V IC TORIA’ S A comfortable atmosphere, with local art on its walls and the art of pasta on its plates – the chicken lasagna and linguine with snow crab are especially excellent. 327 White, Norman, 329.0377; 3000 SW 104th St, OKC, 759.3580 $ V ITO’ S RISTORANTE Homestyle Italian cuisine in an intimate setting where the staff and management treat customers like guests in their home. It’s a small space, so calling ahead is recommended. 7521 N May, OKC, 848.4867 $ $ THE W EDGE Wood-fired pies crafted from fresh ingredients (the possibilities range from pepperoni all the way to figs or truffle oil) and made-from-scratch sauces. 230 NE 1st, OKC, 270.0660; 4709 N Western, OKC, 602.3477 $ $
Japanese // Sushi
MONI’ S Handmade, New Jersey-style brick oven pizza and authentic pasta recipes from Southern Italy in a casual, comfy ambience (ideal for dates). 17200 N May, Edmond, 285.5991 $ $
C AF É IC ON Tempting sushi, Japanese specialties and delicious spectacles like steak cooked at the table on a sizzling stone fill the menu to bursting with visually splendid and palate-pleasing treats. 311 S Blackwelder, Edmond, 340.8956 $ $
PEPPERONI GRILL Pizza, salads, seafood and plenty of pasta-powered classics and innovations fill both locations of this local favorite; even the bread is a pleasure. 1901 NW Expwy, OKC, 848.4660; 1000 W Covell, Edmond, 285.5454 $ $
MUSASHI’ S Exquisitely flavorful Japanese cuisine prepared with genuine artistry, thanks to the skilled chefs executing culinary performance art at tableside hibachi grills. It’s a great spot for a special occasion. 4315 N Western, OKC, 602.5623 $ $
PIZ Z A 2 3 The tempting selection of specialty pies on especially buttery, flaky crusts is available for takeout, but dining in is recommended; the Uptown joint’s good beer selection and crisp, urban décor add savor to the flavor. 600-B NW 23rd St, OKC, 601.6161 $ $
SUSHI NEK O An established OKC favorite combining style (sleek, brisk, classy) with substance (in the form of an especially wide-ranging and creative sushi menu). 4318 N Western, OKC, 528.8862 $ $
PIZ Z ERIA GUSTO Neapolitan-style pizza (which harnesses an extremely hot fire to quickly cook superfine flour
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crusts and quality ingredients) stars alongside Italy-inspired salads, pastas and appetizers. 2415 N Walker Ave, OKC, 437.4992 $ $
TOK YO It’s neither huge nor lavishly appointed, and the menu focuses on tradition rather than creativity; but it’s palpably fresh and routinely cited as among the metro’s best sushi. 7516 N
PHOTO BY CARLI WENTWORTH
BENV ENUTI’ S Subtly flavored minestrone to rich, hearty ragouts, the splendid menu keeps the booths full and diners planning return trips to this vintage building by the railroad tracks; don’t overlook Sunday brunch. 105 W Main, Norman, 310.5271 $ $
AT THE BAR
Western, OKC, 848.6733 $ $ V OLC ANO Creations from the hibachi grill or dazzling displays of handcrafted sushi prowess – this restaurant might not have much seating, but it’s certainly far from short on flavor. 2727 S I-35, Moore, 759.3888 $ $
Mediterranean
with fast-food Tex-Mex; delectable doses of authenticity flavor the menu, including Guatemalan specialties and breakfast treats served all day. 1800 NW 16th, OKC, 601.0384 $ C ULTIV AR A farm-to-fire Mexican kitchen that stresses sustainability, local sourcing and fresh, fast, flavorful food. Gluten-free options, chef-crafted tacos, a substantial bar and plenty more are on the menu. 714 N Broadway, OKC $ $
HAIGET’ S Vegan-friendly – and friendly in general, due to the influence of the warm, patient namesake owner – this gem rewards the adventurous with Ethiopian and Kenyan specialties to explore and share. 308 W Edmond Rd, Edmond, 509.6441 $ $
IGUANA MEX IC AN GRILL Unique Mexican flavor in a fun atmosphere at reasonable prices - a treat from the house-made salsas to the handcrafted cocktails, and all the tastes between. 9 NW 9th, OKC, 606.7172 $ $
MEDITERRANEAN IMPORTS & DELI The menu is stocked with authentic, quick and savory options from Greek salad to eye-watering cabbage rolls, and there’s even a minigrocery stocked with select staples. 5620 N May, OKC, 810.9494 $
MAMA ROJ A MEX IC AN K ITC HEN A festive atmosphere on the scenic shores of Lake Hefner sets off a menu loaded with hand-rolled tamales, vendor-style tacos and signature dishes . 9219 E Lake Hefner Pkwy, OKC, 302.6262 $ $
Q UEEN OF SHEBA Practically the definitive example of a hidden treasure, the spicy, vegan-friendly menu of Ethiopian delights awaits the bold. Bring friends and be prepared to linger. 2308 N MacArthur, OKC, 606.8616 $ $
TARAHUMARA’ S Beloved by locals (there’s usually a line but it moves quickly), this airy ristorante serves huge, tasty Tex-Mex classics plus less ubiquitous fare like carnitas de puerco and mole poblano. 702 N Porter, Norman, 360.8070 $ $
Z ORBA’ S For well over 20 years, Zorba’s has satisfied appetites and pleased palates. Serving dishes from recipes passed down through generations, they proudly share flavors of Cyprus, Spain, Greece and Morocco. 6014 N May, OKC, 947.7788 $
TED’ S C AF É ESC ONDIDO The universal standard of OKC Tex-Mex comparisons - fast, fresh and amply portioned, it’s often very crowded and always supremely delicious. 4 metro locations, tedscafe.com $ $
Mexican & Latin American 1 4 9 2 Authentic Mexican cuisine in an elegant atmosphere, combining its caliente flavors with fusion decor to make an ideal spot for a romantic evening ... including perhaps the world’s best mojitos. 1207 N Walker, OKC, 236.1492 $ $ BIG TRUC K TAC OS It’s nearly always standing-room-only at lunch, but don’t let that deter you; spend a few minutes in line and get an ample reward in the form of fast, fresh, imaginative taco creations. 530 NW 23rd, OKC, 525.8226 $ C AF É DO BRASIL It’s a long way from OKC to Rio, but the savory menu in this Midtown hot spot covers the distance in a mouthful. Even brunch is a spicy, inimitable treat. 440 NW 11th, OKC, 525.9779 $ $ C AF É K AC AO A sunlit space filled with bright, vibrant flavors from the zesty traditions of Guatemala. Lunch possibilities beckon, but it’s the breakfast specialties that truly dazzle. 3325 N Classen, OKC, 602.2883 $ C HILTEPES The full name calls it a “taco joint,” but don’t equate it mentally
BOOK OUR PRIVATE ROOM
Come Celebrate Your Next Event Under Our Eiffel Tower
7408 N May Ave • Oklahoma City • 405-840-3047 labaguettebistro.com
YUC ATAN TAC O STAND A Bricktown haven for feisty Latin fusion cuisine such as paella and tamales wrapped in banana leaves plus signature nachos and combos … and a selection of over 75 top-shelf tequilas. 100 E California, OKC, 886.0413 $ Z ARATE’ S In addition to the familiar joys of enchiladas and the like, the chef’s Peruvian heritage shines in dishes featuring plantains, yuca and imported spices. Try something different; find something tasty. 706 S Broadway, Edmond, 330.6400 $ $
Seafood THE DRAK E The Good Egg Group’s flagship and a standard-bearer for diners who crave excellent seafood, it supplies a passel of chef’s creations featuring the sea’s finest, plus an oyster bar and righteous cocktails. 519 NW 23rd, OKC, 605.3399 $ $ $ LAND & SEA Chef Sean Cummings harnesses the delicious possibilities of multiple biomes in this savory concept. Look closely; it’s pretty small, but the sea bass will make you a convert. 7523 N May Ave, OKC, 755.2622 $ $ $ PEARL’ S C RABTOW N A huge Bricktown warehouse where the Cajun Crab Boil is a favorite, guests are encouraged to “leave the silverware at APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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Itts I t’s Time to Rediscover
the
Haunted House
home and dig in,” and taste is king. 303 E Sheridan, OKC, 232.7227 $ $
exceptionally well since 1964. 4910 N Lincoln, OKC, 525.8352 $ $ $
PEARL’ S OYSTER BAR A perennial OKC favorite for its flavorful seafood and spicy Creole-inspired dishes: Shrimp Diablo, Tabasco-infused Caesar salads, Andouille omelets at Sunday brunch and more. 5641 N Classen, OKC, 848.8008 $ $
J UNIOR’ S The classic restaurant’s decor sets the perfect stage for handcut Angus steaks and lobster to fight for attention with knockout fried chicken. 2601 NW Expressway, OKC, 848.5597 $ $ $
THE SHAC K SEAF OOD & OYSTER BAR A massive selection of nicely spiced Cajun and Creole cooking, plus fried and grilled seafood, in an atmosphere that’s not shy about being as casual as it can be. 3 metro locations, theshackok.com $ $
Soul Food THE DRUM ROOM March your own drumsticks in for a heap of crispy, juicy fried chicken (among the city’s best) starring alongside fried okra, waffles and a fully loaded bar. 4300 N Western, OKC, 604.0990 $ $
Same Romantic Location,
Expanded menu!
