405 Magazine June 16

DOWNTOWN LIVING

Luxury apartments lure more residents to the urban core

THE METRO EXPERIENCE

Get a glimpse of OKC from a trio of local perspectives

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EXPLORE OKLAHOMA OFF THE BEATEN PATH

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in this issue

JUNE 2016

Features

40

OKLAHOMA GEMS

Not all those who wander are lost – sometimes venturing beyond the clearly marked boundaries of the beaten track is the best way to find something exceptional. These Sooner State attractions might not be famous landmarks, but they’re worth stepping off the interstate for a visit.

48

THREE TALES OF ONE CITY

Every OKC citizen has a slightly different perspective on this place we all call home, and each of them has insight on what makes it remarkable.

In conversations about creativity, capitalism and more, D.G. Smalling, Matt Goad and Roy Williams share thoughts on how they see OKC.

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405 MAGAZINE JUNE 2016

in this issue

JUNE 2016

In the 405

in appreciation for art’s soul-elevating decorative potential.

13 Using muscle cars to encourage stronger foundations for foster kids; the manifest pleasures of Main Street in Yukon; examining misconceptions about Oklahoma’s first elected female official; find some new favorite merchandise at Norman boutique Antique Garden; Father’s Day prep in the form of classic looks in ties; humor in the face (so to speak) of a colonoscopy; metro classes to get fit for free.

Dining

93 Chef Patrick Clark II showcases vegetarian goodness in a Red Cup-inspired recipe; Tommy’s artfully presented smoked salmon appetizer; a special seasonal drinks menu at Ludivine pays tribute to the Beatles’ “Revolver.”

Travel

104 In search of the pure life in vibrant Costa Rica; looking ahead to Sonoma’s sumptuous Wine Country Weekend.

36 Creatives Her murals are eye-catching and invite interaction – by going way up in scale, Erin Cooper has taken her art to the next level.

Events

111 The Red Earth

38 Territory Ahead The signs surround the capital but their topic is an enigma; M.J. Alexander delves into the story of the self-proclaimed “America’s Corner.”

54 Culture Can Oklahoma City sustain demand for the multitude of upscale, higher-priced apartments in development within the urban core?

Home

83 Cindy Kottwitz uses her “prairie chic” aesthetic to make her custom-built Kingfisher barn a lovingly designed home; a paean

ON THE COVER

4

Dining With Saints

94

Named for a small town in central Italy, this incredibly savory Bucatini Amatriciana makes excellent use of tomato, red pepper and the delectable cured pork cheek guanciale (basically bacon-plus). Along with a surfeit of other treats from fried risotto to almond cake, it’s one of many reasons why you should consider downtown restaurant Patrono a must to receive your patronage.

Festival brings a confluence of Native cultures to the metro; upcoming concerts from Leon Bridges and Maxwell; the sensational cinematic spectacle that is deadCenter; a massive celebration of OKC Pride; Guthrie’s run to aid animal welfare; an open-air jazz jam in Norman; Matisse and contemporaries star in a stunning exhibition at the OKC Museum of Art.

In Every Issue 8 From the Editor 10 Web Sights 26 On the Scene 98 Food and Drink 114 Speaker Box 122 On the Radar 128 Backstory

A tranquil glide through natural splendor in Clayton Lake State Park, an excellent destination for off-the-radar exploration. Photo by James Pratt

405 MAGAZINE JUNE 2016

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If you’re retiring or changing jobs… …you have options.

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JUNE 2016 Publishing Director Scott Crystal scrystal@openskymediainc.com Editor-in-Chief Heidi Rambo Centrella heidi.centrella@405magazine.com EDITORIAL Managing Editor Steve Gill steve.gill@405magazine.com Style Editor Sara Gae Waters saragae.waters@405magazine.com Fashion Editor Jennifer Salyer jennifer.salyer@405magazine.com Contributing Editor Terry Clark Contributing Writers M.J. Alexander, Mark Beutler, Jerry Church, Brett Dickerson, Christine Eddington, Lauren Hammack, Greg Horton, Matt Payne, James Pratt, Elaine Warner, Bill Wasinger ART Art Director Scotty O’Daniel scotty.odaniel@405magazine.com Graphic Designer Brian O’Daniel brian.odaniel@405magazine.com

What benefits do you have coming from Social Security?

Call Retirement Investment Advisors and ask for a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ for a complimentary consultation or visit online at TheRetirementPath.com. It’s good to know your options because you may have more than you think.

Design & Production Coordinator Tiffany McKnight tiffany.mcknight@405magazine.com Interns Sabrin Abu Seir, Daltyn Moeckel, Callie Ridley Contributing Photographers M.J. Alexander, Shannon Cornman, Terrell Fry, Simon Hurst, Charlie Neuenschwander, Matt Payne, James Pratt, Trace Thomas, Carli Wentworth ADVERTISING Associate Publisher Tom H. Fraley III tom.fraley@405magazine.com Executive Director of Advertising Cynthia Whitaker-hill cynthia.whitakerhill@405magazine.com Account Executives Melissa Bake melissa.bake@405magazine.com Ryan Dillard ryan.dillard@405magazine.com Debbi Knoll debbi.knoll@405magazine.com Account Manager Ronnie Morey ronnie.morey@405magazine.com

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405 MAGAZINE JUNE 2016

VOLUME 2 • NUMBER 6 READER SERVICES 405 Magazine 729 W. Sheridan, Suite 101 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Phone 405.842.2266 Fax 405.604.9435 info@405magazine.com, 405magazine.com Story Ideas and Letters to the Editor Your views and opinions are welcome. Include your full name, address and daytime phone number and email to editor@405magazine. com. Letters sent to 405 Magazine become the magazine’s property, and it owns all rights to their use. 405 Magazine reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.

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405 Magazine Volume 2, Number 6, June 2016. 405 Magazine is published monthly by Open Sky Media, Inc. at 729 W. Sheridan, Suite 101, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405.842.2266. © Copyright 2016 Open Sky Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of 405 Magazine content, in whole or part by any means, without the express written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Of Time and Family Ties

HEIDI R A MBO CEN TRELL A Editor-in-Chief heidi.centrella@405magazine.com

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SIMON HURST

MY PARENTS SET A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE when it came to family. They were always there to pick us up when we fell, figuratively and literally – and, perhaps most importantly, always supportive of one another. Of course, my three siblings and I may have taken different directions, but no matter our paths, the roadmap was always available to us. “Follow your heart, daughter” is something I’ve heard often from my father when faced with a decision. It took me years to understand what that really meant. Hey, Dad, I get it now. If I could enter a smiley emoji with a wink here, I would.

Topping their parenting skills is not something I ever achieved, but like many career-minded moms and dads in today’s society, we do the best we can with the multitasking. Of course, some parents struggle to be all things – including both mom and dad – to their children. Today, we also see parents raising their grandchildren, for a variety of reasons. Yes, society and family roles have changed over the generations. They’ve changed a lot.

Either way, I wish a happy Father’s Day and happy (belated) Mother’s Day to my own mom and dad, as well as all the parents out there busting through it despite the myriad daily distractions.

While this issue of 405 Magazine is chock-full of robust articles about where to go and what to do, in addition to stories about where to eat and what to wear (note the nod to neckwear for Father’s Day gift ideas on page 22), the best idea of all might be simply spending time with the people we call family.

Maybe take them on a trek across the state, visiting some of the hidden gems that James Pratt unearths in his feature on page 40. Or maybe stay closer to home and try taking a look at the OKC metro through different perspectives, as Christine Eddington does on page 48. Who knew there was so much flavor sprinkled across our state and city? And I’m pretty sure I can say with confidence they’ve only scratched the surface (well, they told me so, hence the confidence level).

So summer is here, and we hope you’re fortunate enough to enjoy some time with family – whether biological or chosen. We also have a couple of travel options that are a little farther afield you might want to consider (page 104). I’m thinking Costa Rica sounds lovely this time of year!

Urban Style with Farmhouse Charm

shopping • kids area• lumber company • workshoP 28000 sq ft warehouse • Food trucks

Web Sights What’s online at 405magazine.com

A Win for Your Wardrobe Unpredictable as the Oklahoma weather can sometimes – well, often – be, we are officially entering a new season this month, and we feel fairly confident in making a couple of predictions: 1. It’s probably going to be fairly warm for the next little while.

2. You might enjoy an impetus to add something new to your summer wardrobe, or allow a lady in your life to do the same.

We can help with that: in 405’s Summer Style Giveaway, we’ll be giving one reader a $300 shopping trip to chic boutique R Meyers in Nichols Hills Plaza. Visit 405magazine.com/summerstyle/ to enter, and good luck – here comes the sun!

Hungry for More Speaking of summer, we’re celebrating the season by bringing back one of our most popular giveaways: The Friday $50. Each Friday in June, we’ll be handing out $50 worth of some of the city’s finest dining in the form of gift cards and certificates to delectable restaurants. To enter, keep an eye on our e-newsletters (you can sign up for free at 405magazine.com/newsletters/) and be ready to click the link therein – we’ll draw a winner at random each Friday at noon. Bon appetit!

Let Us Hear It So what’s on your mind? We’re always looking for feedback and readers’ opinions, and that means we’re hoping to hear from you. Feel free – in fact, feel encouraged – to drop us a line anytime at feedback@405magazine.com.

Thanks for writing!

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405 MAGAZINE JUNE 2016

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PHOTO COURTESY CLASSIC RECREATIONS

in the

Horse Power

When Jason Engle and his father named their Yukon company Classic Recreations, this is the classic they meant – beauties like this expertly updated Shelby Mustang GT-500 muscle car are the shop’s signature creations. But Engle is also working to leverage car lovers’ commitment into fostering a dedication to helping Oklahoma kids in need.

JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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in the 405 DRIVING FORCES

An employee installs a Ford Coyote racing engine into a Shelby GT500 Mustang at Classic Recreations in Yukon.

HOT RODS AND LOVING HOMES The dream-building expertise of Classic Recreations

A S JA SON E NGL E turns the key to start a deep purple 1967 Shelby Mustang GT-500, a Procharger supercharger pumps pressurized air into the hand-built big block Ford 427 racing engine. A VaporWorx electronic fuel pump sprays 108-octane oxygenated race gas into this pressurized stream, where it mixes into a hydrogen bomb-like explosive brew of brutal horsepower that propels a saucer-sized cast aluminum piston downward like Thor’s hammer falling from the heavens. A sharp staccato note barks out the aluminum racing exhaust, causing old men to turn their heads and smile, stray dogs to run for cover and young mothers to clutch their children close to their chest. With a blip of the throttle, this 770-horsepower raw-edged American muscle car is ready to turn expensive Michelin rubber into billowing clouds of blue/black smoke.

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Classic Recreations’ finished Shelby Mustang GT-500 is a true king of the road.

Another Shelby GT-500 Mustang is born, built by the self-described “car nuts” at Classic Recreations in Yukon, Oklahoma.

After growing up in his father’s Bethany-based used-car business, building a multitude of muscle cars and more than a dozen Mustangs, Engle was inspired by the Nicolas Cage movie Gone in 60 Seconds to build an “Eleanor” Mustang. He spent more than $70,000 and maxed out his credit cards to build the car, then took

“Everyone who works here is a car guy,” says Lindsay. “Once they have built up a level of trust, they are able to come in here and work on their own cars on the weekend. They are real craftsmen.”

This enthusiasm is easy to see in the parking lot of Classic Recreations, where you can spot beautifully crafted antique Chevy pickups, old Land Cruisers and other employee projects in various stages of restoration.

Yet Engle has another interest that equals his passion for Mustangs: In 2013, he and his wife became foster parents for Oklahoma children. “We had an extra bedroom in our house, and I thought we should put it to use. We already have three kids and wanted to provide a good home for other children in need.”

After experiencing the trials, tribulations and joys of becoming a foster parent, Engle saw the Classic Recreations owner Jason Engle crushing need of getting more Oklahoma families involved with the foster system. He recently partnered with it to the Barrett-Jackson auto show and promptly sold the car for Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services on a plan to edu$141,000. By the time he got back home from the show, he already cate and attract families to participate in foster care. had orders to purchase four additional “Eleanor” Mustangs. It was He hatched a plan to set up a DHS booth at local Oklahoma then that Engle and his father launched Classic Recreations. car shows, and volunteers to bring one of his Over the next 10 years, Engle restored beautifully rebuilt Mustangs to the booth as a variety of high performance Mustangs, “The old cars used to flop a way to attract “car guys,” thereby allowing including several Shelby GT-500s.

“Carroll Shelby is a real legend,” says around like a dead fish. DHS employees to talk to car builders about becoming a foster family.

Jason. “He has a wonderful name in this Our cars HANDLE LIKE “If a guy and his wife are devoted enough industry, and he’s a wonderful man. I am a A MODERN SPORTS to build their own custom car, I feel they diehard fan. We’ve rebuilt several Shelbys, and I have an all-original unrestored 1967 CAR , with classic Shelby would be devoted enough to be a great foster family,” says Engle. So far, the plan is GT-500 sitting at home in my garage.

Mustang styling.” working out beyond expectations. “We have “I met Mr. Shelby when he complimented PR E STON L I N DSAY already recruited several families into the me on a few cars I had done,” he says. “Later, DHS foster system, and we have six shows we ran into each other in 2011 and had a planned for the coming year.” real conversation. I told him that I’d love So stopping by a local Oklahoma classic car show and visiting the to design my own car for him and, amazingly, he said, ‘Let’s do DHS booth gives you the chance to talk to Engle about his two pasthis.’ We drew up a deal within a week.” sions: Shelby Mustang cars and Oklahoma foster care. - JAMES PRATT Now, Classic Recreations is the only licensed builder of Shelby Mustang GT-350s and GT-500s in the world. Each Mustang comes with Carroll Shelby’s signature embroidered on the dash and into the seats. The cars are designed with modern conveniences, such as rack and pinion steering, wishbone-style suspension, fuel injection, air conditioning, Bluetooth audio and other modern touches, while still holding true to the looks and styling of an original all-American muscle car.

“Our rebuilt Mustangs handle so much better now than the original cars,” says Preston Lindsay, business manager at Classic Recreations. “The old cars used to flop around like a dead fish.

Our cars handle like a modern sports car, with classic Shelby Mustang styling.”

As Classic Recreations’ reputation grew, so did its orders – and, consequently, its employee count. Staffed by self-asserted “car guys,” the company is housed in a small multi-building complex just north of downtown Yukon and only blocks from the world-famous Route 66.

Mustang bodies waiting for a new life JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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in the 405 DESTINATION

It’s Miller Time!

Main Street Yukon in a day

W HE N CAT H Y CU M MI NGS can get time

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mills that were once the town’s main industry – and seems to portion its food to cater to a hungry teenage athlete or one of those past mill workers.

“Our pancakes are half a pound apiece,” says owner Jason McCormack. They aren’t the only large item on the menu, either.

“We have the largest onion rings in the state. There’s nobody that can come close,” he asserts.

The restaurant prides itself on making everything from scratch and using locally produced products to ensure freshness, including its bread for Indian tacos.

In the four years since its opening, the family-owned restaurant Green Chile Kitchen near the intersection of Oklahoma Highway 4 and Main has become a favorite of locals and out-oftown guests.

“What makes us super unique and separates us from Tex-Mex is we make everything fresh daily,” explains owner Tara Peters.

“We grill all four of our own meats. We rotisserie our chicken.

PHOTOS BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER

away from her busy north side Oklahoma City restaurant, Vito’s, one of her favorite fun things to do is to visit the shops on Main Street in Yukon.

“You get the full experience of that smalltown charm,” she says about Yukon’s historic shopping district. “What I really love about Main Street is that it seems to take you back in time.”

The area was a very busy place once, especially on Saturdays. Then, as its suburban southern edge grew toward I-40 and retail businesses followed, it became dormant.

But in recent years, small, locally owned craft shops started to fill in the spaces. And now Yukon’s Main Street is a destination once again.

It only takes 30 minutes to drive to Yukon from OKC, and you don’t even have to worry about turns: just follow NW 39th Street all the way west until it turns into Yukon’s Main Street.

And once you get there, here’s a taste of what a Saturday in the Main Street area might have in store.

STOP AND SHOP The part of Main that still has the look and feel of the once-small town of Yukon can be found between 4th and 5th streets. Where grocery and hardware stores once were, high-quality craft and clothing stores are now. Most of the north side of Main and part of the south side are made up of these distinctive shops where the owner is also the one who sells you the items.

Cummings can’t help gushing about the block.

“Everyone you pass on the street wants to say hello and are so friendly,” she says. “And the shops are all unique; things you wouldn’t find at a mall. They’re the small mom-and-pop shops where the owner is always there.”

The heart of GET SOME GRUB For breakfast, lunch and dinner, Yukon offers a couple of delicious restaurants near downtown shopping on are well worth a try.

Main Street and tastiness Miller Grill, just one block south of Main, from Miller derives its name from Yukon’s high school masGrill and Green Chile Kitchen. cot – inspired by the men who operated the flour

IT’S GO TIME

We make all of our salsas fresh daily.”

They take pride in using hormone- and antibioticfree meats and organically grown produce.

“We use a lot of green chiles in our food,” Peters says. “But you have a Grady’s 66 Pub 444 W Main Street choice between mild and 405.354.8789 hot. And you can tell us gradys66pub.com not to use them at all.”

Peters said that their food is inspired by New Mexico recipes, but has the added creative touch of her brother, Trevor Logan, who started the concept in San Francisco with a restaurant and bakery that are still popular there.

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC Grady’s 66 Pub on Main has become a favorite destination for those who want to relax over a beer, bar food and great tunes in the evening.

Owner Grady Cross was a founding member of Cross Canadian Ragweed, a Red Dirt-style band popular in Oklahoma and Texas, and across the West, from 1998 until its breakup in 2010.

He bought the bar in 2011, renovated it and set out to draw in Miller Grill 326 Elm Avenue 405.265.2775 millergrill.com

Green Chile Kitchen 12 E Main Street 405.265.4346 greenchilekitchen.com

Brews and tunes are plentiful at Grady’s 66 Pub.

some of the best Red Dirt performers. His many connections in the music world have helped bring in strong acts, making the pub a well-known spot for live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and sometimes Thursdays, too.

Visitors to Main Street Yukon can enjoy all of these unique activities in one day. But that doesn’t mean that you have to, or can’t come back again and again. They still will be glad to have you. - BRETT DICKERSON

JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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in the 405 OKLAHOMYTHS

A statue of Kate Barnard in the Oklahoma state capitol building

The First Elected Female?

Fact-checking a persistent Oklahoma myth W I T H T HE R EPU BL ICA N and Democratic National Conventions taking place this month (and the candidates dominating national news for many months already), we’re thinking about elections. And while Hillary Clinton may yet become the nation’s first female president, do you know the story of Oklahoma’s first elected woman?

T HE CL A I M: In 1907, Kate Barnard,

a native of Oklahoma, became the first woman to win a statewide elected office in the United States. She held the office of Commissioner of Charities and Corrections for two terms.

T HE SOU RCE: Oklahoma state government site, Commission on the Status of Women, ok.gov/ocsw/ The_Kate_Barnard_Award/ FACT CHECK: The pioneering social

crusader was Oklahoma’s first woman

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to be elected to statewide office, and championed causes of underserved Oklahomans including children, working women, prisoners and the disabled.

Inspired by Jane Addams, she toured jails, poorhouses and orphanages and successfully lobbied for reforms.

However, while a pioneer in the Sooner State, she was not the first woman in the nation to be elected to statewide office.

According to Women in American Politics: History and Milestones, authored by Doris Weatherford, Barnard was actually the sixth to attain that distinction.

Inspirational? Yes. Worthy of note for future generations? Absolutely. But the first in the nation? Not quite. - M.J. ALEXANDER Editor’s note: Oklahoma is rich with history, lore and fun facts … but some of them aren’t quite factual. In this series, M.J. Alexander hunts for the accuracy – or lack thereof – behind some of our state’s stories.

THOSE PRIOR TO KATE BARNARD Laura J. Eisenhuth elected North Dakota’s state superintendent of schools in 1892 Antoinette J. Peavey elected Colorado’s state superintendent of schools in 1894 Estelle Reel elected Wyoming’s superintendent of schools in 1894 Lucy L. Coues Flower elected to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in 1894 Permeal J. French elected Idaho’s state superintendent of schools in 1898

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in the 405 FAVORITE THINGS

The New Look of Antique Antique Garden’s local allure

DON ’ T L ET T HE NA M E FOOL YOU: Although Antique Garden’s

focus was originally just that – antiques and garden items – there’s much more in store these days. The Norman boutique now offers a range of merchandise from clothes and shoes to candles, tea towels, glassware, jewelry, gift items, chandeliers and furniture, just to name a few ... and yes, they still sell garden items and antiques.

With its unique aesthetic and the variety of merchandise, coupled with great customer service from co-owners Barbara Fite and Mariah Pinkerton, it’s easy to see why people keep coming back again and again to see what’s new. – SAR A GAE WATERS

“I got it from my mama” framed art, $36 Fite calls this magnet board, “The perfect gift for mothers! Locally made right here in Norman by Nikki Harrington.”

Raw wood bookends, $44 “At Antique Garden, we love the earthy bohemian look,” says Fite. “These wood bookends are practical and great for decoration.”

Silver pedestal bowl with plant, $142 Fite asks, “How lovely is this hammered silver bowl? At around 18 inches, it makes for a great focal centerpiece.”

Necklace duo, $68 Pinkerton calls this her “favorite necklace pairing in the store right now,” saying she loves “the beautiful colors of the dainty beads, and the agate is everything.”

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Amethyst geode, $48 “We’re carrying more raw elements of nature, like chunks of amethyst and selenite,” explains Pinkerton. “Gorgeous on a coffee table or used as bookends.”

PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH

Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn suede wedges, $135 “These taupe wedges are one of our best sellers,” says Fite. “They are comfortable to wear and are totally versatile.” Pinkerton adds that they’re “thrilled to be carrying shoes now, although [I’m] going to need a bigger closet.”

Teacher mug, $18 “Because let’s admit,” says Pinkerton, “#teachersaresaints! Share the love.”

Common Grounds candle, $28 Fite explains, “Common Grounds candles are made by local artists.

Their yummy-smelling candles range from Double Espresso to Hazelnut Cappuccino to Caramel Macchiato.”

Micro-lot coffee, $18.75 “This coffee comes from our favorite coffee shop: Elemental in OKC,” smiles Fite.

“Fresh and delicious!”

Feather handle pulls, $8 Pinkerton calls these adornments “a lovely accent for a desk or nightstand.”

Oklahoma watercolor print, $8 Pinkerton says, “We love collaborating with local artists.

Natalie Ann Spencer is an up-and-coming artist with her own line of stationery and prints.”

