It's a Pawley

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | JULY 15, 2015

It’s a Pawley

BY JACK FOWLER P.39

GARETT FI SBECK

A local artist creates a style - and a mammoth mural so distinctive, soon everyone will know his name.

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CONTENTS 52

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ON THE COVER

NEWS

Artist Jason Pawley discusses his new mural downtown on the overpass at S. EK Gaylord Boulevard and W. Reno Avenue, working from sunrise to sunset, talking to passersby and how movement and traffic around the area affected the colorful Day-Glo project. Story by Jack Fowler. P. 39.

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Education: Plaza District schools News briefs Culture: Oklahoma Humanities Council grants Chicken-Fried News Commentary, Letters

LIFE 29 33

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LIFE 16 21

OKG picks Food & Drink: Red Raspberry Tea Room, food briefs, Nebu, OKG eat: our picks

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

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Best of OKC Runoff Ballot Religion: Summit United Methodist Church Culture: Premiere on Film Row Education: Kathleen and Roger Lienke Community: Hope Masquerade Ball Religion: Women of Faith Cover: Jason Pawley Viusal Arts: John Brandenburg

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Performing Arts: Comedy Cares Books: The Cy Young Catcher, Read It Forward Initiative Sudoku / Crossword Active: Myriad Botanical Gardens Music: Samantha Crain, The Honeycutters, listings Film: The Last Poster Child, Minions Astrology Classifieds

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news education

Plaza schooling

Children perform at a celebration of the STEAM program at Eugene Field Elementary.

Residents are working to ensure the quality of their schools reflect the rest of the district’s splendor.

By Ben Felder

Gatewood Elementary Principal Gayla Goff isn’t a fan of her school’s charcoal gray walls. “We need some color,” she said. A nine-minute walk south of Gatewood is the Plaza District, one of Oklahoma City’s artistic hubs, which Goff believes is home to an artist or two who could bring some neighborhood style to her building. “I want to take from the Plaza District and bring it in here,” Goff said. “I want to bring in some of the artists and brighten it up a little bit.” Outside downtown, there might be no other urban community in Oklahoma City that has embodied a spirit of rebirth like the Plaza District. Empty storefronts and decrepit sidewalks along 16th Street have been transformed into a thriving business community that features monthly festivals, a wide selection of local cuisine and a spirit that has attracted young residents eager to live within walking and biking distance to one of their favorite hangouts. But as those young adults turn into families with children, the local

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schools become just as important as Sunday’s brunch menu. “When we bought our house, we knew we wanted to have kids someday, but we didn’t think we had to know if this was the best school right now for our imaginary child,” said Jennifer Monies, who moved to the Gatewood community in 2009 with her husband Paul; they’ve had their first child since then. “Six years later, it’s obviously something we consider a lot.” Monies volunteered sporadically at Gatewood even before her first child, but she became active in the school’s community advisory board (CAB) a few years ago. Gatewood is considered an F school by the state and has a 93 percent poverty rate. But Monies said she wanted a diverse environment for her son and believed her involvement could help the school improve its academic performance. “I felt really passionate about getting engaged so we could see the school grow and be a better place when we have a son in the school,” she said. “There are a lot of other young couples in the neighborhood that feel the same way.”

When we bought our house, we knew we wanted to have kids someday, but we didn’t think we had to know if this was the best school right now for our imaginary child. Six years later, it’s obviously something we consider a lot. — Jennifer Monies

Despite a low letter grade, Monies and her fellow volunteers point to success in getting a grant for a new school playground, hosting a string art exhibit and the community advisory board’s role in helping select a new principal this year.

“The difference in children from affluent homes and ones in poverty is sometimes just a difference in vocabulary and experiences,” Goff said, “so the school has to build that slack up, and with the community involvement, we can.” The Gatewood community north of the Plaza District remains diverse in economic levels, but many streets have seen property values steadily rise in recent years. However, some residents say many families in the neighborhood send their kids to a charter or private school, such as Rosary Catholic Elementary School, which is two blocks from Gatewood Elementary. With a peak enrollment of 229 in 2014, Gatewood Elementary has room to grow by another 125 students, Goff said. “We still have room to grow, but I know some other schools I have been in are bursting,” Goff said. On the other side of the Plaza District is Eugene Field Elementary with an enrollment nearly three times larger than Gatewood. Principal Paige continued on page 6

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Bressman has been at Eugene Field for five years and said the makeup of the neighborhood is slowly changing. “We have had more people moving into the area,” Bressman said. “Previous to that, it was families who had been in the neighborhood for years and years and years. There has been a Eugene Field on this site for over 100 years. Parents of students went here, grandparents went here, but we have had more move-ins over the past couple years.” Growth in the Plaza District, along with the growth of Classen Ten Penn, the residential community school, has impacted Eugene Field, Bressman said.

19 percent African-American and 16 percent Asian.

Low grades

Neighborhood growth

Matt Tilly moved to the Gatewood neighborhood a few years ago because it offered an affordable option for urban living. “When we first moved in, not even three years ago, I think Saint’s was the only restaurant open [in the Plaza District]. But now, I can’t even count all the restaurants and shops that are here,” Tilly said. Tilly, who serves as president of the Gatewood Neighborhood Association, said he doesn’t have kids yet but sees the value in a strong school. “The school is extremely important to everyone in the neighborhood, regardless if you have kids or plan to send your kids to the school or not,” Tilly said. “You see a lot of people moving in with kids, or they are people that will be thinking of having kids in the next few years. For me, not having kids yet, a big part of it is you want to keep those people in the neighborhood instead of moving into the ’burbs because of the schools.” In the same way that the Plaza District has grown in recent years through a collaborative effort of entrepreneurs and community leaders, Monies said Gatewood Elementary appears poised for its own revival thanks to the effort of residents and school staff. “There is this synergy where we all want to make the Plaza District better, we want to make the schools better,” Monies said. “How can we work together to make this all better?” Daniel McKinney, Gatewood PTA president and CAB member, said community engagement is an important part of school improvement. He and his wife regularly open the Gatewood playground on Sundays to give kids a place to play, and he has also organized student bike rides through the community. “It’s important to find ways to serve these kids outside of the school day,” McKinney said. Eugene Field also has an active CAB that school leaders say is making a

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difference in moving the school forward. “I think there is some real oldschool community engagement in the inner city that the district could really tap into,” Monies said.

Demographics

Both Eugene Field and Gatewood elementaries are high-poverty and diverse schools. At Eugene Field, 65 percent of the student body is Hispanic, according to the most recent district data. “We have an amazing volunteer program at Eugene Field, and we are always looking for bilingual volunteers because so many of our kids speak Spanish,” Bressman said. Bressman said two of her office staff members and several other school employees speak Spanish. “There is always somebody here

top Children perform at Eugene Field Elementary. bottom Jennifer Monies talks while Julie Serven, Daniel McKinney and Matt Tilly listen at District Coffee House.

who can translate,” Bressman said. Eugene Field is also located in one of the city’s three Strategic Neighborhood Investment districts, which means Oklahoma City planners are making a concentrated effort to improve all aspects of quality of life in the surrounding community. The SNI program is also active in Eugene Field with its STEAM Summer Academy program that recently completed its first run. At Gatewood, the student demographics are 32 percent Hispanic,

Both Eugene Field and Gatewood have low letter grades from the state. (Eugene Field’s grade is a D+.) The school letter grade system has been controversial almost since its inception, but parents in the community say they hope to see the grade improve, if for no other reason than to have another visible sign of school improvement. Even if that F grade remains at Gatewood, current and future parents of Gatewood students say their involvement in the school gives them a perspective beyond a letter grade. “You can’t judge the staff off that grade because that staff is just as good as any other in Oklahoma City, in my opinion,” McKinney said. “You have a large group of kids that probably aren’t going to have much parental involvement regardless of what you do in the neighborhood, so there is going to be a lot of classroom time spent towards helping them out, which doesn’t mean that it sacrifices education or quality of work.” Monies said her own involvement in the school gives her confidence in her son’s education. “Paul and I are going to be very engaged no matter what,” she said. “I would hope that we would teach our son to help others. He has an advantage that some of the kids he is around won’t have. If he sees a friend that is struggling with a math problem, he should help him with it.” Both principals say they are often asked about the low letter grade, and while they believe it will improve in the coming years, they invite prospective parents to tour the schools and see the work that takes place. “I tell them to come in and we will take a tour of the school,” Bressman said. “You can see how the kids are working, how the teachers are working. This is a great school.” In the same way the Plaza District invited the community to believe in better days and get involved in the process of revival, parents and staff at Eugene Field and Gatewood say that same spirit is what will make a difference inside the schools. “Most of the people who are moving into this part of town have so much energy and excitement when they move down here, and they want to be part of the revitalization, they want to be part of something,” Tilly said. “I think living here is not just about living here and going to work and doing your own thing. It seems like so many people are taking an active role in getting involved in the community and the schools, and that’s what is great about this place.”

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news BrieFs By Ben Felder

Calling all overachievers under 40

To nominate Oklahoma City’s brightest young leaders visit www.okc.biz

P rOVi De D

Oklahoma City Council received an update on the planned streetcar maintenance facility to be built south of downtown at Seventh Street and Hudson Avenue, directly west of the old Union Station currently used by the city’s transit department. The maintenance facility will allow work to be done on streetcars, including painting and fiberglass fabrication and repair, said Robert Manley of Jacobs Engineering, the firm working with the city on the new downtown streetcar system. However, wheel truing services, which work out flat spots in the steel wheels, will be outsourced, possibly to Dallas, Manley said. The proposed downtown streetcar system, which is part of MAPS 3, is still a couple of years away. The facility will be over 18,000 square feet, which makes it comparable in size to similar streetcar maintenance facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tucson, Arizona. Manley told the city council last week the new facility would be built with similar features as the old Union Station next door. “We didn’t want just a big concrete box,” Manley said. “We thought there was an opportunity facing downtown where we could do a little more.” The total cost of the facility is projected to be at $5.3 million, and construction is expected to start early next year. “We are looking at April or May next year to begin construction,” Manley said. “First vehicle right now is looking at coming in April or May in 2017.” The streetcar is just one of several MAPS 3 projects moving forward, and City Manager Jim Couch said he expects next year to be a milestone year for the sales tax-funded program. “There is a lot going on in MAPS 3 right now,” Couch said. “We continue to build sidewalks, we opened the first trails a couple weeks ago, the park preliminary report will be coming to the oversight board early next month, the whitewater facility is well under construction ... and of course the convention center. 2016 is going to be a really big year for MAPS 3.”

Quotable

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Free Fare Friday EMBARK, Oklahoma City’s bus transit provider, will offer free rides this Friday in an effort to reduce emissions. On Friday, all EMBARK routes will be free to ride as part of Free Fare Fridays, which will take place each third Friday of the month through September. Embarkok.com offers route maps and guides to help riders plan their commute.

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Thunder star Kevin Durant announced last week his Kevin Durant Charity Foundation will team with Nike to complete basketball court renovations in underprivileged areas across the country and world. The program is called Build It and They Will Ball, and the first three new courts will be in Oklahoma City; Washington, D.C.; and Berlin, Germany. The renovations at the first three courts are expected to be complete by September. “When I was young, playing basketball was one of the things that kept me out of trouble and kept me focused on my growth and maturity into the man I would eventually become,” Durant said in a media statement. “For that reason, I’ve always wanted to play a leadership role in communities and neighborhoods like the one I grew up in and give kids a chance to choose health, teamwork and basketball over some of the other negative influences they may face.”

“We are excited to support Capitol Hill as they continue to make great things happen in the backyard of our Fowler Dodge dealership. There are many efforts aligning in south Oklahoma City, and it’s both our pleasure and responsibility to contribute to the momentum.” Those were the words of Jonathan Fowler, vice president of operations at Fowler Automotive. Fowler recently announced a new partnership with the Capitol Hill district that will promote the arts, culture and diversity in the south Oklahoma City neighborhood. A ribbon cutting was held last week to mark the new partnership, and neighborhood leaders said they were excited about the opportunities it will present. “On behalf of the board, I want to extend the warmest welcome to Fowler Dodge,” Randy Quiroga-King, chairman of the district, said in a statement.

By the numbers 14. That’s how many teachers from Puerto Rico arrived in Oklahoma City last week to begin working in the OKC school district. A district recruiting team traveled to Puerto Rico this past year to interview and hire bilingual teachers. District officials said private donations were offered to pay for the travel expenses.

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news culture

Grant land

Oklahoma Humanities Council is accepting the next round of applications for grants.

Nonprofits have a new set of opportunities for funding this fall as Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC) begins taking new applications for grants. “Eligible projects must support the OHC mission to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives and participate knowledgeably in civic life,” according to OHC. Major grants can be awarded up to $8,500, and challenge grants can go as high as $15,000. The major difference between the two types of grants is that the challenge grant matches dollar for dollar what the nonprofit raises up to $15,000, OHC Program Officer Caroline Lowrey said. Once the applicant is notified that they have the grant, they have 90 days to raise up to $15,000. However, she emphasized that the grantee does not have to raise the full $15,000 to get the matching funds. If an organization raises $1,000, then OHC will grant $1,000. Lowrey said that one recent example of a successful challenge grant given was for the Fabergé jewelry exhibit at Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA). “They had 90 days to raise $15,000, and they did it. We then matched that,” Lowrey said. The exhibit will be at OKCMOA until Sept. 27. The major grants are for organizations that do not want to try to raise their own funds in addition to funds from OHC. Those grants are capped at a smaller amount and generally involve a particular event like a one-time lecture or performance. Oklahoma Hall of Fame received a major grant in the spring and will have author and voice talent Michael Wallis for a lecture in conjunction with the America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66 exhibit on July 30 at 6 p.m. Projects that qualify for the grants can include discussion programs, lectures, panel discussions, websites, audio or video productions and exhibitions. There is a broad spectrum of possibilities for nonprofits in

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caroline lowrey

Oklahoma with these grants. The grants are meant to promote deeper thinking and appreciation for the arts and cultures of all kinds in Oklahoma through other nonprofit organizations. “The arts are the what, and the humanities are the why,” Lowrey said. As program officer, she helps applicants by coaching them on the application process, even down to functional things about navigating the digital application online. “I have helped people upload their application to the website before,” Lowrey said. “If anyone needs help, I am here to help. Please call me, call me, call me.” OHC is the Oklahoma partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and receives regular funding from that national organization. NEH has similar partner organizations in each state and territory of the U.S. Those partners pass money to each state partner so they can grant the money to nonprofits in their state. Aug. 1 is the deadline for application drafts for both major and challenge grants. Aug. 15 is the final deadline for applications. Applicants need to plan to wait 90 days from the final application before the proposed event or project beings. Interested nonprofits in Oklahoma may learn more about the process of applying by going to okhumanities.org, or they may contact Lowrey by phone at 2350280 or by email at caroline@ okhumanities.org.

ga reTT fi S Bec k

By Brett dicKerson

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CHiCKEN CKEN Laser laugh

One of life’s simplest joys comes from pestering the family pet with a laser pointer. For some reason, it’s just really entertaining to watch your cat scale the walls in a desperate attempt to catch the ever-evasive red dot. It turns out that this relatively harmless form of entertainment is slightly less humorous when used on police officers. Twenty-three-year-old William Ernst apparently got bored sitting in the car in a Whataburger parking lot around 1:30 a.m., so he took out his trusty laser pointer and aimed it at a helicopter piloted by two OKC police officers. When officers located the source of the laser, Ernst played innocent. Thankfully, his friend in the driver’s seat witnessed the event and confirmed that Ernst was indeed the culprit. Officers also found a firework in Ernst’s pocket. In Ernst’s defense, he was manning the laser pointer while under

FRiED NEWS the influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, being drunk in public doesn’t excuse stupidity and Ernst spent the night in jail for the laser incident, public intoxication and possession of fireworks.

Friday Fallin

OKC Friday, The Newspaper for Oklahoma’s Trendsetters’ Grandparents, released their list of the 50 Most Powerful Oklahomans screaming into the void, where it will echo and cease to exist without ever affecting anything living or dead. Topping the list are a lot of wealthy people, like Larry Nichols (oil), Clay Bennett (basketball), David Boren (education), Bill Anoatubby (governing a tribe) and Mary Fallin (governing a state). Kind of a rough draw for Gov. Fallin. All the people ahead of her on the list are in the state that she rules with an iron, blue-pantsuited fist. She’s only got two spots on Mick

Cornett (governing a city)! But it seems Fallin has a plan. She teamed up with Attorney General Scott Pruitt (a newcomer to the list) to boost their all-important Friday ratings by going to war with the Oklahoma Supreme Court over whether or not a statue has to go someplace else. We would like to give props to Russell Perry, founder of Perry Publishing, for proving you don’t have to be rich and white to make it onto Friday’s 50 Most Powerful list — only rich.

public that the box isn’t harmful unless opened, it does contain radioactive material. If you know where the gauge is or have any information about it, please call Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s Radiation Management office at 1-800522-0206 or 702-5100. It isn’t clear if the thief knew that what they were stealing could cause an array of terrible health problems or even death if the box was unlocked. D’oh!