7101 Miramar Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Reservations Recommended 405.478.1417 www.jbruners.com
J AX SOUL K ITC HEN The team behind Blackbird and Blu dishes up big ol’ helpings of jambalaya, pork ribs, fried catfish and many more deep South classics for OU-adjacent crowds. 575 S University, Norman, 801.2828 $ K D’ S Sleek ambiance, down-home inspiration, pork chops, stuffed catfish, shrimp and grits and more of Kevin Durant’s favorite foods, presented with skill and vim – and a dose of star power. 224 Johnny Bench Dr, OKC, 701.3535 $ $
Steakhouse BOULEV ARD STEAK HOUSE Perfectly soigné ambiance down to the last detail and cuisine easily in the metro’s elite – a sumptuous, if pricy, masterpiece. 505 S Boulevard, Edmond, 715.2333 $ $ $ BROADW AY 1 0 Cruise into the Buick building in Automobile Alley to savor steak supremacy or seafood selections (even sushi) in a cozy enclave amid urban bustle. 1101 N Broadway, OKC, 212.3949 $ $ $
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MAHOGANY PRIME STEAK HOUSE The ambiance and service are sublime, but fine aged steak broiled to perfection is the star. 3241 W Memorial, OKC, 748.5959; 100 W Main, OKC, 208.8800 $ $ $ MEAT MARK ET REF EC TORY The well-aged steaks are excellent, but they’re the tip of the ample menu’s iceberg: fresh seafood and Australian lamb chops command attention as well, and from Hatch green chili crab cakes to champagne sabayon, the carefully selected flavors pop and sparkle in this prime dining experience. 2920 NW 63rd, OKC, 608.8866 $ $ $ MIC K EY MANTLE’ S This lushly atmospheric social spot in Bricktown serves powerhouse entrées and sides with a full complement of amenities destined to impress. 7 S Mickey Mantle, OKC, 272.0777 $ $ $ OPUS PRIME STEAK HOUSE It aspires to the ultimate in upscale dining via hand-cut USDA Prime Black Angus steaks, a vast wine selection and intimate ambiance. 800 W Memorial, OKC, 607.6787 $ $ $ RANC H STEAK HOUSE Effortless opulence, custom-aged hand-cut USDA Certified Prime tenderloins and ribeyes, served amid warm Southern hospitality. 3000 W Britton, OKC, 755.3501 $ $ $ RED PRIMESTEAK Visionary design and atmosphere house superpremium steaks, vibrant, imaginative flavors and amenities to make some of the state’s best dining. 504 N Broadway, OKC, 232.2626 $ $ $
Thai
C ATTLEMEN’ S Almost as old as the state itself, this Oklahoma institution’s immense corn-fed steaks and matchless atmosphere are history served anew every day. 1309 S Agnew, OKC, 236.0416 $ $
SALA THAI Pineapple curry, basil squid, fried rice with crab, cinnamon beef ... the variety is exceptional, making this Midtown diner a popular midday option. 1614 NW 23rd, OKC, 528.8424 $
J . BRUNER’ S AT THE HAUNTED HOUSE Renowned for its spooky past (its name is no accident), it’s a must for its steak, lobster and enduring charm. 7101 Miramar, OKC, 478.1417 $ $ $
SW EET BASIL The enormous aquarium adds to the cozy ambiance; with its outstanding curries and specialty dishes, it makes a great venue for a dinner date. 211 W Main, Norman, 217.8424 $ $
J AMIL’ S STEAK HOUSE Saving room for your steak, lobster or prime rib is difficult when your gratis appetizers arrive in the form of a Lebanese bounty, but make the effort. Jamil’s has been feeding Oklahoma
TANA THAI There’s a lot to like about the food in this little spot, from red snapper filet to pad thai. Pay special mind to the varied soups, and do not play chicken with the spice level. 10700 N May, OKC, 749.5590 $ $
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travel
INTERNATIONAL
Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most-visited sites. The three-step “staircase” waterfall is located on the Golden Circle.
A LAND OF MAG IC
The weird and wonderful waterfalls of southern Iceland AS W
EW
OUND ALONG
Iceland’s otherworldly Snaefellsnes Peninsula toward the National Park of the same name, Gus, our tour guide and local native, explained, “In Iceland’s countryside, you might find yourself on a remote, straight road – and for no reason and for only a moment, the road will bend.” Snaefellsnes, located on Iceland’s rugged west coast, is one of the country’s three National Parks, boasting not just dozens of glacier-fed waterfalls, but also the famed glacier-covered volcano that inspired Jules Verne’s J ou rney to the Center of the Earth.
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“The reason for the bend in the road,” Gus continued as the bus rolled toward the Atlantic, “is because without the bend, you would drive straight into the home of an elf.” There were many things about Iceland to provoke incredulity, I’d learned since my arrival. The country has roughly 130 volcanoes and about as many people in prison. There is only one four-lane road, a nationwide obsession with liquorice (their spelling) and a mayor (another hat Gus wears) who looks shockingly similar to Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. Thanks to the
geothermal energy created by the aforementioned volcanoes, Iceland claims the title of cleanest country in the world, and the only cognate
An oceanfront country home outside of Iceland’s Snaefellsnes National Park
to English in its unruly language is the word berserk. After a week of traveling around the country, ethereal statements regarding the land’s resident elves and grumpy trolls continued to baffle me the most. Iceland’s history was not just full of lore surrounding ancient unseen beings, but rich with contemporary tales of citizens who had built homes without consulting the neighboring sprites, only to have their homes burn down weeks later. The citizens charged with communicating with said spirits, known locally as “hidden people,” in order to prevent such vengeful incidents were not paranormal enthusiasts operating on society’s mystic fringes, but rather paid government employees. Outside my hotel a short walk from downtown Reykjavik, a plaque honors the area’s local imp, who, had he not granted his permission, would have stopped the hotel from ever being built. And while, according to Gus, 99 percent of Iceland’s roughly 350,000 citizens would not actually admit to the existence of elves, getting someone to admit they didn’t believe, for fear of being overheard by said sprites,
was as difficult as spotting Iceland’s Northern Lights on a cloudy night. Iceland is indeed a magical place, and even if one dare not embrace the idea that the lichen- and moss-covered lava fields and steaming sheep-dotted pastures were cohabitated by citizens unseen, the nation’s magic in terms of its scenic and sometimes sinister beauty is equally, if not more, enchanting. Most alluring, and a day drive via tour company or rental car from Reykjavik, is the renowned “Golden Circle.” This epic drive, which is the opposite direction from Snaefellsnes National Park, includes monumental waterfalls, geysers and even snorkeling. While at first consideration, the utterances “snorkeling” and “Iceland” pair about like “delicious” and “sand,” Thingvellir National Park, the first stop along the Golden Circle tour, offers exactly that experience. Thingvellir, also a UNESCO Heritage Site, is a stunning park, as well as the point on the planet where the American and Eurasian continental plates collide. Along this fault, where each year the continents are pushed apart a few centimeters, is a river where visitors brave the frigid, crystal-clear water – and if swimmers can manage the 35-degree water, it offers the rare opportunity to touch two of the earth’s continents at once. Beyond Thingvellir are the geysers at Haukadalur. While the original geyser is no longer erupting due to seismic activity, a hundred yards away is Strokkur Geyser, which erupts up to 100 feet in the air every 10 minutes. A constant cloud of steam
Seljalandsfoss, a 200foot fall just beyond the Golden Circle where visitors can walk behind the cascading water
hangs over smaller colorful geysers, spurting sulfuric gas from mud puddles into the dense air. Further down the road, soft blue water sits at the bottom of Kerid Crater Lake, a perfectly circular volcanic crater surrounded by harshly sloping bright red walls coated in green lichen. While Kerid is by far the eeriest of all the stops along the Golden Circle, it is also the least visited, so for those seeking respite from the throngs of tourists in buses and vans, it is an invaluable moment of calm before heading to the Gullfoss Waterfall: the most impressive and by far the most crowded stop on the Golden Circle Tour. At Gullfoss, an international smattering of selfie-stick enthusiasts and cruise-loving retirees gather around the voluminous Hvita River as it rolls through otherwise sparse landscape, falling in two dramatic stages. The first is a smaller but powerful tumult, followed by a far
Hranfoussar: a series of several waterfalls near Snaefellsnes that pour out of a lava field
The colorful Kerid Crater along the Golden Circle
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Skogafoss: located just off the Golden Circle, this 200-foot fall is 85 feet wide, and the top is accessible via a very wet walk up an adjacent staircase.
In Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site, this water separates the North American and Eurasian continental plates.
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The mighty, sulfursmelling Strokkur Geyser, erupting 100 feet high at one of its ten-minute intervals.
Temquia a que pa sunt molendit volessi aliquas id quas evel maximin verferrum quat quis eum The blue waters et resteamy quid quiaernam aut.of the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, a 30-minute drive from Reykjavik.
more significant 100-foot fall that in dramatic fashion kicks up an ethereal mist – awe-inspiring on even the rainiest of days. On the sunniest days, Gullfoss creates rainbows in such quantity that Iceland’s hidden people might just seem plausible. While the Golden Circle tour is Iceland’s main draw, much more of Iceland lays beyond and is still within a day’s drive from Reykjavik. At Seljalandsfoss, visitors can walk along the cliffside behind a roaring waterfall. Skogafoss, a few miles down
the road, is one of the country’s biggest falls, standing 85 feet wide and plunging 200 feet. A walk up 377 misty stairs allows visitors to make a very wet ascent to view the enormous fall from the top, and on a clear day, it offers a remarkable view of the Pacific. While Iceland’s falls are not to be missed, most unique of all of Iceland’s attractions is the renowned Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. Considered one of the Wonders of the World by N ational G eographic, the Lagoon’s geothermal,
heated pale blue water surrounded by harsh black lava fields is a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists alike. The Lagoon, thanks to its silica mud bottom, is said to have healing properties, and its spa services are among the best in Iceland. Spanning two continental shelves, boasting thousands of waterfalls and glaciers, and best visited between June and mid-September (or later if you want to see the Northern Lights), Iceland is unrivaled in its mysterious allure. It would be felonious
to leave Iceland without taking a dip in the Blue Lagoon’s healing waters, driving the Golden Circle … and if you like codfish prepared any way imaginable, you could do a lot worse. While historically a stopping point for f lights between the U.S. and Europe, Iceland is worthy of a journey all its own. But if you go, just be sure to pay attention where you walk. You don’t want to bump into an elf – unless given permission otherwise, they’d prefer you stay off their lawn. – MATT PAYNE APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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The angle of light at sunrise and sunset brings out colors in the Grand Canyon that are washed out by harsh noon lighting.
