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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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11 Back to school professional
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15 News State Question 792 16 Review Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill 18 Feature More Milk Cookies 19 Briefs 20 Gazedibles live music
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23 Culture Miss Gay Oklahoma America 24 Visual Arts Skyline: Timeline 25 Visual Arts Suzan Harjo mural
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26 Film Internet Cat Video Fest 27 Film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie 28 Film 48 Hour Film Project 30 Back to school F.D. Moon
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OKC Youth Matter
31 Back to school The After 32 Back to school A Class Act 32 Giving Back: 33 Calendar
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4 Back to school Aurora Lora 6 City OKC police use personal rifles 7 City Capitol Hill 8 Metro Wheeler Ferris wheel 10 Back to school students and
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rounds up stories of related interest, from new Oklahoma City Public Schools leadership to students confronting cuts to their favorite programs as well as stories on community programs, quirky book releases and more. Cover photo Bigstock.com
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Dedicated educator
The Gazette Q&A with OKC Public Schools superintendent Aurora Lora. By Laura Eastes
When Aurora Lora arrived in Oklahoma City three summers ago, she noticed something different from her public education experiences in Dallas, Portland and Seattle. “With Oklahoma City, it’s the people,” Lora, Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) superintendent, told Oklahoma Gazette. “In this city, people genuinely care and want to do what’s right for the kids. I don’t think we all agree on how to do that, but we all want to improve the system.” Lora has dedicated her career to boosting education outcomes in schools that are deemed chronically failing. Her own experience attending a low-performing high school propelled her into the education field as a Teach For America corps member. There, she tested and proved her theory that all students, including those from diverse ethnic backgrounds and impoverished communities, can succeed at high levels. Teachers with high expectations and classroom supports help make that happen, she said. As the new leader of the state’s largest school district, Lora says she is a problem solver. The challenges she faces range from diminished state funding and low teacher morale to raising student achievement and leading the community through a public conversation on charter expansion. In a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview, Lora reflected on her path into education, the feedback from last spring’s listening tour with faculty and what students can do to be successful this school year. Oklahoma Gazette: When did you realize you wanted to pursue education as your career? Aurora Lora: The end of my first year teaching was a defining moment. I had a fourth-grade class of 16 students in innercity Houston. The school was 100 percent free/reduced lunch. It was 60 percent Hispanic and 40 percent AfricanAmerican. The kids came from disadvantaged backgrounds. My principal told me I should pray to get 70 percent of the students to pass the state exam; that would help the school reach its acceptability rating. I had come in — straight from college — with a fire inside of me. I didn’t want to give up on kids. I told the principal I wasn’t going to give up on 30 percent of my students. Nothing less than 100 percent would be acceptable. That first year of teaching, I had this one student who became a success story. 4
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Aurora Lora was named Oklahoma City Public Schools superintendent earlier this month. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
He started out in remedial reading. When the test scores came back, he tied for the highest score in the school on the state writing test. One hundred percent of my students passed the state writing test that year. … I realized education needs more people like me — people who believe kids from low-income backgrounds can achieve at high levels. That’s when I made my commitment to devote my life to education. OKG: Can you describe what you’ve been observing inside the schools during your listening tour with teachers and staff? What is your takeaway? Lora: One of the biggest takeaways was hearing staff say they had never had the opportunity to meet the superintendent and share their viewpoints about what could make the district better. It was neat for me to learn about their experiences and for them to get to know me a little bit better. We are fortunate to have great people working in the district. It is also
important, as a leader, for me to be accessible and listening to people on the front line about what they can bring to the table. A lot of times at central office, we make decisions, but we don’t always know how they will play out or if there is a downside. It’s important to be talking to the people who will implement the decisions. In general, I heard about the budget and its impact on the coming year. Teachers are scared about class sizes going up and decreased budgets for materials and books. It is going to be a hard year. OKG: You named budget and teacher pay as the biggest challenges the district faces. How do you plan to confront those challenges this school year? Lora: One thing that this budget has forced us to do is to look deeper into every dollar we spend. We’ve got to get creative with our resources, get smarter in our investments and think creatively on how to stretch every penny to go as far as we can. In the future, it will help us to be smarter as an organization. We have come up with some creative ideas to save money. When the money comes back, it can be better invested into supports for kids and not administrative uses. Because of our crisis this year, we’ve worked with a lot of partners; people have stepped up to help our various needs. [The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools] has been a really great support to us. As I go and speak to different community groups, there are a lot of people who really want to be part of the solution. Ultimately, that will be great for our city as we learn how to partner together to help all of our kids. We also need to focus on morale. This year will be challenging for teachers, even more than last year, because of larger class sizes. I think it is important that teachers feel valued, know we appreciate their hard work, are here to support them and we care about their voices. With the student, parent and teacher committees, people are part of the solutions for our district. I think that will go a long way for morale. OKG: What has been your proudest moment in the time you’ve been with OKCPS? Lora: Heading into the board meeting [July 18] with the charter [school] proposal, I felt like our community was divided, either pro-charter or pro-neighborhood schools. There was a lot of hostility and animosity. I wasn’t sure we would find a way to bridge and unite people around doing what’s right for kids. I had been listening to families, trying to understand what families wanted and what KIPP [Knowledge is Power Program Reach College Preparatory charter school] wanted. There was a commonality that people want great school options in their communities for kids. What we are doing right now isn’t good enough. Coming up with a compromise to help everyone was a win-win. I was really proud. In order to make dramatic changes that are right for kids, we have to unite people in a productive way. I think this is
Back to school Oklahoma City Public Schools students head back to class Monday. Before they go, here is a quick rundown of meal costs and school start times. >> School hours 7:35a.m.-2:25 p.m.: Capitol Hill High, Centennial Mid-High, Douglass Mid-High, U.S. Grant High, John Marshall Mid-High, Northeast Mid-High, Northwest Classen High, Southeast High, Star Spencer High and Emerson High >> School hours 8:20 a.m.-3:10 p.m. (all are elementary schools): Adams, Arthur, Bodine, Britton, Buchanan, Cesar Chavez, Coolidge, Edgemere, Edwards, Eugene Field, Fillmore, Gatewood, Green Pastures, Greystone, Hawthorne, Hayes, Heronville, Hillcrest, Jackson, Johnson, Lee, Linwood, Martin Luther King Jr., Monroe, F. D. Moon, Nichols Hills, North Highland, Oakridge, Parmelee, Pierce, Prairie Queen, Putnam Heights, Quail Creek, Rancho Village, Ridgeview, Rockwood, Sequoyah, Shidler, Southern Hills, Spencer, Stand Watie, Telstar, Thelma R. Parks, Van Buren, West Nichols Hills, Wheeler, Wilson and Willow Brook >> School hours 9:10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Classen School of Advanced Studies, Capitol Hill Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, Jefferson Middle, Kaiser Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, Rogers Middle, Roosevelt Middle, Taft Middle, Webster Middle and Westwood Elementary >> Meal prices: Elementary student lunch is $2.35, middle and high school student lunch is $2.85.
the right way to move forward. I think people on both sides were grateful we got to this place. OKG: What is your advice or words of wisdom to OKCPS students as they start a new school year? Lora: My general piece of advice for students is about the importance of reading. Read everything you can. Your mind will become stronger, and it helps you in all subjects. Find things you love to read. Reading is what I do every night. I hope that each kid finds his or her passion in reading. Visit okgazette.com to read the full interview with Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora.
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For the short-term, Oklahoma City Police will be allowed to use personally owned guns, including AR-15-style long guns, on patrol. | Photo bigstock.com
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New practice
The Oklahoma City Police Department posts its policies online after a call from Black Lives Matter Oklahoma. By Laura Eastes
This week, the Oklahoma City Police Department posted its 614-page policy and procedure manual online. It was viewed as a crucial step in building and sustaining community trust. Days earlier, Black Lives Matter Oklahoma advocated for the action. During a July 19 Oklahoma City Council meeting, Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson, Black Lives Matter Oklahoma founder, called on the department to post its policies on its website. Police departments around the country, including Tulsa, are doing so to provide more context and transparency for the community. Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) chief Bill Citty told the city council he supported the decision. Now, anyone with access to the internet can view policies regarding use of force, firearms, training and other law enforcement operations. When the community knows the policies the police use and when and how they’re used, officers can be held more accountable and trust can be built between the community and law enforcement, Dickerson said.
New rifle practice
Oklahoma Gazette
A day after three police officers were fatally shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Citty agreed to let Oklahoma City officers carry their own long guns.
Days earlier, John George, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 123 (FOP) president, sent Citty a letter requesting the chief’s support of the action for the safety of both officers and the communities they protect and serve. “We are asking that officers be allowed to carry personally owned rifles to protect themselves and our citizens,” George wrote in the July 13 letter. “We fully understand the rifle must be an approved model and that officers must qualify to carry the rifle and follow strict guidelines. Allowing our officers to carry rifles could help end a dangerous situation soon and save innocent lives.” The new policy comes amid weeks of violence involving police in cities across the nation, which ushered activists and concerned citizens to the streets in rallies and protests. Oklahoma City’s July 10 Black Lives Matter rally urged people of every color to continue community dialogue on police brutality, racial discrimination and civil rights. According to OKC Artists for Justice and Black Lives Matter Oklahoma, a rifle is often unnecessary for daily patrol work and allowing their use on duty sends the wrong message to those who encounter an officer. “The council needs to take under consideration what it would mean to a portion of the community if we can get rifles with
Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty center | Photo Gazette / file 6
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officers but we still don’t have body cameras,” said Grace Franklin, OKC Artists for Justice executive director, during a July 19 Oklahoma City Council meeting. Franklin and Dickerson called on the council to further discuss the new rifle policy and push toward an agreement with FOP and the department on body cameras. The use of cameras was suspended in midJune after an arbitrator ordered the program on hold until a policy agreement was reached. “I don’t think rifles send the message an officer wants to send,” Dickerson said. “I think we need to revisit this, have another discussion and allow us to collaborate to bring more trust between the OKCPD and the community.” Black Lives Matter Oklahoma and OKC
The council needs to take under consideration what it would mean to a portion of the community if we can get rifles with officers but we still don’t have body cameras. Grace Franklin Artists for Justice, along with other civil rights and community groups, plan to continue community dialogue through a series of town halls. Organizers will focus on law enforcement, systemic racism and other social issues and are hopeful the forums lead to a coalition unified around actionable change.
Deeper look
OKCPD public information officer Capt. Paco Balderrama said the personal rifle policy is temporary, as the chief believes officers shouldn’t have to provide their own weapons. Citty is pushing to add to the collection of 211 department-issued rifles, which are similar to AR-15 magazine-fed long rifles. Officers interested in carrying their own rifles must apply for a one-week training program. At the most, 20 officers per week can enroll in training, which takes officers off their assignments. Applications are approved based on availability to send officers from various divisions. The department supplies ammunition for officers approved of carrying their own rifles. Balderrama said some officers aren’t interested in the new policy.
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Renovations revitalize the Historic Capitol Hill district. | Photo Mark Hancock / for Gazette
Historic Hill
Historic Capitol Hill continues to grow as the district is revitalized. By Candice Macis
Calle Dos Cinco business improvement disCervantes said Katie Friddle of Oklahoma trict in Historic Capitol Hill is historic for City’s Historic Preservation department myriad reasons. In 1887, B.R. Harrington will soon complete another survey. traveled through the district located just “These places with history have value,” south of downtown from Wichita, Kansas, Cervantes said. Knob Hill, also known as Rodeo Opry, while working as a correspondent for the Wichita Beacon, the area’s first daily newshas new owners. The tax credit they paper. Harrington observed the potential become eligible for if the building is inof the land that now runs down SW 25th cluded on the register is important, Street between Robinson and Walker Cervantes said. “We would like to see them reopen as a avenues and bought it during the 1889 Land theater,” she said. Run. He named it Capitol Hill to honor its promising possibility. While the Opry held live entertainment, The remnants of Capitol Hill’s deep Yale Theater is one of the oldest movie history are marked by Yale Theater, Knob theaters in the state. In addition to the area’s unique history, Hill and the Katz Drug Store building. “I’d think you’d have to go to Guthrie to its strong cultural influence also sets it see some of our architecture,” said Donna apart. Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Cervantes, Calle Dos Cinco Hill has been the district’s designation since 2013. executive director. Cervantes said its former In 2005, Oklahoma State Fiesta Friday name, Capitol Hill Main University submitted a geographical survey of movie Street, did not accurately de7-11 p.m. Friday theaters to the Oklahoma scribe the heritage of the area. Capitol Hill Historical Society and recSouthwest Oklahoma 225 SW 25th St. ommended Knob Hill as City has long been home to a historiccapitolhill.com eligible for the National large Hispanic community, Free Register of Historic Places. and some of the city’s most
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authentic Mexican food is found within it. That includes Capitol Hill. Cervantes explained the benefits of preserving and promoting the district’s vibrant culture. “[It’s important to know] who’s in your neighborhood and who are you serving,” she said. “The census will tell you maybe 55 percent of the population are Hispanic.” Because some people might be unfamiliar with the area and its historic buildings, Cervantes said many haven’t explored it. She said the area is safe, family-friendly and fun. Calle Dos Cinco hosts Fiesta Friday the last Friday of each month through the summer, where families can see traditional Mexican hat dancing and mariachi bands and eat freshly made tamales. The district also hosts Fiestas de las Americas culture and heritage festival annually. This year’s event is Oct. 1. Calle Dos Cinco is thriving due in large part to its rich history and culture. Additionally, businesses and partnerships put the district’s money to smart use.
Educational renovations
Lemuel Bardeguez, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) vice president of Community and Work force Development, explained how the school’s deep community roots make it a natural fit for its Capitol Hill Center, which will relocate to the renovated Katz Drugstore building. It had operated out of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church for three years. “So whenever we had the opportunity
to purchase and recondition this new building that’s in Capitol Hill proper, because we had been leasing, it seemed like a great opportunity,” he said. Bardeguez also said OCCC has long provided “anything from basic computer skill sets to work readiness programs and English as a second language elements” to the Hispanic community. Cervantes described the branch that will be incorporating many of the 1940s elements and feel of the original building as “a huge investment in the community.” Bardeguez said no additional revenue stream is expected for OCCC. Cervantes talked about how it’s important for the district “to preserve our history.” Capitol Hill Library, part of the Metropolitan Library System, is renovating and expanding the branch that originally opened in 1951. In the meantime, it’s using a temporary location around the corner until construction that “will take at least two years” is complete, explained marketing director Kim Terry. Calle Dos Cinco was also recently approved as an official cultural district by Oklahoma Arts Council. Now involved in the Cultural District Development Initiative, the district is open to receive funding and advice from the council for further economic development. Cervantes described the grant approval as new and exciting. “It’s another assistance in our goal to promote the culture and the history and use arts in the form of dance, music and visual to achieve this,” she said.
OCCC is renovating Katz Drug Store and will move its Capitol Hill branch there. | Photo Mark Hancock / for Gazette
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Phoenix, Arizona, tourists Chelsea and Brian Mister enjoy Wheeler District’s attraction. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
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Wheel of history Oklahoma City’s newest attraction has locals and tourists celebrating fun, art and fantastic views. By Brett Dickerson
The first public image of the new Wheeler District development is its Ferris wheel. And that’s by design. “Ultimately, we are going to create … a place with an identity. And it’s going to be a place that celebrates life in the city,” developer Blair Humphreys said. “That’s why the Ferris wheel is there.” Originally, the Ferris wheel was to be in the geographic center of the development that was once Downtown Airpark. It runs from the Oklahoma River to SW 20th Street and west of S. Western to S. Douglas avenues. But after some interaction with locals and potential stakeholders, Humphreys decided to locate the attraction on Wheeler’s far north end, surround it with Wheeler Riverfront Plaza and visually tie the development to the downtown Oklahoma City skyline. “The Ferris wheel is in that location
because it’s the biggest statement we are making that Wheeler is not just about celebrating a neighborhood,” Humphreys said. “Wheeler is about celebrating the city.” After a July 4 grand opening with more than 1,000 guests, it is now open Monday through Saturday. At more than 100 feet tall, there is no other competing structure within blocks. The ride and plaza also is a popular attraction day and night, in part because of 100,000 programmable LED lights and city views, organizers said. The site includes a food truck park, a snack stand, restrooms and a new parking lot. Humphreys said he visits often to interact with visitors and learn more about what interests them. “It has already created a lot of interest in Wheeler District,” he said. The Ferris wheel has a long history of drawing attention to a place. It previously
Wheeler District Ferris wheel
resided in a California amusement park at the end of the Santa Monica Pier before a Humphreys family member bid on it — and won — on the eBay auction website in 2008. The iconic attraction has been featured in more than 20 Hollywood films, including an Iron Man movie. It now draws attention to OKC and the offerings that surround it. “The reason I got the Ferris wheel is because my brother bought it on eBay,” Humphreys said. His brother, Grant, who works alongside Blair in Humphreys Company development firm with their father, former OKC Mayor Kirk Humphreys, paid $132,400 for the landmark. It was then sent to a company in Wichita, Kansas, that completely refurbished and upgraded the equipment, including the lights. Blair Humphreys said his brother, also a developer on other projects, understands people and how to generate excitement and “celebrate a place.” Even before the first Wheeler District residence is built, public art is helping define the area. Local metal fabrication artist Hugh Meade and muralists Erin Cooper and Amanda Bradway were commissioned to help create an atmosphere of individuality through their art. Meade recently installed his work — 10foot, freestanding letters spelling OKC. They sit near the Ferris wheel and are lit at night to provide prime selfie opportunities for visitors. Meade said the letters are constructed of aluminum, with an inside framework that allows people to climb on and interact with them. Cooper and Bradway begin work this summer on “Wind Wall,” which will be 80 feet long and 17 feet tall, along corrugated metal, according to plans the women presented during a July 15 Oklahoma City Arts Commission meeting. Bradway told Oklahoma Gazette she is proud to work on a project that would help people “develop the environment of their neighborhood.” Mural plans depict children and kites along with various native animals and are created in the unique style Bradway and Cooper have become known for from their work on the piece “Oklahoma Aiukli,” created with artist Lauren Miller as part of the Western Avenue Mural Project. “My hope is that the people who come through will feel ownership of the mural and will feel attached to the characters that are portrayed in it,” Cooper said.