Radioactive d’oh!

Gov. Mary Fallin is hard at work campaigning for a return to Common Core school standards by making herself an example of the devastating effects of a poor education. Speaking to the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Fallin explained the three branches of Oklahoma’s government, and she got almost half of them right. “You know there are three branches of our government. You have the Supreme Court, you have the legislative branch and

Nothing is more terrifying than Homer Simpson in charge of a control panel at a nuclear power plant — except maybe an Oklahoma thief in possession of radioactive material. A Troxler Model 3430 gauge “used to measure the density and moisture content of soil” was stolen from the area around E. Reno and S. Eastern avenues, KFOR.com reported. Though officials have assured the

Civics Lessons

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you have the people, the people and their ability to vote,” she said totally seriously. Just as a refresher, the legislative branch is one of the branches of government. The Supreme Court is a part of the judicial branch, though it also includes all the district courts that make decisions daily. The people (and their ability to vote) are not a branch of government. The one she forgot is the one of which she is a part: the executive branch. Though, as Twitter user Caleb Savage (@csavagelead) points out, maybe that was on purpose. “She did exclude herself from the three branches, so at least she understands she’s useless in this situation,” he said. Maybe this is some tricky form of abdication. Is Mary finally pulling a Sarah Palin on us? Tune in next week to find out.

Garth again

A recent Forbes list of the highest paid celebrities features Oklahoma’s Garth Brooks at No. 6. Thanks to a lucrative tour this

past year, which Forbes said netted Brooks $90 million, the country music star appeared back on the list for the first time since 1999. Another Oklahoma country star, Blake Shelton, came in at No. 95, which is a bit surprising considering Shelton does not appear to turn down any gig. At the top of the highest paid celebrities list are boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, which is another impressive feat for a sport that hardly anyone seems to watch anymore.

O-KISS-C

Is Oklahoma ready to be drafted into the KISS Army? Gene “The Demon” Simmons and Paul “Starchild” Stanley of chiaroscuro-based musical group KISS are bringing a restaurant called Rock & Brews to the most arena-rockarea in Oklahoma City: Quail Springs Mall.

Described as a “familyfriendly restaurant and entertainment concept,” Rock & Brews will take over the old Dan O’Brien’s Pubic House, 2737 W. Memorial Road, this fall. Because nothing says family-friendly like glam metal. The restaurant’s patio will be dogfriendly, and there will be a “lively play area” for children. Is it weird that we’re hoping for a buildyour-own pyrotechnics area and a giant slide in the shape of a tongue?

Like/Share/Sue

Cartoon oilman Harold Hamm, CEO of Continental Resources, has moved beyond the pedestrian Throwback Thursday. Much as he pioneered fracking in Oklahoma, he seems ready to create a new fad: Sue You Saturday.

Hamm is seeking more than $75,000 in damages from Oklahoma City oilman Mickey Thompson in a defamation lawsuit because of a Facebook post. Thompson said Hamm was trying to squelch uncomfortable science and posted a link to a story from EnergyWire about the shady connection between Hamm and the University of Oklahoma, where the Oklahoma Geological Survey was hemming and hawing about the cause of the state’s earthquake epidemic while soliciting $25 million for The Continental Resources Center for Energy Research and Technology. We’re not sure how solid the case is, but we can certainly understand if Mr. Hamm is feeling a little strapped for cash lately. His net worth fell from $18.7 billion in 2014 to a paltry $9.8 billion this year, according to Forbes. Given he had to write his ex-wife a nearly $975,000,000 check to end their marriage, suing old friends makes a little more sense. Maybe we should all chip in and start defaming The Hammster on social media? He only has to win about 13,000 lawsuits worth $75k to make back his massive alimony payment.

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COMMENTARY GA ZE TTE STA FF / FI l E

People, not politics BY JOE HARTMAN

The U.S. Supreme Court made headlines over the past few weeks as it rendered decisions on the highly charged issues of healthcare, marriage equality and the death penalty. It also rendered another ruling that generated comparatively fewer headlines but might ultimately have the biggest impact on the landscape of politics for future generations. In the case Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the court permitted the use of independent commission to draw legislative districts. About 12 states use a bipartisan commission to draw their district lines, and Oklahoma would be wise to follow suit.

An independent commission could curb the practice of gerrymandering to benefit incumbent legislators, create more compact and contiguous districts and ensure that elected officials more closely reflect the makeup of their constituents. The U.S. Congress has an approval rating of around 15 percent, but in last year’s election, 96.4 percent of congressional incumbents were reelected. A large factor in their reelection is that political parties were able to draw lines that protected their incumbents. Citizens should be able to choose their representatives, not the other way around. This is not a partisan issue. For

over 100 years, Democrats controlled the redistricting process, and now, Republicans hold a supermajority in the Oklahoma Legislature. Both parties have abused their power to draw districts. The most recent Oklahoma State Senate district map was actually drawn with input from a Republican political consultant. As a political professional myself, I believe that power should never rest in our hands. It is time that we adopt a fair and transparent process that benefits the people, not individual legislators and political parties. Oklahoma’s voter turnout in 2014 hit an all-time low. Part of the reason for this is due to voters being turned

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

off by the divisive nature of politics. Sen. David Holt, a Republican from Oklahoma City, took it upon himself to develop measures that would increase access to the polls and encourage more Oklahomans to vote. I call upon leaders from both parties to follow suit and support an independent redistricting commission that could create more compact and competitive districts that benefit everyday Oklahomans. Perhaps with a more fair process we could have a Legislature and a Congress that represents their constituents, not political parties or their individual ambitions. Joe Hartman is a political consultant and chairman of the Oklahoma County Democratic Party.

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

Thank you for the write-up on the drive-in theater (Life, Film, “Driving home,” Brett Dickerson, July 1, Oklahoma Gazette). It is a tradition that our family goes to the Winchester Drive-In a few times every summer. We love it. I’ve been meaning to tell Lindy [Shanbour, the owner] that I miss the days of a triple showing and think he should go back to playing a third movie. However, I think it should be a classic such as they have recently showed Jaws. I’d love to see some other older movies! My only complaint is that the website is not kept up-to-date on what movies are showing. We’re always dropping everything and calling friends to set up an impromptu drive-in party. — Michael Manning Norman Lord, Jesus

Regarding Mr. Paul Lehman’s June 17 Gazette letter to the editor,

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“Color problem”: I am sorry to see an educated professor present such an empty argument against law enforcement in particular and the white race in general. Lehman has not embraced the American dream but instead continues to spread his bitterness to all who find it easier to complain than to exercise respect, fairness, mercy and love taught by the author of the source book of the founding documents, the Bible, the source book of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There will always be bigots and racists just like there will always be rich, greedy and unfair capitalists and socialists. Lehman’s words welcoming people to “come to the aid of the victims, which is exactly what the bigots do not want to see” are words of rebellion. These are the words preached by activists, preachers and “organizers” like our own President Obama, spoken to bring down the American dream. Our only hope is in the preaching of justice, peace, judgment and mercy of the Bible. — Michael Moberly Mustang Triple threat

I’d like to thank you for publishing Mark Beutler’s article on Jody Miller and her family (Life, Music, “Family affair,” June 24, Gazette).

It’s wonderful to see Jody, Robin and Montana together as they discuss their new “three generations” show format. Jody Miller has never gotten the full credit that she deserves, not only for her artistic greatness but also for her pioneering spirit as a working mom who “commuted” from Oklahoma throughout the ’70s and beyond as a Billboard-charting recording artist. I just don’t know of any other artist at that time who wasn’t based in LA, Nashville or NYC who did what she did, all the while keeping her family intact. Mark Beutler seems to recognize the special quality that this family has, and I truly thank you and the Gazette for featuring this informative piece on one of Oklahoma’s premiere musical families. I really hope Blanchard has some sort of Jody Miller Day when the

street sign (as well as a “Welcome to” highway sign in the works) is installed. Jody’s a humble person when it comes to personal acclaim, but it’s been a long time coming for her to receive a little recognition from her own hometown. — Jennifer McMullen Shreveport, Louisiana Thanks, again

I wanted to let you know that I truly enjoyed the feature article on Jody Miller and her family (Life, Music, “Family affair,” June 24, Gazette). I have been a fan of Jody since she started in the 1960s and consider her one of the best female pop/country singers America has ever produced. [Reporter] Mark Beutler did a wonderful job. — Bob Kramer Oklahoma City

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OKG picks are events

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

BOOKS Red Earth Faculty Reading, six authors will be featured in the Faculty Reading of the Oklahoma City University Red Earth MFA Program, including several well-known to Oklahoma, 7 p.m., July 15. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 517-0787, /theparamountokc.com. WED

Local Author Showcase, join local book store Full Circle Books to celebrate local authors such as Julie Brittain, Allen Edson, Jessie Duncan and many more 3 p.m., July 18. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT The BOBs, book club for teens 12 and older; discussion of the book Incredible Journey by Andrea Pflughoft, 3:30 p.m., July 21. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 340-9202, bestofbooksedd.com. TUE

FILM Back to the Future, (1985, US, Dir. Robert Zemeckis) SONIC Summer Movie Nights presents the 30th anniversary celebration of this time travel comedy classic about a teenager who winds up in 1955 and the mad scientist who accidentally sent him there, 9 p.m., July 15. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED Breathe, (2014, France, dir. Melanie Laurent) when jealousies and expectations arise, two girls find themselves on a dangerous course in this involving and unsettling portrait of an adolescent friendship that takes a turn toward obsession, 5:30 p.m., July 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI West Side Story, (1961, US, Dir. Jim Robbins) in this modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, two teens from rival New York City gangs fall in love and must deal with the consequences, 7:30 p.m., July 18. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 974-2000, uco.edu. SAT

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Escape the Ordinary with Creative Journaling, certified workshop leader Lynda Toney-Bahr will show you how to look at things from a different perspective, get out of your comfort zone, and learn a little something about yourself in the process, 5:30-7:30 p.m., July 16. Almonte Library, 2914 SW 59th St., 606-3575, metrolibrary.org. THU

Heard on Hurd Thanks to Citizens Bank of Edmond volunteers, the monthly Heard on Hurd Festival had an amazing turnout last month with over 13,000 people gathering in downtown Edmond for local music, shopping and, most importantly, delicious treats from an endless array of food trucks. The festival is expected to be even bigger and better this month, so plan on being in Edmond 6 p.m. Saturday on the corner of N. Broadway and Hurd Street. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/ heardonhurd.

Saturday

HAPPENINGS Shakespeare’s Midsummer Sip, come enjoy a summer evening with Oklahoma’s Shakespeare in the Park, with complimentary wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, a silent auction, and a raffle; 6:30 p.m., July 16. Oklahoma Shakespeare, 2920 Paseo Drive, 235-3700, oklahomashakespeare.com. THU Fiesta Friday, join Historic Capitol Hill for Fiesta day, a culturally diverse street festival celebrating southwest OKC’s best food and shopping, 6:30 p.m., July 17. Calle Dos Cinco, 319 SW 25th St., historiccapitolhill.com. FRI

Dance Lessons at Friends, country dance lessons and live country band, 7 p.m., July 21. Friends Restaurant & Club, 3705 W. Memorial Ave., Suite 604, 751-4057. TUE

FOOD Foodie Foot Tour, food tour taking you through the beautiful Deep Deuce neighborhood; learn some of its history, sample the foods at several restaurants, and meet some great people, 6-9 p.m., July 18. The Wedge, Deep Deuce, 230 NE 1st St., 270-0660, thegeokc.com. SAT

GARETT F ISBECK

The Elaborate Collaborate

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The monthly Premiere on Film Row block party is Friday along W. Sheridan Avenue between Dewey and Shartel avenues. This month’s party features the premiere of The Elaborate Collaborate, a large-scale art collaboration between 42 Oklahoma artists inspired by the surrealist drawing game the exquisite corpse. Observe artists at work as they create a large art piece that will evolve over the course of five weeks. The exhibition debuts 6-10 p.m. Friday at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., and will be on display through Aug. 15. Admission is free. Visit filmrowpremiere.com and check out Oklahoma Gazette's story on page 48.

Friday, ongoing

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Make Your Own Mocs Ever wanted to learn how to make your own moccasins? You’re in luck! Cherokee Nation officials host a moccasin-making workshop 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Cherokee National Prison Museum, 124 E. Choctaw St., in Tahlequah. Registration is $25, and you should do it soon because spots are limited to 25 people on a first-come, firstserved basis. Register online at cherokeegiftshop.com.

Saturday

Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., July 18. Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 2326506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT Heard on Hurd, enjoy a variety of food truck options, live music and shopping, 6-10 p.m., July 18. Downtown Edmond, 32 N. Broadway Ave., Edmond. SAT

YOUTH 4-H Food Showdown, kids ages 9-19 can compete in this two-day crash cooking course and contest to see who can make the tastiest dish given a pantry of ingredients and a special secret ingredient that will not be introduced until the competition; training 1 p.m., July 16; competition 9 a.m., July 17. Oklahoma County OSU Extension Service, 2500 NE 63rd St., 713-1125, oces.okstate. edu/oklahoma. THU-FRI Sales Tax Appreciation Day at the OKC Zoo, in recognition of Oklahoma City citizens passing a 1/8 of a cent dedicated sales tax to the Zoo in 1990, admission to the Zoo is free for all, July 17. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 4243344, okczoo.com. FRI World Snake Day, come celebrate World Snake Day with Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation and savor speeches by snake scientists while serving up some snazzy serpentine sportswear, 4 p.m., July 18. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 755-0676, okc.gov/parks. SAT

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continued

Gemma Bovary It’s French Film Week at OKC Museum of Art, and it’s presenting three showings of dramatic romance-comedy Gemma Bovery Bovery. Directed by Anne Fontaine, the movie is an adaptation of Posy Simmond’s graphic novel and follows the story of Gemma’s complicated romantic entanglements in the same Norman village where Gustave Flaubert wrote his novel Madame Bovary over 100 years ago. Opening screening is 7:30 p.m. Thursday with encore showings at 5:30 p.m. July 24 and 8 p.m. July 25 at the museum theater, 415 Couch Drive. Tickets are $5-$9. Visit okcmoa.com.

Thursday, ongoing

5308 N ClasseN Blvd. | OKC | (405) 848-6642 | Calverts.COm Bowling for Rhinos, join Oklahoma City Zoo for a fundraising night where 100% of the proceeds will support rhinoceros conservation in Asia and Africa, 5 p.m., July 18. Heritage Lanes Bowling Alley, 11917 N Pennsylvania Ave., 755-7575, heritagelanesokc.com. SAT

Big Fish, this new musical tale of reconciliation between father and son, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace, is certainly an experience that’s richer, funnier and bigger than life itself, 7:30 p.m., July 21-22. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com. TUE-WED

PERFORMING ARTS

ACTIVE

Seth Joseph, Seth Joseph is joined by OKC metro comedians Geri Richlin, Alex Sanchez, and many more for a night of laughter and merriment you will not want to miss, 8 p.m., July 17. Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. FRI

Sunset Rooftop Yoga, enjoy an evening at sunset on the Caliber Building’s rooftop; class is accompanied by live music, 7-8 p.m, July 16. Balance. Yoga. Barre., 911 N. Broadway Ave., 620-6807, balanceyogabarre.com. THU

Rodney Carrington, the world renowned actor and prolific comedian, known for Toby Keith’s Beer for my Horses and his own TV show, Rodney, performs for two nights, 8 p.m., July 17 & 18. WinStar World Casino, 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville, (580) 276-4229, winstarworldcasino.com. FRI-SAT Whodunit Dinner Theater: Win, Lose, or DIE, Oklahoma’s longest running dinner theater presents: Win, Lose, or DIE, a comedy murder mystery featuring a handful of hilarious characters, each with more motive than the last, 6 p.m., July 17. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew Ave., 420-3222, cattlemensrestaurant.com. FRI Comedy Cares Benefit Showcase, come out for a night of merriment as comics Melissa McGinnis and Jackson Curtin are joined by other local comedy legends to raise the roof while raising money for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 9 p.m., July 18. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. SAT

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Beer, Baseball, & Ad2OKC, kick back and relax with $2 brews and an OKC Dodgers ballgame, 7 p.m., July 16. Bricktown Ballpark, 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000. THU OKC Dodgers Game & Faith Night, come relax and enjoy a Dodger’s game with a pre-show by popular Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, 4 p.m., July 19. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000. SUN KIND Yoga Series, all-levels Vinyasa-style class led by Alexis Persico, 5:45-6:45 p.m., July 21. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. TUE

Do you know someone who is curious about Catholicism? Does your non-Catholic spouse want to know more? Are you seeking a deeper relationship with God?