C a ny ons , C l if f s a nd Birthda y Wis hes
Reasons aplenty to hit the road for Northern Arizona EV ERYBODY LOV ES A BIRTHDAY PARTY, and there’s a big one this year: The National Park Service turns 100. And who gets the gifts? We do – America’s national parks, monuments, historic sites, all the 400-plus units of the NPS are a treasure protected for us and for our children. So my husband Jack and I decided to open as many presents as we could. We found plenty in northern Arizona.
GETTIN’ OUR KICKS Petrified Forest National Park is bisected by I-40, popularly known as Route 66 – although it’s simply close to, not exactly on, the original highway. North of the highway, the park is characterized not by petrified wood but by the Painted Desert, part of a large swath of landscape that covers many square miles of the Four Corners area where Arizona abuts Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. South of I-40 was where we started seeing the petrified pieces of what once were giant trees. More than 200 million years old, these trees were once standing tall in a tropical rainforest. Over eons, fallen trees were acted on by changing rivers and deposited sediment. Water and minerals soaked into the wood fiber,
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The name “Painted Desert” is said to have originated with Coronado’s 1540 expedition to find the Seven Cities of Cibola.
replacing it with mineral deposits – literally turning the wood to stone. Erosion worked to uncover the petrified trees; more erosion removed soil from beneath sections, causing them to fracture into chunks that look as though they have been cut by a saw. The pieces now are basically quartz – but traces of other minerals have created beautiful colors. A number of overlooks on the route south provide good photo ops, with Agate Bridge a particular favorite. Here a 110-foot log fell, and erosion dug a ravine beneath it. In 1917, park workers built a concrete support bridge to keep the log from fracturing. The Crystal Forest stop features a three-quarter-mile-long trail past pieces noted for particularly striking colors. Be sure to stop at the Rainbow Forest Museum for information on the geology and paleontology in the park. Walk the Giant Logs Trail behind the museum – a short trail with hills and stairs that’s not wheelchair-accessible, but filled with cool sights. A section of the trail is actually part of an ancient riverbed, and on the platform at the top you can see “Old Faithful” – not the geyser, a massive piece of a giant tree weighing approximately 44 tons.
SMALL SURPRISES Rejoining I-40, we made a quick stop just east of Flagstaff at Walnut Canyon National Monument. The deep canyon here is noteworthy for its biodiversity, which made it an appealing home for ancient Native people. Most importantly, it had water in a dry land. There are two trails in the park, the Rim Trail and the Island Trail. We chose the Rim Trail because of time … and the 240 From the old Navajo Bridge, visitors get a steps involved on the Island Trail. The Rim Trail gives you great good view of the new canyon views and a long-distance view of pueblos dating back to bridge, the Vermilion Cliffs and the Colorado the 1200s. The Island Trail (closed during the month of May this River below. year) actually goes down into the canyon and the pueblos. Our ultimate destination was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but we had a couple more surprises on our route. As we FROM BOTH SIDES NOW headed north, almost to the Utah border, the scenery became Jack and I had visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in increasingly stunning, thanks to towering red rocks. Each turn spring 2013. The North Rim, at a higher elevation, is only open of the road elicited another “Wow!” We later discovered this was from mid-May until mid-October. But now it was September – Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, an area with no visitor the perfect time to go. The aspens were just turning gold, and center or obvious amenities – just spectacular scenery. most summer visitors had gone home. Crossing over the Colorado River, we detoured to the Navajo The views are just as wonderful, but the facilities are much Bridge Interpretive Center (closed in winter) where we discovered smaller. With one main lodge, cabins and motel-like accomwe were in the very tip of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. modations, reservations fill fast even at the end of the season. When the Navajo Bridge was completed in 1929, it was the only Reservations for the following season open in October. bridge across the Colorado River for 600 miles and would become Activities include hiking, ranger activities, trail rides and part of the first direct highway between Arizona and Utah. photography, and from June 1 through mid-September cookouts We walked out onto the old bridge for a great view of the new feature cowboy fare and entertainment. The Grand Canyon bridge to the south. The green Colorado was 467 feet Lodge has spacious verandas for great views, and below, and above, we spotted a California condor. the main dining room is ideal for watching the Once native to the area, they were virtually unseen sun go down. FIND MORE for decades. Thanks to a 1996 recovery program, the This is the year to get out and go celebrate the Arizona tourism information population has grown from six to approximately 76. saving of America’s most significant sites. A special visitarizona.com Just beyond the bridges, we took another road birthday program is Every Kid in a Park, giving leading to Lees Ferry. No ferry now, but you’ll find a every fourth-grader in the nation a free park pass Grand Canyon Lodge nice picnic pavilion and a launch area. This is where (parents are included) for the rest of their fourthgrandcanyonforever.com many Grand Canyon raft trips begin. And while the grade school year and the summer months. Don’t Fourth-grade pass center is closed in winter, the spot is fine for wading pass up the chance to sing “Happy Birthday” to the everykidinapark.gov on a warm day. National Park Service. – ELAINE WARNER APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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events
PHOTO BY ERRISSON LAWRENCE
Flight Plan
You already know them as extraordinary acrobats – now Cirque du Soleil wants to take you higher. TORUK: The First Flight places less emphasis on flips and handstands, harnessing the company’s stagecraft, production design and physical artistry to focus on weaving a compelling, immersive multimedia experience that places viewers inside the world of fantasy blockbuster Avatar. Chesapeake Arena becomes a portal to Pandora centuries before the Na’vi make contact with humanity, as young warriors begin a desperate quest to save the Tree of Souls and their way of life. Nothing like this has visited OKC before; flights are scheduled daily April 6-10.
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events PRIME PICKS
Uno and Only April 2, MAINSITE Contemporary Art Center Llllllllllllet’s get ready to rumba! Music from Orquestra de Calle to make your blood move a little faster, plenty of dancing – and dance lessons for those in need – a colorful array of festive dress and delicious food and drink, all inspired by the vibrant nightlife of Havana, fill the Norman Arts Council’s single annual fundraiser. Bienvenidos to the fabulous evening’s entertainment known as ONE: Noche Cubana.
Neverland Now April 15-17, OKC Civic Center
Packing a Wallop April 9, OKC Civic Center
C a nterb ury Voic es is wrapping up its performance season with a bang … or more accurately, a whole series of them, plus booms, crashes, whacks and a whole omnibus of onomatopoetic effects. The More Tha n D rum s concert is a showcase for the signature spectacle of D uo P erc us s ion, a wildly popular Canadian pair who bring out the instrumental potential of everyday objects in high-energy shows like this. Don’t miss the interactive fun!
The OKC Ballet has a feeling that you will believe a man can fly. Er, make that a boy who never grew up. Two words: Pixie dust. A season filled with rich storytelling and physical marvels culminates in “Peter Pan, ” as choreographer Paul Vasterling, the OKC Philharmonic and a group of dedicated, skilled, thoroughly incredible dancers bring a delight for all ages to the stage … and above it.
Monster Mash
April 1, OKC Farmers Market
Al l ied Arts is going old-school to find inspiration for its annual fundraiser ARTini Arc a de – and while the vibe might be 8-bit, the visuals are better than 2160p in the exclusive art auction … and the food from area favorites and broad selection of customcreated martinis available for tasting aren’t virtual. For that matter, neither is the benefit provided through this event to creative outlets throughout central Oklahoma. So play on, players. 108
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The Oklahoma Children’s Theater has a beastly good idea for fantasy-loving kids and their families this month: the 2016 Fairy Tale Ball, named “Happily Ogre After,” is a treat for youngsters but provides a party for all ages. Children, tweens and parents each have their own segmented celebration with dinner, games and entertainment, until one massive dance party brings the house down. Costumes encouraged!
MORE THAN DRUMS PHOTO COURTESY CANTERBURY VOICES
Press Start for Art
April 16, Petroleum Club
Charlotte’s Web April 24 – 29, 2016
Fairy Tale Ball “Happily Ogre After” Saturday, April 16, 2016 An ogre-rific event for the whole family! For ticket information call 405-606-7003.
Summer Camps Join us as we embark on a journey through imagination, travelling each week to a new magical destination. Camps include filmmaking, video game design, Lego, Minecraft, Jurassic Park, Zombie camps, and Harry Potter camps!
