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METRO police and social media
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Tez Wings
11 FEATURE Oozie Mediterranean
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NEWS Local law enforcement agencies use social media to engage with the community and receive tips to solve crimes. | Photo Miguel Rios
other social networking sites that would otherwise be a violation of federal or state law or departmental policy, procedure or rule,” according to the Police Operations Manual. The manual also includes a nondiscrimination provision stating that employees’ conduct resulting in intentional or unintentional discrimination or harassment with regard to race, color, creed, disability, age, religion, sex or national origin is prohibited.
METRO
Social media success
Social policing
Despite negative press from individual officers, law enforcement agencies’ use of social media yields positive results. By Miguel Rios
Social media has grown into one of the most efficient tools for law enforcement agencies to solve crimes. But bigoted and racist posts from officers’ personal accounts cause people to question how they can equally police all communities. Despite individual officers across the nation making headlines for negative social media posts, officials say overwhelming benefits outweigh the negative specter. Barely a month after graduating from the academy, Tulsa officer Wayne Brown was terminated for his previous anti-government and Islamophobic social media posts. Tulsa police chief Chuck Jordan determined the posts violated department policy, which led to Brown being fired, according to a statement from the department. “Adherence to the department’s code of conduct is required in the personal use of social media,” according to the Tulsa Police Department policy manual. “In particular, department personnel are prohibited from posting … forms of speech that ridicule, malign, disparage or otherwise express bias against any race, religion, or protected class of individuals.”
Policies
Mark Myers, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) public information director, said OCSO developed social media usage policies for employees almost immediately after creating its social network. All official OCSO accounts are administrated by Myers, but the department’s policy also applies to “employees that choose to participate in any social media outlet.” The policy states officers must use their personal accounts in a “manner that does not discredit the employee, a co4
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worker” or the department. Additionally, any violations to the policy — posting vulgar language or images, anything intended to incite social disorder, any image or language inflammatory to any protected class or anything contrary to an image of positive public trust — are grounds for “disciplinary action, up to and including termination.” “Especially in law enforcement, when you are on social media — even when you’re private — you have to remember that you are a public employee,” Myers said. “Just be very careful with the types of information that you’re putting out there. Obviously, you can lose your job if you’re putting information on your social media that can publicly be considered negative.” Oklahoma City Police Department’s (OKCPD) policy makes distinctions between different types of profiles. Business, department and investigative profiles are established by the department for official reasons, while personal profiles are set up by individuals and not considered a product of OKCPD. Business profiles are used for communicating with citizens, department profiles officially represent the department as a whole, and investigative profiles are undercover accounts to “access, monitor or investigate” social media content or to communicate in an “undercover capacity for official purposes.” “Police employees who have personal social media profiles shall not post, communicate, upload or share any words, information, images, pictures, documents or files to their profile or Oklahoma City Police Department prohibits employees from using personal social media accounts in a way that goes against departmental policies and procedures. | Photo Alexa Ace
SSgt. Jennifer Wardlow started working with Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) in 2002 in patrol. She eventually worked in the Public Information Office for seven years before moving to Crime Stoppers. “This was about three and a half years ago. Basically, Paco Balderrama — he’s now a deputy chief — he was my boss at the time, and we had had several conversations about how social media was growing,” she said. “We were starting to use it more and having success solving cases. Anyhow, we had the idea of merging Crime Stoppers and social media together because from our experience, it was a natural fit.” Wardlow, who also serves as Crime Stoppers manager, became the first and remains the only social media manager the department has had. Before this, the department’s Twitter account went mostly unused and its Facebook account, while more active, was still rarely used. Around 2015, officials began making more concerted efforts to post consistently, which Wardlow said led to better interactions and more followers. “That’s exactly what we wanted because we’re a police department first and foremost, so we have cases that we want to get solved, which the community has been wonderful helping us, sharing things and helping us identify people,” Wardlow said. “We probably get about 20 messages a day. Sometimes on busy days, it’s a lot more than that. … That’s been a great tool because 20 years ago, who would’ve thought you’d be able to get on the com-
puter and message the police department, and within just a few minutes, you’d have a sergeant responding to you directly?” Myers started the department’s social media accounts almost a decade ago. In 2013, several media outlets reported their Twitter account had more followers than any other department in the country. “I come from a news background, and at that time, I always felt that through social media, we have basically a 24-hour news station that we can put information out about our agency,” Myers said. “We started being strategic and teaching people about our agency and communicating with the public about what goes on within our agency. … We’re also able to show people that we’re your neighbors, we’re your friends, we’re family members.” Social media has made solving cases much more efficient, Wardlow said, especially since departments are able to reach a large portion of the population at once. “We actually had a case where we released a photo on social media and, I believe it was within two minutes, I got a call at Crime Stoppers of somebody identifying the suspects,” Wardlow said. “I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that. Not only is it happening, but it’s happening quickly. I believe the old record was four minutes, but then this was two minutes. It’s amazing; people see it, they share it and then they call.” Wardlow and Myers measure their success using social media through increased engagement and follower counts but also through a change in perception. “There’s this perception that we’re just robots with badges, and that’s just not true,” Myers said. “We’re very community-oriented, and we were able to really show people who we are as an agency. … Whether good or bad, people can communicate and give us feedback, and then we could address issues that the community felt we needed to address. One of the greatest tools is to be able to reach a large audience.” Both OKCPD and OCSO are active across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Community members are encouraged to reach out with questions, tips or concerns.
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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
S TAT E
NEWS
Powerful women
Following one of its most successful years, a local nonprofit continues recruiting and training progressive women to run for office. By Miguel Rios
Before flipping Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional district, Kendra Horn served as executive director of Sally’s List. She helped recruit and train women who considered running for elected positions before jumping into the mix herself. “Sometimes you have to take your own advice,” she previously told Oklahoma Gazette. “I was hearing woman after woman tell me that they didn’t want to run for office because they didn’t believe they knew enough or they didn’t think politics really affected them. Everything we do on a day-to-day basis is affected by politicians, from the quality of the city streets we drive on to the water we drink, the trash we take out and how our children learn in school.” But before Horn and her congressional win came Sara Jane Rose.
Sally’s List
Rose worked in the film industry in Los Angeles before moving to Oklahoma in 2005. Her work in politics began after joining the Planned Parenthood board and being asked to lobby at the state Capitol.
Alyssa Fisher, Sally’s List programs manager, said much of their work revolves around getting women to see how qualified they truly are. | Photo Miguel Rios
“I knew nothing about politics. I knew nothing about how you even relate to a legislator, but I went down anyhow,” she said. “By the end of the day, I was at the front of the group, arguing with people who said things like, ‘I had to vote that way because three constituents called and told me they cared about it’ or, ‘I agree with you, but I won’t be able to walk in my church on Sunday if I vote that way.’” During their lobbying, board members said they had been looking for someone to create a political action committee to support pro-choice candidates. So Rose 6
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and Sally Rae Merckle Mock stepped up in 2008 and made it happen. However, Mock died shortly after. “A couple of years went by, and I really didn’t want to do anything else political, but someone came to me and suggested we do something like Sally’s List. There are a number of [similar] groups around the country, Annie’s List being the closest in Texas,” Rose said. “They support pro-choice, Democrat women candidates, and we thought, ‘OK, that’s a nice start, but there are many issues facing women in Oklahoma.’” Sally’s List was born out of many conversations and named after Mock, who was an attorney and progressive women’s rights advocate dedicated to improving the lives of Oklahoma women. The nonpartisan organization focuses on a breadth of issues affecting women, including education, health care, the economy and criminal justice reform. “Leadership needs to authentically represent the people that they’re called to serve, and that’s not how our democracy has been working for far too long,” said Alyssa Fisher, programs manager. “Women are really very good at analyzing themselves and the circumstances that they have found themselves in and recognizing that traumatic, problematic or stressful events in their life might not have happened if there had been systems in place that would have prevented that from happening or would have eased that stress or would have made sure they didn’t have to work three jobs to make sure their kids had clothes and food. That’s not the perspective at the Capitol right now.” Sally’s List was founded too late in 2010 to train candidates for that particular year, but the organization has seen an average of three to four wins since 2012. However, 2018 was the group’s most successful year, with 17 victories at the state, county and municipal levels. Those women include Horn, county commissioner Carrie Blumert, OKC councilwoman Nikki Nice and Sen. Chelsey Branhan, among many others. “It’s about building the bench [and] making sure women have a place to go. They have all this energy, and it shouldn’t be wasted,” Fisher said. “Too often, I think women are like, ‘Well, I’d like to do that, but I don’t know how. I don’t know where to start, and I don’t know who to talk to.’ But we really try to utilize our resources to make sure women are engaged in whatever works for them.” Sally’s List, whose services are completely free, is a 501(c)(4) organization, so it receives all funding through private donations since it can’t apply for grants.
Rose said its major donors who they could not survive without are all men. However, it also raises money through an annual luncheon, which will actually be a dinner this year. Tina Tchen is the keynote speaker at Sally’s List Annual Powerful Women Dinner 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive. Tchen served eight years in the White House as chief of staff to former first lady Michelle Obama, assistant to former president Barack Obama and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Looking ahead
The organization already started recruiting and training women for elections through 2022 and will continue with training sessions in October. Rose and Fisher emphasize seeking training as early as possible, even if there is only an inkling of running for office. “We’re training women running in 2020, 2021, 2022, and women who know they’re going to want to run sometime but don’t know when, and women who aren’t sure they want to run but want to find out what it’s all about. My feeling is if you find out what it’s all about, when the moment comes, you’ll recognize the moment,” Rose said. “Or they’ll realize there’s another place for you to serve, right? You could be a campaign manager or be an extra, super knowledgeable volunteer. Not everyone is supposed to run for office, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Fisher added. “All marginalized people are obviously on the front lines of social issues and the lack of, I don’t know, real agency of government. … So they’re pissed off, and they’re activated. And I’m like, ‘Bring me that energy. Let’s go. Let’s put that in the right direction.’” Women encounter many more obstacles when running for office than male counterparts. That’s why Sally’s List works both in groups and one on one with candidates on things like fundrais-
Sara Jane Rose is the founder and executive director of Sally’s List, a nonprofit that recruits and trains progressive women to run for office. | Photo Miguel Rios
ing, canvassing and public speaking. Fisher said a lot of its work is also to make women realize they’re more qualified than they think and that they’ve been leading for most of their lives, whether that was as class presidents, head of a sports team or caregivers. “Women, oftentimes, I think, really struggle with impostor syndrome, and one of the most beneficial ways to combat that is to lead female candidates through this narrative process,” she said. “We create a [timeline] and write down education, religious aspects, family, friends, basically pulling out stories and experiences of their lives. … These are people who have been stepping up their entire lives, but no one’s ever shown them. … So they aren’t able to recognize their amazingness.” Rose and Fisher encourage anybody to reach out if they have any interest in running, learning about the process or volunteering. They also encourage people to connect those they believe would make good progressive candidates with Sally’s List. “When a woman or a man thinks of a woman they know who might want to run someday or doesn’t know they might want to run someday, call us, connect us because we’re really good at selling the fact that we’re a very supportive organization,” Rose said. “If they run, they will run an educated, robust campaign. Once they start running and raising money, as a [501(c) (4)], we’re pretty hands-off with them, but we will train them really well.” Visit sallyslist.org.
Powerful Women Dinner 6 p.m. Oct. 1 Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive sallyslist.org $100-$2,500
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chicken
friedNEWS
Game changer
Righteous Gateway
In news that’s guaranteed to get Grandpa started on a, “These damn kids nowadays with their purple hair and their Pokermans [sic]” rant, Oklahoma City University’s new E-Sports team, which held tryouts on Sept. 14, gives students the chance to play video games competitively against teams from other schools. You know, like a sport. OCU esports director Jeff Price told Tulsa’s KTUL news that competitive gaming is notable for its inclusivity. "The great thing about esports is that it crosses all boundaries,” Price said. “ I mean, it's, you know, all genders, all races, you know, any kind of ability or disability." Student Austin Hogue, who tried out for the team, told KTUL that the university’s esports program has encouraged him to stay in school. “This is kind of a lifechanging moment for me because, like, I don't know what I’m going to do with my life,” Hogue said. “Music, as much as I love it, it wasn’t something I could teach because I have a stutter, and I just couldn’t get in front of large groups.” Sure, it would be easy to argue that video games are basically just a waste of time with no significance in reality, and that’s exactly what makes the esports team fit right in with the university’s basketball, baseball, wrestling, cross country, golf, soccer, etc. teams. Fun fact: Since OCU doesn’t have a football team, Grumblin’ Grandpa never thought they had a real sports program anyway.