LOCAL LOVE Touring Antique Garden reveals a passion for items not only made in the good old U.S.A. but locally, as well. As owner Barbara Fite says, “We are making a conscious effort to bring in more local artists and locally sourced products.

We have always done that a bit, but our decision to double down on that effort is based on emotion: We believe strongly in local shopping, supporting your local artists and staying away from mass-produced items made overseas.”

The store has good reason to appreciate awareness of place; it opened in 1997 in a strip mall off Interstate 35 before relocating to historic Campus Corner in 2003. It was a bold move, and some friends advised against it – but her daughter, and co-owner, Mariah Pinkerton talked her mom into it. It couldn’t have been a better decision, as Antique Garden is a solid fixture in the bustling Campus Corner area today. People passing the corner of Buchanan and Boyd can’t miss the store’s unique window displays and welcoming front patio.

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in the 405 TRENDS

From Spencer Stone Co., OKC All by Robert Talbot

All Tied Up Is talking about ties with Father’s Day on the horizon an original idea? No – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. There’s no better time to think about fine neckwear, and they’re a sure thing for a gift idea. The tie is like a blank canvas just waiting to express its wearer’s personal style or absorb the next trend, whether a certain color or design – pin dot, foulard, medallion and more. This traditional accessory, while ubiquitous, can make a huge statement. Whether the man makes the suit or the suit makes the man, the tie definitely has its role to play. - SAR A GAE WATERS

From Trade Men’s Wares, OKC All bow ties by The Hill-Side

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PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH

From Q Clothier, OKC

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in the 405

Bottoms Up

Adjusting to life as the butt of time’s jokes T HER E WA S A T I M E – never mind

how long ago – that I could catch the eye of the occasional gentleman. Despite my fairly average appearance, I’ve often appreciated the friendly nod of the driver in the next lane at a red light, even during “the minivan years.”

Maybe it’s because I’m now older than half the drivers on the road, or maybe it’s because half the drivers on the road are looking at their cell phones, but the friendly nods of yore are fewer and farther between.

I was preoccupied by these thoughts a couple of weeks ago on my way to a doctor’s appointment when it occurred to me that most of the sands of time have slipped to the lower half of my hourglass. And while that may reduce the odds of a love connection with Jude Law at 33rd and Broadway, it means that I have become catnip to the medical professional; I’m at the perfect, fragile age at which doctors can warn me I should “do something now,” and I’ll believe them. Sign me up.

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By the time I finished the doctor’s appointment, I had four more appointments lined up before checkout. I’m not sure whether there’s an age connection to this or I just exude a rare enthusiasm during my visits to the doctor, but for me, the concept of an “annual visit” used to mean a simple “one-and-done” doctor’s appointment.

Now, the annual visit is more of an all-out kickoff party to an entire season of exams and procedures, accompanied by a good measure of lab work to set the mood.

Last month, after making a rather generous blood donation for said lab work, I got a message to call a doctor’s office, presumably to hear about the results. The voice on the recording dripped with honey and sounded exactly like Snow White. Finding an odd comfort in the melody of Snow’s voice, I called her back immediately.

Our conversation began as a sparkly, cheery exchange that painted a mental picture of Snow at her computer, typing with one hand as a bluebird perched on

the other. Within seconds of verifying my birthdate, I sensed a shift in energy. Once I realized this conversation wasn’t even remotely connected to my lab results, the rest of the conversation went south. Way on south.

Snow was, in fact, a scheduling nurse for a proctologist. Faster than I could cross my legs, she launched into her spiel about booking my colonoscopy.

There was no turning back! I had participated in my own undoing. My attempts to feign static from a poor AT&T connection were wasted on Snow, forcing me to turn to my only defense: surliness.

“You know, if you’d said the word ‘colonoscopy’ in the message you left for me, I might not have been so snappy about calling you back,” I said accusingly to Snow.

She mustered a tone that suggested she might have been amused if she hadn’t heard that line a thousand times before.

“It’s a tactic,” she giggled.

Apart from duping me into Hell’s waiting room, Snow was all business about my colon health. Point by point, she covered all the flavors of the napalm shakes I’d need to choke down during the days leading up to the appointment. I tried to negotiate my way out of the pre-cleanse ritual, citing vague religious reasons that I thought could get me a pass. Snow didn’t care. She showed even less interest in my tale (tail) of turbulent woe from my first ride on the pommel horse many moons ago. (Ass jokes – get your ass jokes here.)

I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Snow works on commission for a proctology conglomerate as one of a thousand Time-Life-Operator types, packed into a crowded call center where she, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty get to ring some kind of victory bell for every 100 appointments scored.

In defeat, I got Snow closer to the victory bell.

“Juuuuuuuune,” I sighed, knowing that the perfect, carefree month of blissful summer joys would now be tainted by dread. “Okay – does any particular day work better for you?” Snow chirped.

Why, yes, I replied … the day of the full moon. - LAUREN HAMMACK

ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC SCHOCK

LAUGH LINES

in the 405 ON THE SCENE

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405 Magazine’s Best of the City

Guests, VIPs and winners help us celebrate the high points of life in central Oklahoma with a primo party.

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PHOTOS BY TERRELL FRY

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1. Mayor Mick and Terri Cornett, Scott Crystal 2. Jan Peery, Judy Hatfield, Sheri Bolton, Greg Peery 3. Haylie Treas, Grayson Estes, Megan Fountain, Bridget Jaime 4. Jennifer Salyer, Kindt Myers 5. Madison Mullens, Madeline Mitchell 6. Greg Horton, Hunter and Taylor Desjarlais 7. Chelsea Wadsworth, James Doyle 8. Crystal Davis, Brent Skarky 9. Jennifer and Steve Bentley, Heather Paul, Tanya Turner 10.

Eric Burfict, Ben Grunewald

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Fairy Tale Ball

Oklahoma Children’s Theatre brings a playful party to the Petroleum Club with its annual costumed celebration for kids and parents.

1. Jerrod and Jamie Shouse, Emily and Jeff Blake 2. Andrew, Amy, Ava and Asher McIlhenny 3. Jeff and Emily Blake, Lesley and Scott St. John 4. Jeff, Sally, Addison and Megan Starling 5. Leslie, Elli, Francesca and Tyler Smith

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Allied Arts ARTini

Delicious drinks and the joy of philanthropy fill Allied Arts’ ARTini fundraiser, a cocktail tasting with an old-school arcade theme.

1. Cecilie Fjeldstad, Peter Dolese, Tove Ragna Reksten 2. Annie Tucker, Madeline O’Connor, Lindsey Caram 3. Art and Sandy Cotton, Dinah and Matt Cloud 4. Tyler Bolton, Brittni Shull, Courtney and Ed Blau 5. Kasey Boes, Katie Rutledge 6. Kris Murray, Jessi Chapman

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in the 405 FITNESS

Inside or out, north, south or central, no-cost exercise options abound in the 405.

12-week chunks, and registration is required.

Valerie McMurry-Hopkins, Metro Technology Centers’ wellness coordinator, said the community initiative sprang naturally from programming already in place for employees. “The Northeast Oklahoma City community’s health statistics are among the poorest in the state of Oklahoma; Metro Tech made the decision to invite the community to join our programs that were already funded for the employees.”

It’s been a huge success, with some 300 people of all ages and fitness levels joining in the free fun.

Enrollment for the next batch starts June 20.

Lululemon Athletica’s Classen Curve location has been a free workout hotspot since it opened three years ago.

“Every month, we pick a studio, gym or CrossFit box of the month and offer them space in the store to hold free community classes every Saturday at 9 a.m. We keep our Facebook page updated with what’s coming up each week,” says community team leader Hillary McLain. Expect to find yoga, Pilates, body-weight exercise

Free, fit and fab in the 405

FOR A COM BI NAT ION of expertise and scheduling convenience, a personal trainer’s service certainly can be a solid investment. On the other hand, who says you have to join a gym or buy passes at a studio to get in a variety of great workouts every single week? If you’re clever and flexible, you can do it all, not pay a penny, reap the fitness rewards and make lots of new, like-minded friends. There are free cardio and strength-training classes, running and cycling groups and yoga classes happening almost daily in the 405, and it’s no accident.

“We’ve brought all of our wellness grantees together and developed an organization called the Wellness Alliance,” says Sally Ray, community programs manager for the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. “It’s made up of nonprofits, clubs, the city of Oklahoma City’s Parks and Recreation Department and others, like Metro Technology Centers and Integris Hospitals.

“We know that Oklahoma ranks poorly when it comes to health outcomes. We struggle with obesity, smoking and nutrition,” she says. “The trustees here at the Community Foundation decided we need to do more than offer grants, we need to play a role – and establishing the Wellness Alliance, which we hope will become self-sustaining at some point, was the best way we could think of to get potential collaborators together in the same room. We’re very excited about it.”

One of the grantees, Metro Technology Centers, has introduced MetroFit free community classes. They’re offered in

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PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN

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many Yoga in the Park (YIP) groups. YIP community yoga programs are run by volunteers in parks and other public spaces, and although they welcome donations, participants need never feel pressured to pay a single dollar … ever. The YIP mission is to be a free yoga outreach program for the community.

Runners and cyclists, or people who would like to become runners or cyclists, can join in the many free group bike rides and runs offered by shops such as Schlegel Bicycles, Charley’s Bicycle Lab and Red Coyote Running and Fitness.

Investing in your health is never a bad idea, but cash isn’t the only form of investment – a little time and effort can be more than enough to get you moving in the right direction. - CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

GET THE SKINNY ON FREE WORKOUTS IN THE 405 classes or weighted fitness classes, all of which are open to anyone 18 or older. If you choose to shop after class, that’s on you.

Meegan Holman, owner of Commit Nutrition in Norman, will offer a thrice-weekly, low-impact fit camp designed for people looking for a more entry-level, body-weight workout, perfect for knee and joint issues, or for those wishing to lose a substantial amount of weight. Her classes start Aug. 1.

Yogis can get their asanas moving at classes offered from Blanchard to Edmond and from Yukon to Shawnee by one of the

Lululemon Athletica - facebook.com/lululemonOklahomaCity

Metro Technology Centers MetroFit - metrotech.edu/metrofit Red Coyote Running and Fitness - redcoyoterunning.com runhers - runhers.com Yoga in the Park - facebook.com/YIPOklahoma Schlegel Bicycles - schlegelbicycles.com Charley’s Bicycle Lab - charleysbicyclelab.com Commit Nutrition - meeganholman@gmail.com

EXCELLENCE AND QUALITY WITH A PERSONAL APPROACH We are pleased to announce the opening of Advanced CardioVascular Solutions, a new state-of-the-art outpatient catheterization lab in northwest Oklahoma City. The doctors and staff of ACS aim to provide personalized and quality care that exceeds community standards – in a comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective environment. Our highly trained physicians and staff are committed to providing patients from across the state of Oklahoma with the highest level of care to diagnose and treat a wide range of cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases, with an array of amenities that will allow a calm, relaxed medical experience.

DWAYNE A. SCHMIDT, M.D. | JIM G. MELTON, D.O. 3200 Quail Springs Parkway, Suite 200 | Oklahoma City, OK 73134 RURAL LOCATIONS: Woodward | Chickasha | Weatherford | Pauls Valley

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405.701.9880 | info@cvhealthclinic.com

Fashion + Home Furnishings Beauty + Gifts + Jewelry

JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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3/30/16 12:04 PM

ON E L B A VAIL A W O N TANDS

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TRENDSETTER

OUTDOOR OPULENCE

Wicker Chairs From summer evening parties to elegant afternoon brunches, all are sure to feel like royalty when seated upon these amazing Bandung Spider Wicker Chairs from Light & Living. $250

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Indoor/Outdoor Reversible Rugs Throw the patio doors wide open. Whichever side you choose, Feizy’s Nevis Reversible Rugs allow you to easily transform your style from the indoors to the outdoors. $200 and up

Visit us at our store 7 days a week (see our site for hours) or our booth at the Uptown Farmer’s Market (see uptown23rd.com for schedule).

Sunbrella Pillows These colorful pillows by Sunbrella, in a variety of trendy patterns and colors, are sure to add a pop of posh to any outdoor living space.

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JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Great Gifts Defining Italian luxury, this buffalo horn and wood frame from Tonino Lamborghini represents true Italian design, style and flair. Handcrafted in Italy, an ideal gift for any Dad! $730 Physicians Optical

Perfect for Father's Day: the Hamilton Khaki Pilot Day-Date watch. Featuring a 42mm stainless steel case, quartz movement and leather strap. Ruggedly elegant at $545 Naifeh Fine Jewelry The Lancet “Noble” knife by William Henry features a frame in hand-carved sterling silver, inlaid with a section of a 10,000-year-old wooly mammoth tusk, and a blade in hand-forged Damascus steel. $1,850 BC Clark Jewelers

SHOPPING NEWS OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART

June 1-30 Browse a wide selection of one-of-a-kind Father’s Day gifts from handcrafted wood cufflinks to stainless steel wallets at OKCMOA’s Museum Store.

June 2-30 Enjoy dinner at the Museum Cafe and a film at OKCMOA for just $29 per person on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Call the Museum Cafe at 405.235.6262 for reservations.

Handcrafted by Thomas Davin and Mary Kesler, these beautiful cufflinks ($67.95) and card case ($46.95) feature intricate wood detailing. Museum Store, OKC Museum of Art

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June 18-September 18 OKCMOA will be the exclusive North American venue for the special exhibition Matisse in His Time. Get your tickets now at okcmoa.com/matisse!

June 19 The OKC Museum of Art wants to say “Thank You!” to dads by offering FREE admission for dads on Father’s Day. Congrats, dads, you deserve it!

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Plan a trip today to visit one of Oklahoma’s many museums. You will be surprised and delighted.

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JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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creatives

Artistic Impact

Erin Cooper goes big “A R E YOU CR A Z Y?” That was Erin Cooper’s response when a group of Western Avenue leaders urged her to design and lead two other artists to create a mural 120 feet wide and 19 feet high. And it wasn’t in a secluded spot that only a few people would see. Thousands would, daily.

That strong response was because when they asked in early 2014, she had only begun the transition from abstract to figurative art.

“I had never even considered doing a mural before that,” she says. She was just starting to experiment with painting faces and the human figure.

But being a creative person who values change and challenge in her art, Cooper agreed.

“Does this rose give a damn”

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Erin Cooper

MURALIST The team did it. Cooper, Amanda Bradway and Lauren Miller completed the mural in October 2014.

Now the public can enjoy “Oklahoma Aiukli” at NW 37th Street and Western Avenue in OKC. The mural’s title comes from the model they used: the 13-year-old Choctaw woman Bella Aiukli, whose name means “beauty” in the Choctaw language. She is active in her tribe and a positive role model for others.

Cooper created the mural to incorporate visitors standing “in” the hands of Aiukli, and has been surprised by reactions to that feature.

“It’s really funny,” she says. “People tag me all the time in new photos of them interacting with that mural and the one over in the Plaza District Alley.”

That solo effort, “Our Crowns Are Bought and Paid For,” was completed in November 2015. Like the one on Western, the Plaza District mural was painted to allow interactions – a woman holds a crown at just the right height for most to pose as though it’s being placed on their heads.

It’s part of a project called Plaza Walls, in which an alley behind the storefronts between N Indiana and N Gatewood avenues on 16th Street has been transformed into entryways for new shops and businesses. The extensive mural art there has made the alley an inviting space instead of the forbidding maze of dumpsters that it was before.

“The initial idea was about recognizing your self-worth, and acknowledging the struggles of the people who fought to make our lives better,” Cooper says.

ERIN COOPER AND “DOES THIS ROSE GIVE A DAMN” BY CHARLIE NEUENSCHWANDER; “OKLAHOMA AUIKLI” COURTESY DYLAN BRADWAY

BY BRET T DICKERSON

“Oklahoma Aiukli”

VISUAL ARTIST Cooper’s training started with extensive schooling in the Air Force, where she learned many types of design. When she started experimenting with canvas visual art, it was more abstract and illustrative.

Making the shift from abstract to figurative art (that studies the human body) has been a significant recent development.

It has meant one big, new start with murals, and now another start with small canvas pieces.

She just completed her first canvas figurative show at The Project Box in OKC’s Paseo District in March. “I just love her art,” says owner Lisa Jean Allswede. She

approached Cooper about the show, and described herself as excited to have her there.

One gallery visitor that night was Vanessa McIntire, an art teacher from Mustang High School, who brought her students and eagerly pointed out the strong points of Cooper’s paintings. “It’s really nice,” McIntire says. “If I had the money, I would buy it.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Currently completing several more large-scale public murals, Cooper says, “Public art is my big focus and interest.” She is working “to be better and faster and create more beautiful large-scale work.”

PLACE MAKING

Where to find Erin Cooper murals

“Oklahoma Aiukli” 3704 N Western, OKC, viewable from NW 37th Street on the east side of Western Avenue “Our Crowns Are Bought and Paid For” Plaza Alley, OKC, behind storefronts just north of NW 16th Street between N Indiana and N Gatewood avenues To learn about new projects and shows, visit ecooperstudio.com.

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JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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territory ahead

The Corner That Never Was America’s Corner turns 20

YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING CLOSE TO OKLAHOMA CITY

when one of the giant maps f lashes by, about 20 miles outside the city proper.

Chipper and striking in red, white and blue, the body-length signs are staked on the right shoulder of the interstates and turnpike, greeting traffic on its way to the capital city.

They show a silhouette of the continental United States, depicted with an odd combination of detail – illustrating, for instance, the precise shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, Cape Cod and Chesapeake Bay alongside a maybe-something-likethis attitude toward the border with Mexico, coupled with a middle-school-geography-test shrug of the shoulders in outlining the Great Lakes and Michigan.

But so what? The most important elements of the sign have nothing to do with the other 47 states on this map; it’s Oklahoma that is the star.

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BY M.J. ALEX ANDER

Reimagined larger than the state of Texas, standing out boldly in red against a nation of white, Super Oklahoma stretches from Nevada to Illinois, Texas to Nebraska.

Its interstate arteries – I-35, I-44 and I-40 – meet in the center, pinpointing the heart of the state and the precise interchange motorists are barreling toward.

The sign announces the news: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING AMERICA’S CORNER. But that is the last travelers will hear of it. The intersections themselves make no mention of the designation.

America’s Corner is not listed in tourism brochures, f logged on truck stop magnets or featured on T-shirts. Only a handful of photos are posted online, taken of the signs from windows of fast-moving vehicles or by daredevils who pull over on the interstate for a quick shot.

What gives?

As it happens, this month marks the 20th anniversary of the birth of America’s Corner. In the first week of June 1996, Oklahoma’s Transportation Commission approved an action called for by Senate Joint Resolution 37, “to promote the state as a national hub for transportation-sensitive industries.” The resolution had requested that a 20-mile radius around the intersection of Interstates 35, 40 and 44 be designated as America’s Corner.

The idea was similar to the foresight shown long ago by Tulsa businessman Cyrus Avery, who successfully lobbied to have the major road from Chicago to Los Angeles drop south through Oklahoma: Position the state as the center of the next big thing in transportation.

“I-35, I-40 and I-44 are AMERICA’S CORNER, and we must use them to OUR ADVANTAGE.” STAT E SE NATOR K EI T H L EF T W ICH

With the North American Free Trade Agreement taking effect in 1994, talk turned to a superhighway crossing the United States and joining Canada and Mexico.

Oklahoma jockeyed to position itself as a key player in the debate, promoting I-35 as the main NAFTA trade corridor. In 1997, the Tulsa World reported: “State officials are touting Oklahoma as ‘America’s Corner,’ the hub of an international trade route that links the United States with its international North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico.”

U.S. Sen. Don Nickles, a Republican from Ponca City, designated I-35 as a high-priority corridor in the National Highway Bill, noting “an international trade corridor will help to stimulate local economies in need of a boost, such as Oklahoma City.”

State Sen. Keith Leftwich, a Democrat representing south Oklahoma City, promoted and invoked the new name, arguing “It is time for Oklahoma to take advantage of our strengths to encourage economic growth, and, right now, Oklahoma is faced with a tremendous opportunity. I-35, I-40 and I-44 are America’s Corner, and we must use them to our advantage.”

In the weeks before the America’s Corner designation, The Oklahoman wrote: “If tourism was the mother of U.S. Route 66 – then trade will be the father of the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement superhighway system.”

But the project – sidelined by political battles, lack of funds and shifting priorities – never materialized.

In the years since, the concept of a NAFTA-inspired superhighway has become a bête noire of conspiracy theorists, who see it as a virtual highway to hell: a monster swath of 10 lanes of pavement stretching maybe four football fields wide, slicing through the heartland and a step on the road to a North American Union that would strip the United States of its sovereignty.

Undeterred, the signs stand sentry in testament to a 20-yearold dream, declaring in patriotic red, white and blue that Oklahoma City – once one of the featured stops on the 20th century’s Main Street of America – is the proud 21st century home of the spot where the interstates cross to form America’s Corner.

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GEMS

by James Pratt

SIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES TO TREASURE IN THE SOONER STATE

WHEN YOU'RE ON A TRIP, INTERSTATES ARE EXCELLENT AT GETTING QUICKLY FROM POINT A TO POINT B ... BUT SOME TRULY FASCINATING DESTINATIONS ARE WAITING AT POINT C, OR D, OR Q. THIS SUMMER, TRY VENTURING A LITTLE OFF THE HIGH-SPEED TRACK TO EXPLORE SOME OF OKLAHOMA'S LESS OVERT ATTRACTIONS. JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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L

ong before the internet, my wife Kay and I were always looking for low-cost ways to both entertain and educate our kids – and, more importantly, get them out of the house. We developed a family tradition of loading up in the Chevy Suburban and hitting the back roads of Oklahoma to discover tidbits of Oklahoma history. Usually these were day trips, sometimes camping overnighters.

First we hit the well-known Oklahoma landmarks such as the world-class Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, the Tucker Tower at Lake Murray and the Marland Mansion in Ponca City. Never wanting to travel the main interstates, we would meander along county roads and byways and enjoy discovering lesser-known nuggets of Oklahoma. After our kids were grown, we continued our travels via two Jeeps and even dual sport enduro motorcycles. Over the years, we have collected hundreds of unusual Oklahoma locations in our GPS, ranging from ghost towns to restaurants to colorfully painted rocks and even rural art displays.

Here, we share a few of our Oklahoma gems.

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Clayton Lake State Park 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CLAYTON ON US HIGHWAY 271

You could be forgiven if you roll out of your tent early in the morning, gaze though the mist rising off the lily pad-covered water, and think you’re in the high mountains of Colorado.

Instead, you’re at Clayton Lake State Park in southeastern Oklahoma. Nestled deep in the Kiamichi Mountains five miles south of Clayton and the much more famous Sardis Lake, Clayton Lake is one of the lesser-known crown jewels in Oklahoma’s State Park system.