Weeklong Camps
May 23rd — August 12th
Extra Day Camps August 15th – 18th
Summerstock Productions Auditions: April 9th
MAIN STAGE
STAGE TWO
“Max Smith & the
“Snow White” Sunnyvale Beauty Pageant” June 6th – 26th Ages 11+
“Annie”
July 11th – 31st Ages 11+
June 13th – 25th • Ages 7+
“Jungle Book”
June 27th – July 9th • Ages 7+
“I Think My Mom Is a Zombie” July 18th – 30th • Ages 7+
www.oklahomachildrenstheatre.org Oklahoma Arts Council • Inasmuch Foundation Allied Arts National Endowment for the Arts Oklahoma City University klahoma it omm nit o ndation irk atrick amil nd ed i er omm nit or s eagan mith nerg ol tions nc. irst irk ercedes en o nd ed id irst ital nerg oganola tions lor nc. s klahomahickasaw it omm ation nit o anc ndation atrick amil i er ank omm nit t. or nthon s eaganosmith hickasaw ation anc irst ercedes en o irst ank ogan ra stal lor s merican merson lake ank m id had c o gall ason mersonidelit o ndation
events ON FILM
On the C a m p a ign Reel Casting our votes for the best political movies IT’ S TOUG H TO IM
AG INE how fiction could top the
strangeness of the 2016 presidential campaign, but there is something to be said for politicking when the future of the free world isn’t at stake. We voted for some of our favorite political movies, and here’s our winning ticket.
Oscar for Jeremy Larner, who had been a speechwriter for 1968 presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy.
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON Jimmy Stewart is a small-town idealist taking on corruption in Congress – what’s not to love? Frank Capra’s populist fantasias were considered corny even in 1939 (hence the “Capra-corn” tag from some), but he knew it was a powerful antidote to cynicism. “What audiences respond to in Mr. Sm ith G oes to W ashington is the humanity of a man who cares about something and is fighting for it,” Capra said years later. “When they see somebody fight for an ideal, it will always get ‘em right here, in the stomach.”
NIXON AND W. No one will accuse Oliver Stone of excessive subtlety, but that’s a good thing. It’s his over-the-top aesthetic that makes Stone’s leftwing offerings so undeniably compelling. N ix on, released in 1995 and featuring a gamely miscast Anthony Hopkins as the embattled prez, is Shakespearean tragedy as imagined by someone in the throes of an acid trip. Less successful is W . (2008), which finds Josh Brolin portraying George W. Bush as a well-meaning dunce. The picture isn’t particularly measured or even comprehensible, but as propaganda it is eminently watchable.
DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
A FACE IN THE CROWD
The unwieldy title alone was boldly irreverent. Stanley Kubrick’s cyanide-dipped love letter to the Cold War and nuclear holocaust scaled new heights of black comedy. D r. Strangelove (1964) also boasted some of the greatest comic performances of the Sixties, with Sterling Hayden and George C. Scott as pathologically gungho military generals and Peter Sellers brilliant in three roles.
Forget Matlock. Andy Griffith was never better than in this Elia Kazan-directed melodrama about an aw-shucks TV star whose celebrity catapults him into becoming a politically ambitious megalomaniac. Sounds far-fetched, huh? As Lonesome Rhodes, Griffith approximated a media monster that resonates today as much as it did for audiences in 1956.
THE CANDIDATE A 1972 time capsule that has maintained relevance, The Candidate stars Robert Redford as an idealistic California activist who takes on the quixotic quest of unseating an incumbent U.S. senator. But Redford’s character jumps into the race with the expectation that he will lose, a catch that allows him to be totally honest. The screenplay earned an
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PRIMARY COLORS AND CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR Director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May did justice to P rim ary Colors (1998), a bestselling novel and thinly veiled satire of Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 White House bid. John Travolta is fine as the philandering southern governor, with Emma Thompson his equal as
a Hillary stand-in. The film remains a singularly incisive work about what we expect from our leaders. Nichols struck electoral lightning again with Charlie W ilson’ s W ar (2008), which starred Tom Hanks as an obscure Texas congressman who played a pivotal role in funding Afghan freedom fighters.
BEING THERE Director Hal Ashby’s 1979 satire is peripherally about politics, but its observations of the political arena are sharp enough to draw blood. Peter Sellers is Chance, a simpleton gardener who has spent his entire life on the estate of a rich recluse. When he is forced out and into the cold, cruel world of Washington D.C., Chance’s childlike ignorance is mistaken for genius. Sellers’ Oscar-nominated performance is mesmerizing.
CHRIS POORE, DDS, MS
ADVISE & CONSENT Otto Preminger’s 1962 potboiler about Washington D.C. wheeling and dealing has its flaws. The melodrama is often dated, particularly its depiction of homosexuality, but the gamesmanship of Beltway politics rarely was ever captured so well. And its sprawling cast — including Charles Laughton (especially memorable as a crafty southern senator), Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon and Franchot Tone — was extraordinary.
IN THE LOOP Back in 2009, shortly before Armando Iannucci created the giddily motor-mouthed and profane “Veep” for HBO, the British TV writer-director created this giddily motor-mouthed and profane comedy for the big screen. Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and James Gandolfini lead a hilarious ensemble in this expansion of Iannucci’s BBC series, “The Thick of It.” - PHIL BACHARACH
MARY HAMBURG, DDS, MS
ROBIN D. HENDERSON, DMD, MS
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events SPEAKER BOX
Strut, Pout, Put it Out
The British are coming
Bruce Springsteen ends the 405’s wait after 38 years H Y A R E T HE Y BOOI NG? ” someone asks in the N o N u kes concert movie. The reply comes, “They’re not booing, they’re just saying “BRUUUUUUUCE!” Then Bonnie Raitt deadpans, “It’s a good thing his name isn’t Melvin.” She’s right, “MELLLLLLVIN!” is just not as catchy. On April 3, there will be no cries for “Melvin” when Br u c e Sp r i n g s t e e n a n d t h e E St r e e t Ba n d perform at C h e s a p e a k e En e r g y Ar e n a in downtown. This rare event will see Team Springsteen perform the entirety of “The River” album, as part of a year-long 35th anniversary tribute to the seminal record. “The River Tour 2016” originally was intended to be a small number of shows in Los Angeles and New York, to supplement the deluxe “The Ties That Bind” box set that came out last Christmas. But as his manager Jon Landau told R olling Stone magazine, Springsteen realized that rehearsals for two shows took as much time as 20 shows. From there, those 20 shows blew up to a full tour, with the Oklahoma City date added before Springsteen and the band head to Europe for concerts through the summer. An ambitious collection of songs that swelled to a two-record set, “The River” served as a gateway for Springsteen’s transition from a critic’s darling to a
“ W
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populist global rock ‘n’ roll superstar. Despite years of steady album sales, massive press and critical acclaim, “The River,” released in October 1980, was Springsteen’s first No. 1 album. “Hungry Heart,” his first Top 10 hit, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard singles chart, opened up Top 40 radio audiences to Springsteen for the first time. Springsteen hasn’t played in Oklahoma City since Sept. 17, 1975. He last played the metro on Dec. 1, 1978, when the tour supporting “Darkness on the Edge of Town” played Norman’s Lloyd Noble Center. So the 405 has been waiting 38 years for this concert. Be prepared for a marathon. All the shows on this tour have kicked off with “Meet Me in the City” from the box set, and then the entire “The River” album in chronological order, starting with “The Ties That Bind.” Keep in mind that the two-record set clocks in at 84 minutes. After “The River” is performed in full, Springsteen adds on another concert of songs from his full catalog – think of it as a bonus concert to a concert. Some of the shows have lasted three and a half hours. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com. If you can’t make it to the show, you can still buy the whole concert download from l i v e . b r u c e s p r i n g s t e e n . n e t . – JERRY CHURCH
Luke Spiller
PHOTOS: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN BY CRAIG O’NEAL; LUKE SPILLER BY MIKE DANNENBERG
TH E BOSS IS BAC K
As the great Ray Davies once said, “Rock bands will come, rock bands will go, but rock ‘n’ roll is going to live on forever!” As sad as the state of rock music is these days, every blue moon brings A New Hope (often with capital letters). The latest reassurance that a classic rock quartet lineup of singer, guitarist, drummer and bassist can produce balls-out cock rock is The Struts. Led by singer Luke Spiller, The Struts combine old-school glam rock with attitude and punchy guitar licks. The band’s obvious primary influence is Queen – and they’re more than merely a musical inspiration, as Spiller’s clothes and costumes have been designed by the late Freddie Mercury’s stylist. Building its base in England, the band has been able to snatch primo opening slots. They were the lead-in for the Rolling Stones in Paris in 2014, and even opened up the last series of shows in Los Angeles for Mötley Crüe, including the Crüe’s final show last New Year’s Eve. The Struts’ debut album “Everybody Wants,” previously a UK import, was re-released in the U.S. in March. This young band from south England will make its first appearance in the 405 on April 22 at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern in OKC. Tickets are on sale at Buy For Less stores or diamondballroom.net. – JC
Sw eet Ba b y J a m es Winsome sound at WinStar A L ONG W I T H SPR I NGST EE N, one of the most enduring, popular and best-selling artists of all time is making a special appearance in our state (although not our zip code) this month as J a m e s Ta y l o r a n d h i s Al l - St a r Ba n d perform at W i n St a r W o r l d C a s i n o on April 15. Taylor was the first non-British artist signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records. Released in 1968, his self-titled debut album included “Carolina in My Mind,” which has since become an unofficial state anthem in North Carolina. His breakthrough second album, “Sweet Baby James,” was released two years later and featured “Fire and Rain,” which is regarded as one of his greatest songs. Highly prolific throughout the 1970s, when he released eight studio albums, Taylor began slowing down in the ’80s. But he never stopped; he has continually released a steady stream of albums over the last 40-plus years that have sold well and increased his devoted audience. Don’t call it a comeback, but in 2010, he, along with Carol King, released “Live at the Troubadour,” which garnered a gold record and a smash tour. And despite millions of records sold and multiple Grammy awards, “Before This World,” which was released last summer, became his first No. 1 album. Visit w i n s t a r w o r l d c a s i n o . c o m for more information. – JC APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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on the radar
WANT TO SEE MORE? Visit our online calendar at 405magazine.com
Nikki Lane
Norm a n Roc k C ity Everybody’s gonna move their feet to NMF9 BACK IN 2008, it seemed like a beautiful (albeit slightly unrealis-
tic) pipe dream: “Let’s close Main Street between the train tracks and Porter, invite a bunch of bands to play on multiple stages and let anybody who wants to wander up and listen! For free!”