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A giant OKC installation by Hugh Meade welcomes visitors to Wheeler Riverfront Plaza. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
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Student voices
Trying times spurred budget cuts in public education. Three Oklahoma students share their experience. By Laura Eastes
A year ago, Cassidy Coffey was one of the fortunate students to claim a desk when she arrived at history class at U.S. Grant High School. With more than 30 students entering the south Oklahoma City classroom, a handful of students had to take their seats around a folding table. Coffey can’t image even larger class sizes but expects to find them when she enters her senior year Monday. A slow economy mixed over time with specific policy decisions at the state Capitol created a $1.3 billion state budget shortfall for the current fiscal year. State agencies like Oklahoma State Department of Education were hit with cuts that trickled down to school districts across the state. Leaders of Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) were forced to cut $30 million as fewer funds flowed in from state and federal government sources.
Students are going to be less likely to show up for school. So many of the things they loved were taken away. Cassidy Coffey At U.S. Grant, 20 teaching positions were eliminated and an administration position was terminated. “There was one teacher to every 30 students last year,” Coffey said. “I can’t imagine a 35-to-1 ratio. It’s hard for a teacher to make sure 25 students are focused. How can a teacher get students to focus when the student ratio gets bigger?” An honor roll student with plans to attend college, Coffey said she is troubled by the public education trends she has witnessed. Each year, Coffey and her peers find overcrowded classrooms, school administration turnover and favorite teachers who leave the field for better pay. Last spring, Coffey listened to U.S. Grant’s student council advisor warn of looming budget cuts. Students should expect a reduced school staff and fewer dollars pumped into activities like student council. The conversation spurred Coffey to organize a protest. On May 16, Coffey and nearly 600 students walked out of classes and spoke out about cuts and their impacts. Following their lead, around 550 10
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students from Northwest Classen High School, Star Spencer High School and Jefferson Middle School also staged walkouts to protest budget cuts. “We are told every day to ask questions,” Coffey said. “We have a say in our education and our future. So we ask questions to be better educated about the situation. The second we ask or voice a complaint, we are reminded we are just students.” The walkouts received local and national media attention as well as praise from Oklahoma City Board of Education members. Coffey wanted to raise awareness of the significant cuts and prevent some teachers from losing their jobs. She also wanted school leaders and state lawmakers to consider other options to balance the budget. This academic year, OKCPS students return to a district with drastically reduced school staff, larger class sizes and consolidated bus routes. Additionally, its fine arts budget holds half the funds it did a year ago. The district’s athletic budget also was reduced. Students fear larger classes will inhibit teachers from delivering high-quality education, possibly hurting students’ chances of attending college or receiving academic scholarships, explained Coffey. Transferring to other high schools or enrolling in vocational programs is a popular topic among students this summer, said Coffey, who explained some students might drop out. “Students are going to be less likely to show up for school,” she said. “So many of the things they loved were taken away.”
speaking skills improved and she was confident speaking in front of people. In March, through media reports, Sanders and her friends learned 208 district teaching positions were at risk due to budget cuts. They frequently wondered which ones might not return for the 2015-16 school year. “You heard students say, ‘Hope it wasn’t my favorite teacher,’” Sanders said. Students, unfortunately, were used to speculating, especially since leaving the district after a school year ended wasn’t a new trend. Each August, they met new teachers in the classrooms of those who left for new careers or moved to districts outside the state, Sanders said. In May, students learned about changes to their drama program. Southeast High School would no longer offer a drama course. Drama would be limited to an afterschool program with an advisor leading it instead of a drama teacher. “It worries me,” Sanders said. “With these cuts, the spirit in the school gets lower and lower. Students are not motivated to get involved because they are worried it will get shut down because of budget cuts.” Next month, Sanders begins studies at the University of Oklahoma and plans to study aviation and join a student theater group. Her advice to Southeast students is to stay involved in clubs and activities because that is where lifelong memories and friendships are formed.
Statewide hardship
Jayden Mills can only speculate on how budget cuts will impact Chickasha High School, located about 40 miles southwest of OKC, this school year. As a junior, 35 students sat with him in science class. Every seat was filled, and a handful of students found space to sit in
the lab area. When dry-erase markers or paper supplies ran low, teachers purchased replacements. Theater and choir programs received fewer dollars, and certain high-level courses, like trigonometry, were only offered online. “You long for the interaction you have between yourself and a teacher,” Mills said about learning trigonometry via computer. “You lose the ability to got to a teacher and have them help you through a problem one-on-one.” Mills, a senior, expects similar conditions when Chickasha High School students return to class in mid-August. He also predicts deeper cuts to fine arts programs and some athletics teams as well as increased online courses. About three years ago, Mills began chatting on Twitter using the #oklaed hashtag. He was instantly connected to teachers, administrators, politicians and community members, and the interaction inspired him to pen advocacy letters to state lawmakers. His sophomore year, Mills launched his From the Desk of an Oklahoma Student blog, where he writes about proposed education policy and its impact on schools. He describes what belt-tightening looks from a student perspective. Students can use their voices to shape the future of public education, Mills said. “If students see a problem or have an issue with larger class sizes, taking classes online or losing a teacher they love to a better paying job outside of education, they can’t be silent,” Mills said. “Legislators don’t hear from students very often. When they do hear from students, I think they might be more likely to listen to them. We are in a very trying time now. I think a legislator hearing from students would push them to look into real solutions for our state.”
Senior perspective
When Helen Sanders enrolled at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City during the 2012-13 school year, she never imagined herself playing lead in the school’s spring play three years later. As a senior, Sanders earned the role of Van Helsing in Dracula. It was by coincidence that Sanders became attuned to Southeast’s drama program. Two years ago, Sanders found herself miserable in a computer class and was desperate to switch into another course. The only option was drama. She enrolled. “Over time, drama class changed how I saw going to school,” Sanders explained. “I felt a closer connection to the school.” The class introduced Sanders to new students, who quickly became her core group of friends, and began staying after school for rehearsals and to help with set design and costumes. In other classes, her
Cassidy Coffey is a senior at U.S. Grant High School. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
back to school
Sarah Julian and Brent Bushey take teacher training on the road. | Photo Mark Hancock / for Gazette
Academic avenue Budget concerns push education leaders to rethink delivering training and professional development this school year. By Laura Eastes
The last few months haven’t been easy for Oklahoma’s teachers and school leaders. The state revenue failure and decreased funding to common education for the 2016-17 fiscal year trickled down to districts. For many districts, the new school year ushers in a new chapter in education, one where class size rises above 30 students, fewer administrators tackle student discipline and fewer dollars funnel into supply budgets. Additionally, districts are forced to downsize programs like fine arts, speech and debate and some sports that are popular among students and upheld by the community. Times are tough, and few know that better than State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “Despite the budget crisis and the teacher shortage, we must carry on and do our very best to meet the needs of a growing population of students that is increasingly diverse in their needs,” Hofmeister told Oklahoma Gazette. “We are looking forward to a new year with an increased focus on professional development as well as raising academic standards, increased time on learning and less time testing.” As districts enter a new school year with fewer state dollars, educators gear up to introduce new academic standards, including math and language arts. Additionally, districts and teachers seek guidance on implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the federal law known as the No Child Left Behind Act. In mid-July, the Oklahoma Department of Education began delivering updates on the new standards and changes in statemandated testing and discussing new federal guidelines through EngageOK on the Road. Unlike last year’s EngageOK education conference, which took place in Oklahoma City over three days, the state education agency planned a six-city tour to meet with teachers and administrators
across the state. “With budget concerns, we looked at the costs and found it would be far more economical to travel to them,” Hofmeister said. Leaders at Oklahoma Public School Resource Center (OPSRC) heard cries of budget concerns from district leaders across the state last winter. Even in times of dire financial strain, a district must continue to provide professional development training for its teachers. OPSRC is an education organization that provides resources in technology, curriculum, finance, communication and legal areas to member school districts and charter schools throughout the state. Like the state department of education, OPSRC leaders decided to take its conference on the road. The Refresh Summit kicks off Tuesday in Ardmore and continues Oct. 12 in Tulsa. Oklahoma City hosts the conference Jan. 2. McAlister and Woodward also will host the summit, which is open to member schools and nonmembers. “With budget cuts, it is not feasible for a district to pay for conference travel, hotel stays, food, or ask a teacher to pay out of their own pocket,” said Sarah Julian, OPSRC communications director. “We are taking the conference to the schools as a regional conference closer to home.” While the conference will offer many of the state-required professional development credits, OPSRC dives into technology and classroom innovation with the Refresh Summit. During registration, teachers are asked to name topics they want to see covered at the conference, said Brent Bushey, the center’s executive director. OPSRC will offer classes that align with those requests. Already, social media and Google apps for education have been submitted as conference topics. Learn more about Refresh Summit at refreshsummit.net. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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Tablet takers
Just in time for back-to-school, children — some as young as 4 or 5 years old — recently embarked on a stealing spree inside an Oklahoma City elementary school. As children outside stood watch, the kids entered the school through a grate after 6:30 p.m. last Monday, NewsOK.com reported. Security video also showed several people enter the building again before 9 p.m. KOCO.com released video stills showing individuals entering and leaving the building — one hefting what appears to be a fully loaded backpack, others in shorts or jeans; another was shirtless and yet another barefoot — while someone outside sits on a bicycle. One of the individuals could be an adult, the photos show. Police are searching for and want to question them, as they might have been in or around the school near the time of the thefts. “My gut tells me that it was a group of kids that found an opportunity and were curious,” Arthur Elementary School principal Rhonda Schroeder told NewsOK.com. Twenty-three iPads were missing, 15 other devices were damaged or destroyed and the school was vandalized, police confirmed to NewsOK.com. Additionally, classrooms were ransacked and fire extinguishers were emptied. “I’d like to believe they may not have had any idea of the consequences of their actions,” Schroeder said.
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Monster’s ball
Pokémon GO has truly captured a generation, and it’s no doubt giving neighborhood watches across the metro a headache. Have you seen a pack of kids roaming around near your flowerbeds? Is there a car that’s pulled over for a few minutes by your curb with no explanation at all? They could be dastardly thieves scoping out their next target. Or they could merely be hunting down a virtual Pikachu. “Gotta catch ’em all” is the wellknown Pokémon tagline but probably also an unofficial mission statement for developers of the GPS-based augmented reality game app that has nearly as many active daily mobile users as Twitter. Even if you’re not a fan, the game concept of hunting down digital cartoon monsters while traveling around in the real world has likely been at least vaguely explained to you. The increased foot traffic is a boost for local businesses. Oklahoma Shirt Company offered to print shirts with the logos of the three in-game teams — Mystic, Valor and Instinct — for free. Around 3,000 people participated, according to KFOR.com. To the great fortune of Chicken-Fried News and Oklahoma Gazette staffers who
enjoy the thrills of Pokémon GO but not the hassle of venturing into the real world, our fiercely independent alt-weekly is lucky enough to host its own Pokémon Gym, a place where locals battle to prove their superiority. On a clear day, rough-and-tumble Chicken-Fried News field correspondent Ben Luschen and his Scyther, “R. Westbrook,” can challenge the owner of the White Buffalo gym without leaving his desk, though Luschen utilizes great restraint in limiting all attempts to his lunch hour only. At the time of this writing, our gym is claimed by MilesTheGreek, a Level 17 Team Instinct player, and his hulking Venusaur who we can only hope is nick-
named “GyroMazing.” Congratulations, Miles. You are indeed a worthy overlord, but know this: We’re coming for you. Don’t be surprised on your return visit when you see your former spot claimed by ElwellEats and his impressively taut Raticate, “BeefCheeks.”
Peeking prowler
A security system and motion cameras didn’t keep a midnight prowler from sneaking into a home in a northwest Oklahoma City gated community. Around 1 a.m., motion-activated security cameras showed an unknown man entering the bedroom, standing at the foot of the bed and watching the homeowner as he slept. His wife, who was not home at the time, called the next morning to ask who had been in the home. Confused, he checked the surveillance video, and that’s when he realized he hadn’t been home alone the night before after all, KFOR reported. Footage shows the garage door opening and closing several times and the intruder in his bedroom. At one point, the unknown gawker even reached out and touched the bed. The homeowner called police. Nothing appeared out of place or stolen, the local news stations reported. No word on whether the suspect was playing Pokémon GO.
Big-time burglary
You don’t break into Reba McEntire’s house and get away with it! Fox News 12 reported that Clint Mansell of Lehigh was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property and grand larceny for breaking into McEntire’s family ranch in Chockie in June. Mansell pleaded guilty to the charges and also faces theft charges in Johnston County, reported KXII News 12. According to music and entertainment website Taste of Country, $28,000 worth of items, including an ATV, two air conditioners and some tools, were stolen. Some of the items have been returned, Fox News reported. McIntire grew up at the ranch in Chockie, which her family has owned for 60 years. Fox News said McIntire grew the ranch from a 40-acre plot to an 8,000-acre farm. A music video for her song “Just Like Them Horses,” about her late father, was filmed at the ranch and released in January.
For health
Walking, fast or slow, is wonderful exercise. There are plenty of benefits, like cutting heart disease risk, lowering blood pressure and reducing Alzheimer’s risk. The advantages of walking were made a little bit sweeter when GlobalHealth approached Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) faculty and staff.
“Walk for your health,” said the Oklahoma-based health maintenance company. “We will give your schools some hard cash.” OKCPS responded, “We are ready to move!” During the five-month Let’s Get Moving challenge, OKCPS employees walked 95,173 miles, NewsOK.com reported. Mark Twain Elementary School averaged 440 miles per participating employee. Now, GlobalHealth is plugging $1,000 into the school’s playground for improvements. Walking an average of 398 miles per participant, Emerson High School took second place. Now, the school has $500 to spend. Coolidge Elementary staff averaged 305 miles per participant, receiving $250 bucks. That’s what we call partners in action.
Happy hoopsiversary
Golden State Warriors player Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Oklahoma City occupied a lot of space in die-hard Thunder fans’ minds over the last month, which might explain why few remembered to celebrate the event that brought the team here in the first place.
Where were the balloons and cake July 18? Were we still so punch-drunk from KD’s announcement that we missed the 10-year anniversary of the sale of the Basketball Club of Seattle to Clay Bennett and Professional Basketball Club LLC in Oklahoma City? Surely the anniversary most Oklahomans are waiting for is July 2, 2018, 10 years after the team announced it was moving to the Sooner State, changing the green, gold and white of the Seattle SuperSonics into the orange, yellow and blue of the OKC Thunder. Or maybe city officials will pop the cork on some champagne Nov. 2, 2018, a decade after the Thunder’s first home win — an 88-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. We at Chicken-Fried News personally hope to begin celebrating in June 2017, when Russell Westbrook will lead Thunder to its first NBA championship. Hey, we might as well try being optimistic, right?
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NEWS
Personal patrol rifles blow apart community trust
White Oklahomans and Oklahomans of color often have radically different experiences with law enforcement. AfricanAmericans are more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts, and racial minorities disproportionately populate our prisons and county jails. The inherent racism in our current criminal justice system has built a wall of distrust and skepticism between the police and the communities they are sworn to protect. That is not to say that all or even a majority of police officers or prosecutors are racists, but they do operate within a system that is riddled with prejudice and fear. Rather than addressing systemic and institutional failures, politicians at all levels of government for far too long have doubled down on the failed War on Drugs and militarized police and sheriffs’ departments to the point that they can be mistaken for an occupying army on a foreign battlefield. Policymakers have further entrenched failed criminal justice policy by attaching a profit motive to agencies charged with enforcement. This makes any reforms politically suspect and also puts a seemingly pro-
letters
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.
Any relief this policy might hold for law enforcement officers and their families will be largely illusory. hibitive price tag on reforms that would interfere with money the government makes through fines, fees and asset forfeitures. So it’s not an accident that often underpaid and overworked police officers begin to look at the people they police as the enemy. Policymakers have continually told them they are at war, have armed them with the weapons of war and have financed these activities with the proceeds of war. In response, African-American parents are having increasingly common and heartbreaking conversations with their children about what to do when, not if, they have an encounter with the police. This is emblematic of the very real fear that stems
from a culture of distrust between citizens and the police. And dangers posed by this distrust and fear run both ways. No one is made safer as a result of policies that manufacture unnecessary, degrading, frightening and potentially violent interactions between the police and the communities they serve. No one. The horrific violence that has unfolded this summer with people of color being killed at the hands of police officers and officers being gunned down in the streets of American cities will not be staved off by policies that perpetuate the idea that officers are in combat zones and not neighborhoods. That said, it seems understandable that police officers would want to have every tool at their disposal to protect themselves. So when Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty announced he was moving forward with a policy to allow officers to carry their personal rifles on patrol, it, at first glance, might seem reasonable. However, when you weigh the potential benefits of this new policy against the further deterioration of trust and the optics of an increasingly militarized police de-
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.