You can fish in the quiet waters, mountain bike in the surrounding rugged terrain, visit the monster jeep off-road park in Clayton, stop by the capitol building of the Choctaw Indian Nation in nearby Tuskahoma or ride motorcycles along some of the best roads in the state. With the purchase of an affordable Oklahoma Land Access Fee permit, you can enjoy almost 300,000 acres of wilderness in the Honobia and Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area, where you can hunt, fish, kayak, hike and explore the rugged mountainous terrain. Cabins and hot showers are available.

Bowling Ball Yard Art

BOWLING BALL ART PHOTO BY MJ ALEXANDER

NOWATA / BOWLINGBALLYARDART.COM

What do you do when you have a few extra bowling balls lying around your house? Decorate!

Chris Barbee of Nowata turned his humble home into a world-renowned work of art. Using bowling balls. Lots and lots and lots of bowling balls.

Drive a mile down a dusty gravel road north of Nowata, past the cows grazing in the pasture, and soon you will come across a startlingly creative collection of bowling ball art. You can have your picture taken in front of an American flag made of dozens of brightly colored balls, or gaze at the caterpillar made of balls. Or the bowling ball spider. A Mickey Mouse stop sign. Ladybugs? A monstrous pool table with bowling balls? An entire fence of bowling balls? The variety is astonishing.

In addition, you can walk into a small “shed” made of bowling balls that houses – what else? – famous or unique bowling balls.

Route 66 tour buses often detour to see this eclectic collection of one man’s hobby. Visit and sign the guest book.

U.S. Cavalry Museum EL RENO / USCAVALRY.ORG

The Cavalry is coming! Literally. The United States Cavalry Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping the traditions of horse-mounted cavalry alive in the United States, recently moved its museum to historic Fort Reno just west of El Reno.

Fort Reno has been the host to the U.S. Cavalry’s annual Bivouac and National Cavalry Competition, which brings equine enthusiasts from all over the world to watch and participate in training events and competition designed to keep alive the skills used in the U.S. Cavalry. Each September, participants flock to Fort Reno and spend a week learning skills such as horse-mounted maneuvers, cavalry horse training tactics, period-correct uniform design and maintenance, even how to conduct a proper mounted saber charge. At the end of the week, competitions are held in which cavalrymen (and women) compete with sabers, rifles and pistols, all while astride galloping horses.

The museum contains important information and displays on the history of the United States Cavalry. Bring your children and show them the McClellan saddles used by cavalrymen for years. Read training books on how to properly care for your horse – the Army way. The museum is a wealth of historical information and a great way to provide interesting historical education to kids, while giving them room to run and play on the expansive parade grounds of this historic fort.

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Ingalls Ghost Town INGALLS

If your idea of a “gem� leans more to tidbits of obscure Oklahoma history than places to eat, visit the Payne County ghost town of Ingalls, located a few miles southeast of Stillwater.

A lonely monument on a now-empty street marks the spot of a deadly gun battle between a posse of 14 U.S. Deputy marshals from Guthrie and members of the infamous Doolin-Dalton Gang on Sept. 1, 1893. Intent on capturing the outlaws, the marshals descended on Ingalls, and three of their number and one gang member were killed and several people wounded, including two local townspeople. Today, replicas of several 1890s buildings dot the town.

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Railhead BBQ GUTHRIE / RAILHEADBBQOK.COM

Better than Eischen’s? Some people think so. Located a quarter mile north of Waterloo on Douglas Boulevard, Railhead BBQ doesn’t need fancy décor or a first-class location to succeed; they are known for their food.

Unlike their more famous counterpart, Railhead serves up not only some of the best fried chicken in Oklahoma, but all the fixins – fries, baked beans, cole slaw – along with brisket and ribs. The choice is yours … but be sure to try the fried chicken. It might put your grandma’s to shame. And enjoy the old-time country. You know, Bob Wills, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Patsy Cline – the classics of country music.

Nutopia Nuts 'n More HYDRO / NUTOPIANUTS.COM

Next time you are on a long drive west on I-40 toward Weatherford, Clinton, Elk City or even Amarillo, Colorado or other points west, take a few minutes to pull off the Interstate at the diminutive Hydro exit. Follow the road north about a mile into town and you will come across an Oklahoma gem that many international travelers exploring Route 66 are sure to visit, yet few in Oklahoma are aware of: Nutopia Nuts ’n More, formerly Johnson Peanut Company.

Originally founded in 1962 to market the local peanut crop, Johnson Peanut Company operated a retail store in Hydro for many years, selling delectables such as peanut brittle, peanut butter, chocolate-covered nuts, honey roasted nuts and more. The store was taken over by the daughters of the original founder and renamed Nutopia Nuts ’n More, while the product line has been enhanced to include local jellies, jams and relishes, as well as Route 66 gifts.

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B&B Grocery KENDRICK

What do you get when you combine a grocery store with a deli with a town museum with a feed store? B&B Grocery Store in Kendrick is pretty close to the answer.

While the local school has closed, the post office has left town and most businesses are nothing more than hulking empty buildings, B&B Grocery thrives in what would otherwise be another Oklahoma ghost town. Located just north of Chandler, this store is worth the short trip if only to enjoy sitting at the antique school table, eating a handmade deli sandwich, drinking a grape Nehi and browsing the Kendrick High School memorabilia lining the walls.

The place is clean and neat as a pin, and the proprietors obviously take pride in being the “last store standing� in this tiny town.

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Lovera's Handcrafted Foods KREBS / LOVERASMARKET.COM

Kickstart Bed and Breakfast

STIGLER / KICKSTARTBEDANDBREAKFAST.COM

If you like motorcycles, you will love this cycle-centric bed and breakfast in Stigler, Oklahoma. Operated by longtime riders Mike and Patty Youngpeter, this perfectly maintained home features a unique motorcycle-related decor for each room.

Do your interests lean toward American bikes? Pick the Harley Davidson or Indian Motorcycle rooms to surround yourself with historical two-wheeled Americana. Or do you prefer an Italian flavor to your ride? Stay in the Ducati room for a touch of exotica. Gather in the front entry to meet the nicest people around a Honda scooter that is right smack in the middle of the foyer.

Of course, the food is as delicious as one would expect, and riding the mountains south of Stigler makes the trip perfect. Dirt bikes are your thing? Schedule with Mike in advance, and he will lead you on a dual sport dirt bike adventure into the rugged mountains of eastern Oklahoma. Even if you currently are bound by four wheels, you will love the decor and friendliness of this unique getaway.

Many Oklahomans are familiar with the world-famous Pete’s Place Italian restaurant in Krebs. Fewer know about the unique, and incredibly delicious, Lovera’s just down the street. Not a restaurant, Lovera’s is a fine grocer and meat market that offers homemade cheeses, sausages, bread, oils, spices, espresso, cookies and other specialties with a uniquely Italian flavor.

While many of its products are imported from Italy, Lovera’s has been crafting its own cheeses for decades.

You can stop in and grab some cheese, crackers and Italian sausage for a wonderful picnic or take some home as a gift. Explore the store and learn a bit of Italian history, and be ready to fall in love with its flavors.

Indian Meridian Monument LANGSTON

Many Oklahoma County residents have driven Indian Meridian Road in the eastern part of the county, but may not be aware of the significance of the name.

In 1870, the federal government established an arbitrary point one mile south of Fort Arbuckle to be used as the baseline for developing a geographic survey of what was then Indian Territory. Indian Meridian is a north/south line running through this baseline point. A similar Indian Base Line runs east/west across Oklahoma through this point, as well. A grid of township and range lines was used to divide the land into sections.

Using this grid system, all land in Oklahoma (except the Panhandle, which was “No Man’s Land” at the time) was surveyed from the baseline point, using Indian Meridian and Indian Base as reference lines.

The Indian Meridian Monument was erected in 1922 where the east/west Ozark Trail crossed the Indian Meridian. Over the years, it fell into disrepair, but was recently updated and provides an interesting stop on the way to Stillwater.

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Jeremiah Lovato’s splendid mural at SW 25th and Walker depicts the Stations of the Cross.

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THREE TALES OF

ONE

CITY

OKC AS SEEN FROM VARYING VIEWS

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON PHOTOS BY SIMON HURST

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I

n a city as expansive and varied as ours, the question of what makes it remarkable easily could prompt a different answer from each of the more than 600,000 people who call Oklahoma City home. Approaching the subject from their differing backgrounds and mindsets, these three noteworthy citizens focus on some of the different facets that combine to make the 405 a distinctive whole.

Painting a city portrait

A painter and line artist of Choctaw descent whose work is collected around the world, D.G. Smalling has been creating for as long as he can remember, and describes art – performing or visual – as a way of life for him and his family. That means that his Oklahoma City is a wonderland of great art, whether in galleries or painted onto buildings, as well as incredible food from every ethnicity, and people and places he loves. And make no mistake, he loves OKC. “Oklahoma City is young,” he says. “In 100 years, this city has transformed itself. We are a city where the arts are paramount, and the city embraces art in remarkable ways. It’s almost in defiance of the idiocy of the Oklahoma Legislature, and I mean the sycophant obstructionists that I have the pleasure of never working with and always against, who are cutting and cutting away at the arts and culture of our state. Oklahoma Cityans are contrarians, so, in a way, they’re saying ‘f--- you, we will have art and we will be proud in the face of insanity.’ We are seeing an increase in great food, even in schools, more diversity in our leadership, more sports, more music … because that’s what a republic is, after all.

“When I want to give visitors the full Oklahoma City experience, I drive them from Norman to Edmond on Western Avenue, and then from Nicoma Park to Lake Overholser on NW 23rd Street. That’s Oklahoma City,” he says. “You see the full spectrum: wages, ethnicity, religions, people. The confluence is wonderful. And the food is exceptional.”

Florence’s Restaurant, 1437 NE 23rd, is a great place to start our tour. The chicken thighs and collards are among Smalling’s favorite meals. It’s a coincidence, but shouldn’t be surprising, that this magazine included Florence’s in last month’s colossal guide to excellent cheap eats in the 405.

Smalling also let us in on a personally treasured secret: “OK, Cattlemen’s has the best burger in the entire world, but it’s not on the menu. First of all, the place dry-ages its meat for 33 days.” He waxed poetic about that for a minute or two and then returned to the subject at hand. “Ask for the Heart Attack Burger. It’s about $10, and it’s a half-pound, ground-steak patty. It’s served on Texas toast, and it’s topped with grilled onions, grilled jalapenos and three cheeses. It’s served medium-rare. And then, be sure to

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order these sides: the house dressing and barbeque sauce. These are for dipping your onion rings or French fries. There. I just betrayed myself, that’s my favorite guilty pleasure in the city.”

Murals are another big part of his OKC. “The Hunter Battery building at the southwest corner of SW 25th and Walker is covered in an incredible mural by [Jeremiah] Lovato,” he says. “It is exquisite. It’s the Stations of the Cross, beautifully rendered. Beautiful.”

Another one, at Robert S. Kerr and Classen, not coincidentally a stone’s throw from the Oklahoma County Jail, depicts “Humanity looking to God,” Smallings says. “It “In 100 years, this city speaks to redemption. When has transformed itself. you see that, that is art. That is a serious skillset. The detail We are a city where the on the body, the anatomical arts are paramount, and correctness … there is no the city embraces art in slacking on this.” Coming from remarkable ways.” a man who has been a featured artist at Epcot in Walt Disney - d.g. smalling World, the State of Oklahoma Centennial Show in 2007 and Paris’ Grand Palais, and been commissioned to paint portraits of such luminaries as Sandra Day O’Connor, Tom Cole, T. Boone Pickens, and Sir Tony Blair, that’s high praise indeed.

He points out that there is a treasure trove of art, which can be seen by appointment, at the Oklahoma Judicial Center. According to Smalling, Justice Yvonne Kauger, who is like a godmother to him, believes that the center is the house of the people, and the artwork inside and on the grounds is the people’s, too.

“Sixty percent of what is in there is from the archives of the Historical Society and is on permanent loan. The rest has been commissioned from Oklahoma artists,” Smalling says.

Touchingly, in the 1980s, when the state’s veterans memorial needed restoration, it was the court that undertook the project, with

This beautifully detailed mural brightens the area near Robert S. Kerr and Classen.

the position that the Supreme Court and the military men and women who have died are partners in defending the constitution.

Down the road with Matt Goad Oklahoma City musician and artist Matt Goad has formed a record label with Chainsaw Kittens frontman Tyson Meade, aiming to celebrate Oklahoma musicians. A sleepy-sounding Goad answered the phone at the agreed-upon interview time early on a Thursday morning, despite having spent most of the night at Norman’s Bell Labs, a recording studio owned by Kitten and longtime musician Trent Bell.

“Hey, could I call you right back?” Goad asked, a little raspy and clearly uncaffeinated. About 20 minutes later, there was a much perkier voice on the line. His natural enthusiasm for art of any ilk kicked in like matcha, and the conversation was off and running, in a decisively nonlinear direction.

“I’m really, really excited about a project I’m doing with Tyson,” he says. “We’ve started a record label. It’s called Shaking Shanghai, and it’s all about bands that we listen to and that we’ve curated.

Tyson is incredibly well known in the underground music scene – and in fact, he’s in L.A. right now, hanging out with the Counting Crows guys. We’re up to some pretty big things, focusing on indie, underground and primarily Oklahoma-based bands.”

The name Shaking Shanghai is a nod to two things: Meade’s time spent as the headmaster of a boarding school in China, and Oklahoma’s thousands of earthquakes. Meade may also be a political savant. “How crazy is the fact that Trump may be our next president,” Goad muses. “Tyson predicted the whole thing,

in a way, in 1993 on his album “Pop Heiress.”

“Right now, we are focused on three bands.

Gum, which is an indie rock/pop group, recorded their first record with us last year. Most people don’t expect that we would have this kind of music in Oklahoma, but we do.”

“It’s not just the artists who Norman-based band have sort of become the usual Helen Kelter Skelter is the second of three suspects around town, it’s ponies in the stable, and tons of new kids who are doing Goad’s own group, the all kinds of weird stuff.”

Feel Spectres, is the third.

- matt goad “These young guys are awesome,” Goad says.

“They’re doing things that are so creative and they’re really worth seeking out and listening to.” Goad’s band is releasing its third album, and has been described as a “feel-good, spacey pop party.”

But back to the murals.

“My other big thing is art,” Goad says. He’s a regionally acclaimed painter, and his work is almost everywhere, if you look.

“There’s a place called Lettering Express, and they’re kind of an artistic hub. It’s a sign company but it’s so much more.”

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An Overlooked Gem OKC’s superfood supercenter Spices of India H E R E ’S SOM E TH I NG YO U S HO U LD definitely add to your own view of the city. Who could have predicted that when the doors of the iconic 66 Bowl closed for the last time, the building’s next incarnation would be as a massive international grocer and café?

I can think of just two people: Nita and Rajni Patel, who for 25 years have brought Oklahoma City, well, Spices of India – and for many, the flavors of home. They moved into the location in 2012 after occupying several locations in a shopping center at NW 23rd and MacArthur.

“Our first location was just 1,250 square feet, and when we started, we really didn’t know what we were doing,” says a smiling, soft-spoken Nita Patel. Today, the grocery side of the building is 18,000 square feet, with an additional 2,500 allocated to the restaurant Rasoi, which serves up delicious, economical curries in an unpretentious setting.

“We try to help each customer, to make special orders for them and to give them a little bit of home. We have a lot of British people, who are stationed at Tinker from overseas, who shop here. We support many communities’ needs. People from India, Pakistan and other Asian and Middle Eastern countries shop here.”

After a quarter-century, the Patels are now the go-to grocers for a second generation of clients, who grew up coming to Spices of India with their parents.

“We try to help each customer, to make special orders for them and to give them a little bit of home.”

“We are always trying new things,” Patel says. “You have to take risks.”

In 2013, the pair took a calculated risk and added a café to the enterprise, Rasoi. It’s not fancy by any means – expect disposable plates and cutlery – but the food! Fragrant, perfectly spiced curries, fresh, warm flatbreads and decadent sweets are the house specialties, and they are delicious.

It would take days to properly explore all of the offerings at Spices of India. The “we can pickle that” hipsters of “Portlandia” would lose their minds: One aisle alone holds definitive proof that you can, in fact. Chiles, limes, ginger, mango, bitter gourds, lemons, onions, fish, prawns and tomatoes are all pickled and jarred, and just waiting to top your baked salmon or sassy up your hummus.

Dried lentils of every description, along with every bean you could ever want, line the shelves of one bowling lane-length aisle. In a corner, near the check stand, is a small but well-curated produce department filled with exotic and familiar offerings. Around the edges of the store are religious items and incense on one wall; frozen foods, cooking utensils and kitchenware on another.

Here’s a serious scoop, though, for health nuts, foodies and regular people: You know how at Whole Paycheck a tiny, 10-ounce box of quinoa is $6? At Spices of India, you can buy a FIVE POUND BAG of the superfood for $29.99. And that’s not the only superfood you can buy, in bulk, at great prices here.

Garam masala, turmeric, sumac, fresh ginger and so much more, again $9 or $10 for a teeny jar elsewhere, are available by the pound. Grab a few friends, buy in bulk and divvy up your spoils. Your pantry and your pocketbook will write you thank-you notes.

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Entire walls are works of art at Lettering Express on Reno Avenue.

“It’s at Reno and Penn, and every couple of months they host art openings. It’s not just the artists who have sort of become the usual suspects around town, it’s tons of new kids who are doing all kinds of weird stuff.”

Goad has a few murals in progress, but while the rest of us are just discovering the richly muralled majesty of the 405, Goad is clearly on to the next thing. He’s not really taciturn, but he’s got the restless, never-satisfied tone of an artist who is restless and never satisfied.

“I don’t know how I feel about murals anymore,” he says. “I mean, they’re great, but everybody’s doing murals, sort of just for the sake of it. Just because you have a big wall doesn’t mean you should paint a mural on it.”

That being said, Goad’s next murals are planned for spots on Film Row and the Plaza District. Insert smiling emoji here.

Taking care of business Roy Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, knows the ins and outs of our fair city, as well, and he loves spilling the beans about the inherent coolness of Oklahoma City. Especially if it’s unexpectedly cool.

“Oklahoma City is one of the best cities for startup businesses.

One of the Chamber’s biggest initiatives is economic development through entrepreneurship,” Williams says. “Think about the companies in Oklahoma City that are fantastic corporate citizens. They were all startups right here: Love’s, Devon, Chesapeake, Sonic and American Fidelity.

“The reality is that corporate relocation doesn’t happen. Not often. So we want to grow the next Love’s right here. And we are serious about it. We offer people with big ideas tools to help them: mentoring, early-stage capital development and incubator space.

“Here’s something not many people realize. Even now, Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate is just 3.9 percent,” he says. “We all know that there have been layoffs and downsizing in the oil sector, which is hard, but the oil industry, the energy industry only makes up 3 percent of the metro’s employment. Now, the impact on nonprofits and other things is different. But for employment, biosciences and aviation/aerospace each make up about 6 percent. But that’s different from the public’s perception.”

Another fun fact that may surprise you: The fastest-growing employment sector in Oklahoma City is hospitality. “Sports have

become really big,” Williams says. “Bricktown has blossomed.

Hotels are popping up all over the place. Construction is going like gangbusters.”

Williams reports that Oklahoma City is engaging in some socio-experimentation, as well, and it’s happening as we speak in two adjacent districts, now morphing into something new. An innovation district now encompasses the Health Sciences Center and Automobile Alley.

“It’s a Brookings Institute Innovation District,” Williams says. “The idea is that we want all of the smartest people to live and work and interact together. It’s a challenge from a logistical standpoint because, in the old days, everything was zoned separately: residential, retail and so on.”

Slower traffic, more biking lanes and making a place where people can walk between their homes, jobs, entertainment and shopping are some of the things a study by the Brookings Institute and the Project for Public Spaces have identified as key.

“Oklahoma City is an innovative community, and Brookings and PPS’ study will allow us to continue to realize and capitalize on our assets,” says Williams. “The continued growth of Oklahoma City’s medical center and the surrounding areas will bolster the economy and strengthen the bonds of collaboration. And equally important, the lessons learned during this project will be applicable to other areas of Oklahoma City.”

Williams points out that we’re a forward-thinking city. In the next three years “The idea is that we want all alone, the face of our of the smartest people to city will undergo further transformation with the live and work and interact completion of MAPS together. It’s a challenge projects such as the from a logistical standpoint convention center and because, in the old days, downtown park. “Our new transit system will everything was zoned be done in just two separately: residential, years.” retail and so on.”

Similar integrative - Roy Williams development has happened, or is happening, organically in Midtown and the Plaza District. “Most of what is happening is being done by local developers, which is important because they’re in tune with what the city wants or needs. When out-of-state developers come into a place, they can actually damage the community by overbuilding,” he says.

“Our city is incredibly unique and diverse. Oklahomans are growing Oklahoma City, and we’re doing it the Oklahoma way.”

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culture

DEVELOPMENT

Lift

Metropolitan

MOVING ON UP(SCALE)

Downtown OKC becomes the center of apartment attention

BY GREG HORTON PHOTOS BY SIMON HURST

THE CLOTHING AND HAIR DATE THE AD FROM THE MID-1960S, as does the verbiage: “These four

girls live in a penthouse apartment for just $58.75 each!” To be fair, the amount they are paying for the “penthouse” apartment dates the ad, too. When the Continental was completed in 1965, it was the largest apartment complex in Oklahoma City’s urban core, and one of the target demographics was young, professional women working the city’s secretarial pools.

The Continental eventually would become The Regency Tower Apartments, and 50 years later, it’s one of the largest complexes in downtown with 274 units, but young, professional women are still a target demographic. That 1,156-square-foot apartment touted in the ad, which went for $235 per month, would now cost those young women $1,520 per month, plus about $200 per month for utilities.

DOWNTOWN MIGRATION Laura Neal is a wine professional – she sells fine wines in the OKC area – and she moved to the Deep Deuce district downtown fresh out of college in July 2013. She chose the Deep Deuce Apartments (294 units) because she said she wanted to be more closely connected to the city.

“I grew up in Edmond,” Neal says. “I wanted to challenge myself, though, to do something that made me a little uncomfortable, so a girlfriend and I moved downtown.”

What she discovered was a rapidly growing community with an eclectic mix of residents and convenient access to dining, drinking, work and entertainment.

“I thought we’d get down there and find a herd of 20-somethings, but we found empty-nesters, young families, older singles and students,” she says.

That observation is supported by data from Professor Dawn Jourdan, the director of the Regional and City Planning Program at University of Oklahoma.

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culture

DEVELOPMENT

“The city wanted to get downtown booming, and the only way to make that happen is for people to live down there,” Jourdan says. “While the rent seems high by Oklahoma City standards, we are seeing people coming in from both coasts, and the rent seems reasonable to them. There is also a growing number of empty-nesters who want the urban lifestyle, who don’t want to worry about a house or a lawn.”