D ance PETER PAN Ap r 1 5 - 1 7 The Philharmonic-boosted score, the audience’s energy level, the dancers themselves - all will be soaring in the OKC Ballet’s tremendously magical season finale. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 848.8637, okcballet.com C ONTEMPORARY DANC E OK LAHOMA Ap r 2 9 -M a y 7 The time is now for the OU School of Dance to exhibit some modern marvels of movement. OU Re y n o l d s PAC 560 Parrington Oval, Norman, 325.4101, ou.edu/finearts
E v ents 1 ST F RIDAY GALLERY W ALK Ap r 1 The historic arts district’s name means “stroll,” which happens to be the preferred form of locomotion while taking in its wonders during a monthly display of arts and culture. Pa s e o Ar t s Di s t r i c t 3022 Paseo, OKC, 525.2688, thepaseo.com ARTINI Ap r 1 This gleeful, cocktail-themed soiree is a major fundraiser for Allied Arts, and a ton of fun to boot. OK C F a r m e r s Pu b l i c Ma r k e t 311 S Klein, OKC, 278.8944, alliedartsokc.com
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C ORK AND C ANV AS Ap r 1 Music, auction items, delicious tastes and more combine for a cool event that boosts the efforts of Positive Tomorrows. Br i c k t o w n Ev e n t s C e n t e r 429 E California, OKC, 556.5082, positivetomorrows.org DESIGN APPETIT Ap r 1 - 2 This Focus on Home fundraiser is the first OKC event of its kind; a showcase of interior design playing host to optional chef-created dining experiences in the evenings. C o x C e n t e r 1 Myriad Gardens, OKC, designappetitokc.com MEDIEV AL F AIR Ap r 1 - 3 Knights and jesters, smiths and minstrels, human chess games and jousting matches and tremendous food and all kinds of medieval fun. Re a v e s Pa r k 2501 S Jenkins, Norman, 325.8610, medievalfair.org ONE EV ENT Ap r 2 The Norman Arts Council’s singular yearly fundraiser makes for a staggeringly enticing celebration of the city’s creativity. MAINSITE C o n t e m p o r a r y Ar t 122 E Main, Norman, 360.1162, normanarts.org TORUK - THE F IRST F LIGHT Ap r 6 - 1 0 A Cirque du Soleil marvel inspired by the record-smashing
That first Norman Music Festival was a success to the tune of around 15,000 visitors and a thoroughly great closing set from headliners The Polyphonic Spree … and the show has only grown bigger, louder and more awesome since. The lesson here: if you rock it, they will come. The ninth chapter in this epic musical work in progress will be written on the Norman streets, stages and skies April 21-23. It’s still completely free to attend, and whatever type of sound you crave, it’s probably on tap. There’s now a heavy stage spearheaded (or perhaps sledgehammered) by metalheads Power Trip from Dallas, as well as stages for EDM and hip-hop, and performances run the gamut from the protest folk of Samantha Crain to righteous country from Nikki Lane, raw party power poured out by The Coathangers and the furious bluegrass stomp of Shawn James and the Shapeshifters – all culminating in a bigtime burst of indie rock exuberance from headlining star Cloud Nothings. With hundreds of artists cramming their sets into three days, you may want to plan out an itinerary, so swing by normanmusicfestival.com for a full schedule and general information. It’s time to get loud. - STEVE GILL
movie “Avatar,” this high-flying show is packed with acrobatic excellence. C h e s a p e a k e Ar e n a 100 W Reno, OKC, 800.745.3000, chesapeakearena.com BEST OF THE C ITY Ap r 7 4 0 5 Magaz ine invites you to celebrate the high points and great people that make the metro outstanding while enjoying food, drink and fun. Up s t a i r s a t Re d 504 N Broadway, OKC, 842.2266, 405magazine.com SHINE A LIGHT Ap r 7 Sunbeam Family Services lauds the efforts of people who have helped the community’s most vulnerable including Aspire Award winner Sandy Trudgeon - in this uplifting fundraiser. Br i c k t o w n Ev e n t s C e n t e r 429 E California, OKC, 609.8994, sunbeamfamilyservices.org UPTOW N UNC ORK ED Ap r 7 Bites, beverages and a boisterous party make this annual fundraiser for the Uptown 23rd district a blast. Ok l a h o m a Hi s t o r y C e n t e r 800 Nazih Zuhdi, OKC, uptown23rd.com C OMEDY’ S BEST K EPT SEC RET TOUR Ap r 7 - 9 Nationally touring comedians Dan Frigolette, Andrew Frank and Sonya Vai helm a showcase of exceptionally funny folks who
simply haven’t hit the big time … yet. V a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s OKC, 917.292.5441, comedysbestkeptsecret. com 2 ND F RIDAY C IRC UIT OF ART Ap r 8 A monthly community-wide celebration of creativity, focused on historic Downtown Norman. No r m a n Ar t s C o u n c i l 122 E Main, Norman, 360.1162, normanarts.org LADIES IN THE NEW S Ap r 8 This luncheon and style show celebrates its 50th anniversary, honoring distinguished women at a fashion-filled fete benefiting CASA and Needs Foundation. OK C Go l f & C o u n t r y C l u b 7000 NW Grand, OKC, 826.5394, LIV E ON THE PLAZ A Ap r 8 Vendors, artists, residents and passerby unite for a monthly fiesta. OK C Pl a z a Di s t r i c t 1618 N Gatewood, OKC, 367.9403, plazadistrict.org OK C BALLET BALL Ap r 9 Celebrate the climax of another successful season with a stylish gala themed “A Night in Neverland” … and perhaps do a bit of dancing of your own. Br i c k t o w n Ev e n t s C e n t e r 429 E California, OKC, 843.9898, okcballet.com
SPRING SAMPLER Ap r 9 The Fine Arts Institute of Edmond welcomes nature’s rebirth with an elegant Evening of Art. Oa k Tr e e C o u n t r y C l u b 700 W Country Club, Edmond, 340.4481, edmondfinearts.com LEGAC Y & LEGENDS Ap r 1 3 The Junior League of OKC honors some of its most dedicated members and community supporters through this 25th annual fete. OK C Go l f & C o u n t r y C l u b 7000 NW Grand, OKC, 843.5668, jloc.org AUTO ALLEY SHOP HOP Ap r 1 4 Discounts, giveaways, special minievents and have-to-be-there fun fill this monthly mercantile excursion. Au t o m o b i l e Al l e y 1015 N Broadway, OKC, 235.3500, automobilealley.org LITERARY V OIC ES Ap r 1 4 Bestselling author Sebastian Junger speaks at a fascinating dinner to support the Metropolitan Library System. OK C Go l f & C o u n t r y C l u b 7000 NW Grand, OKC, 606.3760, supportmls.org/literaryvoices PREMIERE ON F ILM ROW Ap r 1 5 The downtown OKC street festival is family-friendly, pet-welcoming, free to wander through and filled with treats for the ears and taste buds. F i l m Ro w 706 W Sheridan, OKC, 232.6060, W
ESTERN HERITAGE AW ARDS Ap r 1 5 - 1 6 Great contributors to the culture and story of the American
West, be they authors, actors, musicians or ranchers, are honored in a celebratory weekend and black-tie gala. Na t i o n a l C o w b o y & W e s t e r n He r i t a g e Mu s e u m 1700 NE 63rd, OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org
F ESTIV AL OF THE ARTS Ap r 1 9 - 2 4 A massive celebration of creativity in art, music, food and other forms makes for a spectacular spring tradition. Bi c e n t e n n i a l Pa r k 500 Couch Dr, OKC, 270.4848, artscouncilokc.com
EV ENING ESC APE Ap r 1 6 Appetizers, dinner, auctions and plenty of captivating information about conservation fill this chimpish, gorillan, orangutaneous fundraiser. OK C Z o o 2101 NE 50th, OKC, 425.0612, zoofriends.org
TOW N HALL: GREGORY BOYLE Ap r 2 1 Boyle is devoted to giving inner-city residents a vocational alternative to gang membership; his Town Hall lecture draws on his inspirational bestseller “Tattoos on the Heart.” St . Lu k e ’ s UMC 222 NW 15th, OKC, 826.9689, townhall. publishpath.com
F AIRY TALE BALL Ap r 1 6 Kids don costumes and relish an evening of specially tailored fun - with side enticements for parents and tweens - in this Oklahoma Children’s Theatre delight. Pe t r o l e u m C l u b , 100 N Broadway, OKC, 606.7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org HEARD ON HURD Ap r 1 6 A free monthly festival of live music, food trucks and pop-up shops - come enjoy! Do w n t o w n Ed m o n d 32 N Broadway, Edmond, 341.6650, facebook.com/heardonhurd REMEMBRANC E DAY Ap r 1 9 The city and its people were changed forever on this day in 1995; we should never forget what our response to tragedy revealed about the Oklahoma spirit. OK C Na t i o n a l Me m o r i a l 620 N Harvey, OKC, 235.3313, oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org
DAV ID C ROSS Ap r 2 4 No kidding: the “Arrested Development” and “Mr. Show” vet is coming to OKC to deliver some scathing, but seriously great, standup funniness. OK C F a r m e r s Pu b l i c Ma r k e t 311 S Klein, OKC, okccomedy.com REAC H F OR THE STARS! Ap r 2 9 Support inspirers and help improve young lives at Youth Services of Oklahoma County’s annual gala. Br i c k t o w n Ev e n t s C e n t e r 429 E California, OKC, 235.7537, ysoc3. publishpath.com DOW NTOW N EDMOND ARTS F ESTIV AL Ap r 2 9 - Ma y 1 Wander through a wondrous collection of art by over 100 creators from around the country, and stick around for the food and bands. Do w n t o w n Ed m o n d
32 N Broadway, Edmond, 249.9391, downtownedmondok.com IRON THISTLE SC OTTISH F ESTIV AL Ap r 2 9 - Ma y 1 Whether you’re Scots or nots, there’s fun to be had at Yukon’s annual convocation of dancers, musicians, food vendors, sheep herders and caber tossers. K i r k p a t r i c k F a m i l y F a r m 1001 S Garth Brooks, Yukon, 834.1876, facebook.com/ironthistle BIDS F OR K IDS Ap r 3 0 Citizens Caring for Children is lining up dinner, dancing, auctions and games for guests to enjoy while helping Oklahoma’s children living in foster care. Na t i o n a l C o w b o y & W e s t e r n He r i t a g e Mu s e u m 1700 NE 63rd, OKC, 753.4099, cccokc.org MAY F AIR Ap r 3 0 - Ma y 1 The Assistance League’s spring assembly of juried art, children’s art education, food vendors, live music and family activities is still a ball after all these years. An d r e w s Pa r k 201 W Daws, Norman, 321.9400, assistanceleaguenorman.org
F ilm C IRC LE THEATER SHOW S Ap r 1 - 2 8 The OKC Museum of Art screens overlooked treasures and unsung independent films - this month’s slate includes City of gold Apr 1-7, My Golden Days Apr 8-14, Chimes at Midnight and Take Me to the River
Check out the hottest event to hit OKC!