VISUAL ARTS A Foot in Two Worlds, exhibit by sculptor and storyteller Holly Wilson that tells a story through seven one-of-a-kind sculptures and seven large-scale photographs. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66, exhibit shares the history of one of the world’s most famous highways including photographs, narrative, music and objects from the highway’s heyday. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 2354458, oklahomaheritage.com. ARTtech: 15 Years, this exhibition celebrates the 15year anniversary of local animation studio Skyline Ink Animation, and the diverse artwork produced during the studio’s tenure. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org. Audubon and the Art of Birds, view an extensive collection of the original ‘double-elephant’ prints from The Birds of America, the work that made John James Audubon famous. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 3254712, snomnh.ou.edu.

and the

R ite of Christian Initiation of A dults

John Brandenburg Art Display, an explosive celebration of acrylic color on canvas created by a Normanite artist who draws inspiration from aspects of life both lofty and mundane. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 307-9320, pasnorman.org.

at an evening of inquiry

Thursday, July 23rd from 6:30-7:30 pm

Perceptual Art in Perspective, perceptual art is about how the observer interacts with shapes and colors; each person brings his or her own interpretations, and perhaps illusions, to the canvas. Paseo Gallery One, 2927 Paseo St., 524-4544, facebook.com/ paseogalleryone.

Christ the King Catholic Church 8005 Dorset Drive

Straight From My Heart, photography exhibit by Duncan photographer, Martha Burger in which she illustrates an appreciation for the beauty of America. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-3356, ok.gov.

(1 block north of Wilshire, between Penn & May)

Works By Regina Murphy, Works by Regina Murphy: Celebrating 94 Years of a Life Filled with Love, Beauty, Grace & More. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/ events.

No cost. No obligation. For more information, call Jenni at 843-4766.

BIG STOCK

Cut, Carve and Shape Show, 3D work by metal artist Judy Gregg, glass artist Nicki Albright and ceramic artists Jeff and Debbie Kuhns. The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St., Suite 400, 412-7066. Emphasis on a Colour Environment, art by painter

Come and learn more about the Catholic Church

and curator Amena Butler who investigates color and ways hues in differing compositions impact our environment. Urban Roots, 322 NE 2nd St., 297-9891, urbanrootsokc.com.

Fiesta Friday Summer is in full swing, and so is Fiesta Friday, a family-friendly street festival celebrating local Latina culture in OKC. Grab your kiddos and join the party for a fun-filled night of food, art and more 6-10 p.m. Friday on the corner of S. Hudson Avenue and SW 25th Street. Visit historiccapitolhill.com.

Friday

For OKG music picks see page 53

We’d

LOVE your vote again!

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LIFE FOOD & DRINK

Tea party Tea, coffee, sandwiches, quiche, salad, cake and beards are all a welcome part of this restaurant’s charm.

It’s okay to get coffee. Despite the name, the owners and proprietors of Red Raspberry Tea Room, 12204 NE 23rd St., in Nicoma Park will not give you dirty looks for ordering coffee. They understand that tea is not for everyone. They will pour you a fresh cup of coffee and bring over sugar and even a tiny little pitcher full of half and half. It’s so dainty. You won’t even realize when your pinky, in defiance of your extremely masculine nature, begins to hold itself aloft as you gingerly sip from your cup. It is a teahouse, after all. Inside Red Raspberry Tea Room, the decor is eclectic and a bit kitschy. There are purses for sale and knick-knacks and tchotchkes. If you like animal prints, they have some. If you like hats of a fancy, floppy nature, those are also available. Pretty much everything you need to have a whirly, girly tea party awaits you. And while I am wont to be whirly and girly on occasion, what I really like is food. And thank goodness I didn’t have to wear a frilly dress to have some. (There is nothing wrong with frilly dresses, per se. However, they are not flattering to my legs and what several unkind women have called my “birthing hips.”)

But just like Miley Cyrus, the ladies at Red Raspberry Tea Room can’t stop. And they won’t stop.

Once you’re dressed like a pretty, pretty princess or in jeans and a Polo shirt — nobody actually cares — it’s time to order. And that means you should order the Scottish smoked salmon sandwich ($8.99 with a house scone). Simple and perfect, this sandwich starts with slices of dark rye bread, a smear of cream cheese and a sprinkle of baby dill. You could stop right there and it would be one of the best things you eat all day. But just like Miley

Munchie Cake

Scottish smoked salmon sandwich

Red Raspberry tea Room 12204 NE 23rd St. | redraspberrytearoom.com | 769-1673 What WORkS: The Munchie Cake and Scottish smoked salmon sandwich are wonderful.

Cyrus, the ladies What NeeDS WORk: Timing out of the kitchen can be spotty. at Red Raspberry Tea Room can’t tIP: Make an appointment if you want a weekend tea stop. And they party. They’re usually only open for lunches Monday won’t stop. And through Friday. they will put beautiful, bright red slices of smoked salmon on top different. There’s nothing wrong with and then add thin slices of lemon. it; it’s just not my favorite. It comes in like a flavorful A better choice might be the wrecking ball. Ploughman’s Lunch ($7.99), which is I was a little less taken with the a big mix-’em-up of delightful morsels. chicken salad sandwich ($7.99). Maybe You can make a sandwich from the it was just in comparison to the bold, sharp English cheese and the pickled seductive taste of the salmon sandwich, onions and cucumber. Or you can dip but I thought the chicken salad was tomatoes and apple slices in the chutney. kind of bland. Only the mandarin Finally, with the Ploughman’s Lunch, oranges really added something you are the master of your own destiny.

I don’t know that this’ll give you enough energy to go plow a field, but if you’re looking for a little extra sustenance, give the bacon, cheddar and spinach quiche ($7.99) a whirl. It’s a buttery, creamy wedge of heaven. The bacon is meaty and chewy (but not too chewy), and the custard is delicate and melts on the tongue. It comes with a choice of salad. I chose the grape salad. It was very sweet. Take from that what you will. When it comes time to tip back that last cup of coffee, be sure you’ve saved a little room for dessert. The Drop Dead Chocolate Cake ($3.95) was indeed chocolate but did not cause me any ill side effects. The only problem with it, really, was that it was not the Munchie Cake ($3.95). Much as I love chocolate, the Munchie Cake, which is a sweet, moist, chewy, fruity bit of dessert, stole my heart immediately. Straight from their grandmother’s recipe box, this is a classic. Of course Red Raspberry Tea Room is a lovely spot for a multi-generation tea party or even a place to pass off the amazing, size-changing traveling pants you share with your sisterhood. But if you’re a weirdy, beardy dude in Nicoma Park around lunchtime, it also serves some light-but-satisfying fare that requires absolutely no girly party wear.

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PHOTOS MARK HA N COC K

BY GREG ELWELL

FOOD BRIEFS

on

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Better brew If Folgers and Nescafé just aren’t doing it for you anymore, the caffeine wizards at Coffee Slingers Roasters, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., will provide the science behind coffee magic with their Better Brew Workshop on Saturday. Manager Tori Goben said the course teaches six essentials of brewing, supported by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. While the class focuses on using that information in French press and pour-over brews, they can apply to all kinds of coffee making. “Making great coffee is like one big science experiment,” she said. “Water quality is huge. We get into the right kind of water, the temperature and even how to use a scale properly. It’s not just for looks. There’s a real reason behind using it.” The workshop is $20 per person with 10 spots available. The class, taught by lead barista Vivian Feng, will last an hour and a half. Tickets are available at coffeeslingers.com or can be purchased in-store. PROVIDED

s U w o Ll Fo

P HOTOS M A RK HA N COC K

BY GREG ELWELL

#selfies! Spooky steaks

@okgazeTte

Oklahoma Gazette

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The venerable Haunted House has a new name, a new owner and a newish menu, thanks to Patrick Boylan. Boylan’s main business is with a Norman-based events company, but he got into the restaurant business in Osage Beach, Missouri, when he purchased J. Bruner’s after the owner’s death. When Haunted House, 7101 Miramar Blvd., went up for auction earlier this year, Boylan, a devoted customer, went just to see who would end up with it. But as the sale continued, he saw an opportunity and placed his one and only bid. He won. Now called J. Bruner’s at the Haunted House, it reopened for business on July 4. The menu features a variety of steaks, seafood and J. Bruner’s famous onion rings. Visit jbruners.com.

Ch-ch-ch-Chae-nges Practice is over this fall as Rehearsals Grill, 1933 NW 23rd St., becomes Chae, a modern Korean restaurant and bar. It’s named for owner Daniel Chae, who also owns the local All About Cha Coffee and Tea shops, and Chae’s menu is being built with Vast sous chef Kevin Lee. “This isn’t a traditional Korean restaurant,” Lee said. “It’ll be familiar foods with Korean flavor.” Lee teased a menu with Korean braised short rib rillette and kimchi fried rice, though it’s still in the development phase. Chae said a fusion menu is a great way to introduce people to Korean flavors while giving them foods they already know and love. And with recent Coach House Apprentice Program graduate Taylor Desjarlais in the kitchen, there will likely be some French influence as well, Chae said. “Any dish that hits the spot is fair game,” he said. “It’ll be really fun to watch as the menu meshes together.” Interested in watching as the new restaurant progresses? They’ve set up an Instagram account (@chaeokc) where they’ll be posting photos of the menu, construction and design.

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Seasoned fish with wild rice and green beans at Nebu

Gold standard Diners can enjoy a variety of food with healthy and delicious options at Devon Energy Center. BY GREG ELWELL

It takes more than cooking skills to work at Nebu. You need personality, said executive chef and general manager Mark Vannasdall. “A lot of chefs like to be hidden away,” he said. “When I’m interviewing people, they have to be able to smile and talk to people. We’re right out front.” An expansive dining concept on the ground floor of Devon Energy Center, Nebu is a little like a food court ... if food courts were awesome. Part of food service contractor Guckenheimer, which manages company cafeterias across the country, Nebu is one of the few that is open to the public. Monday through Friday, for breakfast and lunch, Nebu’s staff mans a diverse collection of cuisine stations. It’s a little like running nine restaurants under one roof, Vannasdall said. And while it might seem suspect to find good pizza, burgers, tacos, sushi, salad, deli sandwiches and Asian

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cuisine in the same place, the team works well together and apart. “Everybody takes ownership of their station,” Vannasdall said. “With 25 cooks, we can draw on a lot of people’s backgrounds and interests.” It’s a formula that has proven successful, said Damien Franczek, who was with Nebu at the start before becoming a Guckenheimer area manager. Many company cafeterias are heavily subsidized in an effort to keep employees in the building. But Nebu has almost completely eschewed subsidy — other than discounts for those who choose healthy options. Instead, the restaurant has become a perk for Devon workers and a draw for other downtown employees looking for variety. Vannasdall has plenty of education in corporate culture, having served in a similar role at Chesapeake Energy Corporation before the layoffs began. Nebu attracts so many diners precisely because they can meet such varied tastes.

Vote Ted’s #1 “If you’re going to lunch with five people and three of them are on diets and one is a vegetarian and one guy absolutely has to get a burger, we can serve everyone,” Vannasdall said. Breakfast runs from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and features waffles, pancakes, yogurt, biscuits and gravy and — one of the most popular stations — buildyour-own omelets. Working the griddle, Demetrius Little is all smiles and laughs as he deftly flips together spinach, turkey, cheese and peppers into a perfect omelet, but he also leads off by making sure diners are getting egg whites. The Well initiative gives employees a discount for choosing healthier options, including egg whites for breakfast, Vannasdall said. It’s also driving a lot of Oklahomans who aren’t normally fish eaters to start chowing down on seafood. “Oklahoma’s fish varieties aren’t that great, so we started adding more fish to the menu, and they’ve really taken to salmon,” he said. “We go through about 300 pounds of salmon a week. That’s huge.” Nebu also sells quite a few sides of heritage grains. Quinoa and kamut and barley and faro — Vannasdall thought Nebu would offer it just to gauge interest, but the demand has grown quickly. It’s even true in desserts, where the quinoa cookie is its No. 1 seller. Which isn’t to say one must be healthy at Nebu. The pizza bar routinely features healthier toppings alongside meaty pizzas covered in pepperoni, salami, capicola and smoked sausage. Every couple of months, Nebu has a “comfort food week,” when it serves chicken-fried steaks, fish and chips and other indulgent offerings. Part of that is a reward, Vannasdall said. People at Nebu really do choose healthy options with increasing regularity. Eating right most of the time means it’s okay to give yourself a treat occasionally, he said. And even when diners choose lower fat, lower calorie dishes, the food will

Best Mexican Restaurant

Del City 5301 Main St. Ste. 117 405-813-8337 Lawton 3807 Cache Road 580-699-8337

Mark Vannasdall

With 25 cooks, we can draw on a lot of people’s backgrounds and interests.

OKC 2836 NW 68th St. 405-848-8337

Edmond 801 E. Danforth Rd 405-810-8337

Broken Arrow 3202 W. Kenosha St. 918-254-8337

South OKC 8324 S. Western Ave. 405-635-8337

Norman 700 N. Interstate Dr. 405-307-8337

Tulsa Hills 7848 S. Olympia Ave. WEST 918-301-8337

Dine-In • ToGo • Catering • Banquet Facilities

—Mark Vannasdall

taste good because Nebu hires cooks it trusts and puts them in a position to be creative, Vannasdall said. “We try not to fry a lot of things, but generally, we don’t put restrictions on our staff,” he said. “Their job is to create great food, and we encourage new ideas, new flavors and creativity. That’s how we keep people.” Retaining cooks isn’t always easy, especially if they’re cooking the same foods day in and day out. It’s doubly important when you’re running a scratch kitchen like Nebu, where everything is made in-house and out front and the customers are always hungry for something new. “You’d think with nine different stations people wouldn’t notice, but when we put something new out, they pay attention,” Vannasdall said, “so we keep challenging ourselves.” Judging by the massive crowd of diners that come in each day, Nebu is up to that challenge.

Mahi mahi

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 5

Our votes Here at the Gazette, there is nothing we hold more sacred than our annual Best of OKC contest. Owner Bill Bleakley has a tattoo under his moustache that says Original Best of OKC. But even we know that some great restaurants go unrecognized each year. So here’s a smattering of our favorites that aren’t on the ballot (which you can find in this issue.) — by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock, Garett Fisbeck and Keaton Draper

Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse

Saii Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar

7 S. Mickey Mantle Drive | 272-0777 mickeymantlesteakhouse.com

6900 N. May Ave. | 702-7244 saiiasianbistro.com

Steak is one of Oklahoma’s 17 official favorite meats, and one of our favorite places to dig into a steak is Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. In addition to a bevy of steaks done well (though not always well-done), Mickey’s is a great spot to grab a drink, chow down on a crab cake and watch for Thunder players after the game.

OKC has seen a figurative explosion of sushi restaurants over the last 20 years. (Not a literal explosion. Think about how bad the city would smell.) For raw fish, sizzling stone pots and a bar that pours a mean sake, we love heading over to Saii. If your idea of an “Asian bistro” is Pei Wei, do yourself a favor and check out Saii instead.

Pho Thai Nguyen 3221 N. Classen Blvd. 525-7373

Oklahomans love pho, whether you pronounce it “fuh” or “foe” or “some of that hot soup with the noodles in it.” Slurp to your heart’s content at Pho Thai Nguyen, but be sure to check out the rest of the menu. Pho is rightfully in the name, but its massive menu also includes classics like kung pao shrimp and seductively delicious Singapore noodles.

VOTE US

BEST

THAI restaurant LIKE US ON 2 6 | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e

500 NW 23rd St 405.524.0503

Good Gravy! Diner

Bobo’s Chicken

8014 N. Western Ave. 761-8886

1812 NE 23rd St.

Casa Perico Mexican Grille

Will you shout, “Good gravy!” when your food arrives at Good Gravy! Diner? Probably not. First, because you recognize that, while funny, it’s not very considerate to your fellow diners. Second, because you will be too busy shoveling behemoth bites of biscuits and gravy into your happy gullet to make any noises that don’t involve chewing or swallowing.