Coffin dwelling
To most introverts, spending 30 hours alone with no connection to the outside world might sound like a dream come true — especially if you get paid $600 once it’s all said and done. But what if you had to do that in a “slightly used,” claustrophobic Frontier City coffin? We’re not sure what “slightly used” means in this case, but that’s definitely a deal-breaker for us. Unlike having to wait for hours stranded on Frontier City’s Silver Bullet, one of its most well-known attractions with a tendency to stop midride, this confinement is completely voluntary. The amusement park is actually accepting applications — yes, applications — for its 30-Hour Coffin Challenge during its annual Fright Fest. “Six coffin dwellers will be chosen to spend up to 30 hours in a coffin, from 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 5 until 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 6,” according to Frontier City’s website. “Anyone who gets out of their coffin for any reason, with the exception of getting out to participate in the challenges or for the designated bathroom breaks, will be out of the contest.” Participants will receive meals “in bed,” des-
ignated bathroom breaks, “terrifying visits by the Fright Fest freaks” and take part in challenges to stay in the contest. We’re not sure what those challenges will be, but various media outlets in other states report their local Six Flags amusement parks incorporating a wheel with challenges like eating dried crickets, holding a snake and being blindfolded. Some other Six Flag parks also mention a tie-breaker in case more than one person makes it through the 30 hours: a race to eat “VERY hot chicken wings with a minimum Scoville rating of 1 million,” which is about the same as ghost peppers. Ultimately, one coffin-dweller will win the $600 cash prize, two gold combo season passes and a Fright Fest package because surely they’ll want to spend even more time at the amusement park.
As The Righteous Gemstones — the series meant to satirize the hypocrisy of powerful megachurches — is in the middle of its run on HBO, real life is proving to be just as absurd as the television show. Tulsa-based nonprofit The Frontier launched its own investigation into one Oklahoma’s most powerful Christian organizations, Gateway Ministries, which illuminates the lack of oversight for churches from state agencies and the IRS. Gateway Ministries is headquartered in Tulsa, but it has no house of worship. It hasn’t stopped Rodgers from declaring his personal home a parsonage, waiving its property taxes, according to The Frontier. Rodgers is head of the Oklahoma chapter of Watchmen on the Wall, a collection of 13,000 pastors nationwide organized by the D.C.-based fundamentalist Christian organization Family Research Council. Rodgers’ position with the organization has led him to multiple meetings with President Trump. While it doesn’t operate a physical church, Gateway Ministries is the legal name behind City Elders, an influential political organization that operates in 40 of the state’s 77 counties and whose board includes former state GOP
chairman David McLain. City Elders works closely with Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee by recruiting religious leaders, civil government and business heads who agree with its political views that have been described as “dominion theology” or total political control in civil government by Christians by the state’s Tea Party leader. Federal law prohibits churches and charities from engaging in political campaigns. According to the watchdog organization Ministry Watch, once the IRS sees that an organization is declared a church, that ends their oversights. “You and I could agree today to be the First Church of Greed and Mayhem,” Ministry Watch CEO Rusty Leonard told The Frontier. “That could be our name. We could set up a facility and people could donate to us tax-free and the IRS wouldn’t complain about that. We could take the money people donated and use for vacations or whatever mayhem we wanted to create. And it’s all legal.” Be right back; we’re filing to be Chicken-Fried Church of Debauchery and Hedonism that uses all of its donations on public education funding and food insecurity.
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EAT & DRINK
REVIEW
from left Tez Wings employees Terissa Jordan, Miracle Lennox, DeAnn Gabriel and Matthew Freund | Photo Jacob Threadgill
Chicago mild
Utilizing Chicago’s famous mild sauce, Tez Wings draws crowds for its lemon pepper wings, catfish and shrimp. By Jacob Threadgill
Tez Wings 3801 N. Oak Grove Drive, Midwest City facebook.com/thetezwingz | 405-546-8777 WHAT WORKS: The mild sauce is sweet, spicy and totally unique. It works with chicken and seafood. WHAT NEEDS WORK: The streamlined menu means everything is expertly cooked. TIP: Call ahead for orders to cut down on wait time.
The city of Buffalo might have popularized the chicken wing in American culture, but Chicago has a unique preparation of wings that includes its own variation of what is simply known as mild sauce that is prominent on the city’s south and west sides. The mild sauce, which is reported by Chicago Tribune to be a blend of barbecue sauce, ketchup and hot sauce, received a tribute from native son comedian Hannibal Buress. “If serenity had a flavor, it would taste like mild sauce. It should have Sriracha levels of fame,” Buress wrote for Chicago Magazine in 2017. The Oklahoma City area got its answer to Chicago-style wings and mild sauce with the opening of Tez Wings in June 2016 at 3801 N. Oak Grove Drive off NE 10th Street in Midwest City. With a streamlined menu that serves wings, fries, catfish and shrimp, Tez Wings has quickly gained a huge following. Every time I’ve gone to the restaurant — usually only a few minutes after it has opened at noon — it’s already packed full of people ordering and picking up takeout. Wings are finished with a lemon pepper-style seasoning, and the customer adds regular or spicy versions of the mild sauce after ordering. “Tez Wings is special,” said Apollo Woods, founder of OKC Black Eats. “It’s my first introduction to Chicago-style wings, and I was hooked. I don’t know 10
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what [owner Will Jordan] puts on the wings, but it’s like a magical sparkle that’s so addictive. I tried to wait until I got home to eat my food, but that was impossible.” William Jordan arrived at Tinker Air Force Base not long after joining the Air Force, which included deployment in Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE). His vision for Tez Wings began during the most difficult period of his life. In 2014, Jordan was driving through Missouri on his way to Chicago for his grandmother Corretta Jordan’s funeral. While on the road, he said that his car, which also carried his pregnant wife, began being harassed by a semi-truck and he feared being run off the road. “I had my handgun, and I fired a warning shot and another one to protect my wife and son,” he said. The second shot went into the truck but didn’t hit its driver. Jordan was pulled over and had guns drawn on him while he was arrested and charged with firstdegree assault among other charges. “I never made it to my grandmother’s funeral, and I was in disbelief that it was happening,” he said. His case’s jurisdiction was eventually adjudicated through the Air Force, first by an Administrative Discharge Board in 2015 and then a general court martial in front of a jury in 2016. The jury deliberated for 15 minutes and acquitted him of charges. He signed a lease for Tez Wings, which he opened in a former 7-Eleven space, after the board hearing in 2015 but was surprised to be brought before the court martial just two months after opening the restaurant. “I’m still getting treatment for the whole incident,” he said. “I withdraw from a lot of things. They took the fun out of a lot of life. For you to cross that left Chicken wings are lightly battered and finished with lemon pepper before the addition of mild sauce. right Shrimp and catfish from Tez Wings | Photos Jacob Threadgill
line [and think I was going to jail] and then say, ‘Go back to real life,’ I don’t know how to do that.” He got out of the military and went to school and put the same seven-daya-week energy that he used in the military into his restaurant. It has helped develop a restaurant that is well run with friendly service, serving recipes by his mother Rosetta. The youngest of 10 children, Jordan started to learn to cook when he was in the second grade, following his mother’s recipe. While mild sauce is a staple with all types of variations in Chicago’s south and west sides, Rosetta Jordan said her own recipe was born out of trying to stretch ingredients to feed all 10 of her kids. “It was created from my love for my children and them wanting to have enough,” Rosetta Jordan said by phone from Chicago, where she is a bus driver for the city. “When holidays comes and everyone has barbecues, you want everyone to have enough meat and enough sauce to go around. We were blessed that when I cooked a meal, it seemed to be sufficient so that nothing was left and the kids enjoyed it. I enjoyed serving my family. The main ingredient is the love and wanting to spread it.” Tez Wings is named after Will Jordan’s older brother Martez Lewis Jordan, who died in 2010. “[Martez] is the only one in the family that loved chicken as much as me,” he said. “He’d come to the house late at night and
throw some chicken in the sink and end up waking up the whole house because he had to have some of mom’s chicken.” Will Jordan uses his mom’s recipe as a base for the restaurant. Despite using barbecue sauce as a base, it has a thin consistency and has a spicy and sweet flavor that is totally unique. Every anniversary for the restaurant, Jordan has added one new item. I stopped by recently to try the chicken, catfish and shrimp. The restaurant provides tartar and cocktail sauces for the seafood, but I used the mild sauce. My favorite bites were dunking the shrimp in the sauce and making a sandwich with the white bread, tartar and mild sauce with the catfish. Everything is prepared to-order, by hand. I normally don’t like breaded wings because the coating is either too crumbly or detaches from the meat completely. The coating on the wing is light, and the lemon pepper seasoning is addictive. Jordan wants to keep the menu small at Tez Wings in order to keep the quality high for the staff that includes family members and Matthew Freund, a friend from the Air Force. “It’s coming from the heart. Everyone comes in asking for things,” he said. “I don’t have flavors [of wings]; I’m sorry. This is something I love and grew up on. I just want something to be simple and do it myself. It’s OK if a person doesn’t want wings, but a majority of people do.” Jordan will eventually add rib tips and possibly steak to the menu, and I look forward to watching it grow. It has added a food truck for private catering, which includes trips to feed the University of Oklahoma football team, but Jordan is currently turning down offers to open more locations. He plans to eventually create a more relaxed setting for Tez Wings with televisions and places to lounge. “I want to be a father and a husband, be at parent-teacher conferences,” he said. “I don’t want to be the guy who is always at work. There’s no amount of money that can get me to change that.” Visit facebook.com/thetezwingz.
F E AT U R E
Lebanese taste
Oozie Mediterranean provides Lebanese flavors from a small cafe in an office building. By Jacob Threadgill
After growing up in Lebanon, Charlie Khalaf’s schooling and career in marketing has taken him to Dubai, New York, Tampa and eventually Tulsa. At each stop, he searched in vain for a restaurant that could replicate the flavors he grew up eating. He had to move to Oklahoma City to take matters into his own hands with the help of his mother Mona and wife Lamise. Oozie Mediterranean Restaurant opened in an office building at 1211 N. Shartel Ave. in August. “I wanted to serve Mediterranean and Lebanese food because I lived in New York for six years for my education, and I’ve been to too many restaurants in New York that aren’t authentic,” Khalaf said. “I lived in Tampa, and there are some Lebanese restaurants, and it’s the same story; Tulsa same thing.” After looking for a location in Tulsa for a few years, Khalaf responded to a Craigslist ad for the restaurant space located on the bottom floor of an office building that primarily is home to medical offices. The restaurant opens at 8 a.m. Monday-Friday and starts the day by offering American-style breakfast and offers a pair of hamburgers for customers who might not be in the mood to try Lebanese cuisine. “The only negative thing [about the location] is that we have to close by 5 p.m. and for the weekend, but I can still do catering orders [after hours and the weekend,]” Khalaf said. “This is a small dream, and we’re doing this with love. I have big plans, but we have to start from somewhere. It’s a good spot and located in a good area. It’s been going better than I expected for the beginning.” He started dreaming about a restaurant in 2015, but his mother was still
Falafel served with salad | Photo Alexa Ace
living overseas in Beirut. After his sister received her degree in petroleum engineering, Mona was able to join him in the States, along with his wife Lamise. He works the front of the restaurant while Mona and Lamise cook food and prepare various dishes and marinades, like its chicken and beef shawarma. They also carefully chop tomatoes, parsley and red onion and squeeze lemons for tabbouleh, which is one of the main dishes Khalaf felt he could never find accurately reproduced in the States.
This is a small dream, and we’re doing this with love. Charlie Khalaf “Big restaurants in Beirut, looks like our version,” Khalaf said. “People have said it’s different than what they’re used to because restaurants in the U.S. don’t use as many tomatoes and use too much grain [bulgar], and they hardly use red onion at all.” The name of the restaurant comes from a popular but lesser-known Lebanese dish in the States. Oozie, which is also popular in Jordan, is similar to hashwa (also spelled hashweh) which is rice cooked with ground beef, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and cardamom, but with a few extra ingredients. “I didn’t want to be lame and call it Hummus or Tabbouleh Restaurant,” Khalaf said. “I just wanted to be easycontinued on page 12
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going like Oozie because it’s easy to remember and catchy.” While the eponymous oozie is not on the menu, the restaurant dishes out plenty of hashwa, which is available as a daily special with an entrée portion, but it’s also served along with hummus, salad and garlic paste on the chicken and beef shawarma plates. Other specials include eggplant stuffed with ground beef, onion, tomatoes and pine nuts cooked in a tomato sauce served with vermicelli rice and pita bread, which is baked at John’s Pita Bakery in Wichita. Mujaddara is a puree of lentils with rice topped with caramelized onions and served with a salad that includes a housemade honey mustard dressing. During the winter, Oozie plans to offer a pair of stews: fasolia, which is beef cooked in a tomato sauce with lima beans, onions and cilantro, and bemye, a stew of beef and okra in tomato sauce. For appetizers, it also offers meat and vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls and kibbeh, which is fried cracked wheat stuffed with ground beef, onions, pine nuts and spices. Falafel is rounded into balls, gets poked in the middle to promote an even cook throughout the frying process and
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Chicken shawarma served with salad, hummus and hashwa rice | Photo Alexa Ace
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Tabbouleh, hummus and baba ghanoush at Oozie Mediterranean Restaurant. | Photo Alexa Ace
served with salad or as a wrap. Hummus is drizzled with olive oil, smoked paprika and sumac before it’s served. Eggplant to make baba ghanoush is grilled, which adds a depth of smokiness to the dish before it’s mashed with tahini, garlic and lemon. Housemade Lebanese pies include lahm bi ajin — also called sfiha — a street food popularized by Lebanese immigrants in South America. It’s a pastry shell topped with ground beef, onions, tomatoes and spices. It also tops the pie shell with its version of za’atar, the spice blend of dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. Fatayer are pastry pockets stuffed with spinach, lemon and spices. “We want to revive and bring with love an ancient and original Mediterranean healthy food to the public who hadn’t properly experienced it in Oklahoma,” Khalaf said on Oozie’s website. “Oklahoma figuratively and literally is the heartland of the United States. It’s the bastion of diversity and the American dream. We humbly present a little dream of ours to this great state. Our food doesn’t only represent the rich culture of Lebanon, but also imbibes the enduring American belief of perfection and quality.” Visit oozierestaurant.com.