So-called leaders
It was reported recently that the Newcastle school board has implemented a “pay to play” strategy to make up for lost revenue and support extracurricular activities. I suspect this is just the beginning of the middle class getting a taste of what the poor have endured for a while. When we continue to elect “representatives” whose main goal is to cut taxes, soon enough, we see the erosion of our commons, that is, common roads, schools, infrastructure and services. Newalla is faced with loss of fire protection, as their support from OKC is gone due to lost revenue, another example of the middle class being affected. All this while giving more to the wealthy and oil and gas interests through tax cuts and giveaways. I’ve lived in Oklahoma for 62 years and have seen leadership that has been visionary for our state and people, from Robert S. Kerr 14
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to Carl Albert and David Boren on the “D” side to Ron Norick and Henry Bellmon and now I think Mick Cornett on the “R” side. Our current crop of so-called leaders leave me shaking my head. Our schools suffer (kids), our nutrition programs suffer (seniors), our roads, water (see Luther’s E. coli problems) and other infrastructure suffer (all of us are at risk on our bridges) while 800 mentally ill languish in prison at Joseph Harp Correctional Center instead of receiving treatment. But we still get an income tax cut in the face of a billion dollar shortfall. Brilliant! The average person’s tax cut won’t pay to replace the blown tire from hitting that pothole. When are we going to figure out that
we’re all in this together? We all have to pitch in if we want to do better and this current “leadership” group divides us. Want more of the same? Less of everything for the bottom 99 percent? If so, vote for your incumbent. If those individuals return next year to solve the same problems they faced this year with the same (non) solutions, then I despair for our state. Next thing you know, we’ll be like Kansas. Oh my. Robert Lee Norman
Trumping immigration
It appears I touched a sensitive nerve in not one, but two Gazette readers. Ms. Jackson (Opinion, Letters, “Au contraire,” July 13,
partment, it fails to make good sense. Rifles are already issued to appropriately trained officers who stand ready to respond to situations calling for firearms beyond those carried on a normal patrol. The real advantage of this policy seems to be the concession to the fears voiced by the local police union. Any relief this policy might hold for law enforcement officers and their families will be largely illusory. Measurable increases in safety and security can only be addressed by a recognition that the current police policies, informed by the war rhetoric whirling around drugs, immigration and terrorism and carried out by increasingly militarized law enforcement departments are counterproductive to building trust and reforming generations-old political decisions. Acknowledging the flaws of the current system, building trust and implementing political reforms offers the greatest hope for increased safety for the police and the people they serve. Ryan Kiesel is executive director of American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma. | Photo Gazette / file
Oklahoma Gazette) and Mr. Nuncio (Opinion, Letters, “Trump’s problem,” July 13, Gazette) chastise and challenge me visà-vis Donald Trump’s immigration platform. Ms. Jackson’s cri de coeur is a mélange of straw men. Should I, for sake of discussion, stipulate all that Ms. Jackson stated is accurate, then it follows that she avers that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has never praised Hispanics, nor Mexicans specifically. That he has none working for him just like he has no women working for him. Right. I guess “negative comments” are in the ear of the beholder. Mr. Nuncio rambles on the same theme: Trump hates Mexicans. I find it telling that he uses the “X” word, xenophobia. It is now the current shibboleth du jour replacing racist, fascist and the ever-popular slur Nazi. The liberal language police have fought for a long time to obliterate the word “illegal” from any and all discussion involving immigration and now Trump is xenophobic for following your rules. Mr. Trump has put a very bright light on our out-of-control immigration system and the rampant abuses this administration has instituted. It’s a shame that we can’t have immigration policies that Mexico uses. That would solve a lot of problems. We live in interesting times. Pete Lepo Edmond
EAT & DRINK
n e ws
Competition isn’t the problem, he explained. The way laws are set up, he can own interest in two package stores while grocery store owners can own more shops. This makes it harder for Blackburn to buy in bulk, while grocers negotiate on volume prices. “Make the rules the same for everybody,” he said. “I just want things to be fair.” Blackburn said he’s also frustrated by a provision that would prohibit liquor stores from earning more than 20 percent of its sales revenue from nonalcoholic items. There is no equivalent rule for grocers. Bice said change and uncertainty are challenging but Oklahoma hasn’t made any significant changes to its alcohol laws in 57 years. “If you look at surrounding states with beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores, liquor stores still doing well,” she said. “People have been asking for change for a long time.”
Questionable changes
There is more to State Question 792 than cold beer and wine sales. By Greg Elwell
Politicians across the nation are warming up for a Nov. 8 election showdown between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and businessman Donald Trump, but Oklahomans are also considering a measure that could make major changes to the state’s liquor laws. State Question 792 puts to a vote of the people the repeal of Article 28 of the Oklahoma Constitution (Alcoholic Beverage Laws and Enforcement) and the enactment of Article 28A, as outlined in Senate Bill 383, authored by District 22 State Sen. Stephanie Bice. If SQ 792 passes during the Nov. 8 vote, SB 383 becomes law Oct. 1, 2018. If it doesn’t, the proposed law is voided. Why? Because alcohol laws are enshrined in the state constitution. A constitutional change requires approval by a vote of the people in the form of a state ballot question. The best-known changes would allow the sale of refrigerated strong beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores, which currently only sell 3.2 percent alcohol by weight beer and malt beverages. Changes also would allow liquor stores to sell chilled strong beer and wine. They currently sell strong beer and wine at room temperature. But there’s more to it, said Bice, who wrote the proposed changes. “The reason I did that is, over the years, so much legislation had been passed and added on to existing statute piecemeal,” she said. “I wanted to reorganize it in a way that was easier to read and easier to find. It makes more sense to restructure and consolidate definitions.”
Stable ABLE
There are no changes to the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission, except that, with the elimination of 3.2 beer as a category, all beer and wine sales will fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, Bice explained. “There were a lot of concerns from outside entities about changes to ABLE. That discussion can happen in the future, if it makes sense,” she said. “One thing we might look at changing are requirements for board members. It’s a difficult process to find board members for ABLE. You can only have so many from one political party and from different congressional districts.” Moving ABLE out of the state constitution makes it easier for lawmakers to make changes to the agency.
License driver
Part of the reason ABLE’s jurisdiction is increasing is because the new law would require more regulation. “Everyone selling alcohol is to be licensed through ABLE. We pushed hard for that,” Bice said. “If someone is selling to a minor, they can have their license revoked, whereas right now, it would be up to the employer.” If SQ 792 passes, the law will give ABLE more direct control of alcohol sellers and the ability to more quickly revoke licenses and stop sales to minors. If someone sells 3.2 beer to minors now, she said, it’s a local law enforcement problem.
Voters decide Nov. 8 if grocery stores can sell strong cold beer and wine. | Photo illustration Garett Fisbeck
Ship shape
Another provision that flew under many people’s radar is section 3-106 of Title 37A, which would allow direct shipment of wines. Currently, it is illegal to ship out-of-state wines into Oklahoma, even for personal use. If passed, wineries would be able to ship up to six 9-liter cases of wine annually to an Oklahoma resident age 21 or older, as long as it’s not for resale. Under this law, state residents would be limited to 30 9-liter cases of wine annually. “There are some caveats to protect retailers,” Bice added. “But if I wanted a specific kind of wine I couldn’t get here, I could have it sent to me, up to a certain amount of bottles a year.” However, that law would come at a cost. Oklahomans would also need a Direct Wine Consumer’s Permit from ABLE, which costs $300 for initial registration and $150 annually for renewal. And residents better be home when it’s delivered, because it will require a signature of someone age 21 or older to receive the shipment.
Later liquor
Though many hoped for a provision to allow liquor stores to remain open seven days a week, that did not make it in. However, SB 383 includes language allowing stores to stay open later, Bice said. Title 37A Section 6-103 allows liquor stores to operate 10 a.m. until midnight. Currently, the shops must close by 9 p.m. Stores also could open on holidays, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas, as long as the holiday doesn’t fall on a Sunday. Those changes aren’t enough for some, said Dale Blackburn, owner of Grand Cru Wine & Spirits, 9275 N. May Ave. The shop is in a tricky location — between Homeland and Uptown Grocery Co. stores. “It was a not a well-prepared bill,” Blackburn said. “They took no input from us and wrote the bill in the interest of the bigger chain.”
Lawsuit filed Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit July 20 in Oklahoma County District Court asking to remove SQ 792 from the November ballot. The group alleges it violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “State Question 792 ... creates an unfair marketplace for retail package stores by giving a series of advantages to other stores to sell as much beer and wine as they like without any of the restrictions placed on package stores,” said RLAO president Bryan Kerr. If a store sells only wine and strong beer, laws created by SQ 792 could mean the store could open 24 hours, allow children in the store and its owner could own a chain of locations — all things that are now illegal, he said. Kerr hopes the nail in the coffin for 792 is the “inexplicable” provision limiting package stores to making 20 percent of their income on nonalcoholic items. “You have to make laws that adhere to the Constitution, or else you waste people’s time and money putting something together that is going to be struck down by the courts,” he said. Kerr said the goal is not to stop liquor modernization, but to make a level playing field for everyone. A hearing on an injunction blocking State Question 792 is set for Monday. If Oklahoma County District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons does not grant the injunction, Kerr said the group plans to take the issue before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. By Greg Elwell
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EAT & DRINK
Go fish
Even the seafood averse will find a meal worth capturing at Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill. By Greg Elwell
My dad never took me hunting — thank goodness. It’s not a problem with killing animals but more that after 37 years of knowing me, he’s probably not comfortable with the idea of me holding anything more dangerous than a cellphone. So I’ve never seen the inside of a hunting lodge, but if I had to imagine one, it would look a lot like the inside of Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill, 4300 W. Reno Ave. Even on a sunny day, the inside of Trapper’s is cool and dim, giving the restaurant an air of intimacy, which is quite a feat given the massive dining room. The walls are lined with hunting trophies of all types, so there’s really no mistaking what this menu is about.
This is a place for meat. And just because it has “fish” in the name doesn’t mean seafood haters won’t find a plethora of options. However, as a seafood lover, I like to start with oysters on the half shell (six for $10 or a dozen for $19). If you’re looking for a deal, hit up Trapper’s (or Pearl’s Oyster Bar or Crabtown, all in the same family of eateries) on Tuesdays for the Buck a Shuck promotion, which drops the price considerably. Other restaurants might get their oysters from a variety of locales, but Trapper’s sticks with the large, mildly sweet variety from the Gulf of Mexico. There are plenty of ways to eat an oyster, but I like mine with just a squeeze of lemon and a touch of horseradish. Hot sauce and cocktail sauce are acceptable, but they cover too much of the flavor. Slurp it out of the shell, juice and all, for a light, invigorating taste of the ocean. Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill If you’re not comfortable with eating raw food, how do you feel 4300 W. Reno Ave. pearlsokc.com | 405-943-9111 about food that might eat you raw? The alligator appetizer ($12) What works: Redfish Pontchartrain and comes fried or blackened, but for fried chicken are shooting straight. first-timers, I recommend orderWhat needs work: Catfish filets need ing it half and half. more seasoning. Alligator is a little chewy but has a pretty mild flavor. Fried Tip: Tuesday’s Buck a Shuck is a killer deal for gator is great for dipping, almost oyster lovers. like popcorn shrimp. The blackened alligator is much more fla-
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Oysters on the half shell | Photo Garett Fisbeck
vorful and is served over dirty rice. If you like it as an appetizer, you can also get the blackened alligator as an entree for $19. Consider it self-defense. Trapper’s recently began a campaign challenging other restaurants’ fried chicken to a taste off with its Ultimate Fried Chicken ($17, including salad, mashed potatoes and cream gravy), and with good reason. Diners get two pieces of partially deboned white meat chicken that, based on the consistency and the degree of juice, had to be brined. It’s a delight. You can eat it with your hands, but with the bones largely removed, it’s just as easy to use a knife and fork. The chicken doesn’t need the gravy — it’s seasoned before being dredged and fried — but it’s a pretty tasty cream gravy. The mashed potatoes are homestyle with enough body to remind you that a real potato actually gave up its life for your dinner. Is this the best fried chicken in the city?
I’m not sure. But it’s definitely in contention for the crown. I wanted to love the fried catfish filets ($19, with french fries and coleslaw), but they were just okay. The flavor was mild, which is much better than some catfish that comes across all muddy, but Trapper’s could definitely use more seasoning here. One way to really boost the taste is to put the catfish in a sandwich, which is how the po-boy ($10) is served. Coleslaw and tomatoes add moisture to the filets on a bun, and a dash of hot sauce really amps things up. If you’re set on fish, which is a pretty good idea here, then you want the Redfish Pontchartrain ($24). Lake Pontchartrain is not technically a lake but an estuary, a home to the immature red drum or redfish, which was made famous by the late chef Paul Prudhomme. At Trapper’s, it’s served in Prudhomme’s classic blackened style over rice and crawfish étouffée, which is just about the best way to serve a thing. The fish is pan-fried with lots of seasoning, giving it a nice heat and a bold flavor. That’s important when you’re serving anything with the deep, dark roux of crawfish étouffée. In a string of stellar meals, I’d be hardpressed to find one better than the redfish. Anyone who loves spice and seafood will probably be a fan. It even beat out another lovely dish, the aptly named Field & Stream ($25, including salad and mashed potatoes). Pairing rainbow trout and grilled quail, the entree is packed with flavor. The birds come out a rich mahogany with a nice, dark meat texture. Don’t bother with a fork for this part of the meal. This begs to pulled off the bone with your teeth and fingers. Quail isn’t as mild as chicken but is far less gamey than duck, so it should be okay for most diners. The rainbow trout, despite being served with sauce, was a touch dry. The flavor came mostly from capers and lemon, which is good flavor to come with, but the fish didn’t stand out next to the much stronger quail. The influx of new eateries to the city is powerful, but it’s nice to see that Trapper’s, with 22 years of service behind it, is still going strong. The menu is solid, the food is fresh and the service is great. It’s the kind of restaurant for which most of us are hunting. Blackened and fried alligator tails | Photo Garett Fisbeck
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F E AT U R E
Melany Boughman delivers More Milk Cookies to Mercy Hospital. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Milky way
Mothers looking for breast-feeding help have a sweet treat ahead. By Greg Elwell
Relax, fellas; lactation cookies won’t cause you to start producing milk. The same is true for children and women who aren’t lactating naturally. It’s a question More Milk Cookies founder Melany Boughman answers a lot. “Men can eat them,” she said. “They just have the extra ingredients a normal cookie doesn’t have.” The cookies use “galactagogues” — natural ingredients like flaxseed, oats and brewer’s yeast that promote milk production and are good for overall health. But while the cookies can increase lactation yields for new moms, they can’t magically make anyone begin lactating. However, they can help keep mothers producing milk longer, said Boughman,
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who began the company while pregnant with her fourth child. It would be a difficult year — not only nursing a newborn, but also taking care of her family and running a business. Formerly the owner of cupcakes to go go, Boughman had a lot on her metaphorical plate. Considering the nutritional demands of nursing, what she needed was more on her literal plate. She needed an easy way to get extra nutrition. And because she wanted to keep breastfeeding longer, she began researching natural ingredients to increase lactation longevity. “I wanted to nurse longer this time,” she said. “With my last one, I nursed 14 months rather than the six months I did with the first three.”
But she was always hungry. And it’s hard to choose healthy foods when you’re starving and in a hurry. That’s why cookies made perfect sense. “Just to be clear, I didn’t invent lactation cookies,” she said. “They’ve been around for a long time.” The trick is lactation cookies need to be fresh because they don’t have a lot of artificial preservatives in them. So, Boughman set about making and marketing her own cookies locally.
Energy boost
More Milk Cookies is still a part-time business. After selling the cupcake shop in January, Boughman is taking a small break before ramping up into full-time work. That doesn’t mean the cookies aren’t around. Boughman sells them at seven retail shops in Oklahoma and one in Missouri as well as online at moremilkcookies.com. Elizabeth Pilgrim, co-owner of The Changing Table, 1745A NW 16 St., said some of the store’s customers come in
specifically looking for the cookies. “We recommend them,” she said. “They’re great for moms who need a boost in milk supply.” The fact that they taste great is just a bonus, she said. The store carries the chocolate chip varieties but occasionally orders in cinnamon oatmeal raisin on special request. Boughman said convenience is key for new mothers who might be at a loss for time when it comes to caring for themselves. “I’d keep them wherever you nurse the baby,” she said. “You need to eat when the baby needs to nurse, so it’s convenient to sit and munch on one.” A cookie might not seem like much, but Boughman said the added ingredients and wholesome recipe make for a satisfying treat. “They’re very filling. When you’re really hungry, you can eat two or three at a time as a snack or even as a meal,” she said. “Nursing mothers need an extra 5001,000 calories a day.” The company’s milk chocolate chip cookies are 140 calories each. If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes some help to get a new business off the ground. Boughman found help at Oklahoma State University with the labeling requirements, and she has made connections with local physicians who recommend the cookies to patients. Mercy Hospital locations in Oklahoma City, 4300 W. Memorial Road, and Edmond, 2017 W. Interstate 35 Frontage Road, sell cookies, as does Doyle Chiropractic and Family Wellness, 1050 W. Vandament Ave., in Yukon. Boughman said the cookies are a welldeserved treat for people facing a difficult challenge. “I think, especially with nursing, you think it’s going to be easier than it is,” she said. “You either know you’re up for a challenge or you will quickly discover you’re in for one.” Nursing is painful in the beginning and stressful for mothers who aren’t making enough milk to feed their babies. “The cookies are a little higher in calories than your normal cookies, but it’s a treat,” Boughman said. “You need all the support you can get.”
b ri e f s By Greg Elwell
Folloonw Us
...all the cool kids are doing it! facebook.com/okgazette
Oklahoma Gazette
Cally Johnson, general manager and executive chef at J. Bruner’s at The Haunted House | Photo Garett Fisbeck
•J(ohnson) Bruner’s
Cally Johnson, Big Truck Tacos co-founder and former Boulevard Steakhouse and Park House chef, takes on a new assignment as general manager and executive chef at J. Bruner’s at The Haunted House, 7107 Miramar Blvd. A classic metro-area restaurant, The Haunted House was purchased at auction last year by Patrick Boylan, owner of J. Bruner’s Steakhouse in Osage Beach, Missouri, and event planning company PDC Productions in Norman. The reopened venue was met with excitement, but also mixed reviews, which is where Johnson enters the picture. First, the chef and general manager is adjusting menu prices and firming up her kitchen team. “I have a great crew in the kitchen,” she said. They will continue serving the current menu until Johnson has perfected new dishes, she said. She’s also revamping the wine list and restaurant promotions. “The grounds are looking beautiful, too,” she said. “I want to do croquet and lawn bowling when it gets cooler.” Johnson said she is excited about the new job. “I truly believe I have the staff to turn things around,” she said.
