OKC FRIDAY Vol. 59 No. 30 • One Section • 14 pages • December 5, 2025
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27 debutantes to make their debut at Bachelors Club Charity Ball
Jonathan says the role of Scrooge is a real gift By Rose Lane Editor
sanitation trucks in the city following City Council approval of the project last February. Scaramucci and her fellow commissioners, Leigh Ann Albers, Ford Austin, Amy Dunn and Chip Oppenheim, chose four finalists and requested a more robust proposal. Finalists were approved by the City Council during their meeting earlier this month. The art renderings
Twenty-seven women make their debut at the 79th annual Bachelors Club Charity Ball on Monday, Dec. 22, at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. The black-tie ball begins at 8 p.m. with the debutante presentation starting at 9 p.m. Each debutante is to be escorted by a member of the Bachelors Club of Oklahoma City. After the debs are presented, guests will dance to the music of Souled Out and the evening concludes with a late breakfast. The club has raised more than $1,165,000 for local charities through its annual Charity Ball, including a $45,000 donation in 2024 to Cleats for Kids. This year, Club President Joseph Harroz has designated Focus on Home as the recipient of the ball’s charitable proceeds. The Bachelors Club of Oklahoma City was founded in 1938 by a group of young men who wished to promote the social and philanthropic undertakings, as well as leadership, in the Oklahoma City area. The club started the debutante presentation in 1945 to raise funds for various Oklahoma City charities, and it has been held annually since then except for 2020, during the pandemic. According to tradition, Bachelors Club members – “escorts” – formally invite the women to be debutantes on Thanksgiving morning. They present each debutante with an invitation and a rose and toast them with a glass of champagne. In the days before the ball, this year’s debutantes and escorts will volunteer with Focus on Home to help set up new homes for families within the Focus on Home program. Focus on Home helps individuals and families in need who are moving into housing by providing them with essential items and furnishings for them to get established in their new homes. Those helped might include young people moving out of foster care or families transitioning into stable housing after experiencing homelessness – Focus on Home partners with local social service agencies to identify those in need. Harroz said he selected Focus on Home as
See ART, Page 11
See DEBS, Page 3
Jonathan Beck Reed is no Scrooge when it comes to playing the lead role in “Lyric’s A Christmas Carol.” “It is a GIFT!!!,” he said. “It always is. He’s one of my top five favorite roles ever played.” Jonathan is starring in “Lyric’s A Christmas Carol” as the embittered miser. Shows continue through Sunday, Dec. 28 at the Plaza Theatre. Show times and ticket information are available at lyrictheatreokc.com. Jonathan doesn’t take the opportunity for granted. “To navigate this iconic character from his bitter and entrenched soliJonathan Beck Reed stars as Scrooge in “Lyric’s A Christmas tude through to his glorious Carol,” which continues through Dec. 28 at the Plaza Theatre. epiphanic reclamation is an actors dream. There’s so much there to invested in every moment throughout.” mine, and being onstage from beginning to The originator of Scrooge for the Lyric, he end imposes a wonderful kind of focus on an said he has a long and wonderful association actor that allows you to live out the part fully. When you’re onstage from beginning to end, See CAROL, Page 11 you can’t ever fake it. You must be fully
Artists approved for ‘roving’ public art project By Eric Oesch Staff Writer
MELISSA SCARAMUCCI
Nichols Hills is one step closer to having a fleet of roving art pieces on city streets with the approval of four artists to create art wraps for the city’s four sanitation trucks. Melissa Scaramucci, chairperson of the city’s Public Arts Commission, couldn’t be more pleased. More than a dozen artists submitted proposals to create art wraps for
Village officer recovering slowly after serious motorcycle accident By Eric Oesch Staff Writer Village police officer Cpl. Josiah Hembrough continues to make slow, steady progress following a dangerous motorcycle accident involving a speeding motorist on Hefner Road. He was moved out of Baptist Integris ICU this week following surgeries for multiple fractures. Hembrough has been with the VPD for nearly eight years and is the only full-time motorcycle traffic enforcement officer with the department. He was struck by a vehicle
turning left in front of him and was seriously injured while in pursuit of a speeding vehicle. The accident occurred Nov. 25 near the intersection of Greystone Avenue and Hefner Road in Oklahoma City. Hefner Road serves as the boundary between Oklahoma City and The Village city limits. Cpl. Hembrough was traveling westbound on Hefner Road when the accident occurred. Within minutes officers from The Village, See VILLAGE, Page 9
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week This is Teddy the Bear. He is a 6-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. Teddy loves toys and going for walks. He really loves to go anywhere with his mom Carol Wright. Email Pet of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com.