F E AT U R E
Artwork overlooks the second story of Bar Cicchetti that blends dining and lounge areas. | Photo Phillip Danner
Cicchetti-style
Bar Cicchetti blends sports bar-style snacks and lounging with a high-end dining experience. By Jacob Threadgill
One print of art on the second floor of the combination lounge and dining space of Bar Cicchetti — the former Urban Johnnie location in Deep Deuce — depicts a Victorian-era lord in fancy clothes, but it has a tiger for a head. The print next to it depicts a high-class lady with a dog for a head. “I like [the art] because it’s weird; it’s classic with a twist. It’s refined but fun and silly,” said chef Jonathon Stranger, who partnered with Top Chef veteran Fabio Viviani to create Bar Cicchetti, their second restaurant together after last year’s Osteria. Refined but fun and silly might also be an apt description for Bar Cicchetti, which takes its name from the Venetian style of eating a meal comprised of small snacks and side dishes. The menu is drink-forward with cocktails and designed around small plates, flatbread pizzas, sandwiches and an all-day menu of entrees with smaller lunch-sized portions on the same page as larger dinner portions that blend flavors from across the Mediterranean with U.S. and Oklahoma products. The concept started not long after Stranger and Viviani opened Osteria last November. Stranger said he was immediately attracted to the space at 121 NE Second St., on which he said they did a strategic planning analysis to determine if customers thought the former space delivered good quality drinks and was a good place to watch a sporting event. “There’s not really tons of places to watch a game here in
Oklahoma City,” Stranger said. “So we wanted to make sure we get that, but not with 38 televisions.” The screen inundation has been replaced with one large 300-inch screen that disappears behind a curtain when not in use. OLED screens behind the bars display a rotation of photos and art but can be switched to television at a customer’s request. Working with A-Line Designs and a local architect, Stranger and group devised a space that tries to seamlessly blend private group table seating with lounge areas by strategically placing lights at dining level. “It was a collective effort to get it right,” Stranger said. “Doing this kind of setup of seating is not easy. I didn’t want everything to be leather, so finding materials that could hold up to restaurant use so we had to test everything and make sure you can always access food and drink. At every couch, there is always an end table, but also not making it feel like a nightclub isn’t also very easy either.” Stranger and Viviani recruited chef Jesse Erwell from Miami to run the dayto-day operation of the
kitchen, which is heavily influenced by Italian, Spanish, French and North African flavors. “Cicchetti-style means that there really isn’t coursing, but if you want to do coursing, we can,” Viviani, a native of Florence, Italy, said. “This is more like, ‘Let’s grab a bunch of drinks, share some food, eat a few bites of this and that.’ We bring that vibe with a communal table and the not-quite-defined separation between the dining and the lounging.” The menu consists of small plates like fried burrata with spicy saffron tomato soup poured after serving, lamb meatball with jalapeño mint chimichurri, Spanishstyle bocadillos sandwiches and Romanstyle focaccia pizzas. “People ask me all the time, ‘Why Italian and Spanish?’ It’s the same ocean,” Viviani said. “I grew up in Italy eating croquettes and bocadillos. … The Spanish peninsula has a lot to offer, whether it is the Portugal end of Spain or the northern part of France. We have cumin, which is non-Spanish. It’s actually North African. This is an Italian concept at heart that is owned and operated by an Italian guy and American guy that are known to do world food without being too worried about what is respecting the flock. Good food is good food.” The entrée menu features whole branzino, braised pork shank, roasted chicken in herb lemon brown butter, lamb sausage with truffle polenta and Nishyobi Akaushi steak with smoked paprika caramel, sweet potato, chorizo and blue
cheese. The saffron bouillabaisse includes mussels, clams, shrimp and squid. “With the bouillabaisse, we added a touch of cream,” Viviani said. “In France, they’ll kill you if you put cream in the bouillabaisse, and we added saffron from the northern region of Italy with the cream like we’re doing a Moroccan seafood stew. We’re having fun; we really are.” Akaushi is a specific breed of Japanese cattle that often gets lumped into Wagyu, but the Wagyu title actually refers to several breeds of cattle, according to the American Akaushi Association. The Nishyobi Akaushi comes from a farm in Arcadia. “It’s the only Akaushi in the U.S. that’s been fed grass its entire life and it lives on pasture,” Stranger said. “Doing that means it takes forever to raise the cattle. Normally you slaughter in about 14 months, but these are 30 months.” Viviani said items like fresh seafood shipped in from Santa Barbara, truffles and caviar on the menu speaks to the advantages of operating in Oklahoma compared to markets that require $10 million to open a high-end restaurant. “The fact we can sell stuff at a good price with a good margin allows us to have fun with ingredients,” he said. “It translates for us to have good business and for you to have a good time. You can’t do that in places where you’re charged a million dollars in rent, and it means you have to overcharge for a notso-good product.” Together, Viviani said he and Stranger employ more than 3,000 people across their portfolio of restaurants, and their partnership is growing. They have a Tulsa location for Osteria planned for spring 2020 and another project coming down the pike for Oklahoma City. “We’re keeping it hush right now, but it is big. I can tell you that,” Stranger said. Visit barcicchettiok.com.
left Nishyobi Akaushi steak is made from Oklahoma-bred descendants of the Japanese cattle with smoked paprika caramel, sweet potato, chorizo and blue cheese. right Traditional French bouillabaisse gets a touch of cream to be served Moroccan-style with mussels, clams, shrimp and squid. | Photos provided O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
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GAZEDIBLES
EAT & DRINK
Fresh links
Whether you’re watching the big game or in the mood for some smoked meat, the best way to enjoy it is with a fresh, in-house smoked sausage. These seven places are making their own sausage for you try or bring home and cook on your own. By Jacob Threadgill with provided and Gazette/file photos
Fassler Hall
421 NW 10th St. fasslerhall.com | 609-3300
When it comes to housemade sausage in Oklahoma City, no one can beat Fassler Hall. The German beer hall offers a bevy of options: everything from traditional bratwurst to cheddarwurst, hot dogs, jalapeño cheddar, habanero chicken, lamb and hunter with smoked venison, buffalo and pork. If you can’t choose, get the sausage sampler for $14 with three varieties of sausage and a side of housemade sauerkraut and mustard.
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GRANDRESORTOK.COM I-40 EXIT 178 I SHAWNEE, OK I 405-964-7263
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Sean Cummings’ Irish Restaurant
7628 N. May Ave. seancummings-ok.com | 405-841-7326
Pudding isn’t always a dessert. The Irish breakfast served at Oklahoma City’s only true Irish pub includes both black and white housemade pudding, which is sausage. The white variety is traditional beef while the black pudding is Irish blood sausage that is served with rashers (sliced pork loin), Irish pork link sausage, tomato and two eggs.
Empire Slice House
1804 NW 16th St. empireslicehouse.com | 405-557-1760
Empire makes its own Italian sausage that is showcased along with an entire pig (OK, maybe not literally, but close) on the Notorious P.I.G. You can also enjoy it on Empire’s version of a supreme pizza, Teflon Don, but the true vehicle by which to enjoy the fennel-flecked goodness of the Italian sausage is the Fat Tony pizza, which includes ricotta and red onion as complements to let the sausage shine.
The Smoking Boar
Bill Kamp’s Meat Market
2925 W. Britton Road smokingboar.com | 405-242-6050
This newest barbecue spot is creating waves with its nontraditional offerings like smoked salmon and a watermelon salad, but that ethos also extends to its sausage-of-the-day program. The housemade sausage program turns out everything including Mediterranean, chipotle pork and sausage with blue cheese. The Smoking Boar also makes its own country sausage while stocking Schwab Meat Co.’s hot links.
7310 N. Western Ave. billkampsmeatmarket.com 405-843-2455
There’s a good chance the sausage you buy at Bill Kamp’s Meat Market is made by hand by the owner himself, who is following his family’s more than century-long tradition as meat purveyors in the city. It sells a variety of sausage that includes top-seller Andouille, bratwurst, breakfast, hot links and Italian. From an in-house smoker, it also smokes Schwab’s bologna that gets a ring of a bell every time it is ordered.
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Stella Modern Italian Cuisine
Deckle Smokehouse BBQ
You can get a brick-oven pizza with housemade Italian sausage and a bunch of other meats at Stella, but the real sausage star is the restaurant’s pasta dish. It combines sautéed mushrooms, arugula, shaved fennel and a white wine-garlic butter sauce with campanelle pasta for a dish that is rich and savory and will fill you up.
Deckle is one of the most inventive smokehouses in the region. Owner Andrew Liu loves to create new flavor combinations, and that is evident by the variety of housemade sausage on the menu. The German sausage comes from one of his trips to Germany, and the menu also includes jalapeño cheese, spicy Italian and Andouille chicken sausage.
1201 N. Walker Ave. stella-okc.com | 405-235-2200
324 W. Edmond Road decklesmokehousebbq.com 405-430-7649
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ARTS & CULTURE
Plaza party Plaza District Festival celebrates its 21st year with more music, art and fun. By Jeremy Martin
Now in its third decade, Plaza District Festival is “only gaining steam,” said festival co-chair Leah Roper. “The Plaza District, I think everybody knows now, it’s trying to be a cultural and artistic hub in the city, focused on local entrepreneurs and businesses, local restaurants and kind of being an exhibition of Oklahoma’s best locals,” Roper said. “The festival is really the celebration of that, so it’s bringing local artists from all over the place in ways that are even bigger than just in our galleries. It’s allowing the local performers to come out on a large scale and feature their work. I love, especially with the three stages, that we can do a lot of diversity in our music. I just really think the festival is the culmination of what the Plaza District is trying to do and be in the city.” Featuring local art, food trucks, music and more, the 21st annual Plaza District Festival is 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday in the 1700 block of NW 16th Street. People who have previously only been to the district’s monthly Live! on the Plaza events will find more of the same — and more of everything — at the
annual festival. “It’s similar in the sense that, like everything we do, it’s family-friendly,” Roper said. “We want to welcome all kinds of diversity into our district, so that’s still true at Plaza Festival, but it’s even more, I guess, because we don’t get to close the streets during Live. During Live, we can’t bring out more than like 10 artists or so for the artists’ market. This one will have about 35, so it’s a much bigger version, an even bigger celebration. Obviously, the music is going on much longer, so we can feature about 30 acts throughout the day. At Live, we usually only have about two bands that are able to perform because of time and money constraints. So I would say it’s similar to Live, but even more exciting and offers even more.” Return festival visitors will find a few changes from previous years. For example, one of the music stages has been relocated to an area near the food trucks on Indiana Avenue. “Previously, it was in the backyard of Summerland and what was Tree & Leaf, and we realized people were having a hard time finding it
and knowing what was going on back there,” Roper said. “It should be a lot of fun for people while they’re getting their food truck foods to get to hear the bands.” And appropriately enough for a festival turning 21, visitors who are at least as old as the event will have more options for alcohol because of the changes to state liquor laws that went into effect last October. “Now you can buy beer and wine at any of our three beer and wine tents,” Roper said. “Previously, we were able to sell low-point beer at those tents, and then you had to go to a specific location if you wanted wine or high-point beer. So this year, it’ll be a little bit more fun for people because you can walk around and you don’t have to stay in one specific area. You do have to stay in the festival grounds with it, though. I will say that, but we’re really excited about not having to restrict our guests if they want to have beer and have fun with the art and the activities.” Younger visitors will also find several entertainment options. “Our kids area is back and, I want to say, better than ever, although that’s completely subjective,” Roper said. Between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., the kids area will offer face painting, dancing, games, art and educational activities.