design
appétit
a design competition where
architecture+interiors+art+food collide for a unique dining experience
Cox Convention Center, March 31 - April 2 Calendar of Events: Thursday, March 31, 2016 – The highlight of the weekend will be the Divine Dining Gala featuring patron dining in each of the design vignettes, thoughtfully paired with notable area chefs and restaurants to create a memorable dining experience. Friday & Saturday, April 1 and 2, 2016 – Daytime public viewing. Saturday, April 2, 2016 – Cocktails by Design featuring delicious bites, cocktails and unique entertainment.
For tickets and more information visit: DesignAppetitOKC.com APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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on the radar SPOTLIGHT
C LASSIC S SERIES Ap r 5 - 2 6 Catch a masterpiece you missed the first time around or just want to re-experience on the big screen: The Big Lebowski Apr 5, West Side Story Apr 12, Singin’ in the Rain Apr 19 and Pulp Fiction Apr 26. Ha r k i n s Th e a t r e s 150 E Reno, OKC, 321.4747, harkinstheatres.com
G alleries
PRY THE LID OF F Th r o u g h Au g 1 2 Ok l a h o m a C o n t e m p o r a r y Ar t s C e n t e r OKC, 951.0000, oklahomacontemporary.org
ANDREA K ISSINGER Ap r 1 - 3 0 The visually engaging Paseo gallery hosts a collection of jewelry and mixed media creations that beg closer inspection. In Yo u r Ey e Ga l l e r y 3005 Paseo, OKC, 525.2161, inyoureyegallery.com
SC HOOL OF ART & ART HISTORY STUDENT EX HIBITION Ap r 2 2 - Ma y 1 5 For more than a century - this is the 102nd show - creators in training at OU have combined their skills to present showcases such as these, with prizes for the most outstanding. F r e d J o n e s J r Mu s e u m o f Ar t 555 Elm, Norman, 325.3272, ou.edu/fjjma
Sebastian Junger’s Literary Voice
EM/ BARK Ap r 1 - 3 0 The community art space in the Paseo welcomes a solo show, described as “a migratory experience, from Christie Hackler. Th e Pr o j e c t Bo x 3003 Paseo, OKC, 609.3969, theprojectboxokc.com F INE ARTS INSTITUTE Ap r 7 - 2 8 The FAI hosts a collection of beauty produced by guest artist James Coplin. F i n e Ar t s In s t i t u t e o f Ed m o n d 27 E Edwards, Edmond, 340.4481, edmondfinearts.com ADDY AW ARD W INNERS Ap r 7 - Ma y 7 Drop by and pore over prizewinning works from UCO students that took honors at this year’s ADDY Awards. UC O Me l t o n Ga l l e r y 100 N University, Edmond, 974.3774, uco.edu/cfad
M useum s ONGOING AN ARTF UL OBSERV ATION OF THE C OSMOS Th r o u g h Ap r 3 F r e d J o n e s J r Mu s e u m o f Ar t Norman, 325.3272, ou.edu/fjjma W
ILLARD STONE C ENTENNIAL Th r o u g h Ap r 3 0 Ok l a h o m a Ha l l o f F a m e Mu s e u m OKC, 235.4458, oklahomahof.com THE C OW BOY RETURNS Th r o u g h Ma y 8 Na t i o n a l C o w b o y & W e s t e r n He r i t a g e Mu s e u m OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org NAV AJ O W EAV INGS F ROM THE PARRISH C OLLEC TION Th r o u g h Ma y 8 Na t i o n a l C o w b o y & W e s t e r n He r i t a g e Mu s e u m OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org RIDING THE W HIRLW IND Th r o u g h Ma y 8 Na t i o n a l C o w b o y
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RED EARTH REUNION SHOW Th r o u g h J u n 3 0 Re d Ea r t h Mu s e u m OKC, 427.5228, redearth.org
GALILEO’ S W ORLD Th r o u g h Au g 3 1 Ac r o s s t h e OU C a m p u s Norman, 325.4142, galileo.ou.edu
J ourna l is tic Witnes s
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MURMURATIONS Th r o u g h Ma y 1 4 Ar t s p a c e a t Un t i t l e d , OKC, 815.9995, artspaceatuntitled.org
ONGOING STAC EY MILLER Th r o u g h Ap r 2 9 Color reigns joyfully in the mixed media creations of this printmaker, experimenter and award-winner. Sa n t a F e De p o t 200 S Jones, Norman, 307.9320, pasnorman.org
Sebastian Junger
THE SIEGE OF MONROVIA in Liberia, wildfire in the American West, guerilla war in Afghanistan, hostage-taking in Kashmir, the raging sea off Nova Scotia … Sebastian Junger has been in tight spots and harrowing situations around the world, and brought them to readers with dazzling clarity and unflinching realism. His visit to Oklahoma City this month will be considerably more pleasant while still thrilling for fans, as he’s the featured speaker for the 2016 Literary Voices dinner April 14. Catherine Armitage, who’s chairing the event along with Karen Delaney, calls Junger “a riveting speaker” and says “We are honored to bring his captivating worldview to our podium at our fundraising event this year.” Junger’s name should be familiar to bibliophiles and cineastes alike, as he dominated bestseller lists for years with his debut The Perfect Storm and co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo. His latest book, Tribe, deals with PTSD and the aftereffects of combat and is due out in May. For this event, he’ll be speaking on “The Front Lines of History: 20 Years of Reporting From Around the World.” “I think it’s going to be really interesting,” says Kim Terry, director of marketing and communications for the Metropolitan Library System, “it’s going to be a fun event.” Junger’s invite was the result of audience request, she said: “He’s always been top on our list. We put some nomination cards out on the tables, and he made it to the top two years ago, and [this year] he accepted our offer.” The event also honors Steve Payne with the Lee B. Brawner lifetime achievement award, and the Junior League for its 10-year focus on promoting literacy. Terry explains that proceeds “go to capital improvements for our libraries; helping to build a new library out in Jones, helping to offset some of the costs of a new Capitol Hill Library.” So participation in this event directly helps the community as a whole – for tickets, visit metrolibrary.org/literaryvoices or call 606.3760. - STEVE GILL
& W e s t e r n He r i t a g e Mu s e u m OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org
OUR C ITY, OUR C OLLEC TION Th r o u g h Au g 3 1 OK C Mu s e u m o f Ar t OKC, 236.3100, okcmoa.com
M usic OPOLIS SHOW S Ap r 1 - 1 4 Metro, meet Opolis - you’ll make beautiful music together, including Bowlsey Apr 1, the Bright Light Social Hour Apr 2, Cave Singers Apr 6, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re Apr 7 and OBN III’s Apr 14. Check online for updates. Th e Op o l i s 113 N Crawford, Norman, opolis.org J AZ Z LAB SHOW S Ap r 1 - 1 9 A mass of music for UCO students and the community as a whole: Shortt Dogg Apr 1, the 5th Street Jazz Collective Apr 5, jazz ensembles Apr 11, 13 and 14, the UCO Chamber Swingers Apr 19 and more. UC O J a z z La b 100 E 5th, Edmond, 359.7989, ucojazzlab.com BLUE DOOR SHOW S Ap r 1 - 2 9 Self-billed as “the best listening room in Oklahoma,” it certainly has some of the best music, including Mike McClure Apr 1, K.C. Clifford Apr 2, Fred Eaglesmith Apr 7, Tish Hinojosa Apr 9, Michael Fracasso Apr 15, Adam Carroll Apr 22 and Joel Rafael Apr 29 - check online for updates. Th e Bl u e Do o r 2805 N McKinley, OKC, 524.0738, bluedoorokc.com PHILHARMONIC : A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Ap r 2 The Philharmonic’s Classics series incorporates voice as an instrument courtesy of special guest Sarah Coburn’s showstopping pipes. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 842.5387, okcphilharmonic.org C RITERION SHOW S Ap r 2 - 2 7 The downtown concert hall keeps pounding out the hits with
PHOTO COURTESY METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Apr 15-17 and Mia Madre Apr 22-28. OK C Mu s e u m o f Ar t 415 Couch, OKC, 236.3100, okcmoa.com