Alcohol forum
Those seeking more information on the ramifications of November’s State Question 792 can read Oklahoma Gazette’s story on page 15 and attend an Aug. 23 forum by nonprofit Oklahoma Watch. The Watch-Out Forum: The Alcohol Question is a public question-and-answer event with State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, who authored Senate Bill 383 and co-authored SQ 792, and Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma president Bryan Kerr to discuss proposed changes to the state’s alcohol sales and distribution laws. Oklahoma Watch executive editor David Fritze will moderate the discussion. Bice said she looks forward to a spirited debate with Kerr and explaining the upcoming state question to voters. The event is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma. The forum is 6-7 p.m. Aug. 23 at Kamp’s 1910 Café, 10 NE 10th St. Pre-registration is recommended at eventbrite.com.
Scouting supper
Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma holds its third Juliette Low Leadership Society Celebrity Chef Dinner black-tie affair Saturday in Lawton. Fund development manager Holly
Featuring Traditional Peruvian Recipes and Favorites C h a r Coa l r ot i ss e r i e C hiC ken A C ev iChe A lomo saltad o
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Johns Rowland said the event is a chance to honor Girl Scouts founder Juliette Low and those who give to the organization with a gala dinner. “Our guest chef this year is a former Girl Scout and a former Gold Award recipient,” she said. Susan Wolfla, executive chef at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, is the first female executive chef on the Las Vegas strip. “She’s really paving the way for female chefs in Las Vegas,” Rowland said. “It’s a difficult industry to break out and stand out in for women.” Wolfla designed a menu including watermelon and heirloom tomato salad, slowbraised short ribs with a Parmesan and roasted garlic polenta and an Irish butterscotch and Trefoil pie. She will deliver a message of female empowerment to the audience. The dinner is 6-11 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Garden Inn & Lawton Convention Center, 135 NW Second St., in Lawton. Tickets are $75. Those who join the Juliette Low Leadership Society for $200 receive a free ticket with the remaining $125 going to fund Girl Scout membership for someone in need. Register at gswestok.org/jlls.
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g a z e di b l e s
eat & DRINK
Staying live
“If music be the fruit of love, play on,” wrote William Shakespeare. “And can a dude in a frilly collar get some mead over here, too?” he wrote and subsequently deleted. He was ahead of his time, old Bill, and he would have loved Oklahoma City, where music and alcohol go together like a hundred tipsy peas having a raging party in a pod filled with disco lights. By Greg Elwell Photos Emmy Verdin, Erick Perry and Garett Fisbeck
Red Piano Lounge
Snug Bar & Lounge
Pianos are instruments of death and destruction. How many cartoons have featured a plummeting pile of ivories tinkling their way to earth like a musical missile? But somehow, the death-defying crew at the Skirvin Hotel’s Red Piano Lounge not only captured one of these vicious beasts, but they trained him to sing, too. It’s like King Kong — if the ape was a piano and you could get a drink while it plays jazz standards Tuesday through Saturday nights.
As it turns out, Snug Bar & Lounge is not a bar dedicated to those of us who live that Snuggie® lifestyle. (And no, “slankets” don’t count.) Instead, Snug is a great place to grab a few drinks, hang out with friends and hear some of Oklahoma City’s best heavy metal and punk bands. So, while you technically can wear your Snuggie® to Snug Bar & Lounge, you might be more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt.
1 Park Ave. skirvinhilton.com | 405-702-8444
2321 S. Robinson Ave. facebook.com/snuglounge 405-604-9400
51st Street Speakeasy
1114 NW 51st St. 51stspeakeasy.com | 405-463-0470 Some know it best for comedy or The Lost Ogle Trivia nights, but with new owners at the helm, The Speakeasy is once again a live music and dancing destination for northwest Oklahoma City. Bands of all stripes take over the stage on the regular, as do disc jockeys for Bring Your Own Vinyl nights and funny-but-still-awesome Ryan Drake dance parties. Plus, its fully stocked bar has all the liquid refreshment you need.
Learn to Brew
6900 N May • OKC • 286-9505 2307 S. I-35 • MOOre • 793-Beer (2337)
Now Hiring!
learntobrew.com
New Owner & New Menu
8027 NW 23rd • Bethany • 405.789.7111 20
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JJ’s Alley
Friends Bar & Grill
The Deli
By George Tavern
Dylan might have gone electric like a sellout, but JJ’s Alley in Bricktown isn’t buying into the fad. This neighborhood bar features live acoustic music every night of the week. If you’re trying to find local musicians, this is the stage. Its inside spaces went smoke-free in April, but smokers can still get their fix under the covered patio along with anyone who wants to lounge outdoors with an adult beverage. There’s a little something for everybody at JJ’s.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Roman or a countryman; you’re still welcome at Friends Bar & Grill. There’s a wide-open dance floor, and it’s not uncommon to see local dance classes get together to try out their newest moves. House band The Clique plays rock from every era, so you won’t be waiting long to hear something you love. Go in, grab a drink and lend them your ears.
The name is a cruel, cruel trick to those of us desperately searching for some nice spot to kvetch and gorge on some pastrami or a bowl of matzo ball soup, but for fans of the rock and the roll, The Deli is just what you ordered. Just like other delis, you can have it your way here, too. There’s country, jazz, Americana and other genres represented and plenty of free shows for Normanites on a budget.
Bands are notoriously touchy about people from the audience going up on stage, taking the microphone and singing for them. And that’s if you get past the security guards in the first place. Do yourself a favor and direct your singing talents to a stage that welcomes one and all at By George Tavern. This karaoke hotspot is a favorite for drinkers who want to show off their voices — and dance moves — to friends and strangers alike.
212 E. Sheridan Ave. 405-605-4543
3705 W. Memorial Road friendsbarokc.com | 405-751-4057
309 White St., Norman thedeli.us | 405-329-3534
901 NW 64th St. 405-843-9812
beat the heat with a
Thai Tea lunch buffet - M-F |11am-2pm
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ARTS & CULTURE a Norman native and 2015 Miss Gay Oklahoma winner, who will be honored at this year’s Oklahoma City competition. Growing up, Deveraux was vaguely familiar with drag culture and always intrigued by the glitz and glamour of performing.
It’s a sisterhood with such strong ties, and I just hope everyone feels as inspired to love and support each other as we do. Carmen Deveraux
‘Pretty alien’
c u lt u r e
Carmen Deveraux, Miss Gay Oklahoma America 2015 | Photo Carrie Strong / provided
Preeminent pageant
Miss Gay Oklahoma America happens Thursday and Friday at Angles. By Keaton Bell
Dating back to its first competition in 1972, Miss Gay America has established itself as the preeminent pageant for drag performers across the country. And Thursday and Friday at Angles, 2117 NW 39th St., is the setting for Miss Gay Oklahoma America, the state preliminary competition for the 44th Miss Gay America pageant.
As the world’s first and longest-running drag pageant, Miss Gay America has grown in status to become something of a cultural touchstone. With contestants over the years that have included some of the biggest names in drag, Miss Gay America is the stuff female impersonator dreams are made of. It certainly was for Carmen Deveraux,
“I’ve always loved painting and drawing and singing and dancing,” Deveraux said. “Drag puts everything together — it’s hair, fashion, choreography, makeup and everything I love rolled into one.” As a highschooler, Deveraux worked as a “rhinestone boy” at Southern Charm dress shop in Norman and would create gowns for pageant girls, proms and drag queens. “At that time, when I first started, it was the time for Miss Gay Oklahoma; I was first introduced and completely captivated by it all,” Deveraux said. “I got to meet all of these people, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is a thing here in Oklahoma?’” Gaining some experience at The Wreck Room and other local gay bars and clubs, Deveraux developed her stage persona and immersed herself in Oklahoma City’s underground drag culture. “I wanted to be glamorous, of course, but I also wanted to look toward other performers who had an odd personality and didn’t take themselves too seriously,” she said. “Kind of what I modeled myself after was basically a really pretty alien, but with a fun personality. I loved to just see people’s eyes light up and get really big like ‘What the fuck is she doing?’” While she had already won several bar titles, Deveraux always knew that Miss Gay Oklahoma America was the state’s premiere pageant and meant for serious performers. While a lot of drag queens haven’t ever won or even been honored as first alternate, Deveraux managed to make her mark her first try. “I competed at Southern Charm, which was a preliminary last year, and I got first alternate and went off to state and then won there,” she said. “First year and I won, which I’m really glad about because it was a lot of work and I’m glad I don’t have to do it again.”
2016 winner Asia O’Hara being honored alongside the main competition. This year’s pageant contestants compete in five judged categories — male interview, solo talent, evening gown, onstage interview and talent — setting winners on a path to compete for the title of Miss Gay America 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee, in October. Deveraux said she is excited to be a part of this year’s pageant process, even if she isn’t competing. If anything, she’s just eager to help represent Oklahoma drag culture. She thinks events like Miss Gay Oklahoma are important now more than ever since Oklahoma is one of the more conservative-leaning states in the country. “These pageants show everybody not to have fear, to stand strong against what’s wrong and celebrate love and happiness, which is all you get from going to a drag show or pageant,” she said. “A lot of people ask me about living in Oklahoma and it being so backwards, and I mean, our governor may be conservative, but our drag queens certainly aren’t.” But Deveraux also admitted there are some benefits to be had from working under Oklahoma lawmakers. “It definitely opens up a lot of doors for making fun of our politicians onstage, which people always get a kick out of,” she said. “There are just countless jokes about [Rep.] Sally Kern and [Gov.] Mary Fallin that we love to make and will continue to make. So in a way, it’s like, ‘Thanks for being such a shitty politician so I can make more money.’”
Miss Gay Oklahoma America 10 p.m. Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday Angles 2117 NW 39th St. missgayoklahoma.com $10-$20
Regardless of what jokes are made or who wins, Deveraux hopes audiences leave this weekend’s pageant with an appreciation of drag culture and what it means to the performers onstage. “You’re going to leave buzzing, and I hope everyone leaves feeling able to see so much love onstage and a sense of feeling and community in such a historic moment,” she said. “This’ll be the 39th Miss Gay Oklahoma, and we’re gonna be celebrating all past queens. It’s a sisterhood with such strong ties, and I just hope everyone feels as inspired to love and support each other as we do.”
‘Stand strong’
Now she can focus on the upcoming preliminaries, which has a Bollywood Nights theme and features Miss Gay America O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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ARTS & CULTURE
v i s ua l a r t s
Adam Lanman’s Skyline: Timeline installation at Oklahoma City University School of Law | Photo Garett Fisbeck
Constructing history Adam Lanman’s Skyline: Timeline installation at OCU School of Law artfully tells the story of Oklahoma City. By Jack Fowler
What’s the difference between art and architecture? Maybe it’s functionality. A beautifully rendered building that leaks and floods every time it rains isn’t worth much in the long run (think Stage Center). Maybe it’s engineering. After all, when a project starts to require a master’s degree in engineering and a working knowledge of stainless steel’s tensile strength, most artists tend to let something less exacting capture their attention (think SkyDance Bridge). Oklahoma City artist and architect Adam Lanman isn’t too interested in clearing up the distinctions between his two passions. He’s interested in erasing the lines altogether. “When I’m talking to other architects, I do like to consider myself an artist,” Lanman said when asked which title he prefers. “But if there is a difference, it’s that at its heart, architecture is about events. Both can be beautiful and affect an environment in a certain way, but architecture is about people coming together to share 24
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that space for specific reasons. That’s why I’m having trouble recognizing this project as art or architecture.” The project Lanman is referring to is Skyline: Timeline, a series of 20-foot-tall, multicolored, cube-shaped panels hovering over Oklahoma City University School of Law, 800 N. Harvey Ave., in Midtown. A project funded by Downtown OKC, Inc. and installed June 22, the canvas panels serve as a literal timeline that marks major Oklahoma City events over the past 60 years. “It’s really cool to come out here sometimes and see kids studying here, people hanging out with their friends up here, walking their dogs,” Lanman said. “I think it’s created an energy that has changed this space for the better, and at the end of the day, that’s what both art and architecture are about: creating a profound experience for the viewer or the inhabitant.” Each year from 1960 to 2015 has its own panel, and each of the six towers stands for a decade. Red signifies new buildings in OKC’s skyline, and yellow means that year
was significant for a reason having to do with arts or culture. White represents acts of God, including tornadoes. Blue represents major policy changes, and green stands for economic breakthroughs. “It’s quite literally a timeline, and I’m pleased with it because the project was mainly about change,” Lanman said. “It’s a temporary project; it’s coming down soon. So it’s not only marking the change the city has seen in the past six decades, but I think it symbolizes the renaissance the city has gone through recently, because it probably wouldn’t even be here otherwise. From an execution standpoint, I’m really happy with it. This is what I wanted it to be, and you can’t always say that about a project.”
I think it’s created an energy that has changed this space for the better. Adam Lanman
Lanman, who has worked on at least three other metro-area installations over the past few years, laughed when asked if he could point to a specific panel and name the event that determined its hue. “Well, yeah, I probably could, but I know other people can’t,” he said. “That’s why we created skylinetimeline.com, so people could go to the site and check out the project in a more detailed way.” On the website, viewers discover the
biggest story of 1957 was when Oklahoma’s wheat crop hit an all-time low. In 1966, 26 public school teachers resigned after a six-month investigation by the state attorney general for “homosexual activities.” Elvis and the Grateful Dead both played here in 1973. The steel framing for 1995’s panel is black. It’s a remarkable visual representation of the city’s history, one that Lanman said might have crossed the border from art to architecture, at least as far as engineering goes. “Oh man, the first three months were straight engineering,” said Lanman, 43, who earned a master’s degree in architecture from Cornell University and taught architecture history at the University of Oklahoma. “I mean, these are 20 feet tall; I didn’t want them to fall over and hurt someone. They had to withstand rain, blowing winds and storms. They had to withstand the elements and the sun. All of that had to be taken into consideration right alongside the artistic side of it.” However, it’s a line Lanman enjoys blurring and will continue to try and smudge out altogether. “It’s about place-making, or creating an environment in a place where none existed before,” he said. “I like to think that this project is a good example of that. It’s not exactly architecture, but it is a structural creation that creates at atmosphere, I think. And I also think it’s art, because they’re not walls. You’re among them. They’re meant to be looked at. “So maybe there is a difference between art and architecture. I just hope I can keep trying to make it so there’s no difference at all.”
Publishing sePtember 21, 2016
v i s ua l a r t s
Artist Steven Grounds creates a mural of Native American activist Suzan Shown Harjo in Concho. | Photo Bo Apitz / Benjamin Oscar / provided
Art school
Muralist Steven Grounds transforms Concho Indian Boarding School into a Native American mural.
By George Lang
For 34 years, Concho Indian Boarding School stood as a vacant reminder of a time when the U.S. government tried to assimilate members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes into European-American dress, language and customs. But thanks to the vision of a local artist, the empty school is now a monument to the accomplishments of Native American heroes and will soon pay tribute to a recent Presidential Medal of Freedom winner. Steven Grounds, 38, began work on his mural two years ago in an effort to turn the decaying building into a place of honor for the tribes, first painting a portrait of Chief Black Kettle of the Northern Cheyenne and then portraits based on turn-of-the-century tribal photographs. While working on this first stage of the project, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes honored CheyenneMuscogee activist Suzan Shown Harjo with a tribal dance to celebrate Harjo’s award from President Barack Obama. “So, she happened to be out here, and I coincidentally was painting the same night that they were having the dance,” Grounds said. “So she came out there and we met, and we talked for 20 minutes. She came across as a really gentle, powerful person, and she inspired me right then and there.” Born in El Reno in 1945, Harjo worked in radio in the mid-1960s and hosted the first Native American news show, Seeing Red. Some of her early work involved activism and repatriation of sacred garments and artifacts housed at New York’s Museum of the American Indian in 1967. She became a congressional liaison for Indian affairs under President Jimmy Carter and led the National Congress of American Indians.
She heads the Morning Star Institute, where she is responsible for returning 1 million acres of sacred lands to native tribes, including Cheyenne and Arapaho. “She is from here, and these are her people,” Grounds said. “So I just decided I had to include her.” Grounds, one of four Native American artists working on the Sheridan Avenue underpass project that links Bricktown to downtown Oklahoma City, initially planned his work on the Concho Indian Boarding School as a place to hone his muralist talent. “Once I got permission, I started it, never thinking about painting an ongoing, evolving mural,” he said. “But it became sort of like the Sistine Chapel, and I realized it could be the biggest work I’ve ever done. I have eight portraits on it now, and the more I paint on it, it feels like a magnum opus, a broad, sweeping mural that I want to continue working on without any specific end date.” Grounds said he is also talking with Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders to help clean up and restore the school’s interior. The structure was built in 1968 and served as the last of four buildings to house Concho Indian Boarding School. He has painted murals inside and would like to transform the currently disheveled interior of the building into a mural gallery. “On a personal level, I’m happy to be giving back to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. I feel that if I can see this through and actually stay with it and stay inspired, then I think I can do just about anything within the realm of street art,” Grounds said. “I was talking to my friend about this the other day: Within the realm of art, if you’re really being purist about it, there isn’t really a moment when you say it’s done unless there’s a deadline. What I’m doing out here in Concho doesn’t have that aspect or endpoint, so it’s maybe never going to be technically finished.” The finished mural of Harjo will be unveiled noon Aug. 6 at the school, located about 4 miles north of El Reno on White Antelope Road in Concho. See more of Grounds’ work at multiartist exhibit Native Pop! The show celebrates its successful run with a closing party 6-10 p.m. Thursday at The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St.