Choosing local
Not everything has been increased or expanded. The festival will actually
Featuring local art, food trucks, music and more, the 21st annual Plaza District Festival is 11 a.m.10 p.m. Saturday in the 1700 block of NW 16th Street. | Photo provided
feature fewer food truck options to encourage visitors to visit the growing number of area restaurants. Roper said the festival has evolved over the years to reflect developments in 16th Street Plaza District. “The district has changed, so the festival changes in correspondence with what the district’s needs are,” Roper said. “An easy example is food trucks. We cut the number down from about 10 to seven … because the restaurants in the district have just exploded, and we know people still want the air conditioning and we know that the food in the district is amazing, so it’s really an opportunity for them to shine, as well, by having more patrons in their businesses. But we know it’s a festival at its heart, so everyone wants to have food trucks and get that experience as well. We’re trying to balance the needs of the district with the needs of our guests and the people who are going to attend and hopefully have a lot of fun.” The Loaded Bowl, Burger Punk, Let’s Do Greek, Mekong Spice, Big Truck Tacos and Mighty Corndog will all have food trucks at the festival, along with Wondervan Pops, which will be selling More than 30 local artists will sell paintings, photographs, jewelry, crafts and more. | Photo provided
MUSIC SIDEBAR An estimated 35,000 people attended last year’s festival.| Photo provided
Growing district
popsicles in the kids area. Restaurants in the district include Mexican Radio, The Press, Empire Slice House, Pie Junkie and The Krow’s Nest inside Saints. Artists, selected by a jury, will also be selling a variety of art works and crafts. “We wanted local, of course, and that includes anywhere in Oklahoma,” Roper said. “We wanted a balance of mediums. We didn’t want everything to be 2D paintings. You want some photography, some paintings, some sculptures, some crafts, and that takes a variety of forms, jewelry, things like that.” Roper estimates 35,000 people attended last year’s festival. “The festival has grown in the number of participants, which also means on the back end for us planning it, we have to plan for more people to be there,” Roper said. “That includes everything from increasing security to increasing our volunteers that are running the different areas.” This year’s festival is the result of several months of planning by a committee with around 60 members. “They’re all, honestly, just rock stars in their various areas,” Roper said. “The talent level of our committee led to really high talent levels of all of the artists of all types that are coming to the festival.” Several people who book shows at local venues, for example, decided the
music lineup, selected from an estimated 175 applicants. “They’re really plugged into the music scene, and they know who’s exciting and who’s hot and who people want to see,” Roper said.
The district has changed, so the estival changes in correspondence with what the district’s needs are. Leah Roper For Roper, the best part of the festival is “seeing everything come together.” “I can’t say enough how much talent is involved in the festival on every level — the committee level, the people who are coming, and people being featured,” Roper said. “It’s a huge, exciting time. It takes all day. It takes a lot of energy, obviously. We get out there at 6 a.m. to close the streets. … Everyone has been working for almost five or six months on all the different areas, so watching that happen and take shape is my favorite part.” The district has several ambitions for the annual festival, but the primary one is to get enough support to keep going.
“Honestly, the festival is a fundraiser at its heart,” Roper said. “In reality, we are a nonprofit organization. We do rely on donations and sponsorships, so the festival is the number one way that the Plaza District Association is able to get those. When you really boil it down, that has to be the ultimate goal, but it goes hand in hand with our district’s other goals of being a celebration of diversity and culture in the city and featuring local talent of all types.” While the festival continues to expand, Roper said the main concern is that it expands correctly and beneficially. “We’re always looking for opportunities for growth and change and evolution of the festival, but there are so many different ways that can take shape,” Roper said. “So there are lots of ideas on the back end, and part of it is figuring out what’s logistically possible and feasible and growing in a responsible way. You don’t want to just throw a bunch more artists in there where you don’t have the space for them and people can’t get around.” Roper, who will be “passing down the reins” to a new co-chair next year, said she advised her replacement to give the committee members the chance to use their expertise. “Mostly, we talked about keeping an open mind and trusting your leadership,” Roper said. “Part of it is valuing those people and making sure they know that you trust their leadership and giving them the opportunity to really own their areas. I’m not, for example, that knowledgeable of a person about art, but I trust the people that we put in place there and they have done a phenomenal job. And they, of course, will have ideas about growth and ways to either do it better, do it bigger, do it again. … The skill of our volunteers is really something that can’t be understated, and honestly, a lot of that is due to the success of the district and due to some of the festivals in the past. We’re kind of standing on the shoulders of giants, and that is a neat place that people want to be, but we take very seriously the responsibility of making sure we stay that way.” Roper also had a couple of words of advice for first-time visitors of the festival. “Lyft or Uber,” Roper said. “Just know that parking is going to be challenging, which is true no matter what, but when we close 16th, it cuts out quite a few parking spots. So I always recommend biking, Lyfting, Ubering — anything that you don’t have to find somewhere to put a car is going to make your experience better. We do hear the frustrations with parking, but it’s very limited what we can do about it.” Admission is free. Visit plazadistrict.org/festival. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the kids area offers face painting, dancing, games, art and educational activities. | Photo provided
Blackwelder Stage 11 a.m. Chelsea Days noon Kat Lock 1 p.m. Everything Goes Dance Studio 2 p.m. Brad Fielder 3 p.m. Ray June 4 p.m. Tony Foster Jr. 5 p.m. Dinosaur Boyfriend 6 p.m. Alyse 7 p.m. Druce Wayne 8 p.m. The GIG, hosted by Topatío
Indiana Stage 11 a.m. WoRm noon Foxburrows 1 p.m. $ONRAE 2 p.m. Matthew Scott 3 p.m. buzz cut 4 p.m. T-Mase 5 p.m. Queen Caution 6 p.m. LTZ & DJ Chips 7 p.m. Mt. Terror 8 p.m. Jynxx
Main Stage 11 a.m. Spunk Adams noon Skyy Webster 1 p.m. Dylan Stewart 2 p.m. Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards 3 p.m. Spinster 4 p.m. Jacobi Ryan 5 p.m. Beach Language 6 p.m. Miillie Mesh 7 p.m. Twiggs 8 p.m. Lincka 9 p.m. Johnny Polygon
Plaza District Festival 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday 16th Street Plaza District 1700 block of NW 16th Street plazadistrict.org/festival 405-578-5718 Free
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CHEROKEE ART MARKET O C T O B E R 1 2 & 1 3, 2 0 1 9 Sequoyah Convention Center at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa cherokeeartmarket.com | 877.779.6977
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ARTS & CULTURE
ART
Colors of Clay is on display through May 10, 2020 at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. | Photos provided
Global art
An exhibit at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum highlights the similarities of ceramics from all over the world. By Jeremy Martin
Curator Eric Singleton spent about seven years planning an exhibit offering an overview of centuries of ceramics in North America. “I’ve just had it in my mind to tell a deeper, bigger story of ceramics in America,” said Singleton, curator of ethnology at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. “So many people focus on the ceramic traditions of the American Southwest, particularly the Hopi and Pueblo people, but there is such a larger ceramic tradition in the Americas, specifically the American Southeast. … The Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, the Quapaw, the Caddo, they all have these amazing ceramic traditions, and I felt like it’s always been kind of outside of the general public’s purview. They don’t really see that, and so it was really my desire to show an exhibition that talked about all the ceramic traditions in the Southwest, the Great Plains and the Southeast.” Colors of Clay is on display through May 10, 2020 at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. In addition to giving viewers a broader view of Native American ceramic traditions, the exhibit also features text panels, photographs by Edward Curtis of Caddo artist Chase Earles at work and four videos showing Southwestern artists coiling and firing vessels in an effort to explain the process of making ceramics. “I’ve always had so The exhibit includes 51 pieces by Caddo, Wyandot, Cherokee and Pueblo artists and others as well as information about the process of making ceramics. | Photos provided
many people wonder, ‘Well, how did they make ceramics? What is tempering? What is firing? What does that mean?’” Singleton said. “So the exhibition gave me the opportunity to describe that as well and talk about the different types of temper that go into clay, which harden the clay, and talk about the firing process and the coiling process. It’s really a rewarding exhibition. I think it came across very well.” Including Curtis’ photographs, the exhibit includes 51 pieces by Earles, Wyandot artist Richard Zane Smith, Cherokee artist Joel Queen, Acoma Pueblo artist Lucy Lewis, Santa Clara Pueblo artists Ray and Margaret Tafoya, San Ildefonso Pueblo artists Maria and Julian Martinez and more. “They stretch back through time; they go back hundreds of years, but the bulk of them are pretty contemporary,” Singleton said. “They are an evolution because they’re really made as an art form today, whereas before they would
have been a ritualistic form or a utilitarian form. So you see a lot of the painting that’s done on them is a lot better. It’s a lot more skilled; it’s a lot sharper, cleaner, but the forms are basically the same. The iconography is the same. It’s very similar, but those that are doing it today are doing it expressly for the purpose of creating an art object, not a utilitarian object.”
Regional distinction
Even casual observers can see the distinctions between ceramic works made in different regions, Singleton said. “The form may be very close to the same, but the color is different,” Singleton said. “They’re using a totally different type of clay, which means it’s going to be a different color. The painting on it or even the incising is different. And I think what’s happening, too, is the stuff that’s being created in the Southwest is watertight. You can use it for water vessels. They’re going down to the river and filling it full of water. That did not occur in the Southeast. The Southeastern stuff is water-soluble, so that means they’re probably not firing it at as high of a temperature, and they’re certainly not firing it for as long, so they’re able to make pieces that look like a cat monster. They’re making human forms and animal forms that are ceramic, whereas in the Southwest, you’re typically getting bowls and jars.” Non-Native people are typically more familiar with Southwestern ceramics
because of the timeline of American colonization, Singleton said. “I think that it got more attention because in the 1880s with the completion of the railroad,” Singleton said. “European immigrants, Americans are starting to move into these areas, and they started to acquire this stuff as trade goods ... so it just happened to be that there’s a lot of people going to the Southwest at just the right time. I think that’s what really captivated them and catapulted the Southwestern tradition over any of the rest. Another reason for that is Europeans landed on the East Coast and so a lot of the people that would have been descendants of the Mississippian people, their cultures were just destroyed at a much earlier date.” Singleton said visitors to the museum appear impressed with the exhibit, which also illustrates the universality of ceramics in human civilization. “People really seem to have been pretty taken with it,” Singleton said. “People really like ceramics, and I think you kind of are drawn to something you understand. People all over the world understand ceramics, and one of the things we did in this show as well is I created a timeline, which puts all the ceramic traditions in the Americas side by side with their equivalent traditions all over the world. So we have some of the first ceramics here, and then we show Mesopotamia and ancient Persia and Japan and China and ancient Greece. So it’s kind of nice to see art here being put on the same pedestal in the same way as ceramic art forms from everywhere else in the world, because there’s no difference.” The misconception that Europeans brought civilization to the Americas is based on an uninformed and myopic worldview. “For a long time, I’ve been trying to reinforce to people that this idea of a clash between an old world and a new is just a complete misappropriation and misunderstanding,” Singleton said. “What you’re really looking at is the clash of two worlds, and that, in fact, is the clash of two old worlds. … The height of the Maya is complemented with the rise of Greece. When Caesar was crossing the Rubicon and Rome was moving throughout the world, so were the Maya and the Hopewell people in North America. So there was a lot of really cool stuff happening here.” Admission is free-$12.50. Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Colors of Clay through May 10, 2020 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St. nationalcowboymuseum.org | 405-478-2250 Free-$12.50
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T H E AT E R
ARTS & CULTURE
Relevant Raisin
Jewel Box Theatre explores the persistent relevance of A Raisin in the Sun. By Jeremy Martin
The day after Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959, The New York Times said the play tells the “the inner as well as the outer truth” about racial inequality in America with “vigor as well as veracity and is likely to destroy the complacency of any one who sees it.” Reviewing a revival in 2019, the Times said the 60-year-old play feels “devastatingly of the present.” A locally produced version of A Raisin in the Sun runs Oct. 3-27 at Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave. Director Albert Bostick said the play — which details the conflicting aspirations of an African American family after they receive the $10,000 premium from their patriarch’s life insurance policy — remains relevant. “It deals with continuing issues,” Bostick said. “We see some of the same recurring things happening with each decade. We thought we solved the issue of, for instance, segregation with integration, and now what is occurring is that we’re going into gentrification, which is taking us back to segregation. … We find that the African American community, when we talk about economics, we are still struggling to get a working wage, to be able to eke out a living. A Raisin in the Sun dealt with that in the ’50s, and we’re still dealing with that.