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber reports that in addition to the 2,931 units already completed, there are 1,164 currently under development – including The Metropolitan (329), Lift (329) and The Steelyard (250) – as well as another 661 in the planning stage. In total, there

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will be 4,756 units in the urban core when those 661 are complete.

“The reality is, they would not be building those units if people did not want to live there,” Jourdan says.

AT WHAT COST? Who is going to live in all those units, though? Who can afford them? According to real estate software development firm Yardi, all seven properties that opened in Oklahoma City in 2015 are classified as luxury or high-end, meaning the average rent is $1,055 per month or higher. Contrast that with a 650-square-foot apartment at Bluff Creek in northwest Oklahoma City, which would cost a tenant $650

The Maywood in Deep Deuce

Level

The Guardian Lofts

a month plus utilities. At The Maywood in Deep Deuce, a barebones 675-square-foot unit is $1,205, meaning that the annual cost-per-square-foot rate nearly doubles from $12 to $21 (the identical rate at The Edge, one of the newest completed complexes in Midtown). At the Regency, a 570-squarefoot, one-bedroom unit is $16 annually per square foot, so the move to downtown is more expensive irrespective of the level of elegance or amenities.

The Guardian Lofts boasts one of the highest rates in downtown, at about $24 annually per square foot. Derek Byrd, an architectural designer and former resident, called the housing arrangement at The Guardian “a luxury.”

Deep Deuce Apartments

“I paid $200 to $450 a month in utilities, too,” Byrd says. “Practicality is definitely out the window there.”

THE ENERGY BUST The recent energy bust seemed to present a problem for growth in downtown Oklahoma City. If all those hundreds of people who were getting laid off left the downtown area, who was going to keep the growth going in residential, entertainment and dining revenue? Turns out, the bust has not really busted residential (or restaurants).

John Gilbert is the president and CEO of Bomasada Group Inc., a Houston-based company that owns The Metropolitan in Oklahoma City, and

until November 2014, they owned The Enclave at Brookside in Tulsa, a development that was built in 2012. Gilbert said the company’s focus is secondary and tertiary markets in the Southwest, but they also have developments as far east as Charleston, South Carolina.

“We came to Oklahoma City in 2006 and 2007 to look around,” he says. “We liked Oklahoma City, especially the downtown area. As for the energy bust, we’re a Houston company. We’ve seen the ups and downs of the energy business, and we still believe in Oklahoma City.”

Bomasada believes in the metro so much that they’re scouting for another location in the city, and they start work on a new development in Tulsa this summer. Gilbert said he doesn’t see the trend toward urbanization ending soon.

“We have had a fantastic response in Oklahoma City, and the trend of young professionals and empty-nesters moving to urban areas is happening all across the country.”

For The Metropolitan, as with Deep Deuce, the trend includes students and faculty at OUHSC, employees at downtown businesses – besides energy – retirees, empty-nesters and even Tinker employees and active duty military.

Downtown is a quick shot down Interstate 40 from Tinker, after all. Gilbert said he anticipates an influx of residents from the OG&E development, too.

AVAILABILITY Most of the units we looked at are running at high capacity, especially for two- and three-bedroom units. The Edge had no summer availability for a two-bedroom, but one-bedroom units abound. That is likely due to bill sharing.

Laura Neal said she would never have been able to afford a one-bedroom on her own, but splitting the rent and utilities meant that she and her roommate could afford urban living.

Neal has moved to a house now, but she still misses Deep Deuce. “I needed space for my dog, and I do like saving money on rent.” She and her roommates moved to Edgemere, though, because they like the proximity to downtown, and they never seriously considered living outside the urban core.

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“Beauty in every detail” 2232 BRIDGEVIEW BLVD. | EDMOND PAUL HARRIS | 405-285-9453 | RIPPLECREEKHOMES.COM A SHORT DRIVE WELL WORTH YOUR TIME

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quailcreek.bank • Member FDIC

PHOTO BY SIMON HURST

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Doing business locally keeps financial resources in the community, but it also allows you to reap the benefits of having personal interactions and developing ongoing professional relationships. The men and women of these businesses are more than outstanding representatives of their fields – they’re your neighbors in central Oklahoma. These are names you should know; people you should recognize.

These are the faces of the 405.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

(l to r) Steve Calonkey, Katelynn Calonkey, Keven Carl

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THE FACE OF

FINE FURNITURE AND DESIGN

Mister Robert

With a driving passion for fine furnishings, Mister Robert has been a tradition in the 405 since 1958. Established

by Bob and Sara Jean Calonkey in a small storefront, Mister Robert now encompasses six historic buildings and half a city block in downtown Norman.

Mister Robert brings vision and enthusiasm to offering furnishings of exceptional quality, with a focus on the ideal combination of comfort and elegance to provide impeccable interiors. The goal, says President Steve Calonkey, is to provide furniture and accessories that reflect the latest styles and trends but are also timeless.

“Our store is about style and fashion,” Calonkey says.

“We are a destination for the discerning. People are always astonished by our wide selection, and we offer fresh and distinctive home furnishings and accents that will make our clients’ spaces beautiful and unique.”

Interiors are an art form that involves an expert eye, quality selection and the attention to detail that accompanies almost 60 years of excellence.

Although tastes and styles are always changing, one thing has remained constant.

“We want to provide the finest service and merchandise to give our clients an enjoyable and fun shopping experience,” he says.

405.321.1818 | misterrobert.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THE FACE OF

TILE AND STONE

Drew Carter, YOUNG BROTHERS INC.

Although he grew up working in the family business, Drew Carter says an average day at Young Brothers Inc. is hardly set in stone. Now the fourth generation to head one of the 405’s foremost installers and fabricators of granite, marble and tile, Carter says his job is to keep building on the company’s established foundation.

“A lot of people come to us looking for something different,” Carter says. “If you can dream it up, we can design it. We excel at the projects that require thinking out of the box.”

Young Brothers specializes in natural stone countertops and high quality tile. The company, which was established in 1969, does all its own fabrication and installation while combining modern technology and old-world craftsmanship.

When he’s not working, Carter spends time with his wife and three kids, while also coaching whatever sports his kids are involved in. And whether it’s coaching his family or running the family business, for Carter, the goal is the same.

“I want to leave my mark and continue growing by building on the foundation that my family started generations ago,” he says.

405.272.0821 | youngbrosinc.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THE FACE OF

RETIREMENT INVESTING

Retirement Investment Advisors

Most of us are talking about our food and household items when we refer to “shopping local,” but your financial footprint makes a difference, too, and placing your fiscal future in the hands of an Oklahoma company is possible when you trust Retirement Investment Advisors to build your portfolio.

Started in 1990, Retirement Investment Advisors has locations in Edmond and Oklahoma City (and also Frisco, Texas). Co-Presidents Joe Bowie and Randy L. Thurman are both Oklahoma residents, still living and working here in the community they serve.

Primarily specializing in mutual funds, Retirement Investment Advisors offers a wide range of investment opportunities, and the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™ there are committed to helping you plan out a retirement income that can allow you to thrive.

“We’re fiduciaries,” says Thurman, Retirement Investment Advisors’ co-president and CFO. “That means we are legally bound to place our clients’ interests first. We are also fee-only, so we don’t work on commission. All of our advisors are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™, which means they must meet certain education, examination, experience and ethics requirements.”

In an age when global travel and the Internet make it possible to conduct business all over the world, there are still certain things we like to take care of close to home. Retirement Investment Advisors makes it possible for Oklahomans to plan out their financial futures with people they can see face to face.

(l to r) Carol Ringrose Alexander, Randy L. Thurman, Joseph W. Bowie, Andrew Flinton, Brenda C. Bolander

405.942.1234 | 405.246.0404 | theretirementpath.com

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RECLAIMED WOOD

Cherami and Jason Thomas, URBAN FARMHOUSE DESIGNS

Beginning in 2012 with some reclaimed wood and a table built in a garage, Urban Farmhouse Designs quickly has grown into the 405’s go-to destination for furniture, lighting, home décor and more, all crafted from repurposed materials. Owners Cherami and Jason Thomas credit the success of the company, which rescues vintage wood from old railroad cars, barns and warehouses, to the yin and yang nature of their relationship.

“I come up with all these crazy designs, and Jason figures out how to make them,” Cherami Thomas says. “Plus, I think we’re unique, because you can stand in our showroom and see the work being done in our manufacturing area.”

There’s plenty of work to be seen, too, as Urban Farmhouse is expanding its operations into neighboring warehouses to offer custom designs, reclaimed lumber and one-of-a-kind, “farmhouse find” items. And the repurposing doesn’t stop there, as some of the company’s 38 employees were hired from local halfway houses.

“Ultimately, our focus is on reclaimed furniture made by reclaimed people,” Thomas says.

405.812.8374 | urbanfarmhouse.com

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WOMEN’S HEALTH

Noel R. Williams, M.D. OPTIMAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES

With locations in north and south OKC and also Yukon, Optimal Health specializes in menopausal management – including hormone therapies, irregular bleeding, unpredictable energy levels, weight gain, migraine relief and other ailments.

In addition, its doctors are proud to feature the MonaLisa Touch, a new FDA-approved vaginal laser for the treatment of vaginal dryness and mild urinary incontinence.

A full range of services makes it easy to keep care consistent, whether it’s routine checkups or complex procedures, and the staff at Optimal Health Associates is committed to striking a balance between professionalism and the personal, compassionate touch that is especially needed when dealing with your intimate health.

The doctors take a comprehensive approach to health care – utilizing lab work, allergy testing and hormone therapy including BioTE pellet therapy, as well as nutritional counseling, in-house mammography and ultrasound – to make Optimal Health Associates a leading choice for women’s healthcare.

405.715.4496 | optimalhealthassociates.com

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DISTINCTIVE HOME FURNISHINGS

30A Home

(l to r) Taylor Harp, Jessica Shadid, Molly Gant, Ivy Pierce, Lisa Penton, Troy Wilson

30A Home Retail & Design owners Lisa Penton and Troy Wilson define their style as transitional but, ultimately, they say their goal is more about creating peaceful, meaningful environments for people to live and work.

“We strive for a design that is engaging and timeless. Everybody’s tastes are different, and we want that individual’s personality reflected,” Wilson says. “It’s about beautiful spaces that transform how people use them with pieces they’ll keep for a lifetime.”

While it started as a small retail store, 30A Home continues to grow and offers full interior design services for both residential and commercial clients. In addition, there’s a new, larger retail shop on the way. And, while styles may change, Wilson says the company will keep its focus on helping clients make the most of their own space.

“We think you should surround yourself with things that are meaningful, not just stuff,” he says.

405.286.3153 | 30ahome.com

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FINE FABRIC CARE

Monte Turrentine, LEGACY CLEANERS & LAUNDRY Founded in 1997, Legacy Cleaners & Laundry is aptly named; Monte Turrentine learned the ins and outs of the dry cleaning business with his father in the early ’90s and took over Legacy in 1999 when his father retired.

With six stores in the metro area (and locations in Chandler and Cushing as well), Legacy is both accessible and accommodating; drive-through options and free pickup and delivery service make it easy to get your dry cleaning needs met conveniently, and the highly trained staff can perform a list of wonders on both everyday items and special care articles. The family-owned plant where cleaning takes place uses environmentally friendly practices, and Legacy places a premium on friendliness as well as expertise.

Professional garment care and an excellent reputation for customer satisfaction are hallmarks of Legacy Cleaners & Laundry, and Turrentine’s business model is one that focuses on not only providing exceptional service to customers, but taking care of his company “family” and investing in the community, as well.

“Hire good people and take care them; the return you will receive is monumental,” Turrentine says. Legacy Cleaners & Laundry is a longtime supporter of both St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, and Turrentine believes that advocating for these causes is as important an aspect of his business as its quality of service.

“You can’t support every charity out there, but it is important to pick one or two and stay with them,” Turrentine says. “As a small business owner, I feel that it’s my duty to support the community where we live and work.”

405.842.5400 | legacyokc.com

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INTERIOR DESIGN

Jimmy Rupp, INTERIOR GILT

Take one look at the eclectic blend of modern and retro offerings at Interior Gilt and you’ll quickly realize you’re not in a typical furniture store. In fact, owner Jimmy Rupp sees the shop as more of a “big picture store.”

“When it comes to interior design, a lot of people know what they want, but they can very easily get overwhelmed,” Rupp says. “We try to get people’s imaginations started and expand from there to meet their needs and desires.”

Offering a curated collection from three upholstery lines, Rupp says his focus is helping his customers express what they love. And, whether someone is looking for one piece or an entire room design, the Interior Gilt team works together to make it happen.

When he’s not at the store, Rupp enjoys spending time with his husband and two children. Plus, to practice his craft, he purchases and fixes up older or dilapidated homes.

“The stories of our lives are what makes our homes,” Rupp says. “We try to make what we offer an extension of that.”

405.608.1923 | interiorgilt.com

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HISTORY

Jay Hannah

OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER

When it comes to interesting history, and unique sons and daughters, Oklahoma is a singular state.

The Oklahoma History Center does a fantastic job of highlighting some of our more memorable moments, while at the same time shedding light on lesser known events and personalities, all without sugarcoating the darker aspects. It’s an important balance to strike when you’re sharing history, and the careful scholarship and dedication to this mission are reflected in the quality of the exhibits at the Oklahoma History Center.

The Oklahoma History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and the attention to detail in collection care, presentation of educational programs and commitment to encouraging historical research are all evidence of the high standards that make it not only a treasure for the citizens it represents, but also a great resource for visitors looking to learn about the state.

Jay Hannah, former treasurer of the Friends of the State Museum and a frequent speaker and writer on Oklahoma and Tribal history, believes that familiarizing ourselves with our history gives us an understanding of not only the past, but also the present.

“It has been said that, ‘When it comes to history, beliefs and values, we turn our future on the lathe of the past,’” Hannah says. “If so, the Oklahoma History Center is Oklahoma’s workshop, where salient truths of the past beget potential solutions for our future.

“Its art, archives, exhibits and artifacts house a multi-cultural collective understanding of who we Oklahomans have been in the past,” he says.

“And through these, we are offered a clearer view of who we are today.”

405.270.1007 | okhistory.org/historycenter

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ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING RINGS

Lewis Jewelers

For 40 years, Glenn and Tim Lewis have been making and selling fine jewelry to Oklahomans.

More than just technically skilled jewelers, the Lewis brothers bring a love for this art to their business, along with an understanding of the generational impact that offering quality pieces brings to their clientele; it’s not unusual for them to eventually help the children and even grandchildren of their regular customers.

Lewis Jewelers also brings a depth to the term “custom design” that goes beyond most jewelry stores’ capabilities, handling everything from the cutting of the gemstones to the designing and manufacturing of the exquisite finished piece.

Quality is of prime importance to Lewis Jewelers, and that priority is reflected in their status as a partner with Forevermark – the diamond brand from The De Beers Group of Companies.

Quantity is a plus, as well: Lewis Jewelers’ newly expanded store is now almost 8,400 square feet and houses the biggest selection of bridal sets in the state, in addition to more than 3,000 engagement rings.

Lewis Jewelers may be where people in love go to look for jewelry, but they’ll help you fall in love with jewelry itself.

(l to r) Bobbie Coffman, Heather Gomez, Maria Montelongo, Laura Thrower, Tim Lewis, Shaye Jones, Tera Painter, Megan Pittman

405.703.4644 | lewis-jewelers.com

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COSMETIC SURGERY

Lori Hansen, M.D.

While she offers a variety of aesthetic and surgical treatments to enhance the beauty of her patients, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Lori Hansen believes that how you feel on the inside is equally important as being comfortable with your outward appearance.

And for Hansen, making people feel comfortable starts when you walk into her office.

“I never wear a white coat.

I feel like that creates a wall between me and the patient,” she says. “It’s a personal thing and, for everyone I see, it’s important to mesh the elements of art and psychology with the medical science of plastic surgery.”

When she’s not working, Hansen spends time with her family and three Italian Greyhounds, while also enjoying sewing, bicycling and capturing the beauty around us through her lifelong pursuit of photography.

“The good Lord gave us all beauty we can revel in,” she says.

“I want people to be able to look in the mirror, or simply walk into a room full of people, and feel good about themselves.”

405.753.9600 | lorihansenmd.com

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LORI HANSEN, M.D.

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FINE HOMES

Dusty Hutchison, ALDER FINE HOMES

If you want to build a house in the Oklahoma City metro area, you have a large selection of builders to choose from, but one stands out when it comes to personalizing the experience.

Alder Fine Homes offers a unique approach to residential building, by utilizing the concept of the “Personal Builder.”

Although a team of sub-contractors and craftsmen are employed for construction, they’ve been sought out and vetted by the company’s founder and owner Dusty Hutchison, and Hutchison visits each building site daily to personally inspect the work’s development and quality.

Anyone who has had a home built has probably experienced the frustration of not being able to reach someone who can solve a problem or make a change. Choosing Alder Fine Homes means having direct access to the person overseeing the entire project; Hutchison is with every client from design to final walkthrough – and when you have a problem or an idea, you can go straight to the person who can fix it or make it happen.

Accessibility is only one aspect of Alder Fine Homes’ advantages. Hutchison seeks out craftsmen who are the best in their fields, and has years of experience as a builder himself.

“I come from a building family,” he says.

“Both of my older brothers and I chose construction as our life’s work because of our father sharing his passion for quality homes.”

Your dream home needs to be built by professionals, but being part of its creation will make it yours, and Hutchison knows that.

“I bring a personalized experience to customers,” he says. “They deal directly with me, through the entire process, from start to finish.”

405.285.9502 | alderfinehomes.com

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT

The Commerce Trust Company

The expertise of a nationally ranked wealth management company with a local presence; Oklahoma City area residents have this – and more – with The Commerce Trust Company.

The Commerce Trust Company, a division of Commerce Bank, has expanded to Oklahoma City and brings over 100 years of experience in the financial services industry. Commerce Trust clients experience the best of both worlds – the personal service and attention of a boutique management firm, and access to the wealth of best-in-class resources typically found at large, national financial institutions.

“It’s important to have a local presence because it allows us to provide the high level of personal service that clients are looking for,” said Ben Herrig, Oklahoma Market Executive for The Commerce Trust Company. “Our goal is to build a partnership with our clients to help them achieve their longterm financial goals.”

Customized, collaborative planning and guidance are hallmarks of The Commerce Trust Company, and Oklahoma City area individuals, families, businesses and charitable organizations will benefit from breadth of resources now offered locally.

In addition to private banking, investment management, financial planning and trust services, Commerce Trust has a strong family office group and can provide business valuations, real estate and tax advice along with other highly specialized services.

A community is built on more than money, but a secure financial foundation for its members is an asset, and Oklahoma City residents now have access to one of the leading financial services companies in the United States: The Commerce Trust Company.

405.608.2707 | commercetrustcompany.com

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(l to r) Chris Hamm, George Foldesy, Ben Herrig

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DIAMOND JEWELRY

Nelson Lopez, DIAMONDS DIRECT

When buying a diamond, conventional wisdom stresses the four Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat. However, after more than 20 years in the jewelry business, Diamonds Direct General Manager Nelson Lopez makes sure to include another piece in the equation – connection. “What I love about what I do,” he says, “is [that] I help people select the perfect symbol for what they’re celebrating in their life. We’re in the business of building relationships, not just selling diamonds.”

Though relatively new to the 405, Lopez says the Diamonds Direct concept has already caught on with couples shopping for engagement rings as well as those celebrating milestones in their relationships. Tracing its history across every aspect of the diamond business, the company’s direct-to-retail approach means it can offer a wide range of quality fine diamond jewelry at the very best prices. And, most importantly, Lopez added, customers are already referring their friends.

“We don’t want to be the place where you buy your jewelry,” he says. “I want to be the friend who works in the jewelry business.”

405.608.7474 | https://diamondsdirect.com/oklahoma-city

Your love. Our passion.

TM

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PRIVATE BANKING

Valliance Bank (l to r) Kristen Marney, Vice President at The Private Bank at Valliance; Jason Osborn, President at The Private Bank at Valliance; Whitney Merveldt, Vice President at The Private Bank at Valliance

If you’re not familiar with the term “private banking,” it’s as good as it sounds.

Formerly reserved for clients of extremely high net worth, institutions like Valliance Bank are now making private banking available to busy professionals and small businesses that can benefit from access to a personal banker and individualized attention.

From individual tailored financing and direct access to a personal banker, to concierge services for businesses who need help streamlining and organizing financial matters, private banking is a growing trend – one already available to metro residents through Valliance Bank.

Round-the-clock service isn’t something you normally associate with banks, but Valliance isn’t your typical bank. Armed with efficient, technology-based solutions for handling banking business, they understand the challenges of busy individuals, and the kind of career demands that don’t always allow for business to be transacted from 9 to 5 … so they’re making “banker’s hours” your hours.

“We simplify the financial lives of our clients by giving them a team of people to serve all their financial needs,” says Jason Osborn, president of The Private Bank at Valliance.

“For busy professionals and business owners, we minimize the time spent on banking matters by consolidating to one relationship – allowing them to keep their focus on what makes them money.”

405.286.5700 | vbank.com

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CUTS AND COLOR

Carl Wayne Wester,

PHOTO BY JENNIFER CARD

822 BROADWAY SALON

The downtown area of Oklahoma City is undergoing an epic revitalization, and many new businesses have cropped up in response to the renewed focus on these areas. But there’s another aspect to this renaissance, and that’s the chance for well-established Oklahoma businesses to evolve along with the city’s landscape.

822 Broadway Salon, now located in Automobile Alley, originated as The Hair Store on 51st and Western, but the shop’s new digs are representative of more than a physical move.

In September 2013, while riding his bike, owner Carl Wayne Wester was rear-ended by a truck going 50 mph. After recovering from multiple broken bones and a concussion, he went back to work only to find out that the building had been sold … and he had six months to find a new home for his salon.

Relocating a business that’s been in the same place for 21 years is a daunting task, but Wester stepped up to the challenge, and his efforts were rewarded with a prime location in what has become one of the city’s hottest and fastest growing districts, Automobile Alley. After some serious renovation, 822 Broadway Salon opened in December 2015.

“Turning this building into my dream salon was the hardest thing I have ever done,” says Wester. An example of resilience and adaptability to innovative change that not only commends Wester’s individual spirit but serves as an allegory of the metro’s growth these past several years, 822 Broadway’s story is one that is inspiring, but wouldn’t be worth telling if it wasn’t also a testament to the staff’s talent as hair designers. After all, clients don’t patronize a business for decades and follow you across town unless you’re good at what you do.