What can be said about Bobo’s that hasn’t been said before? Probably a lot of things. It has never been called “Detroit’s finest pottery studio,” for one. But if you’d like to say things that actually relate to what they do, you’ll want to mention the slow-smoked wings fried up crisp and drenched in honey sauce. Open so late it’s early again, Bobo’s is definitely one of our favorites.

t, an urban teahouse 7518 N. May Ave. | 418-4333 urban-teahouse.com

4521 NW 63rd St. | 721-3650 casaperico.com

It’s technically not illegal to say “I don’t like fajitas” in Oklahoma, but HB 3021 (aka the Truth in Sizzling Plate Act) could change all that. If you want to stay on the right side of history and the right side of the law, get over to Casa Perico, which has been slinging meat onto cast iron skillets since 1996. Vegetarian? Our condolences. But they have food for you, too.

Coffee is great. t owner Kristy Jennings will not dispute you on that. But have you tried tea before? Because that Twinings crud is disgusting. Instead, let the tea nerds at t make you a hot (or cold) cup that will revitalize your soul and energize your brain. Or, you know, you won’t be thirsty anymore.

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CRAWFISH FONDUE FISH TACOS SALADS BURGERS PASTA

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BUY ONE ENTREE , RECEIVE 2ND ONE HALF OFF

WITH THIS AD. DOES NOT INCLUDE TUES/WED SPECIALS

Call in orders available for pickup.

Closed on Sunday Follow us on Twitter @bhcajun and like us on facebook at Bighead’s in Edmond, OK

617 SOUTH BROADWAY • EDMOND • 405-340-1925 MECU 07-01-15 Summer Splash GAZ.indd 1

J im ’s D iner

r Dine J im’s

7/1/15 4:21 PM

Jim’s Diner

SUSHI, APPETIZERS, ENTREES, SALADS, NOODLES, DESSERT

VOTE FOR US

BEST SUSHI

WEEKLY SPECIAL • breakfast • SPicy chicken fajita omelet with haShbrownS & toaSt

$7.99

1201 nw 178th st • Edmond • 2nd & Western 285.8484 • thesushibarok.com

S U N – S AT 6 A M – 1 0 P M 7950 NW 39Th EXPWY • 405.495.5105 O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 7

BEST PUB QUIZ/TRIVIA NIGHT BEST

NEIGHBORHOOD PUB BEST

........................ .......................

KARAOKE BAR

10 METRO LOCATIONS | WWW.HENRYHUDSONSPUB.COM

BEST

PRE OR POST-GAME OR PRE OR POST-CONCERT 2912 Paseo Drive

sauceDonPaseo.com

521.9800

2824 N. Penn Ave. • 12252 N. May Ave. • Rococo-Restaurant.com

East Style EastCoast Coast Style Fresh Seafood,Killer Killer Pasta Pasta &&SoSo Much More. Fresh Seafood, Much More.

Best Seafood Fresh Every Day

Best Chef - Bruce Rinehart Winner 2009, 2013, 2014

2 8 | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E

SPOT

27 EAST SHERIDAN | 405-605-4995 | HHPUBLICHOUSE.COM

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

BEST RADIO PERSONALITY OR TEAM

JACK & RON, 98.9 KISS FM, KYIS JOEY & HEATHER, WILD 104.9, KKWD RICK & BRAD, ROCK 100.5 THE KATT SCOTT MITCHELL, TALK 1520, KOKC TJ, JANET AND J-ROD,102.7 KJ103, KYJO

BEST PERSON TO FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA AARON TUTTLE KEVIN DURANT RUSSELL WESTBROOK STEVE LACKMEYER THE LOST OGLE

BEST LOCAL WEBSITE OR BLOG DAILY THUNDER, DAILYTHUNDER.COM KEEP IT LOCAL OK, KEEPITLOCALOK.COM OKC TALK, OKCTALK.COM OKLAHOMA CITY MOMS BLOG, OKLAHOMACITY. CITYMOMSBLOG.COM THE LOST OGLE, WWW.THELOSTOGLE.COM

BEST LOCAL LIVING AUTHOR BLAKE BAILEY BOB BURKE P.C. CAST S.E. HINTON STEVE LACKMEYER

BEST BIG-TIME OKLAHOMA SINGER/SONGWRITER BLAKE SHELTON CARRIE UNDERWOOD GARTH BROOKS REBA MCENTIRE TOBY KEITH

BEST LOCAL SINGER/ SONGWRITER (NOT NATIONAL) CHELSEY COPE GRAHAM COLTON JOHN MORELAND MIKE HOSTY SAMANTHA CRAIN

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BEST CHEF

ASHLEY NGUYEN, IN THE RAW BRUCE RINEHART, ROCOCO JONATHON STRANGER, NUMEROUS LOCATIONS KURT FLEISCHFRESSER, NUMEROUS LOCATIONS PATRICK CLARK II, THE RED CUP

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BEST BAR TEAM

HILO CLUB LOUIE’S LAKESIDE THE O BAR AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL THE PUMP BAR WSKY LOUNGE

BEST WAITER OR WAITRESS (AND THEIR RESTAURANT)

ART DOXEY, RED PRIMESTEAK KYRSTIN BAIRD, IN THE RAW RENEE HILTON, THE BOOM SCOTT PARKER, VITO’S RESTAURANT TJ BROWN, IN THE RAW

BEST BARTENDER (AND THEIR BAR)

CHRIS BARRETT, LUDIVINE DAVE DELEON, HILO CLUB JESSICA HALLIBURTON, IN THE RAW KEVIN ALEXANDER, TRAMPS SHANNON BARROW, FLIP’S WINE BAR AND TRATTORIA

BEST BUSINESS OWNER (AND THEIR BUSINESS)

BRYAN KERR, MOORE LIQUOR CHRISTOPHER SIMON, HILO CLUB DREW & ANNA MAINS, IN THE RAW & KNUCK’S WHEELHOUSE KEITH & HEATHER PAUL, A GOOD EGG DINING RYAN VICE, VAPOR WORLD

BEST LOCAL BAND BORN IN NOVEMBER HORSE THIEF LOWER 40 MY SO CALLED BAND RED CITY RADIO

BEST DJ

BLAKE O THE DJ DJ CHIPMUNK DJ DIVERSE DJ J2O KATIE WICKS

BEST PERFORMING ARTS GROUP (EX. THEATER

COMPANY, DANCE COMPANY, ORCHESTRAL GROUPS)

CARPENTER SQUARE LYRIC THEATRE OF OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA CITY BALLET OKLAHOMA CITY PHILHARMONIC WHODUNIT DINNER THEATER

BEST LOCAL CONTRACTOR/ HANDYMAN

BILL MEDLOCK - MR. BILL’S HANDYMAN HANDYMEN R’ US JEREMY GREGSTON - GREGSTON PAINTING, LLC BOB DOGGETT TOMMY POOLE

BEST LGBT EVENT

ALIBI’S PRIDE WEEKEND PARTY BANG BANG QUEER PUNK VARIETY SHOW GOSPEL BRUNCH AT THE BOOM OKLAHOMA PRIDE FESTIVAL & PARADE THE EQUALITY RUN, CIMARRON ALLIANCE

BEST WEATHER TEAM FOX 25 KFOR CHANNEL 4 KOCO 5 NEWS KWTV NEWS 9

BEST 5K OR 10K RACE

DIRTY THIRTY THE EQUALITY RUN, CIMARRON ALLIANCE MIDNIGHT STREAK, OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL MARATHON THE RED BUD CLASSIC

BEST LOCAL ANNUAL EVENT OR FESTIVAL

DEADCENTER FILM FESTIVAL NORMAN MUSIC FESTIVAL OKC PRIDE OKLAHOMA CITY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS PASEO ARTS FESTIVAL

BEST CHARITY EVENT

AIDS WALK OKC ARTINI ALLIED ARTS INFANT CRISIS SERVICE BOOTS AND BALLGOWNS OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL MARATHON RED TIE NIGHT

BEST LOCAL HOMEBUILDER HOME CREATIONS IDEAL HOMES JEFF CLICK HOMES NEAL MCGEE HOMES RICHARDSON HOMES

PLACES

PLACES

BEST PLACE TO VOLUNTEER

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY CENTRAL OKLAHOMA HUMANE SOCIETY INFANT CRISIS SERVICES REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF OKLAHOMA SUNBEAM FAMILY SERVICES, INC.

BEST FREE ENTERTAINMENT

ARTS COUNCIL OF OKC’S TWILIGHT SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS H&8TH NIGHT MARKET MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS SONIC SUMMER MOVIE NIGHTS AT MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS

BEST LIVE MUSIC CLUB

BLUE DOOR DON QUIXOTE CLUB THE BLUE NOTE LOUNGE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA JAZZ LAB WORMY DOG SALOON

BEST CONCERT VENUE CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL DIAMOND BALLROOM MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS THE ZOO AMPITHEATRE

BEST DANCE CLUB

CLUB ONE 15 COWBOYS OKC DOLLHOUSE LOUNGE & BURLESQUE GROOVY’S THE COPA

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

For your ballot to be counted:

Ballot must be mailed in and received at Oklahoma Gazette no later than Wednesday July 29th. One ballot per envelope. O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 9

BEST OF OKLAHOMA CITY

Oklahoma City’s original and longest-running readers’ poll, is back for its 31st year. Who will have the top score?

YOU DECIDE BY VOTING RIGHT HERE OR AT

BESTOFOKLAHOMACITY.COM BEST KARAOKE BAR

BY GEORGE’S TAVERN COOKIE’S DON QUIXOTE CLUB HENRY HUDSON’S PUB NANCY’S 57TH STREET LIGHTHOUSE

BEST ART GALLERY

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COSMETIC SURGERY AFFILIATES, DR ERIK J. NUVEEN, M.D., D.M.D. DR. JUAN A. BROU, M.D. DR. TIM R. LOVE, M.D. JONES PLASTIC SURGERY SHADID PLASTIC SURGERY ASSOCIATES, DR. DEREK SHADID, M.D.

BEST PLACE TO GET AN AESTHETIC UPDATE ADVANCED AESTHETICS DR. JUAN A. BROU, M.D. DR. TIM R. LOVE, M.D. LASER LIGHT SKIN CLINIC MARIPOSA MEDSPA

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AL’S BICYCLE CHARLEY’S BICYCLE LABORATORY MELONBIKE SCHLEGEL BICYCLES WHEELER DEALER

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Hand delivered ballots will not be accepted.

N E 1150, , 22001155 || O OKKLLAAHHO OM MAA GGAAZZEETTTTEE 3 0 | J U LY

BEST LOCAL DISTRICT BRICKTOWN DISTRICT MIDTOWN DISTRICT PASEO ARTS DISTRICT PLAZA DISTRICT UPTOWN 23RD DISTRICT

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OUT ON A LIMB SARA KATE STUDIOS THE BLACK SCINTILLA THE FACTORY VINTIQUES MARKET

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All contact information must be completed. (see next page)

BRICKTOWN FASSLER HALL OKC THUNDER GAME PLAZA DISTRICT THE BLEU GARTEN

H&8TH NIGHT MARKET MYRID BOTANICAL GARDENS OKC THUNDER GAME THE OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO THE BLEU GARTEN

BEST PLACE TO TAKE A ‘SELFIE’

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BEST PLACE TO PAY IT FORWARD

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BEST PET-FRIENDLY PATIO LOUIE’S LAKESIDE PICASSO CAFE SAUCED ON PASEO THE BLEU GARTEN THE PUMP BAR

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A1 PET EMPORIUM BARKING DOG BAKERY EDMOND DOG PARK K9 UNIVERSITY MIDTOWN VETS

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GRAND CASINO HOTEL & RESORT NEWCASTLE CASINO REMINGTON PARK RACING & CASINO RIVERWIND CASINO WINSTAR WORLD CASINO & RESORT

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BRICKTOWN BREWERY FLINT HENRY HUDSON’S PUBLIC HOUSE TAPWERKS ALE HOUSE THE MONT RESTAURANT

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BEST ROOFTOP

(BAR OR RESTAURANT)

CAFE DO BRASIL FASSLER HALL O BAR AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL PACKARD’S NEW AMERICAN KITCHEN ROOFTOP AT OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART

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BEST COCKTAIL

(AND THE RESTAURANT/BAR THAT SERVES IT)

ANY BLOOD MARY AT S&B’S BURGER JOINT HOLY DIVER AT HILO CLUB HUMMINGBIRD AT IN THE RAW LUNCHBOX AT EDNA’S OLD FASHIONED AT THE R&J LOUNGE AND SUPPER CLUB

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CAFE KACAO LATIN CUISINE CLASSEN GRILL JIMMY’S EGG KITCHEN NO. 324 WAFFLE CHAMPION

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BEST STEAKHOUSE

BOULEVARD STEAKHOUSE CATTLEMEN’S STEAKHOUSE MAHOGANY PRIME STEAKHOUSE RANCH STEAKHOUSE RED PRIMESTEAK

BEST SUSHI

GO GO SUSHI IN THE RAW SUSHI NEKO THE SUSHI BAR TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT

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BEST WESTERN EUROPEAN RESTAURANT, NOT ITALIAN

(DANISH, ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, IRISH, SCOTTISH, SPANISH, ETC.)

FASSLER HALL INGRID’S KITCHEN LA BAGUETTE BISTRO OLD GERMANY RESTAURANT ROYAL BAVARIA

BEST MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT

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BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT CHOW’S CHINESE RESTAURANT DOT WO GARDEN FUNG’S KITCHEN GOLDEN PHOENIX GRAND HOUSE ASIAN BISTRO

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 1

BEST THAI RESTAURANT

BEST UPSCALE BAR

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Religious buzz By greg Horton

When working in church circles, especially church circles where growth is an emphasis, people learn that certain buzzwords are more useful for advertising than for implementation. What, after all, does “relevant” mean when talking about a community of faith? As young people abandon mainstream and evangelical churches, “missional” has become a buzzword. As for what it means, no one agrees, but there are hundreds of articles and books touting “missional churches.” This summer, the Supreme Court of the United States rendered a decision on the legality of same-sex marriage. An affirmative ruling means that churches all over the country are grappling with the definition of yet another buzzword: “inclusive.” One Edmond church is already investigating what it means to be inclusive in one of Oklahoma’s wealthiest suburbs, and its conversation involves more than just LGBTQ issues.

Founding faith

Allen and Erin Buck form part of Summit United Methodist Church’s leadership team; he is founding pastor, and she is director of children’s ministries. Summit’s youth ministry is different from the overwhelming majority of churches, though, and this is largely due to Erin’s background in special education. “My mother was a special ed teacher, and that absolutely influenced me,” she said, “but so did a young man in our theater group at Norman High School when I was a student there. He had Down syndrome, but he still participated in all our musicals.” The open-mindedness of the theater

allen Buck

teacher, the acceptance by the young man’s peers and Erin’s interaction with him inspired her to pursue special education. While her husband worked on his Master of Divinity at Emory University in Atlanta, Erin obtained her teaching degree from the University of West Georgia. Allen was assigned a few pastorates over the past 20 years, as is typical for United Methodist ministers. The denomination has long practiced itinerancy, the practice of moving ministers from church to church every few years. He wanted to plant a church, though, and he brought with him a core value of reconciliation, the kind of work he believes Jesus did. “I fell in love with Jesus reading the Gospels,” he said of the first four books of the Christian New Testament. “In those stories, Jesus takes on imperial powers and he preached a message of love.” Allen emphasized that he does not speak for the United Methodist Church (UMC). He does, however, include structures of discrimination and oppression as examples of those imperial powers. The Bucks believe the message of Jesus should reach those who are often ignored or vilified by many other churches.

‘Discriminatory language’

The second funeral he officiated as Summit’s pastor was for a lesbian whose partner asked him to do the ceremony. Allen wondered aloud at a 2014 news conference why the UMC allows ministers to officiate gay or lesbian funerals but not their weddings. The conference was held to launch Freedom Oklahoma, a public education campaign in support of same-sex marriage. “That day, I asked why I could speak of this couple’s love and commitment at a

funeral, when their relationship ended, but not be there at the beginning to talk about their love and commitment,” he said. The couple approaches their vocation as ministers from different places, but they both champion demographics that are often overlooked by other religious communities. Allen said the UMC has “discriminatory language” in its rules, but he is hopeful that the denomination will change. “The Methodists have a long history of coming around and being on the right side,” he said. “We opposed slavery, championed environmental causes and ordained women, and many of my colleagues have stood with Jesus and risked ecclesial trials by marrying samesex couples.” For ministers and denominations, the issues surrounding LGBT inclusion come down to questions concerning the authority of the Bible, and Allen said he is a theological liberal, meaning he supports full inclusion. The UMC is divided, though, and pastors who marry same-sex couples risk having their credentials stripped. “I hope people’s hearts will change,” he said. “Summit is inclusive; we have gay people in our community. The message of love that Jesus preached transcends these barriers to doing life together, so if we spend time together in community, there is hope that God can change people’s hearts.”