Myles Currin-Moore (Travis Younger) and Nykezia Giles (Ruth Younger) share a moment in A Raisin in the Sun. | Photo provided
“The scourge of racism is a circuitous kind of thing. It goes covert and overt, covert and overt, and we say to ourselves, ‘Well, things are getting better. It has changed.’ That just simply means everything’s gone underground for awhile, and then it emerges again in another decade, in another way to let us know that is still prevalent and present in our society.” While Walter Lee Younger (played by Craig Thomas), a chauffer in Chicago’s 20
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South Side, sees the $10,000 as an opportunity to go into business for himself, his mother Lena (Norma Goff) wants to use the money to move the family from their cramped apartment to a house in a better neighborhood. Walter’s sister Beneatha (Kat Adams), meanwhile, faces an internal conflict, attempting to balance her respect for tradition with her desire for progress. The play’s title is taken from Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” which asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Bostick said the play, like the poem, offers several possible answers to the question, none of them permanent or satisfactory. “It answers it for the moment,” Bostick said. “Walter Lee’s dream is to be a successful man, Mama’s dream is to have that little house for her family, but moving into a segregated community, and being quote-unquote ‘the first black family’ to move there is going to open a whole new can of worms, as we’ve seen with the civil rights movement.” The family’s anxieties about moving into a segregated neighborhood are rooted in incidents from Hansberry’s own childhood. In a 1964 letter to the editor of The New York Times, Hansberry recalled her family’s fight to live in “in a hellishly hostile ‘white neighborhood’ in which, literally, howling mobs sur-
rounded our house.” “My memories of this ‘correct’ way of fighting white supremacy in America included being spat at, cursed and pummeled in the daily trek to and from school,” Hansberry wrote in the letter, included in her autobiography To Be Young Gifted and Black. “And I also remember my desperate and courageous mother, patrolling our house all night with a loaded German Luger, doggedly guarding her four children, while my father fought the respectable part of the battle in the Washington court.”
Understanding history
Bostick said an understanding of African American history is vital for the present and the future. A Raisin in the Sun is both a reflection of that history and an important piece of it. “I grew up in the ’60s,” Bostick said. “We had the Black Power movement, which was dealing with the same issues. ‘Let’s talk about our past so we understand our future,’ because in education, we were not taught about black subjects and black theater, black literature, those kinds of things. With Hansberry suddenly making it to Broadway and winning the [New York Drama] Critics’ Circle Award — and she was, by the way, the youngest American playwright to win that award — it started to open black theater across the United States, so she was the foundation for that.” Bostick first saw the 1961 film version A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sidney Poitier as Walter, the role he originated on Broadway. In productions for high school and college theater, and afterward, Bostick went on to play Walter and most of the male characters in the play besides young Travis and Mark Linder, the only white character in the play. “Those people who go before us lay a foundation, and so all we can hope to do is to live up to the foundation that they have laid before us,” Bostick said. “I was eager to please what I call the ancestors. Although I knew Sidney Poitier would never see me play that role, I just wanted the public and particularly my African American community to understand that, through my admiration for this actor, that I would be able to rise up to that occasion and move them just as much as he moved them in the movie.” As a director, Bostick said he wants to impart the play’s significance to a new generation of actors. “We have a lot of teaching to do because we were immersed in it,” Bostick said. “They’re no longer being immersed
Bashawn Moore (Joseph Asagai) and Kat Adams (Beneatha Younger) star in A Raisin in the Sun Oct. 3-27 at Jewel Box Theatre. | Photo provided
because society is telling them, ‘Oh, things are so much better. We don’t have to study those things anymore. You need to go ahead and start moving toward a future.’ But, like I always tell them, ‘Your foundation is your past. If you don’t have a foundation, the house is going to sink.’ You have to study. You have to continue to go back and look at those people and admire those people who went before us so that this body of literature will live on.” Watching the cast rehearsing the climax of the play, Bostick said he could see they related to the characters and their difficulties. “I found myself becoming quite emotional,” Bostick said, “because for the first time, I think they began to understand the pain that a character like Walter Lee was going through, and so my Beneatha was in tears, Mama started to cry, all of them, and so all the talk about connecting, all the talk about understanding, all of that came to fruition, and suddenly they blossomed like flowers.” Bostick encouraged theatergoers to see the play while they have the chance. Local theater, more than 60 years after Hansberry’s Broadway debut, is still another community where African Americans have trouble gaining access. “How many years will go by before we are privileged to view this production again?” Bostick said. “If you miss it, you may have to wait another decade.” Tickets are $20-$30. Visit fccokc. org/jewel-box-theatre.
A Raisin in the Sun Oct. 3-27 Jewel Box Theatre 3700 N. Walker Ave. fccokc.org/jewel-box-theatre | 405-521-1786 $20-$30
OKG Lifestyle
Around OKC EAT Okie Pokie WATCH Barry (HBO) LISTEN “Slow Down Easy” by John Moreland READ Paradise by Toni Morrison LOVE Exploding Kittens card game EXPERIENCE a weekend drive to Pops in Arcadia
Outside OKC Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C. EAT Nanette (Netflix) WATCH Jaime by Brittany Howard LISTEN The Testaments by Margaret Atwood READ Headspace meditation and sleep app LOVE The Gathering Place in Tulsa EXPERIENCE
J.D. Baker’s Picks EAT Soul Food Sunday buffet at Bistro 46 WATCH Dear White People on Netflix or Queen Sugar on
OWN/Hulu or If Beale Street Could Talk (movie)
LISTEN “Slow Down” by Mac Ayres, “Let You Down” by
Charlotte Day Wilson and “Evergreen” by Yebba
READ The New York Times Magazine’s The 1619 Project LOVE GoGi Go! signature bowl with chicken EXPERIENCE Volunteering with friends and strangers at
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
J.D. Baker is a sixth-generation Oklahoma City native and serves as a special assistant to mayor David Holt and is the liaison to the LGBTQ community for the mayor’s office.
OKIE POKIE | PHOTO BRITTANY PICKERING • BARRY (HBO) | IMAGE HBO / PROVIDED • PARADISE BY TONI MORRISON | IMAGE PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE / PROVIDED NANETTE (NETFLIX) | IMAGE NETFLIX / PROVIDED • JAIME BY BRITTANY HOWARD | IMAGE ATO RECORDS / FONTANA NORTH / PROVIDED • THE TESTAMENTS BY MARGARET ATWOOD | IMAGE PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE / PROVIDED • IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (MOVIE) | IMAGE ANNAPURNA PICTURES / PROVIDED • “EVERGREEN” BY YEBBA | IMAGE PLATOON / YEBBA / PROVIDED
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PLAZA DISTRICT FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE LINE UP SPUNK ADAMS
12PM
SKYY WEBSTER
NW 16TH ST.
4PM
JACOBI RYAN
5PM
BEACH LANGUAGE
6PM
MIILLIE MESH
7PM
TWIGGS
8PM
LINCKA
9PM
JOHNNY POLYGON
BOMB SHELTER
BLACKWELDER AVE.
THE FORGE
THE PRESS
N. GATEWOOD AVE.
PEAK PLAZA DISPENSARY
THE MULE
11AM
CHELSEA DAYS
12PM
KAT LOCK
THE STRAY
THE BARN
NW 15TH ST.
BLACKWELDER STAGE WORM
12PM
FOXBURROWS
RAY JUNE
4PM
TONY FOSTER JR.
5PM
DINOSAUR BOYFRIEND
6PM
ALYSE
7PM
DRUCE WAYNE
8PM
THE GIG HOSTED BY TOPATÍO
OD . AV E
TRE THEA
S GOE IN G D IO YTH U EVER NCE ST DA
LY R IC
ALLS ZA W
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ALA
D IG
YOG
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HEA
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PLAZA WALLS GALLERY
BLU
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P R IT
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JYNXX
ROV
8PM
B A L IM
MT. TERROR
ON
7PM
OUT
LTZ & DJ CHIPS
ARE
6PM
IM P
QUEEN CAUTION
OKC
5PM
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T-MASE
NNY
4PM
SOL
BUZZ CUT
GRA
3PM
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. AV E
MATTHEW SCOTT
BRAD FIELDER
PLAZA WALLS
BAD
2PM
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$ONRAE
EVERYTHING GOES DANCE STUDIO
INDIANA STAGE A NDI N. I
1PM
1PM
O AT E W N. G
11AM
PAINT ‘N’ CHEERS
SPINSTER
FRIENDLY FOODS
3PM
OAK & ORE
JOHNNY MANCHILD & THE POOR BASTARDS
ROXY’S
2PM
MEXICAN RADIO
DYLAN STEWART
THE PARLOR
1PM
N. GATEWOOD AVE.
11AM
NW 16TH ST.
LOCAL ARTIST & RETAIL VENDORS 319 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY HEBERT • ADITI DESIGNS • ART BY LEANNE HENRY WRIGHT • BETTYMETALS DONNA BRUNTON • DEREK BURROWS • CARGILL FINE ART • COBOS LEON POTTERY • COMPLEXION ELEGANT EARTH JEWELRY • FOMBY DESIGNS • THEGHOSTIEGIRL • THE GOLDEN FEATHER KAYLA HAWKINS • J. ELLER CREATIONS • JASWORX FUSED GLASS BY JIM SHELLEY • JBOWLES POTTERY JOHN BROOKS WOODWORKS • JRK STUDIOS • KELLEY MOGILKA FINE ART • KIM HARRISON FINE ART MIDWEST MAVEN STUDIO • MOON PIGEON • MOTH WING METAL WORKS • NORTHROAD CREATIONS OKCOLLECTIVE • ORIGINAL BROOKS • PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE CAMPOS JR. • SALTY SISTERS DESIGNS TRAYSON CONNER • TRISHA THOMPSON ADAMS • WESTFALL FINE ART
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CALENDAR These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
BOOKS Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT Last Sunday Poetry Reading a poetry reading followed by an open mic, 2 p.m. last Sunday of every month. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SUN Norman Friends Book Sale shop for books and other media at this sale benefitting Friends of the Norman Library, Sept. 27-29. Pioneer Library System, 225 N Webster Ave., 405-701-2600, pioneerlibrarysystem.org/norman. FRI-SUN
FILM Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements (2019, USA, Irene Taylor Brodsky) the story of Beethoven losing his hearing is interwoven with a personal memoir about the relationship between a deaf boy and his grandfather, Sept. 27. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, USA, Jim Sharman) an interactive screening of this cult-classic sci-fi musical sex comedy, through Oct. 30. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI-WED VHS and Chill: Blockbusted Video riff along with comedians and film fans at this monthly movie screening where audience participation is encouraged, 7-9 p.m. first Wednesday of every month. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. WED
HAPPENINGS Afro Beats a dance party with soca, hip-hop, Caribbean, dancehall and other genres of music provided by DJ Sinz, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays. Glass Lounge, 5929 N. May Ave., 405-835-8077, glasshouseokc.com. FRI Annie Oakley Society Luncheon and Awards Ceremony a luncheon honoring entrepreneur and philanthropist Shelia C. Johnson, 11:30 a.m. Sept. 30. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org. MON Banquet Cinema Bingo Night buy a card for a chance to win cash prizes, 7-8:45 p.m. Wednesdays. The Banquet Cinema Pub, 800 NW Fourth St., banquetcinema.com. WED
disease, brain health and dementia caregiving at this conference sponsored by Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Renaissance Waterford - Oklahoma City Hotel, 6300 Waterford Blvd., (405) 848-4782. WED Families, Advocates, Resources and Exonerees Oklahoma Innocence Projects hosts this even commemorating National Wrongful Conviction Day with guests Elizabeth Fritz Clinton and Dennis Fritz, featured on John Grisham’s Netflix series The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, 7-9 p.m. Oct. 2. Oklahoma City University Law School, 800 N. Harvey Avenue, (405) 208-6400. WED Freedom of Information Oklahoma 2019 Awards Dinner an evening honoring people and organizations who fight for transparency and First Amendment rights with a keynote speech by journalist Mike Walter, 6 p.m. Oct. 2. UCO Nigh University Center, 100 N. University Drive. WED Fuzzy Friday a monthly happy hour meet-andgreet hosted by the Bears of Central Oklahoma, 5:30 p.m. Fridays. Apothecary 39, 2125 NW 39th St., 405-605-4100. FRI Governor’s Club Toastmasters lose your fear of public speaking and gain leadership skills by practicing in a fun and low-stakes environment, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Building, 2501 N. Stiles Ave., 405-523-2300, okfarmbureau. org. WED Grand Opening Celebration celebrate the opening of Scissortail Park at this event featuring children’s activities, food trucks and live performances by Kings of Leon, Broncho and Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Sept. 27-29, Sept. 27-29. Scissortail Park, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org. FRI-SUN Jackbox.tv Game Night play interactive party games with host Alex Sanchez, 8-10 p.m. Sept. 9. Oak & Ore, 1732 NW. 16th St., 405-606-2030, oakandore.com. MON Memories in Music an evening of musical performances benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association, 9 p.m. Sept. 28. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT Moore Chess Club play in tournaments and learn about the popular board game at this weekly event where all ages and skill levels are welcome, 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Moore Library, 225 S. Howard Ave. SUN The Musical Swings Montreal-based Daily tous les jours installed this swing set where operating each swing triggers a different set of notes so that, through cooperation, visitors can play a song, Sept. 25-Oct. 13. Bicentennial Park, 500 Couch drive, 405-297-3882, facebook.com/pages/Bicentennial. WED-SUN
OKC Spirit Fair learn about metaphysical and new-age topics such as tarot cards, energy healing, crystals, auras and more, Sept. 28-29, Sept. 28-29. Wyndham Garden Oklahoma City Airport, 2101 S Meridian Ave, 405-685-4000. SAT-SUN
Board Game Brunch play board games while enjoying a variety of food and beverage options, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. last Sunday of the month. The R & J Lounge and Supper Club, 320 NW 10th St., 405-6025066, rjsupperclub.com. SUN
Oklahoma City Pagan Pride Day live music, children’s activities and ceremonial rituals commemorate the Autumn Equinox at this annual celebration, now in its sixth year, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 28. Wiley Post Park, 2021 S. Robinson Ave., 405-2972756, okc.gov. SAT
Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub. com. SUN
Oklahoma Organic Gardening Association Meeting speaker John Wilson will discuss Bokashi composting, 7 p.m. Sept. 27. OSU OKC Farmers Market, 400 N. Portland Ave., 405-945-3326, osuokc. edu/farmersmarket. FRI
Cocktail Cruise see the Boathouse District, the Wheeler Ferris wheel and more on this sunset cruise with a full cash bar, Fridays and Saturdays through September, Fridays, Saturdays. through Sept. 28. Regatta Park Landing, 701 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-7027755, okrivercruises.com. FRI-SAT
Paper Sack Project prepare sack lunches to pass out to people on the streets at this event hosted by Debate Night OKC, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. last Sunday of the month. NE OKC Community & Cultural Center, 3815 N. Kelley Ave., 405-401-3350. SUN