“I love the energy of my salon and the excitement of Automobile Alley,” Wester says. “My stylists are like family to me, and some of my clients have been with me for up to 37 years – from all walks of life. Some of them have never had their hair cut by anyone but me.

“I’m just glad to be here doing what I enjoy.”

405.235.7050 | 822broadwaysalon.com

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CATHOLIC EDUCATION

David Morton, BISHOP MCGUINNESS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Catholic schools are almost synonymous with academic rigor, and Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is no exception; a college preparatory institution that serves the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the school offers more than 130 courses, including a STEM program and AP and pre-AP classes.

In addition to a commitment to educational excellence for the student body as a whole, the faculty of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is also dedicated to the development of each individual, as well as the improvement of the community. A 90-hour requirement for community service in order to graduate means that Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School students enter adulthood with several lessons under their belts about the responsibilities of citizenship, and many chances to experience helping neighbors in need.

Students have individualized academic plans created for them, and teachers and the school’s community focus on an integration of spiritual and social responsibility that is intended to help develop a “Person for Others.”

Although committed to the teachings of the Catholic Church, Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is open to any student regardless of religious preference, and welcomes those seeking an education that imparts knowledge, while also weaving in lessons about living a life of service and integrity.

“As an extension of the family, Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is dedicated to the development of the whole person,” says Principal David Morton. “Faith and values are integrated into all aspects of learning while instilling the call to live a life for others.”

405.842.6638 | bmchs.org

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TOURISM

Frontier Country Marketing Association

(l to r) Sherri Rogers, Jana Ivy, Sarah Townsend

The natural and manmade wonders that Oklahoma has to offer can’t wow anyone unless they know about them.

Promoting the places and events that make our state great not only generates revenue, it opens residents’ eyes to aspects of Oklahoma that might have been previously unknown – and state pride is a smart investment.

As a nonprofit, membership-based marketing group, Frontier Country Marketing Association has a unique role in the Oklahoma community at large: helping destinations and events in our fair state get the attention they deserve.

By promoting tourism in the 12 central counties of Oklahoma through public relations designed to reach both residents and out-of-state travelers, Frontier Country Marketing Association’s innovative model of cooperative marketing has brought positive interaction to our state’s attractions.

“We are an active staff of three, building real relationships with our members and assisting them in achieving their marketing objectives,” says Executive Director Sherri Rogers. “We are a part of their marketing team and strive to provide every tool available to evolve and stay aware of the rapidly changing pace of today’s marketing opportunities.”

405.232.6552 | oktourism.com

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TECHNOLOGY

Innov8tive

(l to r) Matthew Hamilton, Matt Newman, Joseph Godwin, Jason Harper, Sarah Bower, Patrick McFeeters, Jimmy Rupp, Jessica Lancaster, Jonathan Fasking, Jarrod Rackley, Shawn Smalley, Gray Delacluyse, Johnathon Self, Caleb Briggs

Information technology means many things to different people. That’s why, in the 405, companies large and small look to Innov8tive to handle both their managed services and software development needs.

“First and foremost, we are local and hands-on,” says Gray Delacluyse, chief product development officer. “Whether we’re simply managing a network or developing an app, our goal is to get a creative understanding of your business so that we build something that’s unique and focused on you.”

Offering IT infrastructure building or maintenance, help desk support, software development and more, Innov8tive is a one-stop IT shop for businesses large or small. The advantage Innov8tive offers, Delacluyse believes, is the company’s flexibility. “We love what we do and that plays into the fun we have finding creative solutions to our customers’ challenges,” he says.

While meeting an IT challenge might be a short-term solution, for Innov8tive, the long-term goal is to keep their customers competitive.

“In this day and age, everybody uses technology and, if your business falls behind the competition, you’ve got a problem,” Delacluyse says. “We want our customers to walk out and say, ‘They solved my problem!’”

405.608.1122 | innov8tive.io

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COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Geoff Potts, D.D.S.

While a student at the University of Oklahoma, Geoff Potts helped drive the Sooners on to victory as a member of the Oklahoma RUF/NEKS spirit organization.

That spirit carries on in his professional life, as Potts has dedicated his dental practice to creating winning smiles that can last a lifetime.

Using the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment, Potts provides a full range of cosmetic, general and restorative services. Potts’ goal is to provide quality, family dental care in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

An important part of making his patients comfortable is his four-person staff, all of whom have been part of his team for at least 10 years. “It’s gratifying to see patients, who you treated as young adults, bring in their children,” he says.

When he’s not at the office, Potts enjoys spending time with what he calls “the three greatest blessings in my life” – his wife, Donna, and their daughters, Annabella and Sophia. He also enjoys fishing and traveling to Sooner athletic events.

“Sooner Born, Sooner Bred. That’s a pretty good description of me,” he smiles.

405.447.5577 | geoffpottsdds.com

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VALET

Patrick Clark, SOONER VALET The metro has undergone a renaissance in the last several years, and the events and establishments that have added such excitement to this area are made possible by a variety of supporting businesses that operate mostly behind the scenes.

And sometimes, in the case of Sooner Valet, on the scene.

Sooner Valet offers their clientele professional parking services along with the charm of local hospitality - the perfect combination for Oklahoma occasions.

From hospitals to restaurants, the team at Sooner Valet is experienced and committed to the highest quality of customer service.

Owner Patrick Clark says that his motivation to provide excellent valet service to his community is simple.

“It’s a service that I’ve always appreciated and valued in other cities, and I want to bring that same service and experience to Oklahoma,” Clark says.

“I understand that when someone hires Sooner Valet, they are putting a lot of trust in us; we’re the first and last impression for any establishment or event. A first impression that provides luxury, class and convenience to you and your guest.

“Whether it’s the new Mahogany Prime Downtown, Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, both Norman Regional Hospital locations in Norman or one of our many special events, we come in to each situation with the same goal: provide the absolute best valet service in the state.”

405.534.2600 | soonervalet.com

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home

PHOTO BY CARLI WENTWORTH

Animal Farm

Cindy Kottwitz has strong family ties to her land outside Kingfisher, and a lifelong love of nature – so much so that her dream home is this custom-built barn, very much like the one she wanted as a girl. The main tweaks from that childhood vision are that the animals are sculptural rather than live, and that her well-honed sense of interior design is present throughout. Rich shades of brown and an English Hunt motif help convey this downstairs bathroom’s more masculine feel.

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A LOVE FOR THE LAND

Cindy Kottwitz arranges beauty in a barn

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON PHOTOS BY CARLI WENT WORTH

CI N DY KOT T W I TZ WA SN ’ T raised

in a barn … but she lives in one now.

It’s a very civilized, chic, overtly girly interpretation of a barn that she had custom-built in 2014, but a barn nonetheless. It’s outside Kingfisher, on her family’s land. Her daughter lives a few hundred feet away, and her brother is just up the gravel road toward town.

The Kottwitz family has been farming its land, hundreds of acres outside Kingfisher, for four generations. “My brother will say our family has been sharecroppers,” Kottwitz says. “I’m a sharecropper,

because my brother does the farming. It’s mainly wheat. We are right in the heart of wheat, cattle and oil country.”

She’s peppy, no bigger than a minute and thrilled to live just a stone’s throw from her beloved daughter Carly and her husband Clinton – and her grandchildren, Brandt and Keely. Kottwitz is an interior designer, currently working a few days a week for Hoffman’s Furniture in Moore.

Living in a barn is a long-held dream for Kottwitz, one that began when she was a little girl showing livestock. “We showed cattle and other animals. When

you’re involved in livestock showing, you literally live with your animals. When I was little, I said I needed a barn with a downstairs for my animals and an upstairs for me.”

When she finally had the chance to create her dream home, she drew out her plan, took it to an architect and had

The downstairs is one 1,800-square-foot room, divided by the fireplace. There is a bedroom upstairs in the loft, but Kottwitz reserves it for guests and grandchildren, preferring to sleep downstairs in her romantic poster bed. Her decorating style, which she has dubbed “Prairie Chic,” is evident in the (extremely) oversized photos of round hay bales behind the couch. A family heirloom, a 65-year-old show box used for generations at livestock shows, serves as a side table.

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(Above) The upstairs loft houses a beautiful bedroom bedecked in shades of ivory, a plush bathroom and a balcony. The floors are distressed and whitewashed, and an occasional table wearing heels makes its home next to a rattan-backed armchair.

(Left) The formal dining area occupies one side of the fireplace, and its rustic wood is the perfect foil for the stained and scored concrete floors, whose gently burnished finish keeps them from looking even remotely industrial.

Cindy has a knack for mixing textures and colors. “I love combining furnishings that are very civilized with things that really bring the outdoors inside,� she says. She also loves Christmas and keeps a variety of discreet Christmas trees up year-round.

(Above Left) A real screen door was pressed into service in the kitchen as a frame for a pioneer woman coming inside, maybe for a cool glass of tea.

(Above Right) The stairs leading up to the loft are covered in a carpet festooned with the spotted pattern of an Axis deer.

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(Right) The window treatments throughout the downstairs are cleverly crafted from burlap, but they nearly sent the somewhat exacting Kottwitz around the bend when she first installed them. “I couldn’t get the wrinkles out of them. I steamed and steamed and was going a little crazy when my girlfriend told me about wrinkle-releasing spray. It worked like a charm.”

Between the now-wrinkle-free drapes is an antique bar, which the ever-resourceful Kottwitz obtained by trading a bed frame. The silver pitcher filled with feathers on the bar is another family treasure, a prize her father won in 1950 at the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City.

The wrought iron candelabra on either side of the bar were created by Kottwitz’s brother, who is a talented artist in his own right, in addition to being a fourth-generation farmer.

(Left) This more casual seating area is where Kottwitz’s whimsy has been unleashed. She’s created a “garden chair” with flower-pot feet, painted it to vaguely resemble a stand of Aspens and topped her creation with flowery pillows and a perky row of tassels. In front of the chair is another heeled table, also of her design.

(Above Left) If you tried to count the rabbits, pheasants and other fauna that exist in sculptural form in Cindy’s barn, you’d be hard-pressed to do it in a day. It’s as if the plants and animals of the prairie put on their tea-party best and moved right in. “My boyfriend says he feels like he can’t touch anything in the house and he hates that, but I built this house for me, not him.”

(Above Right) Behold: the cows that started it all. The barstools in front of the barn-red island are new but look like they’re made out of some sort of farm implements.

The kitchen cabinetry is done in a weathered wash, and the countertops are granite. “I really don’t do much cooking, but I do a lot of entertaining. This is a great space for entertaining.”

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The breakfast area is home to a chartreuse table and chairs, handfinished by Kottwitz. “I got the table top from Evans Furniture when I worked there about 20 years ago. They were going to throw it away, but I asked if I could have it and just tucked it away until I needed it.”

it built in nine months. “It took a long time before I was able to do this. I knew I had to build it on my own land, because I’m thinking there is very limited resale value here,” she says, laughing. “I collected things for my dream house for five years. The first thing I bought were

the cattle pictures in the kitchen. The whole kitchen area was designed around those pictures.”

If cattle are in her blood, so is interior design. Kottwitz’s grandfather owned Kingfisher’s furniture store, McCully’s, for many years. When he passed, McCully

Schwarz Furniture was born, owned by her beloved Aunt Ida, who inspired Kottwitz’s creative side. “I’ve done creative things all my life. I had a dance studio, I’ve been a designer, and I love to re-do my little house, which I do constantly for each of the seasons.”

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home DÉCOR

“Everybody’s Mixture” by Lola Donoghue, 20x20, $700, from ME Home, OKC

“A Sight to Be Seen” by Carol Broughton, 12x12, $1,950, from the Howell Gallery, OKC

“Highway 74 May Drive” by Catherine Freshley, 36x36, $900, from ME Home, OKC

Windows to Your Home’s Soul WHAT WE CHOOSE TO HANG ON OUR WALLS says a lot about who we are. A treasured Beatles poster, an old photograph that you’ve enlarged, an original finger painting by your 4-year-old, an oil painting purchased from a local gallery … the possibilities are endless.

Art is an integral ingredient of a home’s decoration – and the choices around the metro are endless, too. From some very talented local artists to pieces from around the world, these are merely a few colorful possibilities. Even though all art is subjective, whether you have a whole wall to fill or a small space for something special, it shouldn’t be hard to find something you’ll love. - SARA GAE WATERS

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“Pink Stockings” by Nancy Junkin, 20x24, $1,100, from the Howell Gallery, OKC

PHOTOS BY CARLI WENTWORTH

Making room for visual art

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Orecchiette, bucatini, gnocchi, gemelli – consider that this panoply of pasta puissance is (a) impeccably delicious, and (b) merely a fraction of the possibilities on the menu at Patrono, and you’ll get an idea of this downtown dinner spot’s undeniable appeal.

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dining

LOCAL FLAVOR

DEFENDERS OF THE FLAVOR Patrono shares southern Italian succulence

BY STEVE GILL PHOTOS BY CARLI WENT WORTH

FOR T HE R ECOR D, I’m guessing Francis Caracciolo. I didn’t

that somewhat resemble hush hear who Patrono’s owner Robert DeCoste intended as the puppies (until you bite into downtown OKC restaurant’s namesake, but the Neapolitan them to reveal the risotto priest is the patron saint of Italian cooking, so that sounds like and cheese inside) are called as solid a possibility as any. GM Brian Cure, often found acting arancini, or little oranges; as maître d’, joked that the name refers to DeCoste (who’s also down south, and on this the chef) himself – at least, I think it was a joke. Once you start menu, they’re named suppli sampling from the menu, you might quickly find yourself believal telefono because the cheese ing there’s a touch of the divine involved. stretches out to look like teleDeCoste is from Massachusetts originally, and after cooking phone wires. By either name, stints in New Orleans, Boston and D.C., he moved to Oklahoma they’re addictively great. because his wife got a job at the University of Oklahoma. Believe From there, branch out me when I say that was good news for metro diners. among the menu’s options, “I didn’t plan this, but most of the food is southern Italincluding several exceptional ian,” smiles DeCoste. “I’ve visited the north many pasta dishes. The times, but somehow it worked out that most of the Bucatini AmatriChef Robert DeCoste dishes that I like and the wines that I like are from PATRONO ITALIAN ciana is like an southern Italy.” extra-thick spaghetti, difficult to twirl and eat while RESTAURANT That preference, unintentional though it might be, looking suave, but it’s worth a slight appearance of 305 N Walker, OKC even creeps into some of the terminology. DeCoste buffoonery to get the slightly spicy red sauce with 405.702.7660 explained that in northern Italy the fried spheres guanciale, a deliciously savory morsel that’s essentially patronookc.com

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a kind of bacon made from pork cheek … and I’m always in favor of learning about new kinds of bacon.

The Chicken Diavola features gemelli tossed in a homemade pesto that’s mild enough to offset the fiery chicken, and the thoroughly tender Gnocchi (made from ricotta, not potato flour) in a white wine sauce is set off

by Italian sausage and the salty tang of black olives. Nevertheless, DeCoste says his favorite dish is the Orecchiette Calabrese with succulent chicken and rapini: “I cook that at home. My wife is sick of it, but I could eat it all the time.”

Each of these entrees, and more –

of space and separation, and the wine “window” boxes in the interior walls are a deft little decorative touch. Couple all that with excellent service, including a charming and helpful waiter who didn’t wince in the slightest at our litany of mispronunciations, and this is a pleasure to recommend. I’ve never been to Naples, but now I’ve been to Patrono … and my palate is the better for it.

from a deceptively simple linguine with clams and a flicker of garlic to the unexpected cross-ethnic swerve of a massive grilled ribeye with curry aioli – was stellar, and I’ve rarely had so much difficulty in mustering the resolve to set down my fork with part of a dish uneaten. But I beg you to find that strength, because skipping dessert should not be an option. The almond cake with Luxardo cherries (darker, firmer and more richly flavored than gaudy-looking maraschinos) might not look particularly flashy, but I cannot – I cannot – recommend it any more highly. It is simply, inarguably, tremendous.

All this cuisine occurs in an inviting atmosphere with warm colors and lots of wood; it’s a small space overall but the sight lines are broken up nicely to give the tables a bit more feeling

Fly Me to the Food You probably remember that Tony Bennett had a concert at the OKC Civic Center in April – but you might not have heard that the legendary crooner stopped by the nearby Patrono for dinner the night before. That sounds like a pretty good testimonial about its authenticity.

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dining

CHEF’S TABLE

HOW IT’S DONE SUCCOTASH

In a large skillet on high heat, cook together yellow squash, zucchini and onion (cut roughly the same size), tomatoes, corn and minced garlic.

Cook the mixture until the onions are clear.

Add in faro, cooked according to package directions, and your favorite beans, cooked until soft. Clark recommends purple hull peas, which are available at Urban Agrarian.

The Freshness Factor

Cook until warm throughout.

Remove from heat and finish with a tablespoon of butter and Cave Aged Madeline Caciocavera, a local hard cheese from Krebs, also available at Urban Agrarian.

Serve over polenta.

Vegetarian? More like vege-tasty-an

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POLENTA

2 cups water 1 cup milk 2 tbsp butter 1 cup Stone Stack Mills cornmeal ½ cup grated Cave Aged Madeline Caciocavera salt and pepper to taste In a one-quart stock pan, bring water, milk and butter to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in the cornmeal in a steady stream to ensure there is no clumping. Once all of the cornmeal is incorporated, continue whisking over low heat until the mixture is too thick for the whisk.

Remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Season to taste. - GH

PHOTOS BY SHANNON CORNMAN

V EGETA R I A N COOK I NG is all about seasoning. Most non-vegetarians can only imagine nightmarescapes of tofu and quinoa – a world devoid of meat, especially and most importantly bacon.

The truth, however, is that a good vegetarian chef can make meals that are delicious and satisfying.

Patrick Clark II started at Red Cup when he was only 16. “I dislocated my knee after one month of training, so I missed a month of work,” Clark says. “When I came back to work, I didn’t receive any more training.”

He has been figuring it out ever since, reading and studying voraciously, creating cooking demo videos, working to advance the cause of Oklahoma City as a culinary destination with outstanding vegetarian cuisine. Anyone familiar with the food scene in the metro knows that the regulars at Red Cup rave about the vegetarian fare. That reputation is largely thanks to Clark and owner Kurt Orth.

“Kurt stayed on me for years, getting me to try different foods,” Clark remembers. “If I didn’t like them, he’d say it was because I was a child, and that pushed me even more to try things.

Sort of a reverse psychology thing, I guess.”

The restaurant converted to an all-vegetarian menu in 2010, and Clark said they also started buying from local farmers and growing their own food. That’s when he really learned to love vegetarian cooking.

“I grew up poor, so we relied on flavor and spices over quality,” he says. “My mother made a few staple dishes that were based on her Hispanic heritage and our California home.” (The family relocated when Clark was a toddler.)

Now both chef and owner are leaning toward vegan, primarily because of the environmental impact of raising meat for human consumption. Clark said they also have a large customer base of vegetarians and vegans who appreciate the food because the menu isn’t an afterthought. For example, his ratatouille recipe has 16 ingredients, and runs to nearly two pages of instructions.

It’s safe to say they take meatless eating seriously. So much so that Clark, a video game lover and avid car geek (’96 Mustang), spends most of his downtime studying and cooking.

For summer dishes, Clark focuses on the myriad fresh vegetables available in Oklahoma City, especially at Urban Agrarian and local farmers markets. This succotash with polenta makes a nice contrast with last issue’s non-vegetarian succotash dish. - GREG HORTON

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food drink Symbols $ most entrees under $10 $$ most entrees $10 to $25 $$$ most entrees over $25 outdoor dining reservations accepted valet parking new or updated entry

American ANCHOR DOWN 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 $ CAFÉ 501 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 $$ COOLGREENS This health-conscious establishment has a menu, but customization is encouraged; every available component in their salads, wraps and even the frozen yogurt is naturally delicious. 3 metro locations, coolgreens.com $$ DEEP FORK 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 $$ THE FIT PIG The flavor is abundant in this Automobile Alley stopover’s selection of healthy grab-and-go meals; the menu covers breakfast, quick salads or heartier meals, and most options are gluten-free, dairy-free or both. 722 N Broadway, OKC, 290.7080 $$ FLINT 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 $

HEFNER 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 $$ INTERURBAN Great food in casual comfort – while there are plenty of options for the health-conscious on the menu, visitors really should try the chicken-fried steak and anything with honey-pepper bacon. 4 metro locations, interurban.us $$ KITCHEN NO. 324 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 $$ MARY EDDY’S Inside the inviting environs of Film Row anchor 21c Museum Hotel, this showplace of a restaurant turns out a seasonally driven menu of expertly tuned flavors and dishes meant to be shared. 900 W Main, OKC, 982.6900 $$ 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 $$ PACKARD’S NEW AMERICAN KITCHEN They’re not kidding about the “new” – the entire lunch and dinner menus are filled with innovative tastes for a distinctive dining experience. 201 NW 10th, OKC, 605.3771 $$ PICASSO CAFÉ 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 $

PROVISION KITCHEN The concept sounds deliciously promising: fresh and local meals for the taking. This Nichols Hills Plaza locale offers chefprepared 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 $

outstanding cuisine make a strong recommendation for the Ambassador Hotel’s in-house restaurant; don’t overlook the brunch options. 1200 N Walker Ave, OKC, 600.6200 $$ WAFFLE CHAMPION 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 CLUB 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 $$

WHISKEY CAKE 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 $$

REDROCK CANYON 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 $ SCRATCH 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 $ VAST 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 $$$ VICEROY GRILLE Opulent décor, comfortable environs and some

CHAE Found near OCU, this pancultural 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 $$ DOT WO GARDEN With an elegantly appointed location, Dot Wo continues its crowd-pleasing legacy of over two decades by pairing sumptuous classics of Chinese cuisine with fiery, fresh sushi. 6161 N May, OKC, 608.2388 $$ EL TORO CHINO Big, bold flavors from disparate cuisines are blended in this self-described “Latin + Asian Kitchen” – creating results that are as excitingly distinctive as they are delicious. 2801 36th NW, Norman, 708.9472 $$ 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 $$ O ASIAN FUSION Sublime quality in a wide span of culinary influences – freshly rolled sushi to fiery curry – in cool, vibrant digs. Call ahead for dinner, because it becomes a packed house in a hurry. 105 SE 12th, Norman, 701.8899 $$

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 $$

require a knife and fork, as well as a tantalizing selection of lovingly chosen craft beers. 1732 NW 16th, OKC $

Bakery

O’CONNELL’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 $

BELLE KITCHEN Doughnuts, macarons, pastries and ice cream created from scratch, in small batches – making treats like these with care and passion makes a difference that’s easy, and a pleasure, to taste. 7509 N May, OKC, 430.5484 $

PUB W Multiple sections provide a choice of atmosphere, but the menu filled with choice beer and “new classic” fare from barbeque wings to pork chops is a constant pleasure. 3720 W Robinson, Norman, 701.5844; 3121 W Memorial, OKC, 608.2200 $$

CUPPIES & JOE 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 $

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 $$

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 $

SIDECAR 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 $$

PIE JUNKIE 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 CUPCAKES 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 $ BLU FINE WINE & FOOD 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 $$ 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 $ OAK & ORE A Plaza District port of call built with repurposed rustic materials, it offers more than a handful of creative sandwiches that practically

VZD’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 $

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Barbeque EARL’S RIB PALACE 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 BARBEQUE Iron Star specializes in “a unique and tasty spin on comfort food.” While its entrees are excellent, the sides here are equal players as well. 3700 N Shartel, OKC, 524.5925 $$ 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 $

Burgers & Sandwiches COW CALF-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 JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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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 $ ICE HOUSE Follow the tantalizing aroma to find this walk-up burger depot on the east edge of the Myriad Gardens.