performances by Third Eye Blind Apr 2, Kirk Franklin Apr 8, Rick Springfield Apr 9 and My Morning Jacket Apr 27. Th e C r i t e r i o n 500 E Sheridan, OKC, 308.1803, criterionokc.com 8 9 TH STREET C OLLEC TIV E Ap r 2 - 2 8 An all-ages hotspot is alight with music: Orthodox Apr 2, Weatherbox Apr 4, Forever Came Calling Apr 5, The Rocket Summer Apr 9, One Eyed Doll Apr 14, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Apr 24, Monuments Apr 28 and more - get the latest list online. 8 9 t h St r e e t C o l l e c t i v e 8911 N Western, OKC, 89thstreetokc.com BRUC E SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND Ap r 3 The Boss is coming to OKC, as Springsteen returns to “The River” on the extras-packed “The Ties That Bind” tour. C h e s a p e a k e Ar e n a 100 W Reno, OKC, 800.745.3000, chesapeakearena.com PHILHARMONIC : PETER AND THE W OLF & F RIENDS Ap r 3 The Philharmonic’s Discovery Series wraps its season with an all-time classic that’s ideal for introducing kids to the orchestra. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 842.5387, okcphilharmonic.org OU MUSIC Ap r 3 - 2 4 Join the OU School of Music for stellar performances: the OU Chorale Apr 3, Donna Mitchell-Cox Apr 4, Accademia Filarmonica Apr 10, the OU Wind Symphony Apr 18, Singing Sooners Apr 21, Collegium Musicum Apr 23 and the OU President’s Concert Apr 24. OU C a t l e t t Mu s i c C e n t e r 500 W Boyd, Norman, 325.2081, ou.edu/finearts/music OC U C ONC ERTS Ap r 3 - 2 6 Musiclovers mingle with students for the award-winning programs shows: a Choral Concert Apr 3, Percussion Ensemble Apr 4, the OCU Orchestra Apr 9, a Project 21 Concert Apr 15, the OCU Jazz Ensemble Apr 24 and a Wind Philharmonic show Apr 26. OC U Pe t r e e Ha l l 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 208.5701, okcu. edu/music BRIGHTMUSIC : Q UINTETS, SEX TETS & Q UEEN Ap r 5 The numbers vary but the beauty is sonorously constant in the chamber orchestra’s season-ending concert. St . Pa u l ’ s C a t h e d r a l 127 NW 7th, OKC, brightmusic.org BRUBEC K S PLAY BRUBEC K Ap r 5 Sons of the late great jazz master Dave join special guests in performing an improvisational suite that includes the modern oratorio “The Light in the Wilderness.” F i r s t C h u r c h o f t h e Na z a r e n e 6789 NW 39th, Bethany, 491.6343, ticketstorm.com DIAMOND BALLROOM SHOW S Ap r 6 - 2 2 Crank it up on the south side with a musical blast from
August Burns Red Apr 6, Killswitch Engage Apr 11 and The Struts Apr 22. Di a m o n d Ba l l r o o m 8001 S Eastern, OKC, 866.977.6849, dcfconcerts.com SONG OF SONGS Ap r 7 As is traditional, Armstrong closes its season with a massive show from the HWAC Choral Union; this year features a musical interpretation of the Song of Solomon. Ar m s t r o n g Au d i t o r i u m 14400 S Bryant, Edmond, 285.1010, armstrongauditorium.org NOON TUNES Ap r 7 - 2 8 Free lunchtime serenades to sonically spice up your Thursday: Phil Smith and the Blend Apr 7, Galloway & Crossley Apr 14, The Stringents Apr 21 and Evangeline Vournasos Apr 28. Do w n t o w n Li b r a r y 300 Park, OKC, 231.8650, mls.lib.ok.us K ID K OALA Ap r 8 The Canadian producer and DJ helms a live-action adaptation of his hit graphic novel “Nufonia Must Fall” - it should be a treat for the senses. OC C C Th e a t e r 7777 S May, OKC, 682.7576, occc. edu/cas
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MORE THAN DRUMS Ap r 9 Mesmerizingly skilled musicians Duo Percussion join the Canterbury ensemble for a pulse-pounding season finale. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 232.7464, canterburyokc.com
Together in The Shoppes at Northpark N.W. 122nd & May Avenue | Oklahoma City | 405.748.5200
GRYPHON PIANO TRIO Ap r 1 0 Chamber Music in Oklahoma welcomes the exceptional ensemble to give listeners a melodic interweaving of Debussy, Lalo and Ravel. C h r i s t t h e K i n g C a t h o l i c C h u r c h 8005 Dorset, Nichols Hills, cmok.org
Where Vintage Industrial Meets Farmhouse Charm
BEN F OLDS Ap r 1 3 He made his name by Rockin’ the Suburbs, but Folds can’t get more completely downtown than his triumphant, piano-driven return to OKC accompanied by y Music. Br i c k t o w n Ev e n t s C e n t e r 429 E California, OKC, 866.977.6849, dcfconcerts.com AC M @ UC O SHOW S Ap r 1 4 Find some seriously fine musical mastery via the downtown sounds of special guests Penny & Sparrow. AC M @ UC O Pe r f o r m a n c e La b 329 E Sheridan, OKC, 974.4700, acm-uco. com BARRY MANILOW Ap r 1 4 After decades of success, the celebrated crooner is looking forward to leaving the road behind - but not until after this massive “One Last Time” farewell tour. C h e s a p e a k e Ar e n a 100 W Reno, OKC, 800.745.3000, chesapeakearena.com REV EREND HORTON HEAT Ap r 1 5 Their own description of “country-fed punkabilly” might sound unusual, but in fairness theirs is a pretty distinctive sound - catch the Dallas trio’s playfully high energy. OK C F a r m e r s
Reclaimed Furniture
Lighting
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405-812-8374 • 400 S. WESTERN AVENUE • OKLAHOMA CITY APRIL 2016 405 MAGAZINE
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on the radar Pu b l i c Ma r k e t 311 S Klein, OKC, okcfarmersmarket.com F IRELAK E ARENA SHOW S Ap r 1 5 - 2 9 Heat up your month with powerhouse live performances from ZZ Top Apr 15 and Brett Eldredge w/ Thompson Square Apr 29. F i r e l a k e Ar e n a 18145 Rangeline, Shawnee, 273.1637, firelakearena.com RIV ERW IND SHOW S Ap r 1 5 - 2 9 The casino is hopping this month, with sensational star turns from Martina McBride Apr 15, Johnny Rivers Apr 22, Home Free Apr 23 and Aaron Lewis Apr 29. Ri v e r w i n d C a s i n o 1544 W Hwy 9, Norman, 322.6464, riverwind.com NORMAN MUSIC F ESTIV AL Ap r 2 1 - 2 3 Help yourself to a nonstop sonic flood; over a hundred bands of all descriptions cut loose in a massive, entirely free, three-day show. Do w n t o w n No r m a n 101 E Main, Norman, normanmusicfestival.com STAR TREK : THE ULTIMATE V OYAGE Ap r 2 2 The final frontier is right in your ears as this touring symphony orchestra - accompanied by high-def film and TV footage performs selections from Star Trek’s various iterations. It’ll be stellar! OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 297.2264, okcciviccenter.com F RONTIER C ITY SHOW S Ap r 2 3 The amusement park offers a bit of extra incentive to visit with a performance from Christian rock quartet Skillet. F r o n t i e r C i t y 11501 N I-35, OKC, 478.2140, frontiercity.com
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OK C SYMPHONIC BAND Ap r 2 8 The volunteer concert ensemble, nearly 100 members strong, tunes up for a spring concert featuring its Young Artist Competition winner. Yu k o n F i n e Ar t s C e n t e r 850 Yukon, Yukon, okcband.org TONY BENNETT Ap r 2 8 The name alone should be all music fans need to hear. To have a genuine legend like the 18-time Grammy winner performing hits like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” here in OKC is a treat that truly should not be missed. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 297.2264, okcciviccenter.com
S p orts OK C HEART W ALK Ap r 9 Heart disease and stroke are the targets for walkers eager to help prevention, detection and treatment efforts. C h c k a s a w Br i c k t o w n Ba l l p a r k 2 S Mickey Mantle, OKC, 942.2444, heart.org/oklahomacity
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REDBUD C LASSIC Ap r 9 - 1 0 A variety of running, cycling and walking events to help the community share fun, fitness and philanthropy. W a t e r f o r d C o m p l e x 6300 N Penn, OKC, redbud.org
OK C ENERGY F C SOC C ER Ap r 9 - 2 3 Open wide for some soccer! The Energy look to continue the momentum from last year’s deep playoff run by kicking off against St. Louis FC Apr 9 and the Swope Park Rangers KC Apr 23. Ta f t St a d i u m 2901 NW 23rd, OKC, 235.5425, energyfc.com OK C ROLLER DERBY Ap r 1 0 High-speed grace and a few strategic applications of brawn; this month the Lightning Broads host the South Central Roller Girls. Sk a t e Ga l a x y 5800 NW 36th, OKC, okcrd.com THUNDER BASK ETBALL Ap r 1 1 The playoffs are on the horizon, and this year there’s no doubt OKC will be there - but first it’s time to close out the regular season by hosting the Lakers and saying goodbye to all-time talent Kobe Bryant. C h e s a p e a k e Ar e n a 100 W Reno, OKC, 208.4800, nba.com/thunder DODGERS BASEBALL Ap r 1 5 - 2 2 Baseball’s back! Join OKC’s boys of summer as they host Nashville Apr 15-18 and Memphis Apr 19-22. C h c k a s a w Br i c k t o w n Ba l l p a r k 2 S Mickey Mantle, OKC, 218.1000, okcdodgers.com 2 MINUTE 5 K Ap r 1 6 The YWCA’s annual fund-race-er (eh?) aims to reduce the frequency of sexual assault in the U.S. St a r s & St r i p e s Pa r k 3701 Lake Hefner, OKC, 948.1770, ywcaokc.org OK C MEMORIAL MARATHON Ap r 2 4 Grief and fear became determination and hope; today tens of thousands run to remember. OK C Na t i o n a l Me m o r i a l NW 5th and Harvey, OKC, okcmarathon.com OK LAHOMA V IC TORY DOLLS Ap r 2 4 The belles of the brawl look to show some roller derby razzle dazzle against the 580 Rollergirls. St a r Sk a t e 2020 W Lindsey, Norman, oklahomavictorydolls.com RED EARTH GOLF TOURNAMENT Ap r 2 5 Prizes await the winners, but just playing in this 19th annual event is a win for fans of the Native art center and its year-round programming. Oa k Tr e e C o u n t r y C l u b 700 W Country Club, Edmond, 427.5228, redearth.org RUGGED MANIAC OBSTAC LE RAC E Ap r 3 0 This event is three miles total, but it’s far from a jaunt in the park - the course is as crammed with epic obstacles as the day is with entertainment for runners and observers alike. It should be pretty amazing. W a k e Z o n e C a b l e Pa r k , 3510 NE 10th, OKC, 617.797.7226, ruggedmaniac.com W ALK MS Ap r 3 0 Multiple sclerosis stops people from moving; pooling efforts in a fundraising event like this helps move the world closer to a cure. W i l d Ho r s e Pa r k 1201