Coffee with Real Estate Investors network over coffee and discuss topics such as real estate investing, building a successful business and chasing the American dream, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Starbucks, 5800 W. Memorial Road, 405-722-6189, starbucks. com. WED Community Listening Session: Criminal Justice a public discussion of problems in Oklahoma’s criminal justice system, 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 28. Masjid Mumin, 1322 NE 23rd St., 405-424-0352, masjidmuminokc.org. SAT Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Downtown Recyclers Toastmasters practice your public speaking skills at this ongoing weekly meeting, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Department of Environmental Quality, 707 N. Robinson Ave., 405702-0100, deq.state.ok.us. WED Drag Me to Bingo bingo night hosted by Teabaggin Betsy, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Partners, 2805 NW 36th St., 405-942-2199, partners4club.com. TUE Educating America Tour learn about Alzheimer’s
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Plaza District Festival a daylong annual event showcasing performing and visual arts with live music, vendors and children’s activities, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 28. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-426-7812, plazadistrict.org. SAT Pooches on the Patio bring your best friend to this dog-friendly happy hour with drink specials, appetizers and free pet treats, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays. Café 501 Classen Curve, 5825 NW Grand Blvd., 405844-1501, cafe501.com/. SAT Powerful Women Dinner former White House administrator Tina Tchen delivers the keynote speech at this fundraising dinner for Sally’s List — a nonpartisan organization recruiting and training progressive women to run for political office in Oklahoma, Oct. 1. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. TUE Queen Mariah’s Variety Show a monthly stage show featuring various drag performers, 10:30 p.m. Saturdays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT Reiki/ Energy Share learn about reiki healing and share good vibes at this community get-together, 6 p.m. Fridays. Beautifully Connected, 13524 Railway Dr., Suite J, 262-753-6852, beautifullyconnectedwellness.com. FRI
Fiddler on the Roof The revolutionary Broadway hit that brought us “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and more has returned at a time when we desperately need its themes of understanding, tolerance and finding a way to respect tradition while moving forward into the future. New choreography by Hofesh Shechter revitalizes Jerome Robbins’ original staging with some dance moves that might not have looked out of place in an actual Russian settlement circa 1905. “To life, to life, l’chaim!” The show runs Tuesday-Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $27.16-$92.33. Visit okcbroadway.com. TUESDAY-SATURDAY Photo Joan Marcus / provided Renegade Poker compete in a 2-3 hour tourna ment with cash prizes, 3 p.m. Sundays. Bison Witches Bar & Deli, 211 E Main St., 405-364-7555, bisonwitchesok.com. SUN
Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. FRI
Standing Bear Powwow a powwow hosted by the six north-central tribes of Oklahoma featuring arts and crafts, dance exhibitions and contests and more, Sept. 27-28. Standing Bear Park, 601 Standing Bear Parkway, 580-762-1514. FRI-SAT
Farm to Table Dinner enjoy live music, local beer and wine, and a dinner catered by Kamala Gamble from Kam’s Kookery at this fundraiser for Oklahoma Horticultural Society, 5 p.m. Sept. 29. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405-943-0827, okc.gov. SUN
Teach-In: Japanese Internment a threepart weekly series about the history of Japanese Internment and its relevance to the present day, 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 9. Mayflower Congregational Church, 3901 NW 63rd Street, 405842-8897, bellavoceokc.org. WED Tinkerfest artists, engineers, educators, crafters and other creators will converge in this daylong event featuring hands-on activities promoting ingenuity and curiosity, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 28. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SAT Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, 623-8100295. THU Trivia Night at Black Mesa Brewing test your knowledge at this weekly competition hosted by BanjoBug Trivia, 6:30 p.m. June 18. Black Mesa Brewing Company, 1354 W Sheridan Ave., 405-778-1865, blackmesabrewing.com. TUE Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens. com. TUE Volunteer Training learn how to help out homeless youth with Sisu Youth Services, 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 26. Sisu Youth Services, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-459-7478, sisuyouth.org. THU ZOObrew enjoy live music, food and craft beer at this fundraiser hosted by the Oklahoma Zoological Society, Sept. 27. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000
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FOOD
Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.noon Saturdays, through Oct. 19. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT Suds ’n’ Spuds pair craft beers with potato dishes created by local restaurants, 2-9 p.m. Sept. 28. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 4054860701. SAT Taste of Western enjoy food from several local restaurants, drinks, live jazz and a silent auction, 6-9 p.m. Sept. 25. Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave., 405-604-3015, willrogerstheatre.com. WED
YOUTH Art Adventures children can enjoy story time and related activities, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. TUE Day Out With Thomas Steam Team Tour 2019 children and families can take a ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt and enjoy crafts and other Thomas-related activities, Sept. 27-29 and October 4-6. Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd., 405-424-8222, oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. FRI-SUN
Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Oklahoma City Royal Princess Ball a family event offering young princess fans a chance to meet
their favorites, 9 a.m.-6:15 p.m. Sept. 29. Embassy Suites Conference Center, 2501 Conference Drive, 405-364-8040. SUN
Kendell’s Open Mic play up to four songs at this weekly music open mic, 8-11 p.m. Tuesdays. Kendell’s, 110 S. May Ave., kendellsbar.com. TUE
Reading Wednesdays a weekly storytime with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED
“Kountry” Wayne Colley the standup comic and social media personality will perform, 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Sept. 27-28. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill. eat24hour.com. FRI-SAT
Signing Time Sign Language Class children can learn American Sign Language at this class taught by Mrs. Stacy, 4-5 p.m. Sept. 12. We Rock the Spectrum, 64 E 33rd St., 405-657-1108, werockthespectrumoklahomacity.com. THU
Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED
Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE
Monday Night Blues Jam Session bring your own instrument to this open-stage jam hosted by Wess McMichael, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. MON
Stuffed Animal Sleepover wear your pajamas to craft and story time, then leave a stuffed animal to have a sleepover at the museum and pick it up the next day to see photos of its overnight adventure, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Blvd., 405-340-0078, edmondhistory.org. THU
Musical Mosaic Concert a concert featuring performances by University of Oklahoma’s symphony orchestra, wind symphony, university chorale and others, 3 p.m. Sept. 29. Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St., 405-325-0538, musicaltheatre.ou.edu. SUN
PERFORMING ARTS
Nick Offerman the comic and actor, know for portraying Ron Swanson on Parks & Rec, will perform on his All Rise tour, 7 p.m.-midnight Sept. 29. The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-308-1803, criterionokc.com. SUN
The Barber of Seville Painted Sky Opera presents the classic comedic opera about Figaro the village barber, through Sept. 27, Through Sept. 27. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. FRI
OKC Comedy Open Mic Night get some stage time or just go to listen and laugh at this open mic hosted by Travis Phillips, 7 p.m. Mondays. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. MON
Busty’s Broads and Boys Busty Springfield hosts an evening of performances featuring Shall, Kadabra, Unkaige and more, 9:30 p.m. Sept. 26. New York Pizza & Pasta, 217 W Boyd St, (405) 360-1515. THU
OKC Improv performers create original scenes in the moment based on suggestions from the audience, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-4569858, okcimprov.com. FRI
Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted by CJ Lance and Josh Lathe and featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and beyond, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Don Quixote Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N. Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI Iron Horse Open Mic and Showcase perform music on stage at this show open to all experience levels, 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 9501 S. Shields Blvd., 405-735-1801. WED Joel Forlenza: The Piano Man the pianist performs variety of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and, of course, Billy Joel, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE-SAT
Triple’s Open Mic a music and comedy open mic hosted by Amanda Howle, 7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday. Triple’s, 8023 NW 23rd St., 405-7893031. WED Open Mic at The P share your musical talent or just come to listen at this weekly open mic, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. WED Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. TUE Paramount Open Mic show off your talents at this open mic hosted by musician Chris Morrison, 7 p.m. first Wednesday of every month. The Para-
AIDS Walk 2019 Oklahoma City isn’t exactly famous for its walkability, but now would be a good time to get out of the car and hoof it for an afternoon. According to its website, Oklahoma City AIDS walk has raised more than $685,000 for distribution to nonprofits providing direct health services and HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness in the OKC metro area. Benefitting organizations include Other Options Friends Food Pantry, Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma, Be the Change and RAIN Oklahoma, so lace up your shoes and get going. The annual event is noon-5 p.m. Sunday at Oklahoma City Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave. Registration is free, but walkers are encouraged to raise donations. Visit aidswalkokc.org. SUNDAY | Photo bigstock.com mount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. WED The Princess Bride...Died?! an interactive mystery dinner theater experience parodying The Princess Bride, Sept. 27, Oct. 18 and Nov. 15. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew Ave., 405-2360416, cattlemensrestaurant.com. FRI Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Rhyme in Reasons share your talent or just watch other artists perform at this weekly open mic, 7:30-10 p.m. Thursdays. Reasons Lounge, 1140 N. MacArthur Blvd., 405-774-9991. THU The Rocky Horror Karaoke Show dress as your favorite character and sing your favorite song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Sept. 25. Hideaway Lounge, 4418 NW 39th St., 405-9177011, facebook.com/pg/HideawayLounge66. WED Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/sanctuarybarokc. WED The Sorcerer & The Comedian an evening combining comedy and magic featuring performances by John Shack and Julie Drake, 8-11 p.m. Sept. 27. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-8873327, theparamountroom.com. FRI UCO Jazz Festival University of Central Oklahoma school of music students and faculty members and other musicians will perform at this annual event, 7 p.m. Sept. 28. UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., 405-359-7989, ucojazzlab.com. MON-SAT
India Food & Arts Festival The The food gets top billing at this cultural appreciation event, but while you’re stuffing your face with tikka masala, daal and palak paneer, be sure to save some space in your mind for live performances of traditional music and dance and enriching workshops in yoga, warli painting, bandhani tie dye, lantern designing and Bollywood-style dancing. The festival is 3-9 p.m. Saturday at The Station at Central Park, 700 S. Broadway Ave., in Moore. Admission is free, but some workshops are $5 to attend. Visit iaok.org. SATURDAY | Photo provided
VZD’s Open Mic Night a weekly music mic hosted by Joe Hopkins, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., 405-6023006, vzds.com. WED Weekly Jams bring an instrument and play along with others at this open-invitation weekly jam session, 9:30 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. TUE
ACTIVE
learn the basics of square dancing at these classes led by Jeff Holley; no partner required, 7-9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, through Oct. 3. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, 405-359-4630, edmondok.com/ parks. MON-THU Botanical Balance an all-levels yoga class in a natural environment; bring your own mat and water, 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT-THU Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., 405-350-8920, cityofyukon. gov. WED Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through east Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Road, 405-603-7655. MON
Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. SAT
Run the Alley a three-mile social run for athletes of all abilities ending with beers at The Yard, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. OK Runner, 708 N Broadway Ave., 405-702-9291, myokrunner.com. THU Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. WED Twisted Coyote Brew Crew a weekly 3-mile group run for all ability levels with a beer tasting to follow; bring your own safety lights, 6 p.m. Mondays. Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. MON Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, wheelerdistrict.com. TUE
Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-
Adult New Modern Square Dance Lessons
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CALENDAR C A L E N DA R
continued from page 25 445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE Yoga with Art workout in an art-filled environment followed by a mimosa, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT
VISUAL ARTS
Colors of Clay an exhibition of clay pots, bowls, pitchers and jars created by Native American artists, through May 10, 2021. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-TUE