It rewards a little time spent in line with sizzling onion burgers inspired by Nic’s Grill, big helpings of fresh, hot fries and creamy milkshakes – the better to make the outdoors greater. 125 Ron Norick, OKC, 232.6427 $ IRMA’S BURGER SHACK 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 $ 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 $ 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 $

Tommy’s Artful Start A study in salmon

NOW I N IT S S ECON D incarnation, Tommy’s Italian American

Grill is OKC’s evidence that sometimes restaurant lightning does strike twice. The original closed in 2005, but nearly a decade of hiatus and a new location later, the comfortably refined magic returned to satisfy palates anew.

The menu encompasses all kinds of savory tastes: the brick oven pizzas are excellent, especially the Prosciutto di Parma, and the seafood-laden Linguine con Frutti di Mare is a flavorful take on a classic. But to start appreciating the culinary artistry on display in this cozy space on Memorial Road, begin at the beginning. While there’s nothing esoteric in terms of ingredients in Tommy’s Smoked Salmon Appetizer – thinly sliced fish arranged into roses, diced red onions, capers, dollops of cream cheese and toast rounds – the do-it-yourself starter is an object lesson in how much presentation can elevate diners’ enjoyment of a dish. Manager Nathan Rosecrans and staff will be happy to recommend an accompanying white, and serve as guides for your exploration of the rest of the menu. - STEVE GILL

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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 $ S&B’S BURGER JOINT 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 $ TUCKER’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 $

CAFÉ EVOKE 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 $ CLARITY COFFEE 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 $ COFFEE 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 $ ELEMENTAL COFFEE 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 $ RED CUP 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 $ 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 BLACKBIRD 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 $$ CHEEVER’S Southwestern-influenced recipes (the chicken-fried steak is a house specialty) and love of seafood drive the contemporary comfort food in one of the city’s finest dining destinations. 2409 N Hudson, OKC, 525.7007 $$

Coffeehouse & Tea Room

LOTTINVILLES 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 $$

ALL ABOUT CHA 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 $

LUDIVINE 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 $$$

PHOTO BY SHANNON CORNMAN

GOOD TASTE

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 $$$

chicken - are wide-ranging but elegantly simple. 6714 N Western, OKC, 607.4072; 1 Mickey Mantle, OKC $$

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 $$$

BONJOUR 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 $

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 $$

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 $$

MICHAEL’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 $$$

German

THE MUSEUM CAFÉ 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 $$ PARK AVENUE GRILL A one-ofa-kind dining experience inside the luxurious Skirvin Hilton, blending traditional steak and seafood with the high style of its 1930s setting. 1 Park, OKC, 702.8444 $$$ 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 $$$ ROCOCO An “East Coast-style” restaurant with a diverse menu of international dishes, all set off by carefully selected wines to create the perfect dinner pairing. 12252 N May, OKC, 212.4577; 2824 N Penn, OKC, 528.2824 $$ SEVEN47 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 $$ 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 $$$ WEST The staff is speedy, the décor sleek and modern, and the entrées like beef pad thai or roasted airline

French

DAS BOOT CAMP 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 $ FASSLER 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 Oklahoma-made bratwurst. Join weekend regulars for breakfast, and remember the bakery counter. 3701 N Youngs, OKC, 946.8444; 6501 N May, OKC $$ ROYAL BAVARIA Superb takes on traditional dishes like Weinerschnitzel, Jagerbraten and sausages, plus fantastisch housebrewed beers. The time spent is a worthy investment in this family-style dining hall. 3401 S Sooner, Moore, 799.7666 $$$

It’s Time to Rediscover

the

Haunted House

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

Same Romantic Location,

Expanded menu!

7101 Miramar Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Reservations Recommended 405.478.1417 www.jbruners.com

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for vegetarian, tandoori, South Indian and Indo-Chinese specialties - plus full lunch and dinner buffets. 1500 NW 23rd, OKC, 601.1888 $$

joint’s good beer selection and crisp, urban décor add savor to the flavor.

600-B NW 23rd St, OKC, 601.6161 $$

Italian & Pizza

PIZZERIA GUSTO Neapolitan-style pizza (which harnesses an extremely hot fire to quickly cook superfine flour crusts and quality ingredients) stars alongside Italy-inspired salads, pastas and appetizers. 2415 N Walker Ave, OKC, 437.4992 $$

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 $$ EMPIRE SLICE HOUSE Reigning over the Plaza District in New York style (that means thin, flexible crust with a lot of surface area to cover in cheese and tasty toppings), it offers whole pizzas or slices, a full bar and a primo patio. 1734 NW 16th, OKC $ FLIP’S WINE BAR & TRATTORIA Managing to feel rustic despite its location in a busy corridor of OKC, this cozy Italian joint keeps extended hours, and tends to get busier and louder as the hour gets later. 5801 N Western, OKC, 843.1527 $$ HIDEAWAY PIZZA 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 $$

A Fab Formulation Pleasant dreams at Ludivine

LOCAVORE HAVEN LUDIVINE is all about culinary craftsmanship, and chefs Russ Johnson and Jonathon Stranger aren’t the only ones who excel at elevating ingredients through experimentation: bar manager Chris Barrett is a practiced hand at drink innovation. He’s an inveterate music lover, as well – so much so that he and bartender Colby Poulin concocted a spring drinks menu inspired by individual tracks from The Beatles’ magnum opus “Revolver.”

Despite its fruit garnish, this particular beverage isn’t the “Strawberry Fields Forever” – that would be in the offing if they do a followup menu based off “Sgt. Pepper’s.” It’s the base of Lucid brand absinthe (the better for dreamlike states), and a bittersweet twang of Italian aperitif Aperol, that fuel I’M ONLY the transcendently delicious SLEEPING “I’m Only Sleeping.”

It and the other Beatles-inSimple syrup Muddled strawberry spired drinks will be on the Absinthe Ludivine menu through June. The Aperol bartenders may well wake you and Lemon juice shake you eventually if you spend Topped with champagne too long in a trance, but until then and a strawberry – pleasant dreams. - STEVE GILL

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HUMBLE PIE PIZZERIA 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 $ JOEY’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 $$ KNUCK’S WHEELHOUSE 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 $

STELLA MODERN ITALIAN CUISINE 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 $$ TOMMY’S ITALIAN-AMERICAN GRILL An old favorite returns to the metro to provide fresh, plentiful doses of primo pasta and pizzas, always served with plenty of ambiance. 5516 W Memorial, OKC, 470.5577 $$ UPPER CRUST 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 $$ VICTORIA’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 $ VITO’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 $$ THE WEDGE Wood-fired pies crafted from fresh ingredients (the possibilities range from pepperoni all the way to figs or truffle oil) and made-from-scratch sauces. 230 NE 1st, OKC, 270.0660; 4709 N Western, OKC, 602.3477 $$

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 $$

CAFÉ ICON 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 $$

PIZZA 23 The tempting selection of specialty pies on especially buttery, flaky crusts is available for takeout, but dining in is recommended; the Uptown

SUSHI NEKO An established OKC favorite combining style (sleek, brisk, classy) with substance (in the form of an especially wide-ranging and creative

PHOTO BY SHANNON CORNMAN

AT THE BAR

sushi menu). 4318 N Western, OKC, 528.8862 $$ TOKYO It’s neither huge nor lavishly appointed, and the menu focuses on tradition rather than creativity; but it’s palpably fresh and routinely cited as among the metro’s best sushi. 7516 N Western, OKC, 848.6733 $$ VOLCANO 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 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 $$ 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 $ QUEEN 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 $$ ZORBA’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 $

Mexican & Latin American 1492 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 $$ BIG TRUCK TACOS It’s nearly always standing-room-only at lunch, but don’t let that deter you; spend a few minutes in line and get an ample reward in the form of fast, fresh, imaginative taco creations. 530 NW 23rd, OKC, 525.8226 $ CAFÉ DO BRASIL It’s a long way from OKC to Rio, but the savory menu in this Midtown hot spot covers the distance in a mouthful. Even brunch is a spicy, inimitable treat. 440 NW 11th, OKC, 525.9779 $$ CAFÉ KACAO 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 $ CHILTEPES The full name calls it a “taco joint,” but don’t equate it mentally 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 $ CULTIVAR A farm-to-fire Mexican kitchen that stresses sustainability, local sourcing and fresh, fast, flavorful food. Gluten-free options, chefcrafted tacos, a substantial bar and plenty more are on the menu. 714 N Broadway, OKC $$ IGUANA MEXICAN GRILL Unique Mexican flavor in a fun atmosphere at reasonable prices - a treat from the house-made salsas to the handcrafted cocktails, and all the tastes between. 9 NW 9th, OKC, 606.7172 $$ MAMA ROJA MEXICAN KITCHEN 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 $$ TARAHUMARA’S Beloved by locals (there’s usually a line but it moves quickly), this airy ristorante serves huge, tasty Tex-Mex classics plus less ubiquitous fare like carnitas de puerco and mole poblano. 702 N Porter, Norman, 360.8070 $$ TED’S CAFÉ ESCONDIDO 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 $$ YUCATAN TACO 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 $ ZARATE’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 DRAKE 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 CRABTOWN A huge Bricktown warehouse where the Cajun Crab Boil is a favorite, guests are encouraged to “leave the silverware at home and dig in,” and taste is king. 303 E Sheridan, OKC, 232.7227 $$ PEARL’S OYSTER BAR A perennial OKC favorite for its flavorful seafood and spicy Creole-inspired dishes: Shrimp Diablo, Tabasco-infused Caesar salads, Andouille omelets at Sunday brunch and more. 5641 N Classen, OKC, 848.8008 $$ THE SHACK SEAFOOD & 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 $$ JAX SOUL KITCHEN 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 $ KD’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 BOULEVARD STEAKHOUSE 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 $$$ BROADWAY 10 Cruise into the Buick building in Automobile Alley to savor steak supremacy or seafood selections (even sushi) in a cozy enclave amid urban bustle. 1101 N Broadway, OKC, 212.3949 $$$ CATTLEMEN’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 $$ 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 $$$ JAMIL’S STEAKHOUSE 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 exceptionally well since 1964. 4910 N Lincoln, OKC, 525.8352 $$$ JUNIOR’S The classic restaurant’s decor sets the perfect stage for handcut Angus steaks and lobster to fight for attention with knockout fried chicken. 2601 NW Expressway, OKC, 848.5597 $$$ MAHOGANY PRIME STEAKHOUSE 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 $$$ MEAT MARKET REFECTORY The well-aged steaks are excellent, but they’re the tip of the ample menu’s iceberg: fresh seafood and Australian lamb chops command attention as well, and from Hatch green chili crab cakes to champagne sabayon, the carefully selected flavors pop and sparkle in this prime dining experience. 2920 NW 63rd, OKC, 608.8866 $$$ MICKEY 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 $$$ OPUS PRIME STEAKHOUSE It aspires to the ultimate in upscale dining via hand-cut USDA Prime Black Angus steaks, a vast wine selection and intimate ambiance. 800 W Memorial, OKC, 607.6787 $$$ RANCH STEAKHOUSE Effortless opulence, custom-aged hand-cut USDA Certified Prime tenderloins and ribeyes, served amid warm Southern hospitality. 3000 W Britton, OKC, 755.3501 $$$ RED PRIMESTEAK Visionary design and atmosphere house super-premium steaks, vibrant, imaginative flavors and amenities to make some of the state’s best dining. 504 N Broadway, OKC, 232.2626 $$$

Thai 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 $ SWEET 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 $$ 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 $$ JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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IN PURSUIT OF PURA VIDA

The wildlife and wonders of Costa Rica I’D SPE N T N E A R LY A W EEK I N COSTA R ICA with NAMU

Tours and Costa Rican Vacations. I had watched alligators along the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park just outside Guanacaste; snorkeled in the Pacific on an afternoon catamaran ride off the coast of Playa Del Coco; earlier in the day, after a visit to Volcanoes National Park, I had gone swimming under the crystal waters of the 250-foot La Fortuna Waterfall. Half an hour’s ride away was my hotel, the world-renowned Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort and Luxury Hotel. There I would spend my last day in Costa Rica, reflecting on the colorful insanity that had been my stay in the Central American paradise.

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Shortly, a van would pick me up outside, and after a short drive to the Tabacon Springs themselves, which are largely open to the public, I would surrender myself to a day of steamy mineral water, sublime scenery, cocktails and a touch of quietude.

Boasting six dormant volcanoes, Costa Rica has no shortage of hot springs of varying temperatures, flow volumes and mineral content. Hot springs have long been a soothing respite for visitors drawn to the biologically diverse country’s unprecedented breadth of rainforest hiking trails, zip lines and white water.

While many hot spring resorts in the area either re-circulate or drill for the geothermally heated rainwater that fills their pools, Tabacon’s springs are completely natural. The tropical resort offers five different tumbling springs with temperatures ranging from a refreshing 77 degrees F to as hot as 122.

There are two main branches to the steaming river that flows through the hotel and thermal resort’s spectacular gardens, and one cold river spring that flows down the volcano from the rainforest. These streams and rivers collect beneath cascading waterfalls into more than a dozen pools of varying sizes and depths; one is large enough to host a well-appointed swim-up bar. Some smaller pools are available only to guests staying at the hotel, providing utter tropical seclusion with the best views of the Arenal Volcano and the surrounding rainforest.

The Tabacon is an intimate hotel with tremendous personal service, two restaurants and two of its own swimming pools filled with water channeled from the hot springs. In fact, water

features, fountains, small falls and pools are everywhere. The rooms themselves are spacious, indulgently comfortable and meticulously decorated with local art, Spanish tile floors, granite countertops and unrivaled views of the surrounding rainforest and the towering Arenal.

To be anywhere in Costa Rica practically requires keeping your head on a swivel and your senses heightened. From every direction, the sound of scurrying and scratching feet, territorial shrieks, throaty warbles, shrill squeals and guttural moans JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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permeate the wet, verdant air. Splashes, subtle hisses and lengthy rattles rise and fall in a euphonious fashion. The occasional pop of color as a tanager dips from one flowering plant to another is a bright reminder that attached to each of the huge numbers – 210 species of mammals, 878 species of birds, 218 species of reptiles and 35,000 species of insects – is something that is beautiful and something that is alive.

Despite its small size, Costa Rica boasts 4 percent of the earth’s living species, and for decades, travelers have been drawn to this biological diversity and splendor. The country claims 27 National Parks, 58 wildlife refuges, 15 wetlands, 32 protected zones and eight biological reserves, each exploding with rivers, streams, waterfalls, coastlines on both the Pacific and the Atlantic – all home to wildlife and beauty beyond imagination.

As I wait for a shuttle to pick me up and take me on the easy ride from the hotel to the hot springs at Tabacon’s Thermal Spa, a hummingbird whizzes impossibly close, en route to one of thousands of flowers in the kaleidoscopic, wandering garden that backs up to the edge of the surrounding rainforest. Along this forest is the narrow road to the hot springs.

Transfixed by acrobatics of the hovering, iridescent hummingbird, I don’t even notice when the shuttle to the springs pulls up. Over the course of my stay, I’d counted hundreds of birds, seen

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sloths, monkeys, iguanas and frogs. I’d been immersed in wildlife for a week.

So much so, that by trip’s end, I began to realize that while I had seen and photographed a lot, I hadn’t really experienced anything at all.

“Pura Vida” (translated as “pure life,” and the most important phrase in all of Costa Rica), says the driver with a toothy smile as he slides open the shuttle door. “You want a ride to the spa?”

I look around. The hummingbird has vanished from the flower, but a handful of parrots chat loudly above and a giant Crested Guan, a turkey-like bird with a sharp red and blue face, crashes through the canopy. Recently, it had stopped raining, but the sound of a million residual droplets of water falling from leaf to leaf toward the forest floor keeps the “rain song” active long after the storm’s passing. Despite this temporary respite, the clouds above the canopy line promise more rain. The world around me, more than ever, feels alive.

“I think I’m gonna walk,” I say, watching an iguana lazily cross the road at the gate of the hotel.

“It’s gonna rain again soon,” says the driver.

A howler monkey sounds its guttural cry from a tree nearby. It is as intimidating as it is beckoning. Thunder cracks in the distance. He is right; more rain is coming.

“All the better if it does,” I reply, and begin the beautiful, wild walk at the base of a volcano along the edge of the lush rainforest, heading to healing hot springs for some pure living – or as they say in Costa Rica, “Pura Vida.” – MATT PAYNE JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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travel STATESIDE

Say Yes to Vino

A look ahead to Sonoma’s Wine Country Weekend SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, has more soil types than the

entire country of France. With 17 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), you’ll find an amazing variety of tastes and terroirs. On one hand, no place could be more sophisticated and upscale. On the other, no place could be warmer, friendlier or more downto-earth. Somehow, the area has managed to balance both sides into a beautiful blend. A lot like their wines – a perfect marriage of varietals into myriad bottles of viticultural magic. And no time is better to experience this piece of paradise than during Sonoma Wine Country Weekend 2016, coming up Sept. 2-4.

SONOMA STARLIGHT The three major events during the weekend couldn’t illustrate the range of experiences more clearly. On Friday night, Sept.

2, the spotlight’s on Sonoma Starlight at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Inspired by Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, the winery’s buildings and grounds set the mood for enjoyment. Grand steps lead up the hillside to the entry patio and the winery tasting room.

To the right is a view of a vast public space and a magnificent swimming pool. Of course, on the night of Sonoma Starlight, the

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view is somewhat obstructed by all the guests, but they make an interesting sight, too.

The evening will be all about wine tasting. Around the huge outdoor deck, areas are set aside for different varietals and styles of wine – last year from 34 different wineries. Another dozen wineries were pouring in the Reserve Wine Room.

Sonoma is as noted for cuisine as for wine. Combine the local growing climate, the burgeoning locavore movement and a plethora of fine chefs and, voila, you are ready for an edible experience. Last year, a variety of vendors at Sonoma Starlight offered treats from Sonoma cheeses and charcuterie through house-cured ham, 14-hour smoked beef brisket, chili-butter roasted corn, blackberry port sorbet and so, so much more.

Guests chatted, danced, tasted, sipped, played bocce and still found time to tour the Coppola Movie Gallery FOR MORE INFORMATION in the tasting building.

Golden Oscars stood on a shelf near Don Corleone’s desk from The Godfather movies.

For complete information and tickets: sonomawinecountryweekend.com

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa: fairmont.com/sonoma

SONOMA STARLIGHT AND SONOMA HARVEST WINE AUCTION BY GEORGE ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY; MACMURRAY VINEYARDS, PINOTS AND GRAPES BY ELAINE WARNER

mature vintage will remember actor Fred MacMurray, and his daughter Kate still has a close association with the vineyards.)

The event features approximately 200 Sonoma wineries and dozens of local chefs. Different tents representing particular AVAs feature wines and food pairings. In the marketplace, stock up on local coffees, sauces, cheeses, fruits and vegetables.

Pop-up vendors feature items from duck tacos to paella.

When you purchase your tickets, you’ll have the opportunity to buy tickets to special sessions from cooking sessions to wine talks. At Pair with the Pros last year, Kendall-Jackson Winemaster Randy Ullom and Executive Chef Justin Wangler and their teams presented three dishes and appropriate wines, like a garden crudité with Green Goddess dressing paired with a 2013 Kendall-Jackson Winery Jackson Estate Chardonnay. The other two offerings were equally impressive. These carefully chosen combinations reveal subtle nuances in both wine and food.

This is a casual event calling for cool clothing and sun hats.

Booking a shuttle is advised – the traffic’s fierce, and after all the tasting, drivers are hot targets for local police. Event tickets are $165 and $195. Taste of Sonoma sells out quickly – tickets went on sale in mid-May – so if you’re interested, order immediately.

GOING, GOING, GONE

(Clockwise from top) This view of part of the MacMurray property gives a hint at the variety in the landscape. | Different areas of the MacMurray vineyards give unique characteristics to different labels of Pinot Noir. | Pinot Noir grapes at MacMurray vineyards are ready for harvest. | (Below right) Lively bidding helped raise $3.4 billion for local charities at the Wine Auction. | (Opposite) Sun sets and a casually elegant evening begins at Sonoma Starlight.

The coda to the weekend is the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction at Chateau St. Jean. The chateau grounds become a colorful fair with booths and tables of more wineries, vintners, sommeliers and chefs. The highlight of the afternoon, held in a huge,

A red Tucker auto from Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) rotates slowly on the floor below. Other cases hold memorabilia including elaborate costumes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Sonoma Starlight tickets are $125 or $175 for reserve privileges.

For visitors to the winery during regular hours, the pool with its European changing-rooms is available to the public, and the restaurant serves lunch and dinner. It was Coppola’s intention to create a place for families, not just for adults.

TASTE OF SONOMA The huge, outdoor party known as Taste of Sonoma is held on the grounds of the MacMurray Estate Vineyards. (Those of a more JUNE 2016 405 MAGAZINE

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air-conditioned tent, is an elegant luncheon and auction that benefits local charities.

You will find wines among the auction lots, but items range from private dinners to European trips. This is a deep-pocket event, so unless you have thousands – maybe hundreds of thousands – of dollars to throw around, sit on your hands! Last year’s event raised $3.4 million in just a couple of hours. Tickets for this party are $500.

IN YOUR SPARE TIME Even if you attend all the events, you’re going to have a lot of time in the area. Take time to enjoy the wide variety of wineries and tasting rooms. At many of the boutique wineries, the owners are closely involved in the whole growing/winemaking process and will take time to discuss oenology philosophy with you.

The concierge at my host hotel, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, suggested three ways to visit the wineries: chauffeur service to the wineries of your choice; a wine host for a more exclusive private tour; or a group tour. The concierge can arrange all these services.

Although I recommend taking a shuttle to the big events, if you have your own car, you can see a lot easily. And try a number of the interesting restaurants in the area, too.

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(From top) Umbrellas and canopies shade pre-auction activities at the Wine Auction. | The California Mission-style Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn was built in 1927.