Special youth

Erin believes churches can also come to embrace families and children with special needs. “I read an article years ago that said approximately 80 percent of families with special needs kids don’t go to church,” she said. “The churches are not equipped to

deal with them.” She believes the people in the church are not equipped to work with or accommodate their distinctive needs. Many churches have sufficient resources to include those families, but she believes they lack the patience, willingness to learn and level of acceptance to fully welcome them. “When our children’s choir gets up to sing, all our kids sing,” she said. “That might mean that one of our kids is yelling or disrupting, but that’s still one of our kids. They are part of the community, and we include them.” Summit is committed enough to the principle that it offers Masterpiece Camp, a Vacation Bible School (VBS)type program that rotates youth and their siblings through stations like science, story time, arts and outside play. Siblings are included because, out of necessity, they often receive less attention. Last year, nearly 100 participated. “We started Masterpiece Camp because two moms told me that they couldn’t find a VBS for their special needs kids,” Erin said. “Now that we are including these kids, the word is getting out. About 10 percent of our church is now special needs kids.” Summit formed in 2012, but it is not yet an officially chartered UMC congregation. Allen said he is uncertain about when it will make the move toward full status. “I really don’t know if this kind of inclusion will work,” Allen said, “but I can’t do church any other way. Is Edmond ready for this kind of church?” Learn more about service times, locations and programs at summitok. org.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 3

p rovi ded

This Edmond church defies common practice with its message of inclusionary love.

Act three

Premiere on Film Row offers everything from movies to live music the third Friday of each month. By greg Horton

Premiere on film row 7–10 p.m. friday sheridan ave. between n. Walker and shartel avenues filmrowpremiere.com free

This month’s Premiere on Film Row will feature the opening reception for The Elaborate Collaborate, an art project at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave. (featured in the April 22 issue of Oklahoma Gazette). Premiere is a familyfriendly event held monthly on the third Friday of each month. There will be film screenings, live music, art openings and food trucks. Local artists Romy Owens and Kelsey Karper wrangled more than 50 local artists to take part in this intricate exquisite corpse installation. The installation also includes a video component. The actual public opening is Friday, but as it is an ongoing project, the pieces will have changed many times before the public opening. Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St., will perform one of the more unusual, quirky dark comedies on any stage in Oklahoma at Premiere. Based on one of Shakespeare’s stage directions (The Winter’s Tale) Exit, Pursued by a Bear is a revenge comedy set in Atlanta. The theme is domestic abuse, so it is definitely rated PG-13. The Lauren Gunderson play will entertain adults and mature teenagers, as Gunderson relies on an array of comic tropes and clever dialogue to soften the edges of domestic abuse without compromising the message. The highlight might well be the plan to leave honey and meat around the couple’s living room so the abuser will be mauled by a bear — thus, the title — but the dialogue is funny throughout. A few of the metro’s best female

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Revelers at Premiere on Film Row last month singer/songwriters will be featured in the Cellar Door Music Showcase at The Paramount OKC, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. Country, roots, new grass, pop and acoustic genres will be well represented by Willow Way, Annie Oakley and Allie Lauren. The show starts at 8 p.m. There is a $10 cover for this show. The grand opening of Jack Fowler Art World Headquarters on the second floor of The Paramount is also during Premiere. If Alfred Hitchcock had been alive to helm any season of Mad Men, the set would likely have looked much like The Paramount’s second floor. Antiquated office equipment and supplies, signage and phone nooks are scattered throughout, generating an eerie ambiance, as if an office-based slasher film is about to break out. Fowler moved in to his studio July 1, but Premiere will be the first official open house for the artist, who specializes in pop art portraits and abstract, linear landscapes. “I’ve been a working artist in my house for years, which means I’ve nearly destroyed my home,” he said. “I moved everything in here so that I could have a working studio.” For Premiere, Fowler will have a selection of his work on display, and while he tends to work with acrylics, he will also have one sculpture and a few small-scale ink and paper pieces. Premiere is free to attend, but some activities or openings might have separate charges. Editor’s note: Jack Fowler is an editorial cartoonist and freelance writer for Oklahoma Gazette.

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Book lovers

The librarian and the music man move into a new phase of education advocacy. By Brett DiCKerson

As a little girl, Kathleen Lienke was consumed by books, ideas and the other worlds they revealed. “I kind of have that stereotypical past,” she told Oklahoma Gazette in a recent interview that included her husband, Roger. “I love to read. I’m a voracious reader. I always was drawn to it as a kid. We would ride our bikes to the library and get piles of books. We would climb trees and read books up in the trees.” She managed to stay in the world of books as she taught others how to explore that world all the way to her retirement this year from Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) after 33 years. She spent most of that time as a librarian. For the last 15 years, she has been director of the district’s Library and Instruction Media Services. Referring to the Broadway play and movie The Music Man, her husband fashioned himself somewhat as the “music man who was validated by marrying the librarian.” He has composed and performed his own music since he was 15 years old. Roger is the middle of three creative brothers. In the ’70s, the trio formed The Lienke Brothers City Band. They gained popularity and released several albums and eventually moved to Los Angeles. Even though the brothers split up in their 30s to pursue a host of other goals, Roger, now a psychiatric nurse, has continued in the creative process even into this year and has produced yet another two-disc album of his own work.

The hub

Roger married Kathleen many years ago, after she had been a librarian for a while, when they both lived in California.

Kathleen the librarian was who he wanted to marry, and he has shared her passion for developing and supporting libraries throughout their marriage. However, the juxtaposition of stereotypes — a bookworm married to an artist — is not as stark as the characters in that musical portray. Kathleen and Roger both exhibit a love of imagination, creativity and exploration, Kathleen through promoting reading and learning and Roger through his music and mental health practice. “The library is an artful place. To me, it supports all of those areas of music and literature and visual art and dance and then the everyday life,” she said. They both view the school library as anything but optional. “In the school, the library is the hub,” Roger said. “It’s the heart of it. It’s the imagination center. But it’s also the communal center.” There are 73 of those hubs served by 55 certified librarians and 53 assistants in OKCPS. Those are large numbers because the district is the largest in the state, with more than 40,000 students.

Collaboration guide

Many of us might assume that the main thing about a library is the hardware, the books and the building. But Kathleen knows the key to a successful library is its librarian. “There is that myth now that ‘Oh, now we have the Internet. We don’t need the library,’ which is totally false,” she said. “What libraries have that the Internet doesn’t are the people. They have librarians who are there to help you find what you want, help you find books that you like to read.” Bibliothecaries are trained to help

students find the most interesting reading for them and teach them research methods for many kinds of information. Kathleen also pointed out that certified public school librarians specialize in ways to collaboratively work with the teachers in their school and be resources for them. Applicants must first earn their teacher certification before they can be certified as a public school librarian. That also gives them an edge in understanding what their schools need in order to develop more effective teaching plans. “One of the goals ... in our curriculum is collaboration, collaboration, collaboration,” Kathleen said.

Safe haven

A school library is a haven, too. It’s where the quiet kids, the introverts or those who are intellectually in a different place from their peers go to find other students like them who share their interests. There, they aren’t outsiders. “People who are going into the library [who] are seemingly introverted and maybe misfits in some way or another are not necessarily that,” he said. “If you take the labeling off, they are in search of something, they are seeking integration. They are seeking growth.”

All-access

If people are what make a school library move, current technology is what keeps it vital. Employees train students on how to use the online catalogue and studentfriendly, librarian-vetted national databases. Teachers become pupils as they’re guided on ways to integrate tech into their classrooms, too. Kathleen

Kathleen and Roger Lienke in the library at Classen School of Advanced Studies. said both learn how to best use online resources and searchable databases. Even so, she said she’s troubled by the barriers too many students still face. Before school starts each day, students often line up at the high school library door so they can access the Internet or work on assignments that they otherwise can’t finish at home. Kathleen knows from her decades of experience that many families can’t afford home Internet access, let alone home computers. This, in turn, restricts the time students have available for doing online research and completing assignments. She said these hubs are necessary for healthy school districts and their students and occasional grants allow longer hours for temporary lengths of time, but they don’t do enough. In the last year of her career with the district, Kathleen said she has pushed for consistent funding for extended library hours.

Moving on

A new chapter begins for the librarian and the music man as they move from one mode of creativity to another. With Kathleen’s retirement, they become different kinds of advocates for arts and literacy. Their affection and appreciation for each other remains intact after 38 years of marriage. Roger said that he “got lucky” when he married the librarian. At the end of the interview, he sang one of the lines from The Music Man: “Oh what can I say, my dear, to make it clear, I love you madly, madly, madam librarian.”

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COME FOR SAUCEE’S PIZZA

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Sauce & balls!

Scholarship party

Kandyze island

The Many Faces of Hope Masquerade Ball raises funds for those interested in the arts and leadership.

For Us! ote

@sauceesicilian

Th

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ili a

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V

By Kaley Patterson

ucee S

ic

Vote for us!

the Many faces of Hope Masquerade Ball & silent auction 7 p.m. friday Del City Community Center 3701 se 15th st., Del City eventbrite.com $35

The Craig S. Coleman Scholarship Foundation helps students interested in the arts and hopes to raise funds with its first Many Faces of Hope Masquerade Ball & Silent Auction. The foundation was founded by Dwight Coleman in 2010, two years after his father, Craig S. Coleman, died. Dwight’s father was passionate about the arts and was a leader in his community. The foundation’s purpose is to help students further their education within the arts and leadership. Dwight also established the program to further his father’s legacy. Kandyce Island, a foundation board member, has been involved with the program for about four months and said The Many Faces of Hope Masquerade Ball will soon become a yearly tradition. “The ball is a dinner where we’re giving people who are interested in helping students excel in the arts a chance to come together to make donations so we can continue to give scholarships to students,” Island said. The masquerade ball is a black tie affair that will feature live music, appetizers, a dinner, door prizes and a silent auction. The event is open to the public, and Island said attendees will have the chance to meet with board members one-on-one to ask questions or present ideas. The cost to attend is $40 per person or $500 for a table. Island believes in The Craig S.

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Coleman Foundation because it benefits those who come from humble beginnings, like Island, Dwight and Dwight’s father. Island grew up in California and never thought she would earn two degrees. She said a strong support system is what got her where she is today, and she believes the foundation does the same for the scholarship recipients. Students who receive the scholarship do not have to attend a certain school. The student does have to major in the arts, whether it’s visual arts, creative writing or theater arts. Students can also major in a degree pertaining to leadership. Island said these subjects were the basis of the scholarships. “The foundation was launched to honor his father and what he did in the community ... to be able to help [young people] accomplish their dreams,” Island said. The scholarship is provided throughout a student’s college career, but the student has to reapply each year. Island said the amount of the scholarships varies each year and the masquerade ball is just one of many events advancing the foundation’s scholarships. To apply for the scholarships, students can find the application on The Craig S. Coleman Scholarship Foundation Facebook page. Community members interested in attending the ball may purchase tickets at eventbrite.com. It will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at Del City Community Center, 3701 SE 15th St., Del City. Donations to The Craig S. Coleman Scholarship and Foundation can be made at eventbrite.com.

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Faith parade p rovi ded

A group of women share their songs and stories to help others find inspiration. By Kaley Patterson

Loved: The Farewell Tour 7-10 p.m. July 24 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 25 Cox Convention Center 1 Myriad Gardens womenoffaith.com $80-$230

For the last time with all of the founding members, the Women of Faith organization will hold its conference Loved: The Farewell Tour July 24 and 25 at Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens. The two-day conference invites women from all denominations of Christianity to join in a weekend full of fellowship and worship. Since 1996, Women of Faith has traveled across the United States, sharing life stories full of grief, pain, joy and assurance. This tour is the last one with all of the founders of the Women of Faith organization present on stage together. For 20 years, the tour has presented authors and musicians whose stories resonate with audiences by showing women they’re not alone in their struggles.

Public plight

Sandi Patty was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Indiana. Her family moved back to OKC seven years ago, and her husband serves on the staff at Crossings Community Church. She has toured with Women of Faith for 10 years, speaking about her trials and triumphs in life while singing with her family by her side. “When we kind of started traveling

with Women of Faith, not only did they love on me, they ended up loving on my whole family,” Patty said. “We just feel so grateful for that.” Twenty-five years ago, she underwent a public divorce and said she made some choices along the way that didn’t help matters much. Patty described her church as being a safe place for her and her family to heal. “They walked us through some real important steps in restoration,” Patty said. In 2005, she released an autobiography outlining her family’s journey through her career as a famous gospel singer, the plight of her success, her divorce and the path she and her family took toward forgiveness and peace. Patty said the book goes through some of her toughest seasons but shows how God was extremely faithful in the midst of it all. “I really do believe that there is a lot of freedom that comes with just being honest about our life,” Patty said in an Oklahoma Gazette interview, “so I wanted to share my journey in hopes that it could encourage somebody else ... as they may find themselves in difficult places, and that they could know that they’re not alone ... and there’s hope.”

Faithful family

When Patty was invited to tour with Women of Faith, she was fearful the audience would not respond to her well since she is a divorcee. “Even though I kept waiting for [Women of Faith] to uninvite me, they

never did,” she said. “I just feel like I’ve gotten to be a part of the family for the last 10 years.” Patty said audience members have related to her story and expressed that they have found themselves in similar situations. she hopes that her segment of the tour will encourage women and provide some guidance. “A lot of women find themselves in a blended family,” she said. “I think having my family as a blended family, we can share a lot on what we did wrong and a couple things that we got right along the way.” According to Patty, a blended family is a result from some type of loss within either family. Whether from a divorce or a death, a blended family suffers from loss even if there is a remarriage. Patty said people in these situations need to be mindful of that in order to navigate the elements of creating the new family. “I think that makes it unique,” she said. “It doesn’t have to make it bad, but it definitely makes it unique.” Patty has developed such a close bond with the other women on the tour that each weekend is like group therapy. One of the things she enjoys most about Women of Faith is getting to hear her friends’ stories. “I always love listening to my friends share,” she said. “When they teach their common sense for life, their approach to faith, their view of learning to see ourselves as God sees us — those kinds of things are just invaluable to me on my journey.” For two decades, Women of Faith

Women of Faith conference tours the country. has welcomed 5 million people to their events in 89 cities across the country. Patty believes conferences such as Loved: The Farewell Tour are important for women to take time out of their busy to schedules to attend. “I have found that I am a better woman when I take the time to let God speak to me alongside other women,” Patty said. “I come back being a better mom and being a better wife and being a better — first and foremost — woman of God.” Oklahoma City is the third stop out of 18 on the tour, and Patty is excited for the event to be held in her hometown. “It’s like all of my friends from all of my places are going to be together in one place,” Patty said. “It makes me very happy. It’s like I’m introducing my Oklahoma friends to my Women of Faith friends and vice versa.” Loved: The Farewell Tour features guest speakers such as Duck Dynasty reality star Korie Robertson; Patsy Clairmont, an author who has struggled with agoraphobia in the past; author Luci Swindoll; Sheila Walsh, a singer, author and Bible teacher from Scotland and Gretchen Carlson. Grammy-nominated Christian rock band Building 429 will perform along with Grammy award winner Sandi Patty. Purchase tickets at womenoffaith.com. Patty’s book, Broken on the Back Row: A Journey Through Grace and Forgiveness, can also be found on the website.

O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 7

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cover visual arts

Jason Pawley draws inspiration from graphic design, skateboarding, fine art and his home city to create the mammoth and moving “Cultivation” mural in downtown Oklahoma City.

Jason Pawley

By Jack Fowler

The goal of every painter, no matter the adjective-laden variation of the truth so painstakingly presented to us in an artist’s statement, seems to boil down to this: Try to create something the viewer can’t ignore. In a culture that so often values efficiency over beauty and prefers the status quo to the sore thumb, that can be a tricky accomplishment. An artist can flail and dive through every style and medium imaginable, throwing enough work at the wall that something’s bound to stick. You do that and people call it erratic. An artist can poke at The Man in plain sight of the world, tagging his manifesto on the sides of abandoned warehouses and gentrified storefronts like a dare. But if you do that, people call it criminal. On rare occasions, an artist can just get better and better at what he does until nobody can miss it. Once that’s done, they call it by your name.