Figures & Landscapes: The Art of Carol Armstrong an exhibition of works by the Oklahoma Governor’s Art Award winning painter, through Nov. 2. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-3079320, pasnorman.org. FRI-SAT Imperfect Exchange an exhibition of Patrick Earl Hammie’s artwork exploring race, gender and identity, through Oct. 10. Melton Gallery, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-525-3603, uco.edu. MON-THU Leviathan I: The Aesthetics of Capital an experimental exhibition created by artist Pete Froslie exploring climate change, moral and political philosophy through electro-mechanics and game engine-based digital projection, through Dec. 31. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. WED-TUE Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata see examples of mechanical proto-robots from 1850 to the modern day, through Sept. 29. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SUN Seeds of Being an exhibition examining the evolution of art created by Indigenous groups in North America, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. WED-MON Seeing Now an exhibit of multimedia art works by Hank Willis Thomas, Ken Gonzales-Day, Travis Somerville, Paul Rucker, Graciela Sacco, Terence Hammonds and Michael Waugh, through Dec. 31. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU-TUE Simply Put an exhibition of paintings by Lynden Wilcoxson, through Sept. 29. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405-601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. FRI-SUN Stories of Love and Longing/ Encircled an exhibition of works by painter Marjorie Atwood and sculptor Tim Cooper, through Sept. 30. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-MON Thoughts on Africa an exhibition of Don Nevard’s photographs of native African wildlife, through Oct. 31. Inasmuch Foundation Gallery at Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 4056827579. SAT-THU
Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnamese families relocated to Oklahoma, through Nov. 6. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-WED With Intent an exhibition of works by artists Bee Doublehue, Gayle Curry, Marissa Raglin and Josh Vaughn, through Sept. 29. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. FRI-SUN
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
see page 32
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Crowds’ choice
A group of musicians based in Los Angeles set out on an unconventional tour and hope to create a better concert experience. By Jeremy Martin
Like many bands booked for Austin City Limits, Los Angeles’ Palm Springsteen wanted to schedule a quick tour around the trip, but the band members didn’t want to make it a conventional tour or even pick the stops themselves. “Instead of just booking it and playing in random cities that we have no idea people are going to be there or not, why don’t we ask the fans where they want us to play and book shows there and let people get involved and tell us where they want us and when they want us and we’ll do our best to oblige?” said Palm Springsteen keyboardist and solo artist Z Berg. Berg, Palm Springsteen frontman Nick Hinman, singer-songwriter Dan Keyes and former Panic! at the Disco guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross are co-headlining Dead End Kids Club Tour, which stops in Oklahoma City 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at 89th Street - OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. The tour, which features all four artists performing with members of Palm Springsteen as a backing band, was plotted using RoadNation, a crowdfunding-style website that allows artists to set an itinerary based on fan interest. OKC was not actually one of the cities that met the ticket purchase threshold for scheduling a stop there, but it was near enough to merit further investigation. “Oklahoma City didn’t actually get totally confirmed, but it was one of the closest ones,” Berg said. “So we figured why the fuck not come see what’s up in Oklahoma City?” The untested nature of the tour — inspired by a series of concerts Berg hosted in LA featuring a changing lineup of musician friends because she “was kind of just sick of going to regular fucking shows” — requires additional rehearsals and preparation. “The way this show is going to work is we’re each going to play a song acoustic; we’re going to play a full band set; we’re going to do duets; we’re going to do songs all together, and we’ll only play a limited amount of songs every night, but basically, we can play a totally different set every night because of the amount of songs all of us have, from both our current projects and our previous projects,” Berg said. “We just want to make sure that every show feels like the first show and the last show and the only show.” Hinman added that he is Z Berg (pictured) Dan Keyes, Ryan Rossand Nick Hinman co-headline Dead End Kids Club First Annual Fall Ball Tour 7:30 p.m.Oct. 5 at 89th Street - OKC. | Photo provided
excited to see what happens on tour, which is billed, in part, as “a roaming homecoming dance … a rascal caravan … a traveling circus.” “Every show is going to be totally unique,” Hinman said. “It’s going to be really fun.” The group does not depart LA until Sunday, but the preliminary conversations are already different from what Berg is used to from previous tours. “We all have to learn each other’s songs,” Berg said. “We all have to be prepared to sing with each other. We’re trying to create a little bit of a feeling of a gang and a collective, and so we’re going to make a big backdrop and decorations, and we’re going to talk about who we are as a group and not just who we are as individuals. What are the Dead End Kids, and what are we trying to bring to each of these shows to make them a unique experience for everybody that is not just going to see four bands play a show, but rather is a visceral, interactive, immersive experience that is both ephemeral and leaves its mark?”
Making memories
By calling the tour the First Annual Fall Ball, Dead End Kids hope to emphasize that the show is meant to be a more memorable experience than a typical concert. “We like to ask people to dress up,” Berg said. “Instead of just coming out and seeing a bunch of bands, we want you to kind of come be a part of the scenery and feel like it’s some combina-
tion between homecoming and prom and your birthday and your funeral. It’s not just another night.” Hinman agreed. “It’s more like one long performance,” Hinman said. “It’s almost like a play or something than it is four separate bands. … It’s really just a whole experience that is there from start to finish.” In addition to dressing up to enhance the ambiance, Berg said the Dead End Kids also want concertgoers to help decide set lists for shows.
We just want to make sure that every show feels like the first show and the last show and the only show. Z Berg “We’ve been kind of polling fans and asking people what songs they want to hear so that part of the understanding of going to this show is that we are listening to you when you request songs and we’re listening to what you want out of this as much as what we want, because it should feel like an experience we’re sharing rather than an experience you’re just going to,” Berg said. The atmosphere of the show will also be enhanced by the camaraderie between the musicians. “We’re all extremely close friends,” Berg said. “Some of us have known each other for 15 years. Some of us have dated. I know these people better than I know anyone in the world, and the experience of being able to kind of create a whole world together both musically and aesthetically, I think is something that we all find really exciting.” Though the tour’s planning requires different considerations, Berg said she still has the same worries and concerns she always does. “Car accidents, always,” Berg said. “Finding food is always pretty
Palm Springsteen frontman Nick HInman said “every show is going to be totally unique” on the tour. | Photo provided
difficult on tour in my experience. It’s very, very hard for me to bring less than five pairs of shoes no matter how long I’m going for, so that’s going to be the big thing is narrowing the shoes down. But musically, I think we’ve got this.” Paring down luggage might be a bigger concern because all the musicians will be riding in the same van, but Hinman said he is not worried the close quarters will put a strain on their friendships. “We’re just going to get even closer,” Hinman said. Berg laughed. “Yeah, or we will fully kill each other,” she said. “You never know.” Berg made one last request of Fall Ball attendees. “I would like to ask people just to come in with an open mind,” Berg said. “I’ve done a couple of prom-themed shows, and what I realized is that everyone loves those because no one had a satisfying prom because high school is inherently terrible for everyone, and all of the experiences in your life that you think are going to be amazing are kind of inherently disappointing. And what’s fun about shows like this and experiences like this is this is not the family you are born with. This is the family you chose, so treat this like you’re going to the prom you wish you went to or the homecoming dance you wish you went to or the birthday that you’ve never actually had, because it gets to be that because you chose us and we chose you and it wasn’t forced upon you. So let’s make it fucking awesome.” Tickets are $20-$23. Visit 89thstreetokc.com.
Dead End Kids Club First Annual Fall Ball Tour 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 89th Street - OKC 8911 N. Western Ave. | 89thstreetokc.com 405-463-9203 $20-$23
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Still groovin’ Local musicians and human rights activists celebrate 33 years of Groovefest. By Jeremy Martin
Early visits to Norman Groovefest made a big impression on Lindsey Martin. “As a kid, I remember going all the time,” said Martin, who has been helping organize the long-running music and human-rights-awareness festival for the past eight years. “There were legalize marijuana booths set up everywhere. This was back in the ’90s, and we’ve had those forever. I don’t even know if they’re going to show up now that it’s all legal. … It was still bunch of hippies getting together and good music. It was cool because it was different than everywhere else. It felt like a little mini Woodstock or something, I guess — of course, it’s nowhere near as big — and it was cool that people were out there informing you on what’s going on in the world. Sierra Club and Amnesty International, just knowing about all those different things, I thought it was cool to learn about that as a kid, and even as an adult, there’s always more information for you to learn.” Groovefest, now in its 33rd year, is noon-9 p.m. Oct. 6 at Andrews Park, 201 W. Daws St., in Norman. Writing for Huffington Post in 2017, Human Rights Action Center founder and former Amnesty International USA director Jack Healey was also impressed by the festival, which he called “the longest running human rights event in the world.” “Groovefest shows deep commitment to human rights and the everchanging understanding of how they
relate to the intersecting systems of oppression and power,” Healey wrote. “The festival uses a human rights framework to provide a fun and accessible platform for learning, collaborating and growing human rights activism from the local to global level. … Groovefest presents the beauty and power of human rights and the people who work every day to protect them.” David Slemmons, who has been associated with Groovefest since it began in 1986, said the festival’s popularity and attendance has fluctuated over the years, but the tradition continues. “It ebbs and flows,” Slemmons said, “but overall, you see a lot of the same people. Some of the same people’s grandchildren are the ones that are helping lead it now. … There have been a couple of times over the 30-some years that because someone who had been really involved in the leadership either moved or graduated or something like that, we’ve sort of had to go, ‘OK, we need to find some new people,’ but those are just the kind of struggles that any group in Oklahoma would have. For instance, at an outdoor event, if it rains, you’re all of a sudden going, ‘Oh, wow.’ You’ve been planning for months for this event. There’s been a lot of headaches, but they’re the typical kinds of things that you would have.” The Indigos play Groovefest 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at Andrews Park in Norman. | Photo provided
WE’RE SOCIAL. Groovefest, now in its 33rd year, is noon-9 p.m. Oct. 6 at Andrews Park in Norman. | Photo provided
Timely topics
The festival’s stage hosts local musicians and human rights activists who will speak about a variety of issues between the musical performances. Though Oklahoma’s reputation for human rights is less than impressive, the myriad social issues in need of attention actually inspire resilient and intelligent local activists who are able to effectively communicate the importance of state and international issues, and the close proximity of the University of Oklahoma attracts a variety of voices. “We’ve had a lot of really strong leaders in a wide range of areas, and we’ve been fortunate with the university to have a pretty diverse group of people that are involved,” Slemmons said. “There’s been a real strong sense of continuity in the specific aspects of human rights, but also in bringing it home to our own neighborhood.”
We want to create more of an open community where we can come together versus all the segregation that’s going on in today’s world. Amber Amanda The styles of music featured at the festival have varied over the years with changing trends, but the connection between the local music scene and activism remains strong. “If you see in the demonstrations at the capitol, it’s usually someone who’s performed at Groovefest who’s up singing before the speakers,” Slemmons said. “The music and the human rights community in Oklahoma are not that large, and they’re very intertwined.” Oklahoma City’s Rousey, which released the album Substances and Situations in May, headlines the festival
at 8 p.m. Saxophonist Garrett Ennis said the band’s “Cops in My Town” questions the role of police in society. “We all like to think in our heads that we support policing the public, but sometimes it gets out of hand,” Ennis said. “That’s what that song is kind of about — knowing your rights and knowing what a police officer is there to do and, ultimately, not letting that power get abused.” “Make-Up Mirror,” meanwhile, expresses sympathy for people with suicidal thoughts. “People should know that they have the right to live and be able to voice their feelings that are attached to that,” Ennis said. The band is tailoring its set list to the event, considering applicable covers while making sure to plan a familyfriendly performance for any impressionable children in the audience. “Kids love to dance at our shows,” Ennis said. “There’s always a few at the front.” OKC’s The Indigos, which released the EP Spring on streaming services in July, performs at 7 p.m. Vocalist Amber Amanda said the band’s song “Wrath” also offers encouragement for people facing difficult times. “It’s about just kind of dealing with the intensity of life and rolling with things that happen in life and just kind of keeping going even whenever your head’s going under the water,” Amber Amanda said. Through its performance at Groovefest and by hosting a regular jam session at Saints, the band wants to help people find connections with each other. “We try to love people. We want to bring community together,” Amber Amanda said. “That’s something that’s really important to us. … We want to create more of an open community where we can come together versus all the segregation that’s going on in today’s world.” Drummer Michael Fabri agreed. “I definitely think The Indigos define themselves in the music scene as being very inclusive, not having an ego and using music just as a means of bringing people together and creating an open environment for people to feel safe and be able to be vulnerable,” Fabri said. “We’re all here doing the same thing, so treat each other with kindness and respect and enthusiasm, you know?” Ong, Strange Machine, Sunday Flyers, Susan Herndon, Brad Fielder, New Tribe and Creeping Toms are also scheduled to perform. Admission is free. Visit groovefest.org.