There is a lot to do, see and purchase throughout Autumn and Gazette gives its readers direction on where to find the best festivials, fashions, foods and more!
Featuring a
3 month calendar
For all your Favorite Fall activities submit calendar events at www.okgazette.com or email to listings@okgazette.com Please be sure to indicate ‘Fall guide’ in the subject line. We do not accept calendar items via phone. Deadline to submit items for our Fall guide calendar is Wed. aug. 31, 2016 by 5pm.
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Last meow?
Myriad Botanical Gardens purr-suades the curious to check out what might be the final Internet Cat Video Fest. By Ben Luschen
Oklahoma City’s Internet Cat Video Festival is only three years old, but it might already be on its ninth life. Maureen Heffernan, executive director of Myriad Botanical Gardens, said organizers intended for the festival to be a one-off event when they hosted their first screening in 2014 on the Great Lawn, 301 W. Sheridan Ave. Heffernan has a simple message for friends of the feline who still haven’t had a chance to take in the unique event: The time is meow. “We don’t want to just repeat and repeat things. We want to find new things,” she said. “This year, it’s kind of run its course, so it’s like the grand finale year.” The movie screening, a hilarious 75minute compilation of the best and more creative cat productions from the web, begins at 9 p.m., though guests are welcome to join in the celebration on the lawn as early as 7:30 p.m. The video is curated by Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A number of food trucks will be onsite. OKC Pets Magazine and Central Oklahoma Humane Society will also be out on the lawn distributing information. Part of the reason Heffernan said this likely will be the festival’s last year is because this is the last time Walker Arts Center plans on putting out its annual video. The center was the site of the first internet cat video fest. Hefferman read an article about it in The New York Times several years ago and eventually decided to replicate the idea in Oklahoma City using the video Walker rents out each year. The event sounds like silly and frivolous fun on its surface, but Heffernan believes the gathering serves a greater purpose. “Usually when you’re watching cat videos, you’re sitting at your computer alone,” she said. “It’s funny and you’re laughing to yourself, but the breakthrough idea was, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if we took this out of somebody sitting there by themselves and do it as a public event?’” The Internet Cat Video Festival is part of a growing national and global trend to replace the solitude of the digital age with real-world experience and a tangible sense of community. Another example, Pokemon GO, a popular new GPS-based augmented reality game app, has drawn numerous players to the gardens and countless other locations around the city and world — players who otherwise might not have ever visited. “[The festival] is taking a sense of isolation and bringing people together,” Heffernan said. “The foundation behind it is to remove that sense of isolation.” The director, an admitted cat owner
Last year’s Internet Cat Video Festival on Myriad Botanical Gardens lawn | Photo Myriad Botanical Gardens / provided
Internet Cat Video Fest presented by Tinker Federal Credit Union 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 Great Lawn Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno Ave. myriadgardens.com 405-445-7080 Free
and lover, said the festival is a chance for like-minded ailurophiles to share a laugh over their favorite subject. “I think that whole stereotype with the crazy cat lady or that people who have cats are somehow socially withdrawn or something, that’s so not the case,” Heffernan said. “These people are fun; they’re outgoing and lively.” The director is open to hearing new ideas from the community and encourages people to send what they come up with her way. Event ideas can be emailed to mheffernan@myriadgardens.org. “I’d love to get more ideas from people and maybe they’ve traveled somewhere and have seen something they’d want to do here,” she said. Heffernan is always on the lookout for new ideas. She might already be planning which furry friend will be next in line for a film dedication. “Who knows? Maybe there will be an internet goat festival one day,” she said. Maybe one day, when the world is ready. Until then, at least we have YouTube.
film
from left Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. | Photos David Appleby / Fox Searchlight / provided
Not Fab
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie employs its predecessor’s outdated humor with shaky success. By Jacob Oller
Based on the long-running BBC namesake, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie focuses on party-hard, middle-aged duo Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), whose jokes and bodies seem preserved in a mixture of champagne, cigarette smoke and formaldehyde. Like a British I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, slobbering over the same puffy lifestyle that Zoolander burst into absurdity, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is obsession masquerading as satire. It might want us to think its main characters, the bad people who succeed in the end, are damnations of a lifestyle or an industry, but they exist as wish fulfillment in a deeply ironic way. Audience members are meant to look at the ladies in their knitting club seated next to them, slap them on the hand with their liver-spotted wrists and say “Oh darling, they’re so bad” all while luxuriating in the film’s sociopathy. The film’s attempts at comedy are cruel, with a slapstick attitude lacking any physical comedy and gross-out class without anything gross. Its two emptyheaded posh princesses past their prime, Monsoon the PR diva and Stone the questionably employed cougar, seem to put aside their jobs in order to be full-time menaces to society. They binge on drugs and booze and are the stereotypical bad grannies whose lewd behavior is used as a cheap gag. At least they don’t rap. These two go on a strange quest involving the repercussions from the accidental manslaughter of model Kate Moss and the hunt for rich husbands to mooch from. Most of AbFab takes place at parties, in mansions or in the ritziest parts of the French Riviera, but all looks like the set decorators from Saturday Night Live threw together a few scenes for some cut sketches. This must be intentional. The lights are flat and the scenes shot so tightly that the glamour espoused from
every corner of the film feels merely like leftover confetti after a hastily cleaned college party. Meanwhile, the women selfishly treat everyone with disdain, something that could be funny if the film ever made their behavior a joke rather than a pointed fact — one that we’re asked to sympathize with. I haven’t seen the original show, but I can assure you their humor has not aged well. The plot is far too scattershot to follow, as subplots spring up with characters we are meant to recognize that last all of 30 seconds. Monsoon’s long-suffering daughter has a police officer boyfriend and a black daughter. Gay characters are gossiping hairdressers or peacocking drag queens, and the idea of transexuality crops up over and over as a punchline. There’s a small Asian woman named Huki Muki played by a white comedian in yellowface — not for the purposes of a joke, mind you, but presumably because those associated with the project only wanted to include their old, white, British friends. It’s like hanging out with your spoiled great aunt at Thanksgiving for an hour until she gets plastered and ruins everything. She might think she’s funny, but she’s really just making everyone uncomfortable. It’s a genderbent Adam Sandler movie whose latent xenophobia explains Brexit better than any press conference. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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ARTS & CULTURE
Time bandits
The Oklahoma City 48 Hour Film Project puts 30 teams on the clock in a race to compete for film festival glory. By George Lang
Armed with cameras and caffeine, 30 teams of filmmakers will descend upon The Paramount Theater in Film Row 7 p.m. Friday to compete in the Oklahoma City 48-Hour Film Project, taking their creations from concept to completion by 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Sleep will be a privilege, time management a friend. Ben Hlavaty, producer of the Oklahoma City 48-hour Film Project, said Oklahoma City is one of 140 cities around the world to participate in this year’s speed-art competition.
Growing exposure
“It’s getting better every year. We have filmmakers from all over who come in to make these great films, and we have guys who have won Emmy Awards who are participating,” Hlavaty said. “All the area film festivals have shown films that have come out of the 48 Hour Film Project. In fact, the film that wins Oklahoma City becomes the first selection at deadCenter [Film Festival]. That becomes a big draw, because if you can go out and win the 48-Hour Film Project, you’re already in.” Each project comes with simple requirements determined at the start of the contest. A filmmaker draws a genre out of a hat and then draws a character name, a character trait, a line of dialogue and a prop. Once
This year’s Oklahoma City 48 Hour Film Project event director Ben Hlavaty (pictured) directed and acted in his 2015 entry, Peace, Love & Zombies. | Photo provided
teams have marching orders, how they spend their time is up to them. Their most important tasks involve scriptwriting, rehearsing costume and set design, shooting, editing, sound design, rendering and outputting to media for submission.
Frenzied competition
Hlavaty said the process is never easy, but the most successful teams find ways to make it all work for them while the clock ticks onward. “I think every team is different. You can’t get rid of anything that you’d typically do in a regular film. What happens is you just half-ass it sometimes,” he explained. “You
The lineup Learn more about the project and see last year’s film shorts at 48hourfilm.com/oklahoma-city-ok.
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This year’s entries include:
» La Petite Mort, Jace Bachi
» Atrocity, Cait Brasel
» Le Masque Noir, Aaron Randall
» Aww Bull Productions, Brian Collins
» LOMA, Phillip Borghee
» Cinéma Pur, Mickey Reece
» Manic Pixelated Dream Girl, Holly McNatt
» Everytime Productions, Spike Alkire
» Memory Bucket, Chase Spivey
» Fake Film School, Amanda Hyden
» Mochas, Bokehs, and Rye, Ryan Hylton
» Full Regalia, John Burton
» Olden Grey Productions, Sara Jane Rose
» Hive Mind, Daniel Bottoms
» Option D Productions, Dan Tibbs
» Jenks/Quartz, Ethan Dennis
» Planet Thunder Productions, Jacob Burns
» KD’s Mangled Exit, Shane Smith
» Production Pictures!, Samuel Higgins
4 t i c k e t s to
Director Brent Ryan Green directs an actress during last year’s Oklahoma City 48 Hour Film Project. | Photo provided
the drowsy chaperone
lyric august 9-13
theatre
enter to win okGazette.com/GWW
Go to okGazette.com/GWW to enter to Win 4 tickets gazette’s weekly winner will be announced each week in the table of contents. Printed winners have 7 days to claim tickets. must Provide email, full name & Phone number.
The 48 Hour Film Project public premiere screenings 5 p.m. (group A) and 7:30 p.m. (group B) Aug. 7 OKC Farmers Public Market 311 S. Klein Ave. 48hourfilm.com/oklahoma-city-ok $10-$15
go, ‘Hey, this will have to work.’ You don’t have time for reshoots, you don’t have time for a lot of ADR [dubbing or re-recording audio].” The biggest time-suck, though, takes place in the editing room. “The poor editors; they’re the ones who sit there all night from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon.,” he said. “They kill themselves to get it done, because if they’re just one minute late, it’s disqualified. So I think sleep is the biggest thing that goes by the wayside.” The results are screened to the public 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave. Hlavaty said teams also get to see the results of their two-day campaign on the big screen and determine whether they spent their time wisely. “Some people fold under the pressure, but some people go into the competition saying, ‘No matter what happens, we’re making a movie this weekend,’” he said. “Those are the ones that tend to do better, because they don’t put as much pressure on themselves.”
» Scout Film Company, Susan Owen » Star Swamp, Mike Ransburg » Sweet Peas, Rebecca Parks » Team 16th Phoenix, Dennis Spielman » Team Lemonade, Chris Forest » Team LimeLight, Kyle Roberts » The Collective, Robbie Shelburn » The Holiday, Armadillos Ricky Holderbee » The WAFTI Show, Aaron Souders
Buy a Ticket. Share the tradition. July 26 - 30 Civic Center Music Hall
405.524.9312 // LyricTheatreOKC.com
» Toasted Turtle Productions, Tiffany Davis » Triple M Productions, Kim Martin
Allied Arts | Oklahoma Arts Council | NEA
Source: 48hourfilm.com
O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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back to school
ARTS & CULTURE
New Moon Local artists bring a splash of color and positivity to F.D. Moon Academy’s walls. By Christine Eddington
The enchantingly named cafetorium at F.D. Moon Academy, 1301 NE 13th St., was bustling with industry early one Thursday morning. Doughnut boxes and painting supplies littered tables, and a slightly motley crew of arts activists, administrators and mural painters carried tarps and supplies purposefully from one place to another and paused to rest, admire their work and laugh with one another. They had been working all week, and the transformation was almost complete. “When we first saw this space back in November, it was to attend a meeting. We were in the beginning stages of deciding what Current Studio was going to be, and we knew part of that was making a positive impact on neighborhoods. The meeting was about the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) and its three areas of focus: Classen Ten Penn, where our studio is located, Classen’s North Highland Parked and Culbertson’s East Highland, which is where F.D. Moon is,” said Kelsey Karper, cofounder and co-curator of Current Studio. “We were sitting here 30
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thinking, ‘Wow. This space could be so much brighter.’ It was so dark and uninspiring and didn’t feel right for elementary school children. We knew we could make it better.” Karper and Current Studio co-founder Romy Owens talked to artists, the school’s art teachers, Shannon Entz at SNI and F.D. Moon principal Warren Pete about the project. They decided they wanted to keep the inspirational words that were already on the walls and combine them with ideas from the students themselves. “I cried when I saw what they’re doing here,” Pete said. “I couldn’t believe so many people would take so much time. I know the effect this will have on the students. The words on the walls are the words we live by. We know that the students could easily be lost with all of the terrible things happening in the world, so we let them know that they can change the world. We model kindness and respect so that they learn those attributes.” Pete has been the principal at Moon
left to right Sean Vali, Warren Pete, Romy Owens and Jason Pawley discuss murals on the cafetorium walls at F. D. Moon Academy. | Photo Mark Hancock / for Gazette
for four years, and he used to be vice principal at John Marshall High School. He’s an Oklahoma City native who returned home after college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. “I went into education because it was where I saw the most opportunity to give back,” Pete said. “I had many job offers to leave, but I want to be a part of the growth and excellence happening in Oklahoma City.” The painting project has been a team effort. Volunteer corps from Boeing came in en masse and primed the walls. They even donated the paint. Then volunteer artists came in to work their magic with more donated paint, this time from Anchor Paint. Although all of the artists had been happy to donate their time, one of them, Tanner Frady, was recently and unexpectedly compensated for an old debt and decided to use those funds to pay each artist a small honorarium.
Showing courage
Frady’s company, Frady Cat Signs, painted the word at the center of one of the larger murals: courage. It’s a bold word executed boldly. The letters are rendered in threefoot tall, chrome script. Frady and partner Ashley Dawn knew they wanted to be a part of the project the moment they received Owens’ email. “Right away, I had the idea to do one big word,” Frady said. “It’s done in spray paint, in a chrome effect. The piece is done from
top to bottom; you work your way down.” Dawn explained the technique. “Basically, it is a lot of color-blocking and a lot of fading,” she said. “You do the outline last.” Other artists involved in the F.D. Moon mural project are Sean Vali, Randall Barnes, Nick Bayer, Dylan Bradway, the Holey Kids, Trent Lawson, Mandy Messina, Marcus Muse, Jason Pawley and Cassie Stover. The children at F.D. Moon spend hours in the space each day, having lunch, attending assemblies and working on performances and projects. “We work on theater performances in here, and on our Black History Month performance. We also hold programs in here like National Tie Day, where we teach all of the young men at F.D. Moon how to properly tie a tie, both a regular tie and a bow tie,” Pete said. “For our young ladies, we have a program called Moon Girls Rock, which is also in here. For that day, we put all the boys on the other side of the building and focus on our young women, helping them learn to be young ladies.” Pete knows that he won’t see the fruits of his labor until his students are older, perhaps not even until they graduate from high school and go on to college, but he knows he’s influencing their future. “Moon is a wonderful place to be. We love our kids, our parents and our community,” he said. “We are a change agent of Oklahoma City.”
List your event in
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Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
back to school
Students at The After School Spot participate in public service projects. | Photo The After School Spot / provided
Student union
The After School Spot gives youths a voice and helps them fuel change. By Candice Macis
Active since April of 2015, The After School Spot is dedicated to giving middle and high school students positive options outside the classroom. Cheree Harris, the nonprofit’s founder, explained that she primarily recruits northeast Oklahoma City youths through word-of-mouth from coalition members. “The mission is to provide an environment for teens that is fun, safe, resourceful, educational and will also teach leadership and fellowship through community service,” she said. Harris has a teenage daughter and understands how she has trouble finding things to do, which inspired Harris to do something good for other youths in the city. “I’m very passionate about the community, and specifically northeast Oklahoma City, because I feel like that’s a community that is greatly underserved,” she said. Harris explained that her perspective is based on observations and experiences with local students. “The poverty rate is very high over there,” she said. “There are kids in middle school and high school who are responsible for raising their younger siblings or being raised by grandparents or another family member.” Harris said the area used to have a skating rink and bowling alley and though The Bryant Center has a strong presence, it tends to cater to younger kids and is closed on weekends. The After School Spot’s targeted ZIP codes live 23.6 percent to 40.6 percent below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As a Leadership Oklahoma graduate, Harris recruited a board member from that organization for assistance. She helps the student-led coalition plan annual events and collaborate with Oklahoma CityCounty Health Department for teen pregnancy prevention and Weokie Credit Union for financial literacy education.