N Mustang, Mustang, 488.1300, walkmsok.org
J e w e l Bo x Th e a t e r 3700 N Walker, OKC, 521.1786, jewelboxtheatre.org
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ONGOING RED V S. THE W OLF Th r o u g h Ap r 7 Big? Bad? Bah! The Wolf tells his version of what really happened with Red Riding Hood. Ok l a h o m a C h i l d r e n ’ s Th e a t r e 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 951.0011, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org
HERE THE LILIES BLOOM Ap r 1 5 - 2 4 Faced with their father’s death, a pair of sisters find that the one sure way to keep their lives their own for now is to hide the truth from everyone else; suspense and hilarity ensue., St a g e Do o r Th e a t e r , 601 Oak, Yukon, 265.1590, stagedooryukon.com
NATIV E AMERIC AN PLAY F ESTIV AL Th r o u g h Ap r 9 OKC Theatre Company’s 7th annual event provides a stage (literally) for Native playwrights to share their distinctive voices. St a t e F a i r g r o u n d s 3001 General Pershing, OKC, 626.6605, okctheatrecompany.org C LYBOURNE PARK Ap r 1 - 2 3 Race, prejudice, progress and lack thereof in a companion piece to the classic “A Raisin in the Sun.” C a r p e n t e r Sq u a r e Th e a t r e 800 W Main, OKC, 232.6500, carpentersquare.com THE F ANTASTIC K S Ap r 6 - 2 4 Love is a pretty splendid thing sometimes even when meddlers ruin it by trying too hard, it finds a way to sneak up and enchant couples anyway. Let Lyric give you a musical treat. Ly r i c a t t h e Pl a z a 1727 NW 16th, OKC, 524.9312, lyrictheatreokc.com AS YOU LIK E IT Ap r 7 - 1 0 Disguises, surprises, touching reunions and musings on romance fill this beloved Shakespeare play, brought to you by TheatreOCU. OC U Bu r g Th e a t e r 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 208.5227, okcu.edu/tickets BONNIE AND C LYDE Ap r 8 - 1 6 A thirst for adventure, a scorn for danger or the threat of the law … the end won’t be pretty for these two pretty bank robbers, but it’ll be a hell of a ride. So o n e r Th e a t r e 101 E Main, Norman, 321.9600, soonertheatre.org THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Ap r 8 - 1 7 A small-town girl hits the big city with all the verve she can muster, and experiences some of the ups and downs of the (fictional) flapper lifestyle. OU Re y n o l d s PAC , 560 Parrington Oval, Norman, 325.4101, ou.edu/finearts ‘ NIGHT, MOTHER Ap r 8 - 2 4 Be emotionally braced for this one: CityRep tells the Pulitzerwinning story of the last hour in a suicidal young woman’s life. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 848.3761, cityrep.com LIGHT UP THE SK Y Ap r 1 4 - Ma y 8 It’s a play about a play that’s about to become a hit - maybe. If everyone involved can refrain from messing with it, which … isn’t very likely.
HAIRSPRAY Ap r 1 5 - Ma y 7 Tubby teen Tracy may not be a ravishing beauty, but she can dance - and when you’ve got it, flaunt it. Especially if it puts you in a position to enact social progress. Po l l a r d Th e a t r e 120 W Harrison, Guthrie, 282.2800, thepollard.org W
AITING F OR GODOT Ap r 1 9 - 2 4 He might be here any minute … but in the meantime, OU students tackle Beckett’s existential classic. OU La b Th e a t e r 640 Parrington Oval, Norman, 325.4101, ou.edu/ finearts/drama
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MY ONE AND ONLY Ap r 2 1 - 2 4 A Tony-winning musical adventure set in the Roaring ‘20s tracing the ups and downs of a pilot and competitive swimmer. UC O Mi t c h e l l Ha l l Th e a t e r 100 N Broadway, Edmond, 974.3375, uco.edu/cfad EV ITA Ap r 2 2 - 2 4 OCU’s Opera and Music Theatre students sing scenes from the life of a first lady in their take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous musical. OC U K i r k p a t r i c k Au d i t o r i u m 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 208.5227, okcu.edu/tickets
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C HARLOTTE’ S W EB Ap r 2 2 - Ma y 6 E.B. White’s classic coming-of-age nature tale. Ok l a h o m a C h i l d r e n ’ s Th e a t r e 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 951.0011, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org I LOV E LUC Y - LIV E ON STAGE Ap r 2 6 - Ma y 1 Audiences of this Celebrity Attractions show will find themselves part of the studio audience for a 1952 filming session of the redhead comedienne’s namesake show, complete with period ad jingles. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 800.869.1451, celebrityattractions.com BLUE MAN GROUP Ap r 2 9 3 0 Rock music combined with physical comedy seasoned with vivd spectacle - all without a word spoken. If you’re feeling blue, here’s the joyous cure. OK C C i v i c C e n t e r 201 N Walker, OKC, 800.869.1451, celebrityattractions.com SING ME A STORY Ap r 3 0 Cimarron Opera closes out its Salon Series by welcoming local vocal artists to the stage to share a variety of musical tales. Sa n t a F e De p o t 200 S Jones, Norman, 364.8962, cimarronopera.org
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backstory
When the P a s t Wa s a Bl a s t TA K E A T R IP A L ONG the Northwest Expressway, a little past Penn Square Mall, Integris and Lake Hefner Parkway, and you’ll see the sign “Wedgewood Drive.” For the Oklahoma City newcomer, it appears to be little more than an apartment complex surrounded by office buildings. But for those who grew up here in mid-century America, the name Wedgewood means so much more. During the days of “American Bandstand,” drive-ins and Dippity-Do, Wedgewood Village Amusement Park was the place to be. Those warm spring days that turned into endless summer nights meant heading for Wedgewood. If you were adventurous, the Tornado and Wild Mouse roller coasters were waiting. On hot summer days, you could take your trunks or bikini and hit the waves in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Then in the evening, the amphitheater was filled with the sounds of the ’60s – everyone from Johnny Rivers to the Byrds and the Beach Boys. A Herman’s Hermits concert in 1966 drew one of the biggest crowds ever when 11,000 screaming fans invaded the park. Wedgewood Village originally opened in 1955 at NW 63rd Street and May
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Avenue. It quickly outgrew the location, so owner Maurice Woods moved it to what was then the outskirts of Oklahoma City: NW 63rd and Northwest Expressway. “I worked there off and on during high school,” says Edmond resident Jerry Price. “It was around 1967 or 1968. I was in maintenance and would look for money under The Hammer ride,” he says with a laugh. The Hammer was one of those rides where folks often would lose money or other things out of their pockets as the ride swung around and around. “I remember there was a river ride, with a barge type of thing,” Price recalls. “People would ride on it, and mechanical hippos and other ‘animals’ would come out into the water. The barge driver
had a blank gun and would shoot at the animals. One time The Who was in town, and I rode on the barge with them.” More than 3,000 people a day visited the park during its heyday from 1958 to 1969. As the ’60s drew to a close, Wedgewood Village called it a day. An apartment complex was built around the immense swimming pool, and today, that is all that remains of one of Oklahoma City’s best-loved amusement parks. But for many, when the warmer temperatures of April roll around, the memories ride again.
PHOTOS COURTESY OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BY MARK BEUTLER
E. • E M • N • .. • MR. •