By the end of the weekend last year, I had been royally wined and dined. I’d sampled dozens of wines and tasted tidbits both beautiful and delicious. Best of all, I’d met people devoted to the land and to producing wines that could compete anywhere in the world. For wine-lovers, who could ask for anything more? – ELAINE WARNER

WINE AUCTION BY GEORGE ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY; FAIRMONT SONOMA MISSION INN BY ELAINE WARNER

STATESIDE

events Crimson City

PHOTO BY MJ ALEXANDER

The Red Earth Festival has pomp and pageantry in plenty – tens of thousands gather to cheer for the grand parade, witness the unparalleled Native dancing and browse the massive collection of exceptional artwork – but this annual event is more than mere spectacle: It’s a three-day celebration of the cultures, traditions, creativity and spirits of dozens of Native American tribes. Now in its 30th year, this gathering June 10-12 in downtown OKC and the Cox Center remains an entertaining, educational, perspective-expanding marvel.

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events PRIME PICKS

Home Sweetness June 5-19 Across the metro A masterful, charismatic violinist and Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador, Kyle Dillingham is a frequent world traveler. Now he’s showing his appreciation for all the support he’s received at home with the 405 Thank You Tour, playing in Minco, Piedmont, Guthrie and more – check horseshoeroad.net for updates.

Al Jarreau

Smooth Operators Through June 4, Deep Deuce and Bricktown

Tim Cherry, “River Mates”

The Gold Standard

June 10-August 7, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

With a subject as broad in scope as the American West – spanning portraiture, landscapes, wildlife scenes and more– how do you go about finding the very best art? It helps when the experts do the selection work for you. More than 300 elite paintings and sculptures fill the annual Prix de West for appreciation and potential purchase. The exhibition remains on display into August, but a bevy of seminars, panels and special dinners make the opening weekend a must-attend main event for collectors and aficionados. Go West!

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The third time will be plenty charming for listeners as OKC Jazz Fest returns to the heart of the city, bringing tip-top practitioners of jazz as well as hip-hop, rhythm and blues and more. Headliners include Tulsa funksmiths The Gap Band, multi-Grammy-winning crooner Al Jarreau and a homecoming for OKCformed R&B group Color Me Badd.

Yada, Yada, Yada June 2-25, Myriad Gardens Lovers and liars, brigands and braggarts, mendacity for purposes both foul and fair – the Bard’s masterpiece might be “Much Ado About Nothing,” but that’s no reason to miss out, as the most excellent players of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park launch into a new and delightful season of outdoor theater.

events SPEAKER BOX

Maxwell’s House Live at the Criterion

Trouble Time Replacements bio is sadly beautiful

T HE L EGE N D of The Replacements, teen punk band from Minneapolis who slowly transformed into pre-grunge generational heroes, has been told before.

But access to the surviving members of the band has been difficult, and Paul Westerberg, the band’s former singer and principal songwriter, hasn’t always been honest or forthcoming in previous interviews.

By shunning the convenient path of myth-making, author Bob Mehr spent nearly a decade doing meticulous research to craft Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements as the most comprehensive and definitive biography of the band.

At 470-plus pages, Mehr’s chronology is vastly superior in every way to Jim Walsh’s All Over But the Shouting, which was released in 2009, and was mostly a loose compilation of interviews and oral historical memories by the band and peers. Walsh’s book was essentially a fanboy’s tribute, where Mehr’s take is more of a psychological profile and a forensic explanation of what went wrong.

Mehr, a seasoned rock writer based in Memphis, has a writing and research style very similar to Charles Cross, whose biographies of Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix delved so deeply into minutiae that they tended to venture into the weeds. Mehr is in danger of that here, too, but the detailed backstory behind Westerberg’s and late guitarist Bob Stinson’s horrific family drama is necessary to paint both men with empathy.

Stinson’s mother, Anita, recalls the exact moment that Bob changed as a

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young boy. In and out of juvenile homes and state care, wracked with mental illness and low self-esteem, Bob reached adulthood by living a thousand lifetimes.

Music was a refuge, and so it was for Westerberg.

Mehr’s book really takes hold in the second act, where the band’s obnoxious disregard for organization, immaturity and fear of actually becoming legitimate rock stars derails into chaos and bad decisions. The drunken shenanigans grow old, and toward the end of the book, Westerberg becomes the fall guy, with the band dissolving as he, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars focus on solo projects.

Still, Mehr’s powerful writing conjures up sad images, with stories of the elder Stinson’s final years, jobless and aimless, wandering the cold streets of Minneapolis and hitching rides to shows. Like all sad stories, there’s no happy ending.

While the younger Stinson and Westerberg regrouped last year for a small tour, Westerberg cut it short with the belief that he sold out for a quick buck.

The “Mats” will never reform again, and Mehr’s book will likely be the end of their fascinating story. - JERRY CHURCH

WH E N PL AN S FOR the development of the Criterion Theater were announced, the immediate reaction among music fans in the 405 was that finally, a mid-sized venue would be able to lure national acts that required a more intimate connection with their audiences. For years now, Tulsa has had the edge on the capital city with hosting these acts, but now we have a music hall that can compete.

This month, Maxwell, one of the most talented and mysterious musicians of the past two decades, makes his concert debut in the 405 on June 29 at the Criterion, 500 E Sheridan in Bricktown.

A native of New York, Maxwell helped usher in a sub-genre of contemporary soul music that uses traditional instrumentation, known as “neo-soul.” Along with his colleagues such as Angie Stone, D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, neo-soul was an afro-centric, urban music that was partly a throwback to ’70s soul music with elements of pre-hip hop ’80s production.

In 1996, Maxwell made his debut with his ambitious “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite,” a pseudo-concept album based on his life and relationships in New York City. With it, he brought a new sound to traditional soul music that had not been realized since the death of Marvin Gaye in 1984. He followed that with the groove-oriented “Embrya” in 1998 and 2001’s “Now.” He then took an eight-year sabbatical before releasing the first of a trilogy of records, “BLACKsummers’night,” in 2009. The second installment is due this summer, much like the artist is due in OKC. Visit criterionokc.com for ticket information. - JC

events SPEAKER BOX

FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE OF CONCERTS, CLINICS AND JAMS VISIT JAZZINJUNE.ORG

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Leon Bridges’ Sweet Soul Music

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whose debut record came out in 2015 but sounds as if it was recorded in Memphis in the mid-1960s. His retro-vibe is affirmed by that album’s cover: “Coming Home” even has the old Columbia Records logo. The nod to the old school is not a gimmick.

Bridges’ talent and homage to the past sounds sincere.

While often compared to Sam Cooke, Bridges, a fine singer and songwriter, is more than a Cooke wannabe. He’s a Fort Worth-bred original, blending pop, jazz, gospel, soul, rhythm and blues and Southern roots rock – all with catchy lyrics and a rave-up of a band.

Once a college dropout and a dishwasher, Bridges started hitting the open mic circuit in Austin and learned to play a few chords on a cheap guitar. He soon made friends with the right people and began generating industry buzz.

Although “Coming Home” came out a year ago, it was mostly word of mouth and good reviews that helped Bridges develop his audience. After he appeared on the “Today” show earlier this year, his sales blew up, and now he’s one of the hottest acts on the road.

He plays his first ever concert in the state of Oklahoma on July 1 at the WinStar Global Event Center, 777 Casino Avenue in Thackerville. Tickets can be found at ticketmaster.com. - JERRY CHURCH

PROMOTION

The St. Jude Dream Home Returns for 2016

D

o you dream of living in an upscale, beautifully designed, urban home in the heart of Oklahoma City? You’ve got a one-in-7,000 chance of making that dream come true with each $100 ticket you purchase, thanks to the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.

Local sponsors include Turner & Company Inc., and Eden and Monte Turrentine, owners of Legacy Cleaners and Laundry. The Turrentines’ business interests also include residential development, and the pair saw the opportunity to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a natural fit. They have donated property for the 2016 Dream Home, which is in an urban setting for the very first time.

Eden Turrentine puts it this way: “Monte and I have gratefully supported St. Jude for nine years with our company Legacy Cleaners. We both feel that the St. Jude organization makes such a compassionate difference in so many children’s and families’ lives, and we feel so fortunate to be a small part of their impact.

“Our residential development, Westminster Heights, which we had been working on, coincided at such an appropriate time for us to make the next step of providing the 2016 dream home this year.”

Harrison Turner’s company Turner & Co., a full-service residential and commercial construction company, is building the home. Turner was approached by one of his project supervisors, Josh Moore, and the three traveled to Nashville to see the hospital.

“While we may have gotten involved originally out of happenstance, the experience we had at St. Jude made our project all the

more real and vital,” Turner says. “We are involved in this project to help create a future for children who may otherwise not have a future.”

Hall agrees: “When you see how St. Jude is using all of their resources to treat and care for sick children, it is virtually impossible to not want to help.”

Since 1991, the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway has raised more than $290 million nationwide to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, founded in 1962 by entertainer Danny Thomas.

Unsure of his life’s direction, Thomas sought guidance from St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, promising to build a shrine in his name in exchange for his help. $100 tickets will be available beginning June 2 at dreamhome. org or by calling 800.592.1596 for a chance to win the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway House or many other prizes. The home will be open for tours each weekend September 10-25, and the live drawing for the giveaway is coming October 2. So don’t wait too long for tickets … and dream big.

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FILM FESTIVITIES

Alive and Luminous

deadCenter Film Festival shines at 16 reenactments to examine the 1966 mass shooting on the University of Texas campus.

“It’s fantastic. It doesn’t really take a side about guns, it just shows the humanity of that event. It’s a very human look at the people and what happened – I’ve got goose bumps just talking about it. It’s just so good, and it’s a very interesting story to come out of all that [violence], to bring it to us in a human, beautiful way. Documentaries are supposed to make us think and make us aware and do things just like this.”

A Song for You: The Austin City Limits Story

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

A S SUCCE S S STOR IE S G O, this one’s

hard to top: an evening of watching short films with about 50 friends and fans has blossomed into a genuine destination event, as thousands of cinephiles will pack downtown – and beyond, given the satellite venue operating in the Plaza District during Live! On the Plaza – for the 16th annual deadCenter Film Festival June 8-12.

The full roster of features and shorts, documentaries and narratives is too extensive to single out just one – especially if you’re the lady responsible for collecting them.

“I have 106 favorites,” laughs programming director Kim Haywood. “They’re all amazing this year. We actually decreased the number of features we show to make sure they’re the strongest films that we have: 10 documentary features and 10 narrative features. It’s a super solid slate.”

Fortunately, she was amenable to pointing out a few selections that shouldn’t escape festival-goers’ notice – keep an eye out for these:

directed by What We Do in the Shadows’ Taika Waititi.

“It’s amazing. Super funny, kind of a father-son bonding-type film.”

The Master Cleanse

First-time feature director Bobby Miller helms a tale of depressed people literally coming face-to-face with their baggage by externalizing it as a living creature.

“Really deep and interesting - it’s dark, and it’s funny. It’s just the most clean, cut-all-the-fat-out film; it’s perfect.”

Haywood also called it a great festival film, as in the sort of under-the-radar gem that’s unlikely to be a blockbuster in a multiplex but rewards anyone who happens across it on Netflix or a festival like this.

Tower

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Sam Neill and newcomer Julian Dennison play a surly bushman and foster tyke relying on each other for survival in rural New Zealand in this comedy written and

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Tower Grand Jury Prize winner at SXSW, it combines archive footage and animated

A documentary charting the evolution and growth of ACL, it’s also a great excuse to share a ton of video of outstanding musical talents doing their thing.

“It’s 40 years of absolutely perfect archival footage, interviews with the musicians and what it means to them to play ACL, but also with a very interesting twist of what it’s like to work in public broadcasting and have those years where you think, ‘Is this going to happen next year? Are we going to be funded?’”

That one’s actually going to be screened outside on the Myriad Gardens lawn, as will the special Flashback Friday showing of E.T. – the film’s editor Carol Littleton is receiving an Okie Icon award that night. You should also try to make time for O, Brother! (a flamboyant comedy starring Spencer Hicks and directed by deadCenter’s Lance McDaniel) and Electric Nostalgia (a black-and-white thriller about a woman waking up from the dead in a body that is not her own) and a ton of shorts (Bacon & God’s Wrath, Alive and Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa, Kyle Roberts’ new jam Heroes of the Realm) and … well, it’s going to be a busy week. And with special events like an ’80s-themed premiere party at 21c before it even opens, a limited-seating talk and concert from country singer Lucinda Williams and more, you’d better get an All-Access Pass and check out the full schedule at deadcenterfilm.org. – STEVE GILL

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events UNITY

Free to Love

OKC’s all-inclusive Gay Pride Parade

Martha Wash

ON E OF T HE BIG GE ST PA R A DE S in Oklahoma City is not at The 28th annual parade kicks off at 6 p.m. June 26. Organizers Christmas, nor even Halloween. It’s the annual Gay Pride Parade say the current board has worked hard to turn what once was a and Festival, happening this year June 24-26 at the area of NW rather decadent event into a family-friendly atmosphere.

39th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, also known as “The Strip.”

“Daytime events are geared to all ages,” Clark says. “There will This year’s theme is “Free to Love,” and organizers say it could be be a special ‘youth zone’ near Expressions Community Center, the most massive event yet. and we will have great entertainers throughout the day. All “Last year, the Oklahoma City Police Department confirmed OKC through the weekend we will have hundreds of artists, vendors Pride was the state’s largest parade and privately held festival,” says and nonprofit organizations, as well as live music, food trucks Michael Clark, board president for OKC Pride. and a beer garden. There will definitely be “We had more than 75,000 attendees last year, something for everyone.”

“OKC Pride is all about and we expect this year’s parade to be even Clark said both the festival and parade are bigger, as it falls on the one-year anniversary open to everyone – gay and straight alike.

OPENNESS, INCLUSION of the Supreme Court decision affirming “OKC Pride is all about openness, inclusion AND EQUALITY.” marriage equality.” and equality,” he says. “As such, it is open to MICH A EL CL A R K The festival gets underway at 6 p.m. June all. At least half of our attendees each year are 24, with a free block party on The Strip and a supportive members of the straight commuconcert featuring the First Ladies of Disco, a new group made up of nity. Anyone attending will find a fun and welcoming environment some of the greatest names of the disco era. with no prejudice or exclusion.”

They include Martha Wash, who, as part of the Weather Girls, hit The LGBTQ community has been repressed and discriminated the Billboard charts in 1982 with what has become the gay anthem, against for many years, Clark said, and that is why he believes the “It’s Raining Men.” Also performing as part of the group is special Pride parade is still relevant today. guest Anita Ward, who hit No. 1 with 1979’s “Ring My Bell.” Ward is “While the world is more welcoming and open now, many in our stepping in for regular First Ladies singer Linda Clifford. Rounding community still do not feel welcomed, included or safe,” he says. out the trio is Evelyn “Champagne” King, whose 1978 hit “Shame” “OKC Pride exists to provide a venue where all can know they are landed her in the top 10, and put her on “American Bandstand” and not alone and accepted for who they are.

“The Midnight Special.”

“The best way to see what we are all about is to come see it for “One year we had the Pointer Sisters, and last year we had the yourself,” says Clark. “I know anyone taking the time to join us legendary band The Village People,” Clark says. “This year, the will be glad they did. Our community is diverse and involved First Ladies of Disco are launching their world tour right here at in all aspects of Oklahoma life. Come see what we have to offer, OKC Pride. We think everyone will really enjoy their music and the and I am certain you will leave with a greater appreciation for high-energy atmosphere they bring to their performances.” humanity.” - MARK BEUTLER

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ZEST{FULL} “One word to describe it is ‘fun’.

We’re laughing all the time!”

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on the radar

WANT TO SEE MORE? Visit our online calendar at 405magazine.com

Run, Reader, Run Stretch your legs to help local pets

ANIMAL COMPANIONSHIP is good for human morale in all walks of life. Or, as the case may be, runs of life. Once again, Guthrie is home to the 8th annual “See Spot Run,” a 5K, 10K and kid’s fun

Events URBAN PIONEER AWARD Jun 1 The resurgent Plaza District confers the award on Lyric’s Paula Stover, a visionary who has charted a new way to the future of the city. OCU School of Law 800 N Harvey, OKC, 367.9403, plazadistrict.org DEAN MCGEE AWARDS Jun 1 Leaders who have helped shape the course of downtown development are give their due honors in this celebration. Skirvin Hilton 1 Park, OKC, 235.3500, downtownokc.com WINE AND HOWL Jun 2 A casual cocktail party featuring wine, beer, tasty hors d’oeuvres and cool auction items, its proceeds benefit the adorable animals in care of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. DC on Film Row 609 W Sheridan,wineandhowl.com 1ST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK Jun 3 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. Paseo Arts District 3022 Paseo, OKC, 525.2688, thepaseo.com

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H&8TH NIGHT MARKET Jun 3 The beloved gathering of food trucks, live musicians and shopping opportunities is now a once-a-year event, so don’t miss this opportunity!

Midtown OKC 815 N Hudson, OKC, 633.1703, h8thokc.com SAINTOBERFEST Jun 3 Local beers to sample are pleasantly plentiful in this sparkling fete that provides St. Anthony Hospital with a bit of a financial boost. St. Anthony Hospital 1000 N Walker, OKC, 272.7070, givetosaints.com CANTERBURY MASQUERADE BALL Jun 4 Start primping your threads, because Canterbury Voices is turning the venerable hotel into a speakeasy for one night to mark its annual fundraiser. Formalwear and masks encouraged. Skirvin Hilton 1 Park, OKC, 232.7464, canterburyokc.com WINES OF THE WEST Jun 4 A red and white wine list of Oklahoma’s finest enlivens a day of exploration through Stockyards City businesses in this fifth annual fete. Stockyards City 1305 S Agnew, OKC, 235.7267, stockyardscity.org PEACE, LOVE & GOODWILL

run event in downtown – and both two- and four-legged participants are welcome. It takes place at 7 p.m. June 11 in downtown Guthrie and benefits local nonprofit animal sanctuary Free to Live.

See Spot Run was created in memory of long-time Guthrie resident Chris Cowden, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2008. Cowden’s siblings, Matt, Terri and Suzanne, say they knew their brother loved to jog, and he also had a deep affection for animals.

“Creating an event like this to honor Chris made perfect sense,” says Matt Cowden. “The run follows the route Chris used to take through Guthrie. We have raised more than $40,000 for Free to Live, and something like 3,000 runners from across Oklahoma regularly participate in the race.”

Festive food and drink will be available, and everyone is welcome to attend. In addition to bolstering awareness of animal rights, the day aids the nonprofit Free to Live continue its operation as the state’s largest no-kill facility for stray, abandoned and mistreated dogs and cats.

Or, to put it another way: Go have fun. Help pets live. Live, pets, live!

For more information, visit theseespotrun.com. - MARK BEUTLER

FESTIVAL Jun 5 Music, food, kids’ activities and friendly vibes - the groovy event benefiting Goodwill Industries returns. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 278.7119, peacelovegoodwill.org 2ND FRIDAY CIRCUIT OF ART Jun 10 A monthly community-wide celebration of creativity, focused on historic Downtown Norman.

Norman Arts Council 122 E Main, Norman, 360.1162, normanarts.org LIVE ON THE PLAZA Jun 10 Vendors, artists, residents and passerby unite for a monthly fiesta. OKC Plaza District 1618 N Gatewood, OKC, 367.9403, plazadistrict.org RED EARTH FESTIVAL Jun 10-12 The spectacle is incredible as thousands of representatives from hundreds of Native tribes gather in OKC to share their art and culture.

Cox Center 1 Myriad Gardens, OKC, 427.5228, redearth.org AUTO ALLEY SHOP HOP Jun 16 Discounts, giveaways, special minievents and have-to-be-there fun fill this monthly mercantile excursion.

Automobile Alley 1015 N Broadway, OKC, 235.3500, automobilealley.org

SPLENDOR IN THE GARDENS Jun 16 An annual farm-to-table gala dinner boasting a bevy of signature dishes provided by some of OKC’s top chefs - it’s practically guaranteed to sell out. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 445.7080, myriadgardens.com ZOOBILATION Jun 16 The Zoo’s largest fundraiser is a “no-tie” gala; grab a specialty beverage and plenty of food and go wild. OKC Zoo 2101 NE 50th, OKC, 425.0612, zoofriends.org OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Jun 17-18 Sample your heart out from among more than 300 outstanding varieties of beer from crafters near and far - enjoy!

Cox Center 1 Myriad Gardens, OKC, oklahomacraftbeerfestival.com HEARD ON HURD Jun 18 A free monthly festival of live music, food trucks and pop-up shops - come enjoy! Downtown Edmond 32 N Broadway, Edmond, 341.6650, facebook.com/heardonhurd PURPLE SASH GALA Jun 18 Empowered elegance reigns in the YWCA’s violet-hued affair aimed at aiding victims of domestic violence.

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National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd, OKC, 951.3333, ywcaokc.org TASTE OF OKLAHOMA OUTDOOR DINNER Jun 18 The Myriad Gardens offers members and guests the chance to enjoy a sumptuous meal of locavore goodness from chefs Kamala Gamble and Barbara Mock. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 445.7080, myriadgardens.com FLIGHT FOR FUTURES Jun 24 This high-flying party is now boarding for a second year of drinking, dining, dancing to The Wavetones and helping the Boys & Girls Clubs boost the lives of OKC’s youth. Wiley Post Airport 7200 NW 63rd, OKC, 706.7484, bgcokc.org OKC PRIDE Jun 24-26 A massive parade, block party, concert and festival draws tens of thousands to celebrate the joys of LGBTQ equality and shared humanity of all. 39th Street Strip 2218 NW 39th, OKC, 466.5428, okcpride.org SOONERCON Jun 24-26 David Weber, Nene Thomas, Larry Nemecek and many more special guests, plus oustanding cosplay and all kinds of merch, lend oomph to this silver anniversary spectacle. Reed Conference Center 5800 Will Rogers, Midwest City, soonercon.com STARS & STRIPES RIVER FESTIVAL Jun 25 Boat races of all kinds give plenty to cheer for in this free family event boosted by music and capped off with fireworks. Boathouse District 725 S Lincoln, OKC, 552.4040, boathousedistrict.org LIBERTYFEST Jun 25-Jul 4 Kite flights, feasting, pageants, a rodeo and more fill this week-long celebration of America, capped off with a massive parade and fireworks show.

Throughout Edmond 340.2527, libertyfest.org

Film CENTER THEATER SHOWS Jun 3-24 The OKC Museum of Art screens overlooked treasures and unsung independent films, including Weiner, Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, Pauline at the Beach, Chevalier and Eva Hesse.