The grassroots ethos of The After School Spot is intentional. Harris reached out to kids at schools such as Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering Enterprise, Frederick A. Douglass High School and Star Spencer High School. “[We asked them,] ‘What is it you need in your community that we can help you bring?’ They were ecstatic,” she said. Harris said students were grateful someone asked what they needed instead of assuming. The zeal youth coalition students have shown has paid off. Harris credits them for the success of their Halloween Smash Bash and Stomp Show. Many schools participated in Smash Bash, Harris said, and the collaborative spirit was upheld when students voted to have the event again Oct. 29. “We started having kids show up for our practices,” she said. “We’ve had kids reach out and say, ‘Hey, do you have any community service opportunities available?’” A trunk party was recently held for seven coalition members who graduated from high school. Four members remain in the coalition, but that doesn’t make it any less effective. The coalition’s purpose for The After School Spot is to gain a better understanding of community needs. Harris said coalition members are involved and proactive and specifically focused on sex education. Three of the four remaining students are involved in an adolescent health council through a partnership with the Oklahoma County Teen Pregnancy Prevention program and Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. An eight-week financial literacy program at Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County starts Aug. 26 and is open to interested students. Visit afterschoolspotokc.com or The After School Spot’s Facebook page to enroll. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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ARTS & CULTURE
New school
Norman author Tammy ‘T.L.’ Hayes makes her mark on lesbian fiction with her debut novel A Class Act. By Ben Luschen
back to school
In some ways, A Class Act is typical of lesbian genre fiction. The debut novel from Norman author Tammy “T.L.” Hayes hits bookstores Monday from Bold Strokes Books, a New York-based LGBTQ publishing house that also offers works by S.E. Smith and Nathan Burgoine. A Class Act revolves around a budding but forbidden romance between student and teacher. As Hayes added the finishing touches to her novel, she did not have particular audience in mind. “I’m hoping this story reaches people on a lot of different levels, not just lesbians in general but academics and romantics,” she said. “I think that’s always my goal with anything I write. I want people to enjoy it and relate to it and want to read more.” Readers follow theater graduate student Rory Morgan as she unexpectedly begins to fall for her professor, Dr. Margaret Parks. Morgan’s attraction is immediate, which she finds odd because Parks is older and not what
she considers her type. But Parks’ presence and passion at the class helm is undeniable. “[Rory]’s not expecting this little fireball of a woman to come in and be this badass person,” Hayes said. The student works up enough courage to flirt a little with her instructor. Parks notices and initially brushes it off. The two soon spark a friendship and begin collaborating on a play. The more time they spend together, the more rumors start to spread across campus. Hayes acknowledged that the studentteacher relationship is a common theme in lesbian fiction, but these works often end on a sour note. There is still a sense that lesbian characters need to be punished in some way for their actions, Hayes said. Part of the genre often seems to be the anticipation of what horrible fate will meet the protagonist. A Class Act challenges that cliché. “A lot of lesbian stories in general do not have a happy ending, and I wanted to
change that,” Hayes said. “I wanted to take a typical storyline but make it better, make it happy, basically.” Hayes is writing a spinoff book based on another character from A Class Act. Bold Strokes Books approved the sequel, though a publication date is not yet set. Writing began at a young age for Hayes. Her mother was a poet who often wrote for friends. Hayes put together her own poems, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t replicate her mom’s magic. “I wanted to imitate her, so as a kid I tried and didn’t do so well,” Hayes said. She didn’t give up though. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree
in educational studies and spent some time as a playwright while in school. During that time, Hayes also wrote the short story that became the novel A Class Act. Hayes, working on her second book, is far removed from her early days of failed poetry. She said it is a tremendous joy to finally be able to call herself a published author. “I found that [writing] was my niche and I wasn’t just doing it because my mom was doing it anymore; it was just my thing,” she said. “It was what I had to do.”
A Class Act by T.L. Hayes is set for a Monday release. | Image provided
Filling needs Linked Church provides clothing and haircuts to students during its Giving Back event. By George Lang
Amanda Graves remembers Blackwelder Ave., and collects what it was like to go to school uniforms, shoes, socks, Giving Back: school without the things backpacks, jackets and underOKC Youth she needed. Her mother was wear and provides haircuts Matter an addict, she said, and for children as they start a Graves spent much of her new semester of school. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 6 childhood drifting in and “We need all the haircutThe Linked Church out of the Department of ters we can possibly get,” she 5114 S. Blackwelder Ave. Human Services, rarely said. “We need clothes — facebook.com/ clothes that haven’t been feeling like she belonged. givingbackokcyouth “I grew up rough, in and worn or that you’ll never do 806-433-4950 out of the system,” said anything with. We need shoes. Free Graves, event coordinator We need everything.” with The Linked Church. “When it came The event itself, which includes food, time to go to school, I didn’t want to be there. music and games, is designed to celebrate I didn’t have clothes, and I didn’t have my children while providing them with essenhair cut the way I wanted. I didn’t look and tials — some that are obvious and some that feel good. So when I became a mother, I are rarely discussed in such circumstances. thought how important it is for my children Collection bins are stationed at Urban to look good and feel good and I realized Teahouse locations, and Cusack Meats is that I wasn’t just a voice for them; I needed donating hot dogs for the event. to be the voice for all these children.” “It’s just a day to celebrate the youth and Remembering what it felt like to return let all kids know that we care and we’re here to fall classes without proper clothes and doing everything we can to help you,” shoes, Graves launched Giving Back: OKC Graves said. Youth Matter. The event happens 9 a.m.-6 For Graves, the plight of children going p.m. Aug. 6 at The Linked Church, 5114 S. to school without basics is a personal one, 32
Author Tammy Hayes in her Norman office | Photo Mark Hancock / for Gazette
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Giving Back: OKC Youth Matter helps students get ready for school. | Photo bigstock.com
and it’s one she has faced with her own children. She tells stories about real poverty, including times when she could not afford the $1.69 per pound to buy clothes from Goodwill Industries. She said she knows firsthand how something many take for granted, like a haircut, can feel like a luxury. “Well, if you’re a single mom and you got $2.50 in child support last week, is that going to get your son a haircut?” she said. “So we’re just doing it.” Graves said she encourages vendors and donors to contact her at 806-433-4950 for information about needed supplies for the event. “You have to have hope,” Graves said. “When we have a village that takes care of these children, we’re all able to do what we need to do.”
Healthy start Giving Back: OKC Youth Matter provides needed gifts to children as they begin a new school year: >> uniforms >> jackets >> backpacks >> socks >> shoes >> haircuts >> undergarments Learn more and how to participate at facebook.com/ givingbackokcyouth or by calling 806-433-4950.
calendar are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
BOOKS Silent Book Reading Event, join fellow bibliophiles for two hours of silent reading benefiting Community Literacy Centers in Oklahoma City, 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 28. Garden Cafe at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Harry Potter Midnight Release Party, costume contest, trivia, activities and refreshments along with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, 10 p.m. July 30. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT
The Big Lebowski, (US, 1998, dir. Joel Coen) “The Dude” Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it, 8 p.m. July 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Fargo, (US, 1996, dir. Joel Coen) Jerry Lundegaard’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson, 2 p.m. July 31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN Red Carpet Premiere: Citizen Soldier, (US, 2016, dir. David Salzberg) dramatic feature film told from the point of view of a group of soldiers in a United States Army Infantry Company, part of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Thunderbirds Brigade, 7 p.m. July 31. Warren Theatre, 1000 S. Telephone Road, Moore, 405-735-9676, warrentheatres.com. SUN Wide Open Wednesday Western Movie Matinee: Comancheros, (US, 1961, dir. Michael Curtiz) Texas Ranger Jake Cutter (John Wayne) arrests gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves known as Comancheros, 1 p.m., Aug. 3. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Sonic Summer Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, (US, 1981, dir. Steven Spielberg) Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis, 8 p.m. Aug. 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED Tuesday Night Classics: Smokey and the Bandit, (US, 1977, dir. Hal Needham) the Bandit is hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over county lines in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff, 7 p.m. Aug. 2. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. TUE
Bowl Party Do you prefer rolling to walking? Are you a goofy-foot with a penchant for daredevil nollies? Grab your board and soar to Mat Hoffman Skatepark, 1700 S. Robinson Ave., downtown 7-11 p.m. Saturday for a bowl party. The event by Forgiven Skate Church features free barbecue, a free best line in bowl contest and a film screening. For more information, visit Forgiven Skate Church’s Facebook page. Saturday Photo bigstock.com
FILM Elena and Her Men, (IT, 1956, dir. Jean Renoir) Polish countess Elena falls in love to a French radical party’s candidate, a general, in pre-World War I Paris, but another officer pines for her, 8 p.m. July 28. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Therapy for a Vampire, (AT, 2014, dir. David Ruhm) Sigmund Freud’s newest patient is a vampire fed up with his undying relationship with his wife, 5:30 p.m. July 29-31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI -SUN Blood Simple., (US, 1984, dir. Joel Coen) a rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But when blood is involved, nothing is simple, 8 p.m. July 29. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.
FRI
Dive-In Movie: Woodlawn, (US, 2015, dir. Andrew Erwin) a gifted high school football player must learn to embrace his talent and his faith as he battles racial tensions on and off the field; pull up a tube or lounge chair and enjoy a family-friendly flick in the wave pool, 9 p.m. July 29. White Water Bay, 3908 W. Reno Ave., 405-943-9687, whitewaterbay.com. FRI Floating Films: Jaws II, (US, 1978, dir. Jeannot Szwarc) police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters; enjoy watching the film projected outdoors at the new Riversport Rapids, watch on the lawn or rent a tube or raft and watch on the water, 9:15 p.m. July 29. RIVERSPORT Rapids, 800 Riversport Drive, 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org. FRI The Wizard of Oz, (US, 1939, dir. Victor Fleming) Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home, 7:30 p.m. July 30. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. SAT
HAPPENINGS Lunch & Learn, learn about today’s voter registration process and why we are unable to locate so many historical voter registration records, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. July 27. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory. org/historycenter. WED Oklahoma Observer Newsmaker Series, join Observer editor Arnold Hamilton for a lively, onehour conversation with Mid-Del Superintendent/ Education Blogger Rick Cobb and Rep. David Perryman on the state of public schools and the electoral power of the Teacher Caucus, 3-4 p.m. July 28. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU
Art After 5, enjoy the OKC skyline along with live music, friends and cocktails on top of OKCMOA, 5-11 p.m. July 28. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU
Good Time! Fun Show!, a night of comedy with audience participation, 7-9 p.m. July 30. Anthem Brewing Company, 908 SW Fourth St., 405-6040446, anthembrewing.com. SAT Industry Flea, an open-air market of artisans, shops and vintage finds, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 30. Industry Flea, 399 NW 10th St., industryflea.com. SAT Slide the City, Shartel Avenue is transformed into the biggest block party of the summer with a water slide over 1,000 feet long along with food, music, local vendors and street entertainers, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. July 30. Slide the City, 911 N. Shartel Ave., slidethecity. com. SAT
FOOD July Plaza Beer Walk, walk through the plaza visiting restaurants featuring a lineup of delicious craft beer from a different brewery each time, 5-9 p.m. July 27. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-367-9403, plazadistrict.org. WED Cooking with Kam, learn how to make great side dishes form local, seasonal vegetables, noon-1 p.m. July 28. Park House, 125 Ron Norick Blvd., 405-2327275, parkhouseokc.com. THU Eats on 8th, food truck festival and night market; family friendly event with live music, a kid’s zone, pop-up vendors and much more, 6-11 p.m. July 29. Midtown, NW Ninth Street and Walker Avenue. FRI Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. July 30. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT 7th Anniversary Craft Beer Block Party, live music, hand-crafted beers, food trucks, games and more in celebration of Mustang Brewing Company’s 7th anniversary, 2-7 p.m. July 30. Mustang Brewing Company, 520 N. Meridian Ave., 405-943-0100, mustangbrewing. com. SAT July Cocktail Party: El Dorado Rum, showcase of cocktails made with July’s Spirit of the Month, El Dorado Rum, along with light hors d’oeuvres, 4-7 p.m. July 30. Ludivine, 805 N. Hudson Ave., 405778-6800, ludivineokc.com. SAT Classic Cocktail Class: Daiquiri, learn about and mix your own daiquiri and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, 4 p.m. July 31. Ludivine, 805 N. Hudson Ave., 405778-6800, ludivineokc.com. SUN Cookie Decorating Class: Back to School, students decorate cookies with a back-to-school theme; class is appropriate for beginners, 2-5 p.m. July 31. The Black Scintilla, 1112 N. Walker Ave. #104, 405824-7599, blackscintilla.com. SUN Doughnut Making Class, learn about raised and yeast doughs; make fresh yeast and cake doughnuts followed by decorating your delicious creations, 6-9 p.m., Aug 2. Belle Kitchen, 7509 N. May Ave., 405-430-5484, belle-kitchen.com. TUE
Astronomy Nights in the Gardens, members of the OKC Astronomy Club and their telescopes return to the gardens for summer nights filled with star gazing; check out the moon, stars and planets, 8:30-10 p.m. July 28. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. THU
Summer Babes Pop-Up Market, shop vendors featuring vintage and handmade goods along with a beach themed photo booth, Huey’s Shaved Ice and food and drinks from Speakeasy, 6-10 p.m. July 30. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. SAT
YOUTH Kids Bowling, kids bowl free all summer long; program designed to give back to the community by providing a safe, secure and fun way for kids to spend time this summer. Sooner Bowling Center, 550 24th Ave., Norman, 405-360-3634, soonerbowl.com.
I Think My Mom Is a Zombie Summer Camp, children’s summer camp held by Oklahoma Children’s Theatre; ages 7 and up, July 27-July 30. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre. org. WED -SAT
Worms Make Me Happy: Vermicomposting Workshop, get an inside look into worm bins, and learn the do’s and don’ts of building one at home, 11 a.m. July 30. CommonWealth Urban Farms, 3310 N. Olie Ave., 405-524-1864, commonwealthurbanfarms.com. SAT
The Makers Fair, a craft market opened to the public with items for sale made by members of Joe’s Workshop, 1:30-6:30 p.m. July 30. Joe’s Work Shop, 13915 N. Harvey Ave., Edmond, 405-531-0153, joesws.com. SAT
Photo bigstock.com
Be the Dinosaur, A state-of-the-art video game exhibit that turns the player into a virtual Triceratops or a T-rex. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.
Find Your Voice, lecture by Matt Payne, famed film and television screenwriter and travel writer, in anticipation of his new workshop series; discuss the power and importance of finding your own voice as a writer and an artist, 7 p.m. July 28. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery. org. THU
My First Project, participants build a standard-style toolbox under the guidance of Phil Gilliland or Jerry Hickman, Sr., 1-3 p.m. July 30-31. Joe’s Workshop, 13915 N. Harvey Ave., Edmond, 405-531-0153, joesws.com. SAT-SUN
Bricktown GO If you haven’t hopped on the Pokémon GO bandwagon yet, you might want to catch up before Friday. Retro Gamers Society hosts a Pokémon GO in Bricktown. Meet 7 p.m. at Centennial Fountain in front of Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. Participants will fight for gyms, hit up pokéstops and drop lures together before a pub-crawl at TapWerks Ale House. And the best part is you don’t even have to be a Pokémon master to participate; organizers encourage everyone to just come out, relax and make some new friends. Visit facebook.com/SuperBitcon. Friday
Cocktails & hors-d’oeuvres with Freedom Oklahoma Freedom Oklahoma vice chairwoman Ally Coffey and her wife Cyndi Gilliland host guests with cocktails and hors-d’oeuvres in support of Freedom Oklahoma and its education and advocacy campaigns. The event begins 5:30 p.m. Thursday at their home. There is a $35 suggested donation. Learn more and RSVP at FreedomOklahoma.org, email info@ freedomoklahoma.org or call 405-4468836. Thursday Photo bigstock.com
Okietales, one-of-a-kind reading and storytelling time where kids can hear and see history; dive into history with books and stories and explore a different topic from the Wild West and cowboys to land runs and pioneer life, 10:30-11:30 a.m. July 27 and Aug. 3. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/ historycenter. WED Annie, Jr., adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical based on the popular comic strip features everyone’s favorite little redhead Annie; with equal measures of pluck and positivity she charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City, 10 a.m. & noon, July 27-29; 2 p.m., July 30-31. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. WED -SUN Weekly Walk-Ups, each day holds a new activity; make and take crafts on Monday, play with food on Tuesday, story time on Wednesday, crafts focusing on the environment on Thursday and a scavenger hunt on Friday, 10 a.m.-noon July 27-Aug. 3. Children’s Garden, 301 West Reno & Harvey, 405445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com. WED -WED
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calendar Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405218-1000. WED
continued from page 33 A Night with Bats, discover the amazing life of bats, including secrets of echolocation, flight and cave homes, before traveling by caravan to a local park to encounter these high-flying animals, 8-10 p.m. July 29. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-3254712, snomnh.ou.edu. FRI
VISUAL ARTS 39 Days, collection of photography and mixed media art by Wendy Thomas-Pomeroy that represents a moment in time where she put the worst 39 days of her life behind her; the collection also took 39 days to create. 1219 Creative, 1219 N. Classen Blvd., 1219creative.com.
Story Time With Julie, kid-friendly story time with the latest children’s books, 10:15 -11 a.m. July 30. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT
Artwork by Linda Hiller, exhibit on display through August. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R , 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com.