Underpass opportunity

Jason Pawley’s art is seemingly everywhere, and even if you don’t know him yet, chances are you’ve seen a Jason Pawley somewhere. The 40-year-old Oklahoma City native has left a wake of solo and collaborative art around the metro over the past few years, from murals in the Plaza District to the hawk on the side of VZD’s Restaurant & Club

Graphic design and skateboarding is pretty much where I first got turned on to art. —Jason Pawley

and the walls of Tall Hill Creative, 3421 N. Villa Ave., the gallery he operates with friend and fellow painter Ross Adams. His newest and arguably most spectacular piece, “Cultivation,” is the literal entirety of the Bricktown underpass at S. EK Gaylord Boulevard and W. Reno Avenue. After applying for a public art grant from Downtown OKC, Inc. last year, Pawley said he keyed in when the selection committee mentioned the underpass. After he was named one of four artists selected for funding, he began planning what quickly became his most ambitious project to date. “It evolved into a piece I’m very proud of, but, man, that’s a lot of space,” he said, laughing. “It was very

overwhelming to get down there and think about covering the whole surface. You have an idea in your mind when you begin the project, but when you actually see it, it was like, ‘How in the world am I going to do this?’” With a little help during a couple of 24-hour stretches from Adams and friends Greg and Mike Bustamante, Pawley signed the wall after three weeks of 10-16-hour days. It was time that he mostly spent solo, rolling the high concrete walls for hours on end, stopping every few minutes to talk to curious fans, friends, tourists and drifters who wanted to know what he was working on. Pawley took off his headphones and filled each and every one of them in. “They offered to put up a sign asking people not to disturb me, but I think that’s just part of it,” Pawley said. “If it’s public art, it’s for the public. I’m making it in public, and I’ve enjoyed it. I love the fact that so many people are interested in public art, and I’ve been happy to tell them about it. It’s a public experience.”

Moving picture

The experience for viewers has just begun. The visual effect changes depending on whether you’re driving or on foot, but it’s stunning no matter how fast you’re going. The repetitive, up-and-under motion of the leaves; the Day-Glo palette; the dark, dripping

outlines — they’ve all become Pawley signatures, and the underpass stands as a definitive stamp on a city blooming with public art. “You’re in an environment here, which is what I think makes it kind of unique,” Pawley said of painting the location. “Most murals are meant to be stood back from and looked at, but this mural is one you pass through. It’s different not only because of the close proximity but because it’s moving. I wanted to use that.” He used it with color, specifically, a subtle, fading change from the south wall to the north that includes the pillars that stand between and break up the sunlight like ancient Roman aqueducts. They also give the piece a remarkable sense of movement, like you’re looking at a painting projected from a dusty, flapping film reel. “It’s definitely a different experience whether you’re walking or driving,” Pawley said. “A lot of the flow of color on the sidewalk is slow to match the foot traffic. But there’s a gradient from one side to the other that matches all the colors of a sunset. That was kind of my concept, sunrise to sunset, and that’s something you can definitely see and experience with the speed of a car.” Pawley said it was only after he continued on next page

O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | J u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 9

photos by Ga rett fi s bec k

Passing ‘Cultivation’

cover visual arts

began the project, however, that he knew how to harness the rhythms of a busy intersection. “You’ll notice if you look that certain sections are less dramatic, have a slower feel to it,” Pawley said. “Some places are more energetic, though. I had to be down there, working, to feel it, to let it evolve. I had to feel the way it moved, and I tried to respond to that.”

Most murals are meant to be stood back from and looked at, but this mural is one you pass through. —Jason Pawley

Skateboards, beer

As for how his distinctive style evolved to the point that it could beautifully cover an entire structure, Pawley credited some of his early education and years of honing what came naturally. He received an art scholarship to Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly College of Santa Fe) and later graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2000 with

a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design. It’s that design experience that blends itself through so much of his work, the murals, the collaborations, the labels for Black Mesa Brewing Company beer that he designed. “That was my first higher education, looking into fine art and

A mural by Jason Pawley at Tall Hill Creative, 3421 N. Villa Ave., the studio he co-owns.

4 0 | J u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e

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“Cultivation,” the largest public art project to date by Jason Pawley, located inside the underpass at S. EK Gaylord Boulevard and W. Reno Avenue. design,” Pawley said. “That’s where I learned about consistency, color theory, how things flow together. I learned what makes things pop, what makes things stand out. Graphic design and skateboarding is pretty much where I first got turned on to art.” Since learning how to make things stand out, he has made a career from it. Tall Hill Creative’s monthly first Sunday shows (which coincide with Brass Bell Studios’ a block south) draw a salty, vibrant, loyal crowd, and

the building itself serves as an everevolving canvas on which he, Adams and visiting artists experiment. “I think it’s just built over a long process of trial and error,” Pawley said when asked why his work is so recognizable. “I try to paint as much as I can, every day if I can. Through those practices, you learn new techniques, new brushstrokes, new accidents. It just kept layering and layering itself, and eventually, it grew to where it is right now.”

a portrait of ross adams, co-owner of tall Hill creative, by Jason Pawley.

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Machine wash A seemingly mundane task can sometimes provide the most colorful inspiration.

“cloud Horse” by John Brandenburg

By Mark Beutler

Noble Laundry Paintings runs through aug. 28 the depot 200 s. Jones ave. pasnorman.org 307-9320 Free

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely places. Norman artist John Brandenburg said the inspiration for his exhibit Noble Laundry Paintings came while he was doing laundry at his house in Noble. “In these paintings on canvas, loosely based on figurative landscapes and geometric forms, I have combined several techniques that I have been experimenting with for quite a few years,” Brandenburg said. “I have also worked in a much larger scale than I felt comfortable with before.” The good thing about working with acrylic, he said, is that it dries fast. That is also the downside to working with acrylic because it leaves little room for error. With some of Brandenburg’s paintings, what seems like an error might actually be intentional because some of his work is carefully crafted into concrete images, while others are a lot like cloud watching and are left for the imagination to discern. Brandenburg has been painting for five decades and enjoys trying new techniques to keep things fresh. “Among my new exhibit are pieces where I used finger-painting with surgical dishwashing gloves. I applied thin or thicker layers of paint over dry or still wet colors with a palette knife, creating unusually black outlines using a liner brush and sometimes mixing a textured medium with colors,” he said. In addition to his paintings, Brandenburg is an award-winning poet and playwright. He won a Governor’s Award in 1997 for his journalistic writings. He also received

the prestigious Know Your Neighbor award from Norman Arts and Humanities Council, honoring outstanding members of the Norman arts community. Brandenburg received a 1996 Merit Award at IAO for mixed media and won Best of Show in 1995 at the Paseo Fall Arts Festival. After so many years honing his craft, Brandenburg said he likes to shake things up from time to time. “I like to work in acrylic, collage, charcoal, ink and pencil,” he said. “I like to experiment, going through phases as many artists do.” His work is regularly on display at JRB at the Elms, and he recently participated in a group show at Guymon’s Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Brandenburg has had exhibits in Dallas, New York, Kansas and Missouri. Patrons visiting the Laundry Room exhibit will see some of the artist’s latest works, including “Cloud Horse” (pictured). The new exhibit is on display now at The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., in Norman and runs through Aug. 28. The Depot Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. Admission is free. Exhibitions at The Depot are made possible by grants from Oklahoma Arts Council, Norman Arts Council and individual donors.

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STOP IN TO FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE

GA RE TT FI S BE C K

LIFE PERFORMING ARTS

Live laughs Sometimes, we all need a good laugh at life in order to get through it. BY GREG ELWELL

Comedy Cares Benefit Showcase 9 p.m. Saturday Sauced on Paseo 2912 Paseo Drive $5 donation 18+

The only way to keep laughing is to keep living. “Suicide isn’t funny,” said comedian Melissa McGinnis. “Life is funny. And in hindsight, things like that can be funny.” In an effort to keep their potential audience alive and laughing, McGinnis and fellow comic Jackson T. Curtin are hosting the Comedy Cares Benefit Showcase for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on Saturday at Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo Drive. The show will be free, but they are asking for a $5 donation from each audience member as they raise money to help HeartLine, the organization that answers the suicide hotline locally. As a volunteer, McGinnis has plenty of experience talking to people who need someone in whom they can confide. Curtin’s connection is different. He’s a survivor. In March, he attempted suicide. He wrote about his experiences, including the aftermath, online. “A big reason I wrote that is to help combat the social stigma,” he said. “People need help, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Had his phone not been turned off — part of the mounting financial troubles that contributed to his suicide attempt — he said a service like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline could have stopped him before he tried to kill himself. “This organization is there to help

Alex Newman, Jackson T. Curtin, Melissa McGinnis and Tiffany Watt people who feel like they can’t get help from anybody else,” he said. McGinnis said she called the line as a teenager and that, in many cases, the people calling do not want to die. They simply need to be heard. Mikie Gillmore, communications coordinator for HeartLine crisis referral service, which includes the 211 phone hotline and Web referral service, said while a comedy show might seem somewhat incongruous with suicide prevention at first blush, it’s actually a perfect fit. “It reduces the stigma surrounding suicide, even just by saying the word and getting people to talk,” she said. “And it’s good to laugh, even when we’re dealing with heavy stuff, especially because of the heavy stuff.” The programs are chronically underfunded, which is why Gillmore is so glad to have people who want to raise money to help. HeartLine phones are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by trained professionals, which isn’t cheap. “I think it’s crucial,” she said. “There are plenty of times where our call specialists have intervened and saved a life.” In addition to McGinnis and Curtin, comedians Heath Huffman, Alex Newman, Isabel Victoria Bautista, Tiffany Watt, Ashley Winnard, Matt Raney, Cassidy Queerface, BradChad Porter, Nathan Joyner and Bryna Thomas will perform. The show begins at 9 p.m. Those who would like to give but can’t attend can visit heartlineoklahoma.org to find donation information and more about the programs HeartLine provides.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 4 3

Charlie O’Brien

Young catcher A new book details what it’s like to play Major League Baseball for 15 years and catch for a plethora of award-winning pitchers. BY RICHARD STROUD

Tulsa native and former Major League Baseball catcher Charlie O’Brien might never make it to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, but his 15-year career boasts an accomplishment that no one else can match. During his career from 1985 to 2000 with eight different teams, O’Brien caught for 13 Cy Young Award winners, including Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Bret Saberhagen and Tom Glavine. The Cy Young Award is given to the best pitcher in the American League and National League. O’Brien has chronicled his accomplishments in his new book, The Cy Young Catcher, which he co-wrote with Doug Wedge. The book, published by Texas A&M Press, was released in March. Featuring a chapter on each of the Cy Young winners (interviewed by Wedge), the book also delves into catching techniques, O’Brien’s invention of the modern “hockey-style” catching mask and stories from his playing days. The book came about due to the persistence of Wedge, O’Brien’s brotherin-law, who talked O’Brien into putting his experiences down on paper. “He pushed me about it for over a year,” O’Brien said. “Once we got started, it was a lot of fun.” During one stretch from 1994 to 1997, O’Brien caught for four straight Cy Young winners, including Maddux when he was at his peak with the Atlanta Braves and Roger Clemens during his dominant run with the Toronto Blue Jays. “I don’t know if anyone’s had a better run than [Maddux’s 1994-95 seasons],” O’Brien said. “Then I went from that to Clemens in Toronto after he was let go by the Red Sox.” Though only a lifetime .221 hitter with 56 career home runs, O’Brien was able to enjoy a long career in the big

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leagues due to his mastery behind the plate, where he seemed to have a knack for bringing out the best in pitchers. “Your main job as a catcher is to make them feel comfortable and more relaxed,” O’Brien said. “You have to know a pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t ask them to do things they’re not comfortable with. A lot of young catchers don’t understand that.” Along the way, O’Brien also made a lasting contribution to baseball with his invention of a popular catching mask. Inspired by the masks worn by hockey goalies during his time in Toronto, O’Brien came up with a mask that fits closer to the face and offers more protection. “I originally made it for myself,” O’Brien said. “I wanted something safer and that you could see better out of.” Baseball is something he has passed down to his sons, Chris and Cameron. Both graduated from Charlie’s alma mater, Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa. Cameron recently finished his college career at West Virginia University. Chris was set to play with the Tulsa Drillers, the Double A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, before being traded to the Orioles just before the beginning of the season. He then injured his shoulder and recently underwent labral surgery, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Aside from his book, O’Brien is largely out of baseball these days, spending more and more of his days at his ranch outside of Tulsa, where he raises cattle and has a deer hunting operation. He spent some time coaching his sons at Bishop Kelley but quit when they graduated.

P HOTOS P ROVI DE D

LIFE BOOKS

M A RK HA N COC K

Reading incentive

Alberto Liu and Jessica Jones, volunteers with the Summer Reading Program, at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library.

VALID ON DINNERS UP TO $1199 ONLY. DISCOUNT TAKEN OFF EQUAL OR LESSER PURCHASE. LIMIT 2 COUPONS PER PERSON. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. EXPIRES 7/22/15.

Children are encouraged to pick up more books with summer programs at the library.

BY ALISSA LINDSEY

Metropolitan Library System introduced a new program this summer to incentivize active readers to keep going after they’ve met their goals. The Read It Forward Initiative essentially adds a third goal level to the Summer Reading Program and encourages participants to do good deeds. With the additions, readers can donate books to Ronald McDonald House and donate $6 library fine waivers to fellow patrons. As of June 25, 608 participants reached their Read It Forward goal and donated a book to Ronald McDonald House, Director of Marketing and Communications Kim Terry said. “Sometimes they reach [Goal 2] by the second week of June, and we wanted to keep getting them to continue reading,” Terry said. “The whole pay it forward thing is so popular right now … It’s another way to incentivize people.” Each goal is comprised of 30 sessions lasting 20 minutes each or 10 hours total, and participants log their sessions online. Once Goal 1 has been reached, a $6 library fine waiver is earned. To pay it forward, patrons can donate their fine waiver to another patron who might need it more. Upon completion of Goal 1, children also receive a book of their choice and adults receive a cell phone power bank charger. Goal 2 comes with the same perks from Goal 1 plus the ability to be entered in the end-of-program drawing for grand prizes. The Read It Forward goal, or Goal 3, enables readers to send a book of their choice to Ronald McDonald House. “You wouldn’t believe the early

childhood — these are the ones who are 4 years and younger — they don’t read, but they’re being read to by their parents,” Terry said. “Thirty-six of those have already reached the Read It Forward goal.” Throughout the library’s 19 branches, 18,700 participants have signed up for the summer reading program as of June 20, which Terry said puts the library a little bit ahead of numbers from last summer already. Participants can enter weekly drawings by completing a varied list of tasks. For example, during the week of June 15, everyone who used their library card to check out books was entered into the weekly drawing. During the week of June 29, all children who attended an event through the library’s neighborhood arts program were eligible for the drawing. Weekly drawing prizes include items like tickets to White Water Bay and Frontier City, tickets to Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, passes for RedPin Bowling Lounge, tickets to Oklahoma River Cruises, Nook Tablets, season passes to The Oklahoma City Zoo and Science Museum Oklahoma and passes to Andy Alligator’s Fun Park. To win the drawing prizes, participants must have a Metropolitan Library System library card, but to join the fun of the summer reading program, a library card is not required. “We just want to encourage people to read over the summer. A lot of people are here visiting their grandparents … so they might not have a library card. We’re promoting reading and literacy and how great it is to read over the summer,” Terry said. The Summer Reading Program ends July 31. Visit metrolibrary.org/ summerreading to sign up.

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SuDOku/CROSSWORD SuDOku Puzzle hARD

WWW.S uDOKu-P uZZlES .N ET

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

NeW YORk TimeS CROSSWORD Puzzle ANSWeRS Puzzle No. 0705, which appeared in the July 8 issue.