OKC Museum of Art 415 Couch, OKC, 236.3100, okcmoa.com CLASSICS SERIES Jun 7-28 Catch a masterpiece you missed the first time around or just want to re-experience on the big screen: The Breakfast Club Jun 7, Monty Python and the Holy Grail Jun 14, Fight Club Jun 21 and The Goonies Jun 28. Harkins Theatres 150 E Reno, OKC, 321.4747, harkinstheatres.com DEADCENTER FILM FESTIVAL Jun 8-12 The crème de la cinema in independent film fills downtown OKC with 100+ specially selected flicks.

Downtown OKC 415 Couch, OKC, 246.9233, deadcenterfilm.org

SONIC SUMMER MOVIES Jun 22-29 Tis the season for kicking back with a movie - swing by the gardens for some great food trucks and a free flick: The Little Rascals Jun 22 and Hotel Transylvania 2 Jun 29.

Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 445.7080, myriadgardens.com

Galleries ONGOING DANCES WITH BRUSHES Through Jun 30 Santa Fe Depot Norman, 307.9320, pasnorman.org CAROL ARMSTRONG Through Aug 1 Summer Wine Art Gallery OKC, 831.3279, summerwinegallery.com FINE ARTS INSTITUTE Jun 2-30 The FAI hosts a collection of beauty produced by local artist Jennifer Jones. Fine Arts Institute of Edmond 27 E Edwards, Edmond, 340.4481, edmondfinearts.com HER AND ME Jun 3-25 The community art space in the Paseo welcomes a solo show from Marilyn Artus, inspired by and using materials inherited from her dearly departed mother-in-law. The Project Box 3003 Paseo, OKC, 609.3969, theprojectboxokc.com THERESA HURT Jun 3-25 The visually engaging Paseo gallery hosts a collection of acrylic paintings that beg closer inspection. In Your Eye Gallery 3005 Paseo, OKC, 525.2161, inyoureyegallery.com

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INNOCENCE LOST SERIES Jun 10 Valerie Sharp’s performance art series continues with its second installment, Middlemist Camellia, depicting a search for the soul’s rarest flower. Kasum Contemporary Fine Art 1706 NW 16th, OKC, 604.6602, kasumcontemporary.com WHERE TO WONDER, WHERE TO WANDER Jun 10-Jul 8 Fresh works from Stillwater artist Tim Stark, a painter often inspired by landscape, memory or both.

MAINSITE Contemporary Art 122 E Main, Norman, 360.1162, normanarts.org VETERANS: EXPERIENCE AND EXPRESSION Jun 10-Jul 23 Get immersed in the creative output of veterans who recently participated in the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Arts and the Military program. Firehouse Art Center 444 S Flood, Norman, 329.4523, normanfirehouse.com

Museums ONGOING BE THE DINOSAUR Through Jun 12 Sam Noble Museum Norman, 325.4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu RED EARTH REUNION SHOW Through Jun 30 Red Earth Museum OKC, 427.5228, redearth.org

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on the radar O. GAIL POOLE: REDISCOVERED OKLAHOMA MASTER Through Jul 30 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Museum OKC, 235.4458, oklahomahof.com

SPOTLIGHT

Sizzling Serenading Jazz in June turns up the heat

PRY THE LID OFF Through Aug 12 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center OKC, 951.0000, oklahomacontemporary.org GALILEO’S WORLD Through Aug 31 Across the OU Campus Norman, 325.4142, galileo.ou.edu OUR CITY, OUR COLLECTION Through Aug 31 OKC Museum of Art OKC, 236.3100, okcmoa.com EDMOND PEOPLE, EDMOND POLITICS Through Dec 17 Edmond Historical Society Edmond, 340.0078, edmondhistory.org LOWELL ELLSWORTH SMITH Through Dec 30 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org

Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen

IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME of year again, and we’re not talking

about the sweltering summer temperatures. Jazz in June is back and funkier than ever. It’s the 33rd year for the annual summer music festival, but the best part about it? It’s in Norman (the perfect festival locale) and free to the public.

But wait, there’s more. The real ear candy is headliner Jon Cleary, who recently won a Grammy for his album “GoGo Juice,” enchanting audiences everywhere with his soulful New Orleans-inspired tunes. Cleary and his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, take the stage Thursday night during Blues Under the Stars, following behind Shelly Phelps and the Scarlet Street Players.

“Cleary is perhaps among the single-most talented individuals we’ve ever had on the stage. Among other things, he is a legit piano professor in the New Orleans tradition, and I think he’ll offer a little something for everyone in attendance,” says James Johnson, program chair.

Jazz Under the Stars, Friday night’s lineup, opens with Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. The warbling Airmen are followed by Beto and The Fairlanes, a Latin Jazz dance band that’s sure to put some pep in your step after listening.

The last day of the three-day festival opens with Harumph, who describes their sound as “Americana songwriting complementing jazz made in Oklahoma.” Then Southern powerhouse Roxy Roca takes the stage before the night ends with Kung Fu, a mesmerizing band with an electro-fusion sound and surprising dance moves.

The festival takes place in Brookhaven Village on Thursday and Friday but moves to Andrews Park on Saturday. For a calendar of events, visit jazzinjune.org. - CALLIE RIDLEY

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PRIX DE WEST Jun 10-Aug 7 This prestigious, powerhouse collection of carefully juried works typifies the finest in Western art; landscapes, portraits, sculpture and more. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd, OKC, 478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org SCHOOL OF ART & ART HISTORY FACULTY EXHIBITION Jun 14-Sep 4 They don’t just teach, these instructors in OU’s award-winning program have generated arresting works in sculpture, photography, printmaking and other media for guests to view and evaluate. Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art 555 Elm, Norman, 325.3272, ou.edu/fjjma MATISSE IN HIS TIME Jun 18-Sep 18 The OKC Museum of Art is the sole venue in North America for this exceptional showing of pieces by the master of Fauvism and several of his famous contemporaries. OKC Museum of Art 415 Couch, OKC, 236.3100, okcmoa.com

Music

Oklahoma,” it certainly has some of the best music, including Count This Penny Jun 1, Mama Sweet Jun 2, Bill Kirchen Jun 4, Samantha Crain Jun 8, 2 Bit Palomino Jun 25 and Curtis McMurtry Jun 29- check online for updates. The Blue Door 2805 N McKinley, OKC, 524.0738, bluedoorokc.com DIAMOND BALLROOM SHOWS Jun 1-30 Crank it up on the south side with a musical blast from Gogol Bordello Jun 1, Act of Defiance Jun 18 and Stryper Jun 30. Diamond Ballroom 8001 S Eastern, OKC, 866.977.6849, dcfconcerts.com CHARLIE CHRISTIAN INT’L MUSIC FESTIVAL Jun 2-5 OKC’s own Christian was a pioneer of bebop and a magnificent performer - this multi-day festival honors his legacy through joyous music. Deep Deuce 201 N Walnut, OKC, 524.3800, charliechristianmusicfestival.com NOON TUNES Jun 2-30 Free lunchtime serenades to sonically spice up your Thursdays: Ali Soltani Jun 2, the Buffalo Rogers Trio Jun 9, Jane Mayes Jun 16, T.Z Wright & Bob French Jun 23 and the Kyle Reid Duo Jun 30. Downtown Library 300 Park, OKC, 231.8650, mls.lib.ok.us OPOLIS SHOWS Jun 3-21 Metro, meet Opolis - you’ll make beautiful music together, including Beach Language Jun 3, Summer Cannibals Jun 9, Speedy Ortiz & The Good Life Jun 14 and the mighty, mighty Electric Six Jun 21. Check online for updates. The Opolis 113 N Crawford, Norman, opolis.org FRONTIER CITY SHOWS Jun 3-24 The amusement park offers a bit of extra incentive to visit with performances from Hunter Hayes Jun 3, Plain White T’s Jun 11 and Rachel Platten Jun 24. Frontier City 11501 N I-35, OKC, 478.2140, frontiercity.com R. KELLY Jun 4, Whether or not you believe he can fly, R&B fans will want a big helping of his smooth sound as Kelly brings The Buffet tour to OKC. Cox Center 1 Myriad Gardens, OKC, 427.5228, coxconventioncenter.com

ONGOING OKC JAZZ FEST Through Jun 4 Al Jarreau, the Gap Band, Color Me Badd and more are set to lay down some cool sound in this week of sonic finery. Bricktown and Deep Deuce 500 E Sheridan, OKC, 630.7668, okcjazzfest.com

KYLE DILLINGHAM Jun 5-19 The award-winning fiddler and Oklahoma cultural ambassador is embarking on a quick 405 Thank You Tour to share his gratitude with the metro via performances in Piedmont, El Reno, Minco and Kingfisher - check the schedule online. Throughout the metro 808.8804, horseshoeroad.net

RIVERWIND SHOWS Jun 1-24 The casino is hopping this month, featuring special guests like Whitesnake Jun 1, John Anderson Jun 18 and Billy Currington Jun 24.

Riverwind Casino 1544 W Hwy 9, Norman, 322.6464, riverwind.com

TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES Jun 12-26 The Arts Council of OKC shares a free, family-friendly performance every Sunday evening on the Great Lawn. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 270.4848, artscouncilokc.com

BLUE DOOR SHOWS Jun 1-29 Selfbilled as “the best listening room in

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chorus of marvels from Brightmusic as the chamber ensemble ends its 13th season with “The Music of Vienna.” St. Paul’s Cathedral 127 NW 7th, OKC, brightmusic.org BUILT TO SPILL Jun 12 The beloved indie rockers have proven surprisingly resilient and influential more like Built to Last. ACM @ UCO Performance Lab 329 E Sheridan, OKC, 974.4700, acm-uco.com JOINT CONCERT SPECTACULAR Jun 12 It’s a blending of the bands as the Oklahoma Community Orchestra joins the OKC Symphonic Band for a varied, thoroughly puissant and absolutely free concert.

OK Christian University 2501 E Memorial, Edmond, 425.1990, okorchestra.org JAZZ IN JUNE Jun 16-18 The heat is on as local and national acts pump out three nights’ worth of free jazz and blues. Brookhaven Village 3700 W Robinson, Norman, jazzinjune.org GRAND CASINO SHOWS Jun 17 It should sound great at the Grand this month with a live performances from the one and only Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Grand Casino 777 Grand Casino, Shawnee, 964.7263, grandresortok.com BRICKTOWN BLUES AND REGGAE FEST Jun 17-18 A free live outpouring of grooves, jams and assorted musical goodness. Bricktown Sheridan & Oklahoma, OKC, 236.4143, brewerentertainment.com CRITERION SHOWS Jun 19-30 The downtown concert hall keeps pounding out the hits with performances by Widespread Panic Jun 19, Maxwell Jun 29 and Dashboard Confessional Jun 30. The Criterion 500 E Sheridan, OKC, 308.1803, criterionokc.com JOHN MAYALL, Jun 21 He’s a living legend of the blues, having played alongside everyone from Dr. John and Mick Fleetwood to Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Paul Butterfield and Eric Clapton and founded The Bluesbreakers - do not miss this opportunity to hear him. ACM @ UCO Performance Lab 329 E Sheridan, OKC, 974.4700, acm-uco.com GORDON LIGHTFOOT Jun 22 Spectacular songwriter and inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame Lightfoot has been recording and touring for over five decades - and devotees will be glad to hear OKC is one of the stops on his 50 Years on the Carefree Highway tour. Hudiburg Center 6000 Trosper, Midwest City, 297.2264, okcciviccenter.com THE UNDERACHIEVERS Jun 24 AK plus Issa Gold equals hip-hop dynamite; this duo of NYC rappers is ready to shake the Farmer’s Market’s foundations. OKC Farmers

Public Market 311 S Klein, OKC, okcfarmersmarket.com THE ULTIMATE ELVIS EXPERIENCE Jun 25 Long live the King. Impersonator Jake Rowley brings some of the young Presley magic to Rose State in this hip-shaking show. Hudiburg Center 6000 Trosper, Midwest City, 297.2264, okcciviccenter.com SUMMER BREEZE CONCERTS Jun 5-26 The Norman Depot swings into the news season with a fresh slate of free, open-air performances: Orquestra d’Calle Jun 5, We Dream Dawn Jun 19 and Brandy Zdan Jun 26. Lions Park 450 S Flood, Norman, 307.9320, pasnorman.org

Sports DODGERS BASEBALL Jun 1-28 Baseball’s back! Join OKC’s boys of summer as they host Iowa Jun 1-3, Nashville Jun 9-12, Omaha Jun 13-16, Round Rock Jun 21-24 and Iowa again Jun 25-28. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark 2 S Mickey Mantle, OKC, 218.1000, okcdodgers.com

United Way of Central Oklahoma’s Women’s Leadership Society is an influential network of women making positive changes in central Oklahoma. For more information go to www.unitedwayokc.org.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES Jun 2-8 Nobody does it better than the competitors in this winner-take-all slugfest - action is on deck. ASA Hall of Fame Stadium 2801 NE 50th, OKC, 866.208.0048, okcallsports.org REDBUD SPECTACULAR Jun 2-12 More than $130,000 will be given away as a reward for equine excellence in this annual show from the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association. State Fairgrounds 333 Gordon Cooper, OKC, 440.0694, okqha.org

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OKC PRO-AM CLASSIC Jun 3-5 The fifth annual bicycle race tears through three districts in three days, giving even more chances to witness or join in on the action. Midtown, Film Row and Automobile Alley, OKC, okcpac.com NAMI WALKS Jun 4 One-mile and 5k courses help provide a way forward for changing the way Americans view mental illness; move beyond the stigma. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, namiwalks.org/oklahoma WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW Jun 6 Got a mania for wrestling?

The WWE flagship returns to OKC, bringing Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and a ring full of top-tier action for die-hards. Chesapeake Arena 100 W Reno, OKC, 800.745.3000, chesapeakearena.com ENDEAVOR GAMES Jun 9-12 Fierce competition in multiple sports for athletes with physical disabilities; it’s an outstanding spectator event. UCO Campus 100 N University, Edmond, 974.3160, ucoendeavorgames.com

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on the radar MAYORS’ GOLF TOURNAMENT Jun 13 The afternoon on the links with the city’s current and former leaders benefits OKC Beautiful’s aesthetic efforts. OKC Golf & Country Club 7000 NW Grand, OKC, 525.8822, okcbeautiful.com

SPOTLIGHT

Andre Derain, “Le Faubourg de Callioure”

King of Beasts The OKCMOA revisits the time of Matisse BACK IN 1905, at the Salon d’Automne art exhibition in Paris, a critic named Louis Vauxcelles expressed his distaste for the potent, borderline garish color and simplified line of the paintings on display by saying they seemed to have been painted by wild beasts. More than a century later, he’s not exactly a household name, but his scornful appellation remains a byword in art history in the term Fauvism. The Henri Matisse, “Le Reve” primary leader of that movement, and a massively influential figure in the world of painting over the last 100 years, receives the spotlight in an in-depth retrospective: June 18-September 18, the OKC Museum of Art is the sole North American venue for “Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris.”

Much as his career encompassed more variety than simply Fauvism, this exhibition is centered around Matisse – including nearly fifty of his paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints – but also examines the context of his oeuvre and influence by adding in dozens of major works by an all-star assembly of 20th century artists: Renoir, Derain, Braque, Miro, Modigliani and more, including Matisse’s longtime friendly rival, Picasso.

Tours, workshops and a full schedule of ancillary events are on tap to accompany Matisse in His Time, and you won’t be able to experience it anywhere else on the continent, so visit okcmoa.com for details and plan to witness some true masterpieces. - STEVE GILL

OKC MILE Jun 18 Get revved up for flat-track motorcycle racing in this AMA Pro event that sees racers topping 140 mph. Remington Park 1 Remington Place, OKC, 580.320.3550, okcmile.com

INTO THE WOODS Jun 10-19 Community performers come together to give audiences a little Sondheim for their summertime.

UCO Mitchell Hall Theater 100 N Broadway, Edmond, 974.3375, summerstockok.com

FULL MOON BIKE RIDE & RUN Jun 20 It’s not a race, more of a monthly opportunity to burn some calories in the company of friends and well-wishers as the sun goes down.

Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 445.7080, myriadgardens.com

AMERICAN IDIOT Jun 10-Jul 2 The Boulevard of Broken Dreams runs through the Pollard this month, as the Broadway adaptation of Green Day’s smash-hit rock opera album comes to life. Pollard Theatre 120 W Harrison, Guthrie, 282.2800, thepollard.org

SWING FROM THE HEART Jun 23 Former Cowboy QB Brandon Weeden hosts this annual golf challenge to help locals enjoying giving a hand to the Children’s Hospital Foundation. Oak Tree National 1515 Oak Tree, Edmond, 415.318.4312, chfkids.com

OPERA ON SCREEN Jun 12 World-class ballet and opera presentations from around the world, shown in high-def comfort: this month, London’s Royal Ballet performs Sleeping Beauty. Harkins Theatres 150 E Reno, OKC, 321.4747, harkinstheatres.com

OKC ENERGY FC SOCCER Jun 25 Open wide for some soccer! The Energy look to continue the momentum from last year’s deep playoff run by kicking off against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. Taft Stadium 2901 NW 23rd, OKC, 235.5425, energyfc.com

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Jun 16-Jul 2 Edmond’s Upstage Theatre takes a turn at telling the “tale as old as time”for an enchanting outdoor experience.

Mitch Park Amphitheater 1501 W Covell, Edmond, 285.5803, upstagetheatreok.com

Theater ONGOING 4,000 MILES Through Jun 4 A full 70 years but only a few feet separate a grieving young man and his grandmother as the ad hoc roommates form an unlikely but powerful bond. Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W Main, OKC, 232.6500, carpentersquare.com MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Jun 2-25 Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s new season is a big deal, even if the first play might not sound like it. Myriad Gardens 301 W Reno, OKC, 235.3700, oklahomashakespeare.com SORDID LIVES, Jun 3-12 We’re all just trying to get through life as best we can … hopefully without leaving quite so embarrassing a mess when we die as Peggy does in this “black comedy about white trash.” Stage Door Theater 601 Oak, Yukon, 265.1590, stagedooryukon.com IN THE NEXT ROOM Jun 3-25 It’s hysterical, but not “wildly funny” so much as “critiquing Victorian-era men’s attempts to regulate women’s behavior through doctor-ordered vibrator use.” Adults only, natch.

OKC Civic Center 201 N Walker, OKC, 297.2264, reduxiontheatre.com MAMMA MIA! Jun 7-10 A bit of mischief to discover a father’s identity

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gives the audience justification for listening to a ton of ABBA tunes in this Celebrity Attractions adaptation. OKC Civic Center 201 N Walker, OKC, 800.869.1451, celebrityattractions.com

MANDY PATINKIN Jun 18 One of the stage’s true greats, the thoroughly talented actor and singer brings pianist Adam Ben-David to town for a casual, completely charming, evening.

OKC Civic Center 201 N Walker, OKC, 848.3761, cityrep.com THE MUSIC MAN Jun 22-26 The best-laid plans of mice and con men often go awry when love blooms between said swindlers and fine, upstanding librarians. Sooner Theatre 101 E Main, Norman, 321.9600, soonertheatre.org SNOW WHITE Jun 22-26 The junior thespians of Oklahoma Children’s Theatre weave a fairytale spell over audiences in this adaptation (don’t eat the apples!)

Oklahoma Children’s Theatre 2501 N Blackwelder, OKC, 951.0011, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org THE AGONY AND THE AGONY Jun 24-Jul 16 A dried-up writer tries to get back on the literary horse despite a passel of pernicious distractions. Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W Main, OKC, 232.6500, carpentersquare.com DREAMGIRLS Jun 28-Jul 2 A stellar showcase of girl group sound in the story of a set of singers headed for the top … they hope. Come dream a little dream with Lyric. OKC Civic Center 201 N Walker, OKC, 524.9312, lyrictheatreokc.com

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backstory

Make ‘em Laugh

AN ENTIRE GENERATION of Oklahoma City baby boomers grew up watching Ed Birchall on their flickering black-and-white televisions. Most folks remember Birchall as “Ho-Ho the Clown,” the larger-than-life comic who spent 29 years on the air at KOCO-TV. As Father’s Day draws near, his daughter Regina fondly remembers what it was like sharing her dad with other kids around the metro.

“He would come home from work with his clown clothes on, and his makeup would be a little bit smeared,” she recalls.

“It took me a long time to realize not every kid’s father wore a red ball on the end of his nose.”

Birchall grew up in Connecticut, and was stationed in Oklahoma City during World War II. He met his future wife, Beebe, and together they raised six kids – four boys and two girls. After his stint in the service, he earned an accounting degree from Oklahoma City University, and his first job was at Aero Commander.

“Dad was an accountant there and did clowning on the side,” Birchall says. “From

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the time he was very small, he had an interest in the circus and magic tricks and that sort of thing.

He was in the theater, as well, and was always interested in the arts.

So one little step kind of turned into another, and that’s when Ho-Ho was born.”

During his heyday in the 1960s, HoHo’s show sometimes aired as many as six days a week. As a child, Birchall said, it was sometimes frustrating that he was gone so much.

“Like many fathers of that time, he had more than one job,” she says. “If he wasn’t doing the TV show, he was supplementing his income with private parties and birthday parties. We would ask our mom, ‘Why can’t he just be like a regular dad?’ But then you grow up and realize he was just a regular guy who had an unusual job.”

Being the child of a TV star did have its perks: Birchall said she and her friends got to be on her dad’s show quite often.

“There would be times when people were scheduled to be on, and for whatever reason they wouldn’t show up,” she says.

“So he would make a call home and all the neighborhood kids would pile into our station wagon and off we would go to Channel 5.”

It wasn’t until her dad passed away in 1988 that Birchall says their family got a sense of his place in the community. His volunteerism was legendary, she said, and his work at Children’s Hospital made him happy.

Judy Leitner was in the public information office at the hospital, and said Ho-Ho was always on call, day or night.

“We had a young man named Gilbert who had beautiful, soulful eyes and a great smile,” Leitner says. “He had advanced cystic fibrosis that made him gasp for every breath. And he loved Ho-Ho.” On the night he died, Leitner said HoHo was there, holding the boy’s hand.

“He was by his side for hours,” she recalls. “It was almost time for him to have to go to Channel 5 to do his morning show, but he didn’t want to leave Gilbert. It was almost as if Gilbert recognized that at some level, and he just let go.

Ho-Ho was able to make it to his show, but returned to the hospital for the memorial that was held later. What a wonderful man.”

Today, Birchall embraces her dad’s legacy and is always touched when she hears how he made a difference in someone’s life.

“As the years pass, there’s always this sense of kindness,” she says. “It envelops us and we are so appreciative as a family that people had this affection for our father. People always have a memory of Dad on TV, or they saw him at the fair, or he came to their birthday party. It’s really very sweet. He followed his path, and ‘HoHo’ was his soul work.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, KOCO-TV COLLECTION

BY MARK BEUTLER

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