Ladies’ Only Chess Club, chess club giving girls and women a venue where they can build and maintain social relationships with other chess-playing girls and women; all skill levels are invited to participate, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. July 30. District House, 1755 NW 16th St., 405-633-1775, districthouseokc.com. SAT Little Chefs Learn to Serve, teaches children that cooking can be creative, full of discovery and a lot of fun while giving back to their community and time learning about Latin American cuisine, 2-5 p.m. Aug. 2-4. Edmond Mobile Meals, 25 W. Third Street, Edmond, 405-341-3111, edmondmobilemeals.org. TUE-THU
PERFORMING ARTS Fiddler on the Roof, celebrate family and tradition with Tevye in one of the most beloved musicals of all time; enjoy classics such as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were A Rich Man” and “Matchmaker” in this brand-new production, 7:30 p.m. July 27-28, 8 p.m. July 29, 2 and 8 p.m. July 30. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2584, okcciviccenter.com. WED -SAT Bricktown Reggae Fest, 21st annual event bringing a tropical dose of irie vibes to Oklahoma City; outdoor music festival for all ages featuring live reggae by local and regional bands, as well as beer and food trucks, July 29-30. Bricktown Reggaefest, Reno and Oklahoma Ave. FRI -SAT Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival, featuring 45 performers in contemporary and modern dance works, 7:30 p.m. July 29-30. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. FRI -SAT Summer of 69: No Apostrophe, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally bring their comedy show to Oklahoma City metro, where they yank the britches right off their marriage, exposing the salacious details of their fiery union, 8 p.m. July 30. Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, Norman, 405-322-6000, riverwind.com. SAT Twinkle Twinkle Lil’ Show, comedy variety show with your Twinkle Twinkle Lil’ hosts Ebby Brown and Jessi Kyle, 9 p.m. July 30. Kendell’s Bar, 110 S. May Ave., 405-601-6848, facebook.com/ Kendellsbar. SAT
A Hiding Place: A Collaborative Exhibition Many art exhibits are variations of the same type of event. A Hiding Place is different. The opening reception is a mixture of open dialogue, poetry, artistic work and other mediums. The collaborative exhibition focuses on the concept of a person’s “hiding place,” whether it’s a physical location or metaphorical state of mind. The reception is 5-8 p.m. Thursday at [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St. Visit 1ne3.org. Thursday Photo bigstock.com
In My Life: A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles, more than a tribute, this show has a narrative element that depicts everything from the Ed Sullivan Show appearance to the final performance atop the Apple Corps offices, 7 p.m. July 31. Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, 6420 SE 15th St., Midwest City, 405-7337960, rose.edu. SUN
ACTIVE Ultimate Adventure Camps, camp giving kids a chance to try adventures like zip lining, the SandRidge Sky Trail, high-speed slides, kayaking, standup paddle boarding and whitewater rafting, May 30-Aug 12. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org. Rayo OKC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, professional soccer game, 8 p.m. July 27. Miller Stadium, 1777 S. Yukon Pkwy.,
Yukon. WED
Drop-In Yoga, yoga class in the museum’s galleries, 5:45-6:45 p.m. July 28. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. THU Beer Yoga, join Brooke Larson for a one-hour, beginner-friendly yoga class followed by a pint of beer, 10 a.m. July 29. Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., bleugarten.com. FRI Nick Felix’s Ballroom Dance Practice Party, free dance class, recorded big band dancing, special tango floor show staring Jose and Cora Septier along with wine and pizza, 7-10 p.m. July 29. DZP 3Sixty Event Center, 7312 N. Cherokee Plaza, 405203-1669. FRI Paddle Boarding in the Gardens, enjoy paddleboarding in the garden’s lake, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT
Into the Woods Into the Woods has enchanted audiences since it debuted on Broadway in 1987. Now, Oklahoma Children’s Acting Guild (OCAG), 101 SW Fourth St., in Tuttle takes on the classic tale of witches, bakers and princesses. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at OCAG. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for kids under 3 years old. Visit oklahomachildrensactingguild.com.Thursday-Sunday Photo bigstock.com
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Gardens Walking Tour, tour highlights plants in each season around the Gardens, 10-11 a.m. July 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. SAT Barre3 Community Workout, enjoy a free workout in the Myriad Gardens, 7 p.m. Aug. 1. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-4457080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. MON
OKC Energy vs. Sacramento Republic FC, professional soccer game, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 2. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St. TUE USA Canoe/Kayak Sprint National Championships, four-day event including competitors of all ages from across the country and include the U.S. Masters National Championships, Aug. 3-6. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-5524040, boathousedistrict.org. WED OKC Dodgers vs. Round Rock, minor league baseball game, 7:05 p.m. Aug. 3-6. Chickasaw
Beyond, AK Westerman offers a compilation of works designed to incite the imagination and encourage us to embrace a state of amazement and wonder we so often abandon after childhood; vivid swirls of color and washes of light contrast with furtive, otherworldly creatures wrapped in darkness. Graphite Gallery, 1751 NW 16th St., 405919-0578, graphiteokcart.com. Blooming, artist and storyteller Bernadette Esperanza Torres communicates with her hands, translating stories into clay; sculptures are autobiographical narratives sometimes with handbuilt soft slap female Mexican/Italian full figures, flower mounds platters and animal imagery in clay. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-5286336, jrbartgallery.com. Brushstroke Dreams, bold brushstrokes and bright colors in expressionist paintings by local artist Brad Price. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405307-9320, pasnorman.org. Contemporary West II: New Works by Stephen St. Claire, a feature of landscape paintings using the Dialuminism technique which embeds metal leaf and oil painting within layers of solar protective resins. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.
Our Favorites, fun-filled exhibition showing gallery art from new to old including some that have never been seen. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo St. #A, 405-525-2161, inyoureyegallery.com. Painting with Matisse Workshop, fun, low-pressure, creative workshop designed for painters at any level; use Matisse’s approach to the elements of painting (subject matter, color, pattern, shape) while incorporating acrylic paint, pastels, pencils and collage, 10 a.m. July 30-31. Paseo School of Art, 3110-A N. Paseo St., 405-205-8990, paseoschoolofart.com. SAT-SUN Randel Hicks, contemporary acrylic painter. Paseo Gallery One, 2927 Paseo St., 405-524-4544, facebook.com/paseogalleryone. State of Mind, paintings composed of shapes in colorful formations reflecting a myriad of longings and recollections, but also unexpected joys and challenges in day to day life by Janice MathewsGordon. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. The Modernist Spectrum: Color and Abstraction, explore the invigorating ways in which postwar American artists, especially those associated with the Washington Color School, made it new, producing novel work that sought to reinvent abstract art through an alternatively rigorous and playful manipulation of color, line and shape. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo and Microscopy, the Academy of the Lynx, or Accademia dei Lincei, were responsible for the first published report of observations made with a microscope (Apiarium, 1625) as well as with the telescope. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.
Drop-In Art: Watercolor Seascapes, join guest artists each Saturday as they interact with families to create extraordinary works of art inspired by the museum’s collection, exhibitions and special occasions, 1-4 p.m. July 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. SAT Edmond People, Edmond Politics, showcases a variety of political memorabilia and historic photographs that illustrate the many ways Edmondites have participated in local, state and national politics; political brochures, elections guides and even a Bellmon Belles dress with matching jacket complement the many posters on view in the Sign of the Times exhibit. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard, Edmond, 405-3400078, edmondhistory.org. FiberWorks 2016, an annual, juried fiber exhibition giving artisans an opportunity to showcase their work from traditional crafts to innovated art. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan. individualartists.org, 405-232-6060 Icons of Badassery, group show featuring the art of Todd Bane; see artistic interpretation of badassery in the years that lead up to 1984. Studio 3108, 3108 N. Classen Blvd., 405-210-5701. facebook.com/ Studio3108 Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, experience the full scope of Matisse’s extraordinary career through nearly fifty of his paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints dating from the late 19th century to after World War II; including additional major works by Picasso, Renoir, Braque and more. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Missing Pieces, local fiber artist Leigh Martin knits whimsical, detailed flowers in order to celebrate and share her awe at nature’s complexity. The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St., 405-609-3969, theprojectboxokc.com. O. Gail Poole: Rediscovered Oklahoma Master, over the course of five decades, O. Gail Poole built, tore down and rebuilt his artistic style with breathtaking regularity, creating one of the most diverse bodies of work of his generation; a headturning collection of the master’s portraiture and landscapes. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. Oklahoma Roots on Route 66, exhibit of original artwork by Shel Wagner featuring a selection of her whimsical, must-see assemblage pieces. Spraycan Creative, 420 W. Main St., Yukon, 405-494-0321, spraycancreative.com. Our City, Our Collection: Building the Museum’s Lasting Legacy, exhibit that tells the story of the museum’s history as a series of transformative gifts, bequests and acquisitions; including artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, Rembrandt van Rijn, Gustave Courbet and many more. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.
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IAO Film Screening Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO) recently announced its monthly film screening program, and Wednesday, July 27, marks the debut of the event at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave. The event features works chosen by IAO’s film committee as well as an open screening. Filmmakers are invited to bring 5-10 minutes of their work to show for feedback and discussion. The event starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Visit individualartists. org. Wednesday, July 27 Photo bigstock.com
Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
For okg live music
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MUSIC
Summer restoration
The Bourgeois breaks up a common summer with its first new project since 2014. By Ben Luschen
jobless summer, but instead of being active The Bourgeois owns summer. and going out into the world, he becomes a The Tulsa-based alternative rock act recently found time to speak with Oklahoma hermit, too lazy to even make his regular Gazette in what has become a hectic July. Its visit to Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment. new four-track EP, Designer “We definitely, as a band, Genes, is due for a Friday have had some summers that release. The band has put out were kind of like that,” Mobley three singles from the The Bourgeois said. “We’ve had some grandiproject within the last ose plans and then that stuff with Turbo month. doesn’t come together.” Wizard and The Gazette caught voThis summer isn’t one of The Shutdown calist-guitarist Zach Mobley those. Shutouts and drummer Ty Clark between preparing for a lastNew work 10 p.m. Friday minute gig opening for “Designer Genes,” the EP’s Blue Note Lounge Eagles of Death Metal at title track and lead single, 2408 N. Robinson Ave. Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom and doesn’t have an edge; it is the facebook.com/ edge. The guitar work is hard working on a music video for bluenoteokc The Bourgeois single “The and abrasive. There’s an un405-600-1166 Summer of George.” dercurrent of contempt in $5 The song’s title alludes to Mobley’s voice when he rheneurotic George Costanza and a well-known torically says, “Tell me what it’s like to have designer genes.” episode of the iconic Seinfeld comedy series. The video, likely to debut following Designer The title is an obvious riff on the Genes’ release, splices band footage with homonym “designer jeans” and is a grimacclassic Costanza moments. ing affront to arrogance, stuck-ups and “We’re huge Seinfeld fans,” Mobley said. privilege. “The song’s not really about that [episode], “To me, the song’s about people who kind but the song’s about similar feelings.” of have this air about them,” Clark said. In “The Summer of George” episode, “They feel superior to you in every way, including genetically.” Costanza, recently fired from his job with The Bourgeois is often at its best when it the New York Yankees, revels in knowing is at its most aggressive. his severance package should last him The band has released singles but hasn’t several months. He makes big plans for his
The Bourgeois celebrates its latest project with a month of new music releases. | Photo Derrick Weber / provided
released a full-scale project in two years. Mobley and Clark said the band wasn’t stagnant — far from it. The Bourgeois was retooling. The group spent a lot of time playing live shows and writing new material. Both musicians said they were pleased with the response to 2014’s full-length release We’re Still in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at the Stars, but they were mostly happy anyone paid attention at all. “Obviously, it’d be great if it was blowing up and we were selling out arenas, but at the same time, we’re just going to write the best songs that we can,” Clark said. “We’re making steady progress along the way, and that’s good enough for us for now.” Mobley said another important development in the last two years was securing what feels like its true roster of players. In addition to Mobley and Clark, The Bourgeois also features bassist Vance Young. “It’s big just to have our lineup finalized,” Mobley said. “And I think we’ve finally figured out our sound. I think the first couple of years of any band is going to be trying to figure out what your sound is. I think we have a pretty good idea of it now.”
Write, record
The group has more than one project lined up. “We already have the [full-length] followup [to Designer Genes],” Mobley said. “It’s done; we’ve finished it. We’re going to kind
of see what’s up and we’ll weigh our options.” He said the follow-up album should come out sometime next year. A lot of what is next will be determined by where the new EP takes the band. An Oklahoma City release show is Friday at Blue Note Lounge, 2408 N. Robinson Ave. A Designer Genes tour hits the road sometime this fall. The grind of touring, Mobley said, is often where things seem to develop. “You just have to be willing to accept it,” Mobley said. “You just have to make sure you’re not in an uncomfortable position 23 hours of the day to do your 30-minute thing on a stage at night, but when you’re playing your show, it’s worth it.” Band members work to hone their craft, in part for their audience and certainly for their own sanity. “We’re working all the time,” Clark said. “Write, record; write, record; write, record. Show after show. We’re constantly doing something.” Opening for Eagles of Death Metal in front of a sold-out audience or performing to an empty room, Mobley feels confident in the music and, therefore, compelled to create bigger, better works. “This is what we love to do,” he said. “It’s great that people are interested. Even if people weren’t interested, this is still probably what I’d be doing. It’s great to be in a band where we’re actually making progress and people are actually interested in us.”
You just have to make sure you’re not in an uncomfortable position 23 hours of the day to do your 30-minute thing on a stage at night. Zach Mobley
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MUSIC
Big Hippy
Rapper and artist Chief Peace hopes to parlay a chance meeting with Shaquille O’Neal into a meaningful local impact. By Ben Luschen
Shaquille O’Neal might be the last person this opportunity,” he said. “I keep saying, anyone would expect to see walk into The ‘Turn this wave into a flood.’ People say Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Cafe on a this stuff comes in waves, but this isn’t all Tuesday night, but one thing is for sure: about me. Oklahoma’s been flooded with culture for years now.” When the retired professional basketball star enters a building, there’s no mistaking him. Finding Peace Local rapper and artist Barrett Tarr, Peace’s Paseo Arts District apartment is a clean, open space. There’s a noticeable known by his stage name Chief Peace, lack of furnishings. A hammock hangs in hosts open mic nights at the local hookah the corner. A sound booth and makeshift lounge, 2900 N. Classen Blvd., several times a month. home studio dominate an area by the window. Paintings and a rack of longHe did not expect the 7-foot, 1-inch boards hang on the wall. A calming basketball legend to drop in on the poetry jam a f ter an incense scent wafts Oklahoma City through the room. To step inside is Thunder and San to enter the artist’s Antonio Spurs Lil Debbie mind. playoff game. He with Bricc Baby Shitro, did not expect the Love and art Josh Sallee, Chief Peace might be Peace’s grand entry to and Mars Deli lead to the biggest mantra now, but he 8 p.m. Aug. 11 career bump any admits it hasn’t OKC Farmers Public Market young local artist always been. 311 S. Klein Ave. might dream of. Peace said he eliteproductionsokc.com Poetr y a nd has always felt com405-232-6506 spoken word are pelled to create, but $12-$25 great, but Peace growing up, most $5 thought O’Neal, people didn’t recogwho once showed nize him as an artist. He was promising rap chops in a short-lived music career that smart and adept at sports. In high school, included collaborations with The most saw him as a nice and funny athlete. Notorious B.I.G. and Fu-Schnickens, Music eventually made its way to the would appreciate a different kind of showforefront of his life. He dropped out of case. sports and concentrated on songwriting. “I had just started doing songs when I One of his first rap names was Cadency, a realized Shaq walked in,” he said. moniker he halfheartedly adopted as a It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass nod to his smooth and on-point flow. up, and it paid off. The emcee saw O’Neal “Eventually, it was just like, ‘I think waving his hands to the beat of Peace’s there’s more to me than just staying on tune “Hippy Kid” back in the VIP lounge. beat,’” he said. After Peace left the stage, he was called He fully embraced the Chief Peace back to see O’Neal, who said he wanted to handle, a name he first used on Instagram, use his song on ShaqFu Radio, his streambut not until he felt he earned it. ing online radio station. He took the time to work on himself When O’Neal asked him if he was going after a particularly tumultuous period in back onstage, Peace convinced O’Neal to his life. He meditated daily and sought a join him as his hype man. In May, a video greater understanding of the world, all of the two performing “Hippy Kid” was while improving his musical abilities. soon picked up by celebrity gossip and Peace grew out his dreadlocks and promnews website TMZ. It quickly went viral. ised himself that he would also continue to grow mentally. In June, the single became the most requested song on Oklahoma City radio “I want to make sure I’m not ever stagstation Wild KKWD 104.9 FM. “Hippy nant,” he said. Kid” has almost 35,000 plays on SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify. Fresh canvas Peace hopes the chance encounter proAfter his encounter with O’Neal, Peace vides a diving board high enough for him took some criticism for his rap name. to make the kind of big splash he has Some claimed he misrepresented Native culture. planned for a while now. His new album, Blue Peace, is due out in September. The artist discussed the complaints His goal is not merely to reach listenwith a group of Native friends and artists ers. It’s to change minds and forge a moveto clarify his intention in using the name. ment in the state he loves. “I wanted them to know that this is not “I’m just trying to take advantage of a gimmick; this is out of respect,” he said. 36
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Chief Peace plans to release a full-length album, Blue Peace, in September. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
I keep saying, ‘Turn this wave into a flood.’ People say this stuff comes in waves. Chief Peace “I do know that there are probably Native Americans watching the news … and being like, ‘Who is this white kid calling himself Chief Peace? I’m not calling him chief.’” Some accepted Peace’s explanation and motive; others did not. But he said everyone agreed he did the right thing by opening a conversation. Some other artists might have ignored the criticism. Peace said his mother moved to California within the last year and his family wants him to move to the West Coast. Though he one day will likely move from Oklahoma to affect the world in new places, he said he wants to make a lasting impression in this state first. “Oklahoma is just a blank canvas right
now; California has been painted plenty of times,” he said. “Yeah, I could paint over it and add my own little touches, or I could do this in Oklahoma and show people you don’t have to move to create anything.” One could argue that Peace has already made an impact. The young and the old, the big and the small, the masses and the massively famous have joined him singing, “I’m that hippy kid.” “I want them to look at hippies not as anything but loving music and friends and going outside and enjoying life and good vibes,” he said, “because that’s all I picture.”