U C L A

N A A N

J U S T

A S E A

D A Y B E D

B E M O A N E D

O P I U M D E N

N O T V

P E S T O S

Go to

okgazette.com/GWW to enter to win a pair of tickets:

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Thursday Oct. 22, 2015 @ Diamond Ballroom

GAZETTE’S WEEKLY WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED EACH WEEK IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS Look for your name in the table of contents 4 6 | J u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

C A L L I N G

U M A M A I D M O I C T H I O T S

M E R C I W S A T S E E G P R S E S S E T R O B A D K E N

G A N D H I

L H A S A

C M I O T E Y A M C O E O S C H O U S P T O A R S K

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

R A N U P I C E E S O W E T O

E V A N E S C E N T M U I R

V E U N A T E S

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

L I N O S

O N T A R I D O O E W T R H I T T H H I U N R G

K E E P I N G N O C H A N C E

T S E T S E

C A M E

I R E S

C A R T

T U B A

I D L E S T

By Elizabeth C. Gorski / Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Monocle part 4 Bridge support 9 Many a Theravada Buddhist 13 Indiana city where auto manufacturing was pioneered 16 Ruler in Richard Strauss’s Salome 17 Construction-site sight 21 Art of flower arranging 23 Red-wrapped imports 24 Prince of Darkness 25 Senate vote 26 Tea made by Peter Rabbit’s mother 28 Restriction on Army enlistees 29 Part of CBS: Abbr. 31 Bring in a new staff for 32 Blender sound 34 The Untouchables role 35 Table d’____ 36 Grouch 37 “Fasten your seatbelts …” 40 “Smack That” singer 41 Jaunty greeting 42 Shunned ones 43 Pharma-fraud police 46 ____ of time 48 Half-____ (java order) 49 Plains Indian 50 Straw mats 52 Senate vote 53 Hoppy brew, for short 55 Flawless routine 57 City on Utah Lake 59 Duds 60 Astronomer who wrote Pale Blue Dot 62 U.S. 66, e.g.: Abbr. 63 Like Fr. words after “la” 64 Boston iceman 65 Plane folk? 68 Pepper-spray targets 70 Extols 71 Comcast, e.g., for short 72 Bio subject 73 Trial that bombs, informally 74 Piedmont city 75 Stud money 76 Interminable time 77 G.E. and G.M. 78 Singer Carly ____ Jepsen 81 Ball-like

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83 Award accepted by J. K. Rowling and turned down by C. S. Lewis 85 “____ Ho” (Slumdog Millionaire song) 87 Big channel in reality programming 89 Man’s name that’s the code for Australia’s busiest airport 90 Genre of Oasis and the Verve 92 Works at the ballpark, maybe 94 Movie dog 95 Army-Navy stores? 97 Kind of tiara and cross 98 Leg bone 99 Okey-____ 101 Onetime Nair alternative 102 “____ a customer” 103 10 cc’s and 64 fl. oz. 104 The person you want to be 107 Give a thorough hosing 110 Away 111 What the buyer ends up paying 112 Old crime-boss Frank 113 I Love Lucy surname 115 Response to “Who, me?” 116 Eight-related 117 Smooth fabric 118 Lip 119 Head of a crime lab? 120 Prosciutto, e.g. DOWN 1 Hold up 2 Non-PC office purchase 3 Beautiful butterfly 4 Nickname for Thomas Jefferson 5 Debt, symbolically 6 It flows to the Caspian 7 To a degree 8 Campus grp. formed in 1960 9 Nickname for Abraham Lincoln 10 Eat or drink 11 Seed cover 12 Not going anywhere 13 Capital on the Congo 14 “I heard you the first time!” 15 See 18-Down 18 What 15-Down is … or a hint to the answers to the four italicized clues in left-to-right order 19 Black birds 20 Hanoi celebrations

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22 Nickname for George Washington 27 Union Pacific headquarters 28 The ____ Breathe (2007 drama with Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy) 30 Minister (to) 33 Nickname for Theodore Roosevelt 38 “Kapow!” 39 Guinness Book suffix 42 Pay (up) 44 Thumb, for one 45 AARP and others: Abbr. 47 Subject of semiotics 51 Gillette products 54 Apartment, informally 56 Comment regarding a squashed bug

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58 High-____ image 61 Cornish of NPR 64 Consecrated, to Shakespeare 65 Toaster’s need 66 Like a stereotypical mobster’s voice 67 Alphabet trio 68 Four seasons in Seville 69 “Am ____ believe …?” 72 Worthy of pondering 75 River through Yorkshire 79 Truculent manner 80 Where Northwestern University is 82 NFL ball carriers: Abbr. 84 Barry of The Rocky Horror Picture Show 86 Stoked, with “up” 88 Blank, as a tabula

110 114

0712

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle heads of state

91 Bygone Chinese money 93 Not too swift 96 Old German governments 97 Unlike most mail nowadays 99 Gainsay 100 Kind of arch 105 1977 Electric Light Orchestra hit 106 Those: Sp. 108 Westernmost island of the Aleutians 109 Org. with rules on eligibility 112 Turndowns 114 Bread source, for short

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the July 8 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

Oklahoma Gazette VOL. XXXVII No. 28

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O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | J u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 4 7

Summer Gardens

P ROVI DE D

LIFE ACTIVE

Full Moon Bike Ride and Sundown Run

Myriad Botanical Gardens adds new events to its seasonal lineup.

We Are Open

under new ownership men’s & women’s consignment

Nearly New Shoppe 5106 n macarthur, okc 787-2792

BY ANTHONY LALLI

myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno Ave. myriadgardens.org 445-7080

Dancing in the Gardens 7 p.m. Friday Seasonal Plaza Free

Deep Roots Music Series 8 p.m. Saturday Meinders Garden and Terrace $20-$25

KIND Yoga Series 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory $0-$10

Astronomy Nights in the Garden 8:30 p.m. July 23 Great Lawn Free

Full Moon Bike Ride and Sundown Run Run at 8 p.m. and ride at 9 p.m. July 31 Band Shell $5 donation suggested Suggested for ages 16 and older

Myriad Botanical Gardens celebrates summer with a lineup of adventures to satisfy just about any curiosity. New events have been added to the venue’s lineup of seasonal favorites, such as moonlit bike rides, dance classes, live roots music concerts and stargazing. A new addition this year is Dancing in the Gardens 7-10 p.m. Friday at Seasonal Plaza by Ice House and Park House. This free, all-ages class showcases salsa dance. DJ Red Handed will play popular music of the genre as instructor Marti Rickman leads demonstrations. “I think what makes it interesting to people is that we will have instructors earlier in the evening that will be teaching you moves,” said Maureen Heffernan, Myriad Gardens executive director. “Everyone is learning, so you don’t feel out of the loop.”

4 8 | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

Instruction begins at 7 p.m., and dancing commences at 8 p.m. All ages and experience levels are welcome. If you’d rather listen to music than learn how to make your feet move in time to it, Myriad Gardens introduced its Deep Roots Music Series so guests can explore Americana, honky-tonk, music improv and “antique pop” in an outdoor setting at Meinders Garden and Terrace. Heffernan described the space as “a lovely, semiprivate area.” “We’ll have seating, including couches and chairs, so you can relax and be comfortable while you hear the music,” she said. The series kicks off 8 p.m. Saturday with roaring ’20s-inspired music from Kansas City’s Victor & Penny and their Loose Change Orchestra and Western swing and country-influenced folk and blues from Tulsa trio Jacob Tovar and the Saddle Tramps. Admission is $20-$25, and tickets are available at myriadgardens.org. Guest favorites include the Full Moon Bike Ride and Sundown Run, which happens — you guessed it — during full moons and includes a leisurely, scenic course. “It’s a fun event; it’s not a race. It’s really neat to see the city in the evening by bicycle,” she said. “We usually go along the river and through parts of downtown.” Suggested entry is a $5 donation to Myriad Gardens, which is a nonprofit organization. Guidelines and entry details are available on its website. Tried-and-true fitness fun is offered at 5:45 p.m. each Tuesday through KIND Yoga Series. The all-levels workout is recommended for ages 16 and older and takes place at Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. However, there are no age restrictions for Astronomy Nights in the Gardens. Oklahoma City Astronomy Club sets up its telescopes to peer into the darkness as they examine the Milky Way. The free viewing is 8:30 p.m. July 23 on the Great Lawn.

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LIFE MUSIC

DAVI D M CC LI STER / P ROVI DED

Ethereal entity With a new album coming out, Samantha Crain works hard to make her own way. BY GREG HORTON

Samantha Crain with Tallows and Tequila Songbirds 8 p.m. Thursday Opolis 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman opolis.org $10-$12 21+

For her fourth studio album, Samantha Crain wanted to create a recording that captures what a band sounds like when they make music live. She has carved out a following by dint of hard work, honest delivery of her deeply personal lyrics and a commitment to the craft of being a singer/songwriter. The album, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, was recorded in six days at Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco, a legendary studio that has recorded acts like Deerhoof, Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon and Sleater-Kinney. Between recording and mixing, the project took only ten days to complete. Crain calls the new collection of songs protest songs of a sort.

At home

When she is not touring or recording, you will find her waiting tables at metro restaurants. Food service is the lifeblood of college students and artists, at least those who have to make a substantial percentage of their own way in the world. As such, Crain both works within the system as an employee and observes it as an artist. “I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense,” Crain said. “These stories are told from the perspective of the underdog, the 99 percent of us that are working people.” In fact, she does draw her inspiration from the lives of her co-workers, so to say the songs are deeply personal is not

to say that they are only about Crain’s experience. She tries to capture the feelings, words and experiences of the people she lives and works around. On the track-by-track liner notes that accompany the new album, she talks about “Moving Day.” It’s a song about the process — practical, metaphorical and emotional — of moving out of a former lover’s house. Crain had just moved her stuff from an ex’s house when another server told her the story of her recently ended relationship. In phrasing that is both stark and emotive, Crain wrote, “This song was written between serving customers and rolling silverware.” The contrast is part of the experience of being human that Crain identifies and has the wisdom to call sad and tragic. As a songwriter, she captures snapshots of those terrifying or sadly mundane moments. “My only goal as a songwriter is to observe the world around me and try to record it as I see it,” she said. “Every human experience has already been written about and painted and sculpted and sung; the only thing artists have to set themselves apart is their own unique interpretation and recording of those emotions.”

On the road

Crain will turn 29 almost a month after the new album is released on Friday. That means she has been touring for 10 years, and like the other kind of work she does, it provides inspiration for her songs. “Before I started touring, I had barely been out of the state,” she said. “I walked into the whole thing blindly, so it was all a from-scratch experience for me. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve spent the past ten years seeing much of the world, meeting so many different types of people and gathering many inspirations of writing material.”

Early years

Since she was a teenager, Crain has drawn her inspiration from many different sources. Her first album, really an EP, was The Confiscation, and it is subtitled A Musical Novella because the lyrics were short stories Crain had written. The storyteller aspect of her writing is still present lyrically and vocally. Her voice moves easily between ethereal and earthy, with rich fullness in some places and tremulous vulnerability in others. She is capable of conveying emotion through her tone with great subtlety, and the meaning of her lyrics can vary depending upon her tone. For other artists, she is great to work with because she can rein her powerful voice in and do subtle, beautiful harmonies. As a multi-instrumentalist — guitar, piano, drums, banjo and bass — her compositions also move between orchestral and folksy. Listening to her perform, it is clear that she could sing within virtually any genre. She is the best kind of singer within the singer/songwriter community — hers is a voice you want to listen to. Some musicians sing as part of their role as artist, and the result can be endurable or marginally pleasant. Hearing Crain sing, you just know hers is a voice that should be recorded.

Beyond the mic

With talent in abundance, it is difficult to imagine what more Crain can possibly do, aside from reap some of the attention she deserves, but the Shawnee native has plans beyond just recording. “Right now, I just want to play these new songs for people as much as possible,” she said in the midst of a recent European tour to support the new album. “Then I’ll get to work on the next album. All I ever expect for myself is to

keep making albums. The rest is all extra I feel fortunate to do.” Last year, she started working with other artists to produce their albums. It is a natural extension of who Crain is; she is, after all, someone who makes music. One of those artists was local singer/songwriter Kierston White. Crain produced her 2014 project Don’t Write Love Songs. “Samantha is absolutely brilliant as a producer,” White said. “She devours records unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. She dissects what makes a record flow, what makes it unique, what makes it tell a story. You can hear all of that in her new record, too.” Crain said she has not begun writing for her next project but she is toying with another idea. “I’ve been playing around with the idea of an album that coincides with a play that I’ve written,” she said. “I’m not sure how that would come together, but I have been thinking about it.” That she is considering quirky, creative outlets for her music should come as no surprise given that she started with a musical novella. That orientation to music and creativity is just who she is. “I’ve always wanted to take a page from Neil Young’s book and really not try to emulate anyone,” Crain said. “The reason he is Neil Young is because he moves at his own pace, says what he wants, plays the type of music he wants. So I do not wish to emulate anyone.” So far, so good. You can catch Crain live this Thursday night during her album release show with Tallows and Tequilla Songbirds. The doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m. at the Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in Norman. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at ticketstorm.com.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 5 1

LIFE MUSIC

Appalachian honey BY LOUIS FOWLER

The Honeycutters 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 The Blue Door 2805 N. McKinley Ave. bluedoorokc.com 524-0738 $15-$20

With so many genres and subgenres of Americana, a band sometimes has to craft its own thing in order to get the sound it wants. In the case of Asheville, North Carolina’s The Honeycutters, that sound is called Appalachian honky-tonk. Forged by the numerous old-school country, Western swing, Southern blues and mountain music tunes that permeated lead singer and primary songwriter Amanda Anne Platt’s formative pop culture upbringing, it’s

The Honeycutters

an original sound that she knows is in her blood for life. “I don’t know if it’s ever been a conscious choice,” Platt said. “I think it’s just sort of you play what you know, and this is what I know.” The Honeycutters take that selfdefined “simplistic” sound and turn it into a formula that Platt feels has been perfected on its latest release, Me Oh My. “The grooves of the songs just feel more on point with what my vision for The Honeycutters was and what feels good to me,” Platt said. “I feel like I’ve come into my own with this album.” Based around themes of love, loss, acceptance and regrowth, Me Oh My has garnered critical acclaimed since its release, even from the band’s own

heroes. Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls called the album “a wonder to behold,” in a media statement. Platt attributes the fandom to her tight, professional band and her honest, raw songwriting that she said mirrors her own life experiences, the “little things that happen in your life that tilts your perspective a little bit.” The acclaim is warranted. “Jukebox” kicks off the new record with drums and the soothing twang of a pedal steel guitar. The song builds with rest of the band joining in soon after the first few notes. And then Platt’s relaxed vocals cover the rest with plaintive yet determined lyrics. She sings of offerings of love without the need to be the most desired in her lover’s life; she just wants to go dancing. And dancing is what the

record makes the listener want to do. The music continues to build until a few horns join in, pushing it to a natural crescendo that is embracing but not over-the-top. It seems there isn’t an old-school country instrument that isn’t utilized at some point on the record, and the whole thing feels like steel wrapped in leather and covered with the plushest fur. It is warm and heartfelt; there is yearning, but it’s annexed by an underlying strength. The album is pure honky-tonk indeed. Platt and the band bring their smooth Appalachian sound to Oklahoma City Wednesday, July 15th, at The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley Ave. Doors for the all-ages show open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 advanced and $20 at the door.

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P ROVI DE D

North Carolina Americana act delivers a self-styled sound.

LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 Between the Buried & Me/Animals as Leaders, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK

Gentry, Kendell’s Bar. VARIOUS Helen Kelter Skelter/Brothel Sprouts/ & Stone, The Deli, Norman. ROCK Jason Stringfellow, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Lucky Duo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER BAND

Carol Morgan, Five Star Grille. BLUES

Rocky Kanaga, Five Star Grille. ACOUSTIC

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ

Stephen Schultz Jazz Combo, Lottinvilles Restaurant, Edmond. JAZZ

Harumph/Wink Burcham/Ali Harter, The Deli, Norman. POP

Stout, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

The Sisters Sweet, JJ’s Alley. FOLK

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

The Stinnette Brothers, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

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

Trey Rosenthal, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. COUNTRY

Steven Schultz, Tommy’s. JAZZ

Turnpike Troubadours, Zoo Amphitheatre. COUNTRY

The Honeycutters, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

Twiggs/Wild Jays, Lower Bricktown Live on the Green. VARIOUS

The Weathermen, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK

Willow Way/Annie Oakley/Allie Lauren, The Paramount. INDIE

THURSDAY, JULY 16

SATURDAY, JULY 18

100 Bones Band, Oklahoma City Museum of Art. BLUES

2AM, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK

Aranda/Seether/Three Days Grace, Brady Theater, Tulsa. ROCK

80’z Enuf/Superfreak, Remington Park. COVER

Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

Big G, Bourbon Street Bar. JAZZ

Avenue, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COVER

David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

BJ Barham, Wormy Dog Saloon. ROCK

Drive, Baker Street Pub & Grill. VARIOUS

Daniel Jordan, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC

Earl Day/Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Hosty Duo, O Asian Fusion, Norman. ROCK Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER Samantha Crain/Tallows/Tequila Songbirds, Opolis, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER

OKG

DJ Jason Daniel, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks, Edmond. JAZZ Earl Day/Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Grant Stevens, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

SquadLive, Red Rock Canyon Grill. POP

Hosty Duo, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

Taylor Atkinson, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

Justin Echols Duo, Tommy’s. JAZZ

FRIDAY, JULY 17

TRAVI S TI N DELL / P ROVI DED

Tony Schwartz, Hefner Grill. VARIOUS

Lee Mullen Band, Sliders. COUNTRY Logan Gorrell, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Merel & Tony/Jeff Richardson, Opolis, Norman. INDIE

music

pick

Rachel Brashear Friday

OKC singer-songwriter Rachel Brashear and special guest Larry Kent hit UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., in Edmond on Friday. Look forward to hearing tracks from Brashear’s latest album Songs From a Cave while snacking on food and beverages provided by Hideaway Pizza. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. Visit ucojazzlab.com. The Sisters Sweet, Red Brick Bar. FOLK

LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER Suspended/Chokehold Stab, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

Boogie Fever, Remington Park. VARIOUS

MyRock, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK

Victor & Penny/Jacob Tovar & the Saddle Tramps, Myriad Botanical Gardens. VARIOUS

Christian Pearson/Mike Turner, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

Randy Rogers Band/Stoney LaRue, Zoo Amphitheatre. COUNTRY

We The Ghost, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Cody Canada & the Departed, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ROCK

Southpaw, Five Star Grille. VARIOUS

SUNDAY, JULY 19

Dikembe, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

Stephen Schultz Jazz Combo, Lottinvilles Restaurant, Edmond. JAZZ

DJ Rodney Ladd, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS

Swon Brothers/Corey Kent White, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. COUNTRY

DJ Six, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Drifters Calling, Sliders. COUNTRY

The Hitt Boyz/Comforter/Tamarron, The Deli, Norman. VARIOUS

SHELBY STONG / PROVIDED

80’z Enuf, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER

Air Line Road, Myriad Botanical Gardens. COUNTRY

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ

Earl Day, Hefner Grill. JAZZ

J.L. Jones, Five Star Grille. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Edgar Cruz/Antsy McClain, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. ACOUSTIC

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

Michael Kleid, Colcord Hotel. JAZZ

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

Mike Hosty ‘One Man Band’, The Deli, Norman. ROCK

Star Death & White Dwarfs/Applied Music Program, Opolis, Norman. INDIE

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, ends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Helen Kelter Skelter, The Deli, Norman, Friday

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22

Steve Crossley, Red Rock Canyon Grill. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

MONDAY, JULY 20

Travis Linville, The Deli, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Alan Orebaugh/Stupid Guitar Tricks, The Deli, Norman. ROCK

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

Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

TUESDAY, JULY 21 Caleb McGee, The Deli, Norman. BLUES

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 5 3

LIFE FILM SAT, JULY 18

CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED FRI, JULY 31

CHRIS STAPLETON SAT, AUG 1

ALVIN CROW THURS, AUG 6

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CHARLI XCX & BLEACHERS FRI, AUG 21

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Poster Pam

Pam Henry has had a long and established career, despite dealing with complications from polio her whole life. BY MARK BEUTLER

The Last Poster Child 7 p.m. Thursday OETA

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Party Girl Saturday, July 18 8 p.m. Le Pont du Nord Sunday, July 19 2 p.m. For movie descriptions and ticket sales visit

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5 4 | j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

As a child, Pam Henry never saw herself as handicapped. When she was 14 months old, she was stricken with polio, and as she grew, it was just part of who she was. But she never let it slow her down. By the time she was 8, Henry was out on the road with her mom, traveling as the national March of Dimes Polio Poster Child. Her job back in 1959 was to generate publicity and do fundraising to end polio in the United States. While on a press junket in New York City, the plucky little girl on crutches met iconic news anchor Walter Cronkite. “I went to Mr. Cronkite’s anchor desk on the set for CBS News in New York City,” Henry recalls. “He was very friendly, and we had a nice conversation. I told him I knew what the huge world map was for behind his news desk. He said, ‘Oh, what is that?’ Then I got up and ad-libbed a weather cast.” That was when Henry said she knew she was going into the field of journalism. Henry’s life story is the subject of a new documentary airing 7 p.m. Thursday on OETA. The Last Poster Child examines Henry’s work in broadcast journalism at a time when the field was largely male-dominated. “In 1972, trying to get a job in TV news, it was more of a handicap to be a woman than to walk on crutches,” Henry said. “In the 1970s, we few women in broadcast news worked as hard as we possibly could to overcome any resistance in the male-

dominated field. Seeing women near and equal footing with men in the industry today makes me proud.” The Last Poster Child takes a look at Henry’s incredible journey, the places she traveled and the people she met, from First Ladies Mamie Eisenhower and Eleanor Roosevelt to celebrities like Tony Curtis and Ed Sullivan. Henry’s travels took her to all corners of the country. One of her most memorable experiences was meeting a young John F. Kennedy. “At that time, he was still a senator,” Henry said. “He was young and friendly and gave me a model of NASA’s latest rocket. My mother and I went to his private office for publicity photos and had a nice visit. He asked us about Oklahoma and talked with Mother about polio. As we left, I still remember my mother saying, ‘My goodness! What a head of hair on that senator.’” Henry credits those years surrounded by the news media as a prime factor leading to her career in TV news. By 1968, she was already honing her craft. She was named the Outstanding Speech Graduate at John Marshall High School and won a contest at WKY Radio to attend a three-day broadcasting conference at the University of Oklahoma (OU). After that, she told her parents about her plans to enter journalism. Her father was not thrilled about the prospect because he didn’t think broadcasters would hire women, and Henry said that in 1968, they didn’t. “Daddy told me, ‘Pammy, you need to be able to get a job when you graduate from college,’” Henry said. “But we had a meeting with a professor at OU who told my parents he thought by the time I graduated

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S T N E V E G A N N E R A E K UPCOMAIT A FIREL Pam Henry at the OETA studios

In 1972, trying to get a job in TV news, it was more of a handicap to be a woman than to walk on crutches. —Pam Henry

that broadcast newsrooms would be hiring women. He was right.” Henry’s first gig was at KTOK Radio News, and from there, she moved to WKY-TV, now KFOR, where she was the first woman in the newsroom. Another iconic local journalist, Don Sherry, worked with Henry back in the day and is also the producer/director for The Last Poster Child. “I have known Pam for more than 40 years,” Sherry said. “Like thousands of other Oklahomans, I always admired her as a journalist. But so many people had no idea about her complete story — overcoming her physical limitations, but sexism as well. And she did it with amazing cheerfulness.” It is important, Sherry said, that the story of Henry’s life be preserved and told not just to honor her but as a source of inspiration to future generations to demonstrate how it is possible to take life’s challenges head-on and not just meet them but live triumphantly. “I was amazed to watch her brace

and balance herself on her crutches while simultaneously shooting film with a hand-held 16 millimeter camera. She was unstoppable,” Sherry said. Henry went on to manage news and public affairs for 16 years at OETA in Oklahoma City before a brain aneurysm forced her to retire in 2002. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2004, and today, she is the chair emeritus of the Oklahoma City Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns. When she saw Sherry’s finished documentary, Henry said she began thinking about her life and what she has accomplished in television news and as a poster child. It was the dimes contributed back then that led to the polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk. As she watched the documentary and reflected on her life, one extraordinary encounter came to mind. “In 1981, the March of Dimes invited all the current and past poster children to Washington to meet President and Mrs. Reagan,” Henry said. “On the ride back to our hotel, an 8-year-old poster girl said to me, ‘I’ve heard you work at a TV station. If you can do that, I can do something great.’” Henry said that at that moment, her heart melted. While she had walked with crutches all her life, she never wanted to be called an inspiration. “I wanted to be called pretty or smart,” she said. “Right then, I realized being an inspiration was a blessing, and I had a new goal in life. When I saw the finished cut of The Last Poster Child, I felt that documentary could be an inspiration. I pray it will be.”

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Begoggled fun Minions is a fun film for kids and their parents. BY GREG ELWELL

The sweet spot for kids’ movies is to create something that entertains and engages children, is highly rewatchable and sells a lot of toys. Minions, the prequel to Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2: Despic Harder, checks off all of those boxes. But what about the parents? Adults will, invariably, see the film almost as many times as the children. Will they be entertained? Will they be engaged? Will they go two hours without trying to commit movie-induced seppuku? Mercifully, thankfully, resoundingly, Minions is a movie that aims for a broad audience and captures it. Like the Despicable films, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and its sequel and most (though not all) Pixar movies, Minions seems to have been written by an actual human being and not some godforsaken kids’ joke algorithm. There’s a real story, a certain logic, some twists and turns and laughs that appeal to people who are old enough to vote. The movie explains that the cute, begoggled and only somewhat incompetent tiny yellow henchmen were not created by Gru (the “hero” of the Despicable Me films) but evolved alongside man. Yes. They evolved. Evolution happens in this movie. Maybe that will bother some of you, but that’s your problem. On Maslow’s Hierarchy of Minion Needs, following the biggest, baddest boss is shoehorned in around the belonging and esteem layers. From dinosaurs and cavemen to vampires and the French, the minions have served some truly terrible creatures. Finding themselves boss-less, they form a closed-off society and live happily ... for a while. By the 1960s, the need to follow is so strong that their otherwise idyllic life loses all flavor. So Kevin, Stuart and Bob set off on a quest to find a new boss for all of their buddies

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to serve. After a brief stop in New York City, the minions learn about Villain-Con International — the biggest meeting of bad guys on earth — and hit the road, hoping to meet a boss who will give them purpose and direction and a sense of family. Even as they are leaving the tribe, Bob — who begged to come along — immediately begins to miss his family. That need to belong is a strong throughline in Minions. The boss they seek is not just someone to follow, but a surrogate parent. And when they are hired by Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm), it seems like they’ve found a family who will care for them. The film has a lot of fun with the historical setting, though very few jokes poke fun at the ’60s. Instead, Minions plays with expectations and tropes, charting an unpredictable and hilarious ride. Of note: The PG rating must have something to do with the amount of implied violence in the film. The minions get chased by angry hordes, and there are more than a few threats of annihilation. And while it might be different for kids, as a viewer, there never seemed to be any kind of intense worry about their fates during these scenes. Also, the soundtrack is bonkers. The film looks gorgeous, but with the Rolling Stones, Beatles, The Who, The Kinks and more, the music budget for this film must have been twice as much as the animation budget. Bottom line: Kids will watch almost anything. Calliou taught us that. If it moves and it’s animated, there’s a good chance children will plop down on a pillow and watch it over and over and over again. Minions is the rare kids’ movie that will have adults plopping down beside them, eager for another viewing.

p roVI DE D

LIFE FILM

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: What's the name of the book you may write some day — perhaps your memoir? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) "Stop Making Sense" was originally the name of the film and music soundtrack produced by the Talking Heads in the 1980s, and now it is the central theme of your horoscope. I think your brain would benefit from a thorough washing. That's why I invite you to scour it clean of all the dust and cobwebs and muck that have accumulated there since its last scrub a few months back. One of the best ways to launch this healing purge is, of course, to flood all the neural pathways with a firehose-surge of absurdity, jokes, and silliness. As the wise physician of the soul, Dr. Seuss, said, "I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells."

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) When you read a book that has footnotes, you tend to regard the footnotes as being of secondary importance. Although they may add color to the text's main messages, you can probably skip them without losing much of the meaning. But I don't recommend this approach in the coming days. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, footnotes will carry crucial information that's important for you to know. I mean this in a metaphorical sense as you live your life as well as in the literal act of reading books. Pay close attention to the afterthoughts, the digressions, and the asides. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) The English word "quiddity" has two contrary definitions. It can refer to a trivial quibble. Or it can mean the essential nature of a thing — the quality that makes it unique. I suspect that in the coming weeks you will get numerous invitations to engage with quiddities of both types. Your first task will be to cultivate an acute ability to know which is which. Your second task: Be relentless in avoiding the trivial quibbles as you home in on the essential nature of things. CANCER (June 21-July 22) "A poet must not cross an interval with a step when he can cross it with a leap." That's an English

translation of an aphorism written by French author Joseph Joubert. Another way to say it might be, "A smart person isn't drab and plodding as she bridges a gap, but does it with high style and brisk delight." A further alternative: "An imaginative soul isn't predictable as she travels over and around obstacles, but calls on creative magic to fuel her ingenious liberations." Please use these ideas during your adventures in the coming weeks, Cancerian.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) July is barely half over, but your recent scrapes with cosmic law have already earned you the title of "The Most Lyrically Tormented Struggler of the Month." Another few days of this productive mayhem and you may be eligible for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. I could see you being selected as "The Soul Wrangler with the Craziest Wisdom" or "The Mythic Hero with the Most Gorgeous Psychospiritual Wounds." But it's my duty to let you know that you could also just walk away from it all. Even if you're tempted to stick around and see how much more of the entertaining chaos you can overcome, it might be better not to. In my opinion, you have done enough impossible work for now. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) "People who have their feet planted too firmly on the ground have difficulty getting their pants off," said author Richard Kehl. That's good advice for you in the coming weeks. To attract the help and resources you need, you can't afford to be overly prim or proper. You should, in fact, be willing to put yourself in situations where it would be easy and natural to remove your pants, throw off your inhibitions, and dare to be surprising. If you're addicted to businessas-usual, you may miss opportunities to engage in therapeutic play and healing pleasure. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) "A failure is a person who has blundered but is not able to cash in on the experience," wrote American author Elbert Hubbard. In light of this formulation, I'm pleased to announce that you are likely to achieve at least one resounding success in the coming weeks. At this juncture in your destiny, you know exactly how to

convert a past mistake into a future triumph. A gaffe that once upon a time brought you anguish or woe will soon deliver its fully ripened teaching, enabling you to claim a powerful joy or joyful power.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) The poet Mary Ruefle describes reading books as "a great extension of time, a way for one person to live a thousand and one lives in a single lifespan." Are there other ways to do that? Watching films and plays and TV shows, of course. You can also listen to and empathize with people as they tell you their adventures. Or you can simply use your imagination to visualize what life is like for others. However you pursue this expansive pleasure, Scorpio, I highly recommend it. You are set up to absorb the equivalent of many years' experience in a few short weeks. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarian rapper Nicki Minaj is not timid about going after what she wants. She told Cosmopolitan magazine that she's "high-maintenance in bed." Every time she's involved in a sexual encounter, she demands to have an orgasm. In accordance with the current astrological omens, Sagittarius, I invite you to follow her lead — not just during your erotic adventures, but everywhere else, too. Ask for what you want, preferably with enough adroitness to actually obtain what you want. Here's another critical element to keep in mind: To get exactly what you want, you must know exactly what you want. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) A college basketball player named Mark Snow told reporters that "Strength is my biggest weakness." Was he trying to be funny? No. Was he a bit dim-witted? Perhaps. But I'm not really interested in what he meant by his statement. Rather, I want to hijack it for my own purpose, which is to recommend it as a meditation for you in the coming weeks. Can you think of any ways that your strength might at least temporarily be a weakness? I can. I suspect that if you rely too much on the power you already possess and the skills you have previously mastered, you may miss important clues about what you need to learn next. The most valuable lessons of the coming weeks

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could come to you as you're practicing the virtues of humility and innocence and receptivity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) In Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler delivers the following speech to Scarlett O'Hara: "I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken — and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived." Your oracle for the near future, Aquarius, is to adopt an approach that is the exact opposite of Rhett Butler's. Patiently gather the broken fragments and glue them together again. I predict that the result will not only be as good as new; it will be better. That's right: The mended version will be superior to the original. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Australian actress Rebel Wilson has appeared in several successful movies, including Bridesmaids, Bachelorette, and Pitch Perfect. But she didn't start out to be a film star. Mathematics was her main interest. Then, while serving as a youth ambassador in South Africa at age 18, she contracted malaria. At the height of her sickness, she had hallucinatory visions that she would one day be "a really good actress who also won an Oscar." The visions were so vivid that she decided to shift her career path. I foresee the possibility that you will soon experience a version of her epiphany. During a phase when you're feeling less than spectacular, you may get a glimpse of an intriguing future possibility.

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

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