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Tickets Available At CriterionOKC.com Or Order By Phone By Calling 1.800.745.3000 Purchase Tickets At Our Box Office From 12pm-5pm On Weekdays For Premium Seating Or Season Ticket Info Contact: MorganKatz@Livenation.com O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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MUSIC
Eclectic evolution Kentucky’s Jeremy Pinnell looks forward to his Oklahoma debut on Monday. By Ben Luschen
Jeremy Pinnell is not one for theatrics. loves. His vocals and lyrics are strikingly Those who venture out to this week’s emotive. edition of The Deli’s Monday night Band Pinnell said he recorded the album Practice music series in Norman, 309 White several times with assistance from his band, St., won’t be in for pyrotechnics or small The 55s, before arriving at the finished talk from the country product. The act is based artist whose OH/KY in Kentucky, 30 minutes album brings back strong south of Cincinnati. Band Practice visions of a honky-tonk Their first few cracks at music series past. the project did not sound Gabe Marshall Band, “I’m not much of a right, so Pinnell didn’t Jeremy Pinnell talker, you know? I’m release them. The group and the 55s trying to get better at repeated the process until and Tanner Miller that, but I’d really just everyone was comfortable rather play music,” with the results. 5:15 p.m.-midnight Pinnell said during a The process became July 29-30 recent Okla homa therapeutic for Pinnell. Intersection of Reno and Music has always been a Gazette phone interview. Oklahoma avenues calming force in his life, “I always get crazy when brewerentertainment.com even when everything you hear bands telling bricktownokc.com stories between songs.” around it seemed troubled. Free This is not a problem “I never really put too because Pinnell’s music much thought into it, but it speaks for him. always seems to be that way,” he said. OH/KY, released March 25, is a highly The musician grew up listening to evpersonal record. It delves into Pinnell’s erything from the Ramones to Johnny struggles with drug addiction and former Paycheck and Bonnie “Prince” Billy and
began his music career singing in church. From an early age, he preferred writing music to learning other songs. “I was just a young kid,” he said. “I wasn’t great at it or anything, but I tried it.” Over time, he got better, but he also said his skills declined when he stepped out of music for a while. Like any other talent, good songwriting takes consistent practice. “You get real bad really quick, man,” Pinnell said. “It don’t take no time at all.” OH/KY has a strong honky-tonk feel, but he has not always pursued pure country music. Early on, he focused on folk and changed direction after a friend suggested that country might suit him better. Pinnell was born and raised in Cincinnati. Growing up, he did not like the area; it bored him. As he got older, his attitude changed. He has come to appreciate his home and recognizes the impact it has had on his music. “There isn’t much to do,” he said. “You can’t go to the beach; you can’t go to the mountains. You’re stuck right here. You either play basketball, go to work or you write music. Or sometimes do all three.” Pinnell should feel right at home in landlocked Oklahoma. Though his Norman stop is his first show in the state, he has passed through before. He remembers flying in to Will Rogers World Airport when he was 18. He stepped out to use a pay phone and was immediately blown back a step. “I always remember that wind, how pow-
唀倀䌀伀䴀䤀一䜀 䔀嘀䔀一吀匀 䄀吀 䘀䤀刀䔀䰀䄀䬀䔀 䄀刀䔀一䄀
Jeremy Pinnell performs his first Oklahoma show on Monday. | Photo Jonathan Willis / provided
erful that wind was just whipping across there,” he said. The chance to finally perform here excites the soft-spoken musician. What thrills him most about the coming tour is the opportunity to take in new experiences. “It’s funny how when you get older, you get excited to go to places just to see stuff,” he said. “I think when you’re younger, you just kind of run through it all as quick as you can.” Stream and buy OH/KY at jeremypinnell.com.
Sat, July 30
JOSH ABBOTT BAND Fri, auguSt 5
MIKE RYAN BAND Fri, auguSt 12
JON WOLFE Sat, auguSt 13
GUIDED BY VOICES w/ Broncho tueS, auguSt 30
GAELIC STORM Sun, Sept 18
BRIAN FALLON & THE CROWES & RYAN BINGHAM Mon, Sept 19
TEGAN & SARA Fri, Sept 23
GLEN HANSARD Fri, Sept 30
LOCAL NATIVES Sat, oct 1
㐀 㔀ⴀ㈀㜀㌀ⴀ㘀㌀㜀 ∠ 䘀䤀刀䔀䰀䄀䬀䔀䄀刀䔀一䄀⸀䌀伀䴀 㠀㐀㔀 伀䰀䐀 刀䄀一䜀䔀䰀䤀一䔀 刀䐀 ∠ 匀䠀䄀圀一䔀䔀Ⰰ 伀䬀
䘀䤀刀䔀䰀䄀䬀䔀⸀䄀刀䔀一䄀 䘀䤀刀䔀䰀䄀䬀䔀䄀刀䔀一䄀
ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES Tulsa, OK
★ 423 NOrTh MaiN sT.
TICKETS & INFO: caiNsballrOOM.cOM 38
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West best
WestFest announces its 2016 music lineup. By Jennifer Chancellor
WestFest noon-10 p.m. Sept. 3 Western Avenue District between 41st and 43rd streets westfestok.com Free
It’s official. WestFest organizers released this year’s music lineup to Oklahoma Gazette first, and we’re sharing it with you. The free street party and music festival returns for its second year to the Western Avenue district between 41st and 43rd streets, which will close to welcome an expected 10,000-15,000 revelers noon-10 p.m. Sept. 3, organizers said. This year’s lineup features headliner David Ramirez, a folk-Americana act from Austin, Texas, as well as rock, hip-hop and rap, soul, pop, rock, singer-songwriter, indie folk-rock, acoustic, country, blues and more. Organizers also added a second outdoor stage for this year’s event. This year’s main stage gets live and loud with around 10 music acts, including Ramirez, indie rocker Chase Kerby + The Villains, bright alt-pop band Husbands, roots-rock act KALO, Southern rocktinged alt-country act Black Canyon, alternative blues-rocker Nicnōs, post-rock band Forum, garage-country act Porch Mice, existential rock five-piece The So Help Me’s and funk-bluegrass-country fusion act The Captain Ledge Band. The main stage will set up outside VZD Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave. #D, and neighboring A Date With Iris. The north stage features rapper Jabee, alt-rocker Fiawna Forté, Americana-folk act Judith, indie-folk bands Willow Way and Exit Glaciers, singer-songwriter Katie Williams, progressive blues-rock act Connor Hicks Band and minimalist experimental harp and ukulele performer sun riah. WestFest’s inaugural event last year featured headliners Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Deerpeople, Beau Jennings + The Tigers and a lineup filled with genrebusting acoustic, singer-songwriter, EDM, rock, pop, neo-soul and hip-hop. An estimated 5,000-7,000 guests filled the corridor for the 2015 event, said Rachael Taylor, Western Avenue Association executive director and WestFest chairwoman. Venues along the strip join the familyfriendly, daylong block party. In addition to specially priced food and drinks in airconditioned bars and restaurants in the district, Oklahoma City craft brewing company Anthem Brewing will be there, as will a roster of local food trucks. Head to okgazette.com for WestFest’s Spotify festival streaming playlist.
Jabee | Photo provided
KALO | Photo provided
Willow Way | Photo provided
2016 roster Lineup and times subject to change. Learn more at westfestok.com.
North stage 1:30 p.m.: sun riah 2:30 p.m.: Connor Hicks Band 3:30 p.m.: Katie Williams 4:30 p.m.: Exit Glaciers 5:30 p.m.: Willow Way 6:30 p.m.: Judith 7:30 p.m.: Fiawna Forté 8:30 p.m.: Jabee
South stage
MAKEthe SWITCH
Trade your cigarettes for a vaping starter kit! Exclusions may apply OOer valid thru 8.27.16
noon: The Captain Ledge Band 1 p.m.: The So Help Me’s 2 p.m.: Porch Mice 3 p.m.: Forum 4 p.m.: Nicnōs 5 p.m.: Black Canyon 6 p.m.: KALO 7 p.m.: Husbands 8 p.m.: Chase Kerby + The Villains 9 p.m.: David Ramirez
METRO LOCATIONS
NW OKC: 5745 N MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD S OKC: 9101 S WESTERN AVE STE 106 FOLLOW US! MIDWEST CITY: 8911C SE 29TH ST MOORE: 2311 S II35 SERVICE RD
VAPORWORLD.BIZ O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 2 7, 2 0 1 6
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LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
WEDNESDAY, 7.27 2X4/I AM/Held Down, 89th Street Collective. ROCK
Shinedown/Halestorm/Black Stone Cherry/ Whiskey Myers, BOK Center, Tulsa. ROCK
THURSDAY, 7.28 Bleep Bloop, Kamps 1310 Lounge. ELECTRONIC
Blink 182, Chesapeake Energy Arena. ROCK Brandon Jackson, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Byron White/Dylan Stewart/Buffalo Rogers, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER Cara Black, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Garage Band Jam, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK Jarvix, Sauced on Paseo. ROCK
Chase Kerby
Powerhouse Sessions Vol. 1 Release Celebration In March, 20 local bands and music acts, including Jerrod Beck, Bowlsey and Beau Jennings, recorded an album in a pop-up studio at Power House over two days. Powerhouse Sessions Vol. 1 will be available for sale at its album release party, and many of the recording bands will be there to help celebrate the occasion. Brunch performances run 11:30 a.m-4:40 p.m. at Power House, 1228 SW Second St. Outdoor shows begin 5 p.m. Indoor shows begin 5:45 p.m. The evening music session runs through 1 a.m. Admission is free. The album is $15. Visit cellardoormusicgroup.com. saturday Photo Gazette / file
Limp Wizurds/Cosmostanza/Old Misery/Troy Alan, The Deli, Norman. ROCK
FRIDAY, 7.29 Bowie Tribute: Kali Ra/Tapestry, Back Alley Gallery. COVER Creep City/Student Film, Opolis, Norman. ROCK
Zomboy, OKC Farmers Public Market. ELECTRONIC
SUNDAY, 7.31
Dana Cooper, The Blue Door. SINGER/
A Brilliant Lie/Ocean Disco/Through the Stone/ NoiseBleedsSound/Zoot Suit, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ROCK
Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon.
Blues Jam with The Exclusives, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES
SONGWRITER
COVER
Jamey Johnson/Shawna Russel, Riverwind Casino, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER John Carnuccio, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK
Ian Moore, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Intronaut/Entheos/Moon Tooth/Oberon, 89th Street Collective. ROCK
Kyle Brewer, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Pleasures/Masterhand/Trash TV, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK
Matt Stansberry & the Romance, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. VARIOUS
Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER
Midas 13, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK MIGOS, OKC Farmers Public Market. HIP-HOP Mike Updegrove, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES The Blend, Remington Park. ROCK
The 1975/Good Charlotte/Pvris, The Zoo Amphitheatre. ROCK Twilight Concert Series: Susan Herdon & Sky Smeed, Myriad Botanical Gardens. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
The O’s, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY
MONDAY, 8.1
Wakeland/Ryan Reid, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK
Ashleigh Stone/Tombstone Glen, Red Brick Bar, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER
SATURDAY, 7.30
Jeremy Pinnell, The Deli, Norman. COUNTRY
American Authors, Frontier City. ROCK
TUESDAY, 8.2
Audiobomb, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK
Debbie Henning, Puebla Tacos y Tequileria, Norman. ACOUSTIC
Bleu Edmondson, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Curtis Braly, Sugar Creek Casino, Hinton. COUNTRY
Drive, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. ROCK
Oh, Sleeper/The Ongoing Concept, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER
Eldredge Jackson, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ
Tedeschi Trucks Band/Los Lobos/North Mississippi Allstars, Brady Theater, Tulsa. ROCK
Garrett Dale Muderface/Caught Stealing, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK
WEDNESDAY, 8.3
Hidden Agenda, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK
Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
Josh Abbott Band/Flatland Calvalry, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. COUNTRY Lazy Rooster Rhythm Company, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COUNTRY Otis Watkins, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Robby Ray, Full Circle Bookstore. PIANO Terri Hendrix, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
The Casey Donahew Band/Wade Bowen/Cam/ Kevin Fowler/Runaway June, Remington Park. COUNTRY
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Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
free will astrology Homework: Is it possible there’s something you really need but you don’t know what it is? Write Truthrooster@gmail.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Free your body. Don’t ruminate and agonize about it. FREE YOUR BODY! Be brave and forceful. Do it simply and easily. Free your gorgeously imperfect, wildly intelligent body. Allow it to be itself in all of its glory. Tell it you’re ready to learn more of its secrets and adore its mysteries. Be in awe of its unfathomable power to endlessly carry out the millions of chemical reactions that keep you alive and thriving. How can you not be overwhelmed with gratitude for your hungry, curious, unpredictable body? Be grateful for its magic. Love the blessings it bestows on you. Celebrate its fierce animal elegance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
The people of many cultures have imagined the sun god as possessing masculine qualities. But in some traditions, the Mighty Father is incomplete without the revitalizing energies of the Divine Mother. The Maoris, for example, believe that every night the solar deity has to marinate in her nourishing uterine bath. Otherwise he wouldn’t be strong enough to rise in the morning. And how does this apply to you? Well, you currently have resemblances to the weary old sun as it dips below the horizon. I suspect it’s time to recharge your powers through an extended immersion in the deep, dark waters of the primal feminine.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
An Interesting Opportunity is definitely in your vicinity. It may slink tantalizingly close to you in the coming days, even whisper your name from afar. But I doubt that it will knock on your door. It probably won’t call you seven times on the phone or flash you a big smile or send you an engraved invitation. So you should make yourself alert for the Interesting Opportunity’s unobtrusive behavior. It could be a bit shy or secretive or modest. Once you notice it, you may have to come on strong — you know, talk to it sweetly or ply it with treats.
By Rob Brezsny
CANCER (June 21-July 22) [Editor’s note: The counsel offered in the following oracle was channeled from the Goddess by Rob Brezsny. If you have any problems with it, direct your protests to the Queen Wow, not Brezsny.] It’s time to get more earthy and practical about practicing your high ideals and spiritual values. Translate your loftiest intentions into your most intimate behavior. Ask yourself, “How does Goddess want me to respond when my co-worker pisses me off?”, or “How would Goddess like me to brush my teeth and watch TV and make love?” For extra credit, get a t-shirt that says, “Goddess was my co-pilot, but we crash-landed in the wilderness and I was forced to eat her.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Be alert for white feathers gliding on the wind. Before eating potato chips, examine each one to see if it bears a likeness of Rihanna or the Virgin Mary. Keep an eye out, too, for portents like robots wearing dreadlocked wigs or antique gold buttons lying in the gutter or senior citizens cursing at invisible Martians. The appearance of anomalies like these will be omens that suggest you will soon be the recipient of crazy good fortune. But if you would rather not wait around for chance events to trigger your good luck, simply make it your fierce intention to generate it. Use your optimism-fueled willpower and your flair for creative improvisation. You will have abundant access to these talents in the coming weeks.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You have just begun your big test. How are you doing so far? According to my analysis, the preliminary signs suggest that you have a good chance of proving the old maxim, “If it doesn’t make you so crazy that you put your clothes on inside-out and try to kiss the sky until you cry, it will help you win one of your biggest arguments with Life.” In fact, I suspect we will ultimately see you undergo at least one miraculous and certifiably melodramatic transformation. A wart on your attitude could dissolve, for example. A luminous visitation may heal one of your blind spots. You might find a satisfactory substitute for kissing the sky.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) For many years, my
occupation was “starving artist.” I focused on improving my skills as a writer and musician, even though those activities rarely earned me any money. To ensure my survival, I worked as little as necessary at low-end jobs — scrubbing dishes at restaurants, digging ditches for construction companies, delivering newspapers in the middle of the night, and volunteering for medical experiments. During the long hours spent doing tasks that had little meaning to me, I worked diligently to remain upbeat. One trick that worked well was imagining future scenes when I would be engaged in exciting creative work that paid me a decent wage. It took a while, but eventually those visions materialized in my actual life. I urge you to try this strategy in the coming months, Libra. Harness your mind’s eye in the service of generating the destiny you want to inhabit.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You have every right to
celebrate your own personal Independence Day sometime soon. In fact, given the current astrological omens, you’d be justified in embarking on a full-scale emancipation spree in the coming weeks. It will be prime time to seize more freedom and declare more autonomy and build more self-sufficiency. Here’s an important nuance to the work you have ahead of you: Make sure you escape the tyranny of not just the people and institutions that limit your sovereignty, but also the voices in your own head that tend to hinder your flow.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Of all the forbidden
fruits that you fantasize about, which one is your favorite? Among the intriguing places you consider to be outside of your comfort zone, which might inspire you to redefine the meaning of “comfort”? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to reconfigure your relationship with these potential catalysts. And while you’re out on the frontier dreaming of fun experiments, you might also want to flirt with other wild cards and strange attractors. Life is in the mood to tickle you with useful surprises.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You have a special talent for accessing wise innocence. In some ways you’re virginal, fresh, and raw, and in other ways you’re mature,
seasoned, and well-developed. I hope you will regard this not as a confusing paradox but rather as an exotic strength. With your inner child and your inner mentor working in tandem, you could accomplish heroic feats of healing. Their brilliant collaboration could also lead to the mending of an old rift.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
“Where is everybody when I need them?” Even if you haven’t actually spoken those words recently, I’m guessing the voices in your head have whispered them. But from what I can tell, that complaint will soon be irrelevant. It will no longer match reality. Your allies will start offering more help and resources. They may not be perfectly conscientious in figuring out how to be of service, but they’ll be pretty good. Here’s what you can do to encourage optimal results: 1. Purge your low, outmoded expectations. 2. Open your mind and heart to the possibility that people can change. 3. Humbly ask — out loud, not just in the privacy of your imagination — for precisely what you want.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Millions of Pisceans less fortunate than you won’t read this horoscope. Uninformed about the rocky patch of Yellow Brick Road that lies just ahead, they may blow a gasket or get a flat tire. You, on the other hand, will benefit from my oracular foreshadowing, as well as my inside connections with the Lords of Funky Karma. You will therefore be likely to drive with relaxed caution, keeping your vehicle unmarred in the process. That’s why I’m predicting that although you may not arrive speedily at the next leg of your trip, you will do so safely and in style.
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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puzzles
VOL. XXXVIII No. 30
New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Double Features
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72 “Buh-bye!” 76 Art ____ 78 Beliefs 79 Black 82 Didn’t budge 83 Thrice, in Rx’s 84 “Huh”-inducing, say 86 One going around in circles? 88 Small songbird 89 Sailing ropes 90 Short flight 91 Monet or Sartre, by birth 92 In due course 94 Blight 97 One of the Wayans brothers 98 Old-fashioned stage direction 99 Candy man 101 Electricity-eschewing group 102 Swift, in a way
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Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Brett Dickerson, Christine Eddington Jack Fowler, George Lang, Jacob Oller Photographer Garett Fisbeck Editorial & PHotography Interns Keaton Bell, Candice Macis, Hannah Meeske, Erick Perry, Emmy Verdin Marketing & Editorial Intern Ian Jayne Marketing Intern Diondra Ross
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Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley
Sudoku Puzzle Medium
ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer
New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers
Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com Grid n°1942503585 medium
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Art Director Chris Street
Puzzle No. 0717, which appeared in the July 20 issue.
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