Groovefest noon-9 p.m. Oct. 6 Andrews Park 201 W. Daws St., Norman | groovefest.org Free
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LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
Red City Radio/Klamz/Lacey Elaine, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Vibro Kings, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. BLUES Well Now Margery, Full Circle Bookstore.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 Avatar, Diamond Ballroom. METAL Carrie Underwood, Chesapeake Energy Arena.
ACOUSTIC
Will Hoge, Grady’s 66 Pub. COUNTRY
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
COUNTRY
Hosty, The Deli. ROCK
Coolzey/Jabee/Nymasis, The Deli. HIP-HOP
Jeff Black, The Depot. FOLK
Home Free, Hudiburg Chevrolet Center. POP
Starset, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK
John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston.
Steve Poltz, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
SINGER/SONGWRITER
The Weekend All Stars, Newcastle Casino. COVER
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, The Blue Door. FOLK
Calexico & Iron & Wine, Tower Theatre. FOLK/
Fruit Bats, Ponyboy. ROCK
Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK
ROCK
More than 1,000,000 impressions each month! Contact: advertising@okgazette.com Naturalist When last we spoke to Naturalist, bassist Joseph Tassinari described the
20% off one cbd or cannabis item limit one coupon per person EXPIRES 10/8/19
band’s emotive post-hardcore as a “dark room, weird light kind of introspective-type thing,” but he added that newer songs might shed a different light. “It’s, I don’t want to say ‘softer,’ but it definitely has what feels like to me, a more positive vibe,” Tassinari said. “We’ve all been making life changes, bigger ones for a while now, so I think that that kind of reflects itself tonally and kind of changes the vibe a little bit.” Celebrate the release of Naturalist’s new EP It Could Be Anywhere with a lineup also boasting local heavy-hitters And in the Darkness I Was Free, Westering, Lilac Kings and Matt Jewett. The show is 7-11:30 p.m. Friday at 89th Street – OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. Admission is $10. Visit 89thstreetokc.com. FRIDAY Photo provided
Hayes Carll/Rod Melancon, Tower Theatre.
TUESDAY, OCT. 1
Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ
Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club.
SINGER/SONGWRITER
Jon Langford, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Kent Fauss Trio, Coal Creek Vineyard. COUNTRY Shelly Phelps & Dylan Nagode, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Café. ACOUSTIC
COUNTRY
Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2 AHI, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Supersuckers, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK
Blackberry Smoke, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK
FRIDAY, SEPT. 27
John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston.
CJ and Stieg, Bison Witches Bar & Deli. ROCK
Thunder Jackson/Laine, Opolis. POP
Drowning Pool, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK
William Matthews, The Paramount Room.
Far Beyond the Grave, Oklahoma City Limits.
SINGER/SONGWRITER
SINGER/SONGWRITER
COVER
Kestrel & Kite, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK Naturalist/Westering/Lilac Kings, 89th StreetOKC. ROCK Noogy/Sutphin/Desiring Dead Flesh, VFW Post 9265. PUNK/ HARDCORE
SymmaTree/S. Reidy, Resonator Institute. HIP-HOP
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 Blacklite District, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK lovelytheband, Tower Theatre. POP Patty Griffin/John Fullbright, The Auditorium at the Douglass. SINGER/SONGWRITER
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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.
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CANNABIS
THE HIGH CULTURE
Second pass CannaCon returns to Oklahoma City for the second time this year, bringing more than 200 vendors with it. By Matt Dinger
For the second time this year, CannaCon is upon us. The first business expo, held in April, brought more than 8,000 people to Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, CannaCon marketing director Angela Grelle said. CannaCon is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. FridaySaturday. Tickets range from $40 for a single day to $150 for a two-day pass with access to all the seminars. “I would say that Oklahoma’s definitely been our busiest show,” Grelle said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the licensing laws and the fact that Oklahoma has really allowed anyone. It’s really not extremely expensive like it is in a lot of other states. In a lot of other states, it’s really cost-prohibitive for people to get a license. You’re looking at anywhere between $30,000 and $100,000, in most states, just to get your license going, and they make it so difficult too. There’s so much red tape.”
Event space
While the last expo was held on Thursday and Friday, this time, it will be held on a Friday and Saturday. “We almost always do our shows on Friday and Saturday. I think the last Oklahoma event was the first time that we didn’t do a Friday-Saturday, and it was just because we couldn’t get the Cox Convention Center for that Saturday,” Grelle said. “They had something else booked.” That Saturday during the first CannaCon was also April 20. “We try not to do our shows on 4/20 just because there’s so many other things going on always on 4/20 that we worry that it’s going to distract people 32
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from coming to our event because we’re not a smoking event,” Grelle said. “And so usually on 4/20, people want to go to the parties and the smoking events.” The convention has expanded, with 228 vendors confirmed for the two-day expo. There were 189 vendors at the April event in Oklahoma City.
People come to shop and do business and learn, and it’s a kind of a different vibe than something like Hempfest or a High Times Cup. Angela Grelle “We had some of our bigger companies that were kind of on the fence about coming to Oklahoma the first time, and then they saw videos and pictures and all of the buzz of how busy the show was and how great everything went, and they were all chomping to make it into the next one. I think that’s why we sold out of booths so quickly,” Grelle said. “We had to take our seminar rooms and turn those into spaces for booths. And so then we had to take space for seminar rooms out. We had to rearrange a little bit. It’s still in the convention center. They’re just in the outside meeting rooms that are right down the hall.” CannaCon said that while it is running out of space for more vendors in Cox Convention Center, it has looked into hosting an outdoor event and decided against it, instead hoping that Oklahoma City’s new convention center
THC
will be able to accommodate larger shows in the future. Last time, it had only sold between 3,000 and 4,000 tickets up until the week leading up to the event but saw more than double that number of attendees, so CannaCon has prepared for larger crowds in advance in the aim of cutting down wait times in line to get into the expo. Attendees who register in advance can avoid the wait in line altogether and print out their own badges at a kiosk instead of having to enter their information on-site. “We have to ship all of that equipment out ahead of time, all of the iPads and the registration equipment, and we have to have other registration kiosks set up, and so, at that point, we were really too late to add any extra kiosks. … It was crazy. We were expecting like half of that,” Grelle said. “Normally, our first time in a state, we’ll hit like two to 3,000. We feel like that’s pretty average. It’s pretty good. We target so much the business side of the industry, and they don’t really target a whole lot of the end users because nobody’s smoking at our shows. People come to shop and do business and learn, and it’s a kind of a different vibe than something like Hempfest or a High Times Cup, so we don’t usually draw like a High Timessized crowd.” She said many of the attendees also come from out of state. The nearest CannaCon currently slated will be held in Chicago in July 2020. “We drew a lot of people from Texas and a lot of people from Missouri, and I think we will again, judging from our analytics and our website traffic,” Grelle said. “We’re getting a lot of hits from those areas.”
Seminars
In addition to the vendors, which again include more than a dozen seed companies, there will be seminars running the duration of the event. The centerpiece of those seminars is an infused cooking demo with chef Shaun O’Neale, named America’s best
More than 8,000 people attended the first Oklahoma City CannaCon in April. | Photo provided
chef in September 2016 and the champion of MasterChef’s seventh season. His seminar will explain in detail what chefs need to know about the cannabis decarboxylation process and how to dose properly when cooking with cannabis. Other seminar topics will be crop optimization and high-tech irrigation with Doug Jacobs, the technical advisor for Grodan, a sustainable agriculture tech firm; solventless extraction and the entourage effect with Chet Tucker, the executive director of Arcadia Brands; and a primer on how to enter the cannabis industry with J. Blake Johnson, founding partner of Overman Legal Group and Climb Collective. “Our seminars are getting a little more into the nitty-gritty of the business side of the industry and the more technical side of the growing industry, just because I think now everybody in Oklahoma is kind of at that point where they need that information,” Grelle said. “Oklahoma has done a really great job, I feel like. I wish every state would kind of follow suit, at least in some of the ways, so that people can get licenses a little bit easier. And it’s a more even playing field for everybody. You don’t have to be some big corporation with some huge amount of money. You just have to be somebody that knows what they’re doing that wants to get into the business.” CannaCon has already set the dates for the next event in Oklahoma City. It returns May 29-30, 2020. Visit cannacon.org.
CannaCon 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday Cox Convention Center 1 Myriad Gardens cannacon.org 425-791-4467 $40-$150
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THE HIGH CULTURE
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High seas
This month, the chefs at Guyutes offer up a tuna tostada made with a spicy infused olive oil. By Matt Dinger
Summer temperatures have stuck along later than usual this year, and the chefs at Guyutes are offering an infused dish with about the same amount of heat. Each month, owner Jarrod Friedel and chef Matt Pryor bring Oklahoma Gazette readers a recipe that goes beyond the traditional edible with inspired options. This time, they have whipped up a pan-seared tuna tostada topped with a mango salsa made with a cannabis and serrano pepper-infused olive oil. “The salsa that we’re going to have is going to be mangoes, jalapeños, tomatoes, red onions, avocados, with a little bit of orange juice, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and it’s going to be finished off with a pickled carrot that gives it kind of a tang,” Pryor said. “We wanted to go with something light, not too heavy like your traditional tostada with beans. It would also be successful with rice also because rice goes really well with the pan-seared. Kind of like you get with pan-seared tuna rolls in sushi. I wanted to bring that sweetness with tuna.” The tostada has been about a month in the making. Friedel just decided to give it an extra twist with the infused serrano oil. “I just got back from Mexico, and all I ate was fish, and so as soon as I came back, I went and got tuna and I’ve been making tuna tostadas the past three weeks,” Friedel said. When mixing the salsa, Pryor advises to go lightly with the cayenne pepper. “You don’t want to overpower the heat in the salsa. You just want to keep
Tuna tostadas topped with mango salsa made with cannabis-infused chili oil | Photo Alexa Ace
that sweetness going,” he said. Once the rest of the dish is complete, they advise drizzling a little of the leftover infused oil over the top of the tostada to give it an extra punch.
Review
The tostada was made more of a fusion dish than a typical Latin tostada preparation by the addition of Asian flavors of sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. It’s a nice and refreshing way to consume the medicinal cannabis when it’s still warm outside. There is no discernible cannabis flavor in the oil used in the salsa. I mostly tasted some heat and depth of flavor imbued by the serrano pepper, which balanced nicely with the sweetness of the mango, tomatoes and juices. I think I would add some cilantro as well for more herbaceous notes. As a composed dish, I thought the marinated carrots tied the fusion elements together. I think it would be fun to do a peppercorn crust on the tuna by mixing black and Sichuan varieties for a balance of spicy and numbing sensations. I liked the use of the Blackberry Fire strain. According to Leafly, reviews of the strain said that it provides feelings of happiness, relaxation and uplifted mood. I ate about 30 milligrams split between one composed tostada and a few extra bites with tortilla chips and was hit with a relaxed and uplifted sensation in about 30 minutes — quick absorption — that lasted for about four hours. —Jacob Threadgill continued on page 39 for Tuna Tostada Recipe
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THE HIGH CULTURE
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continued from page 36
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Tuna Tostada Recipe 2 cups rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 10 medium carrots (shredded)
Directions
1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, mustard seeds and 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Place the carrots in a heatproof resealable container or jar (divide among several containers if necessary). Pour the hot brining liquid over the carrots. 3. Let the carrots cool to room temperature, then cover and chill them for at least 2 hours before serving.
Mango salsa
1 1/2 cups diced mango 1/2 cup red onion 1/2 cup diced jalapeño 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 3 tablespoons infused chili oil Pinch of salt
Directions
1. Combine the orange juice, honey, infused oil, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic. Whisk until emulsified. 2. Add all the diced fruit and vegetables and toss.
Marinade
1 pound fresh tuna 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro 1 finely chopped serrano pepper 1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
Mango salsa is made with cannabis-infused chili oil for an extra kick. | Photo Alexa Ace
Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. 2. Add the tuna and coat both sides with the marinade. 3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Pepper-Infused olive oil using the no-strain method 1 1/2 cups olive oil 7 grams decarboxylated cannabis 2 serrano peppers semi de-seeded
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1. Add water to a saucepan and heat it to 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit using a thermometer. 2. Add 1 1/2 cups of oil to a mason jar. 3. Place the top of the mason jar lid at the bottom of the saucepan for a double boil setup. 4. Place 7 grams of decarbed cannabis into a cheesecloth sachet and tie it off with butcher string. 5. Place the sachet in the oil. 6. After 30 minutes, add the peppers to the oil. 7. Let the entire batch steep for 90-120 minutes, making sure the heat does not exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 8. Carefully remove the sachet from the oil. Do not squeeze it. Discard the sachet. 9. Store the oil in the refrigerator. The shelf life is shortened due to the peppers.
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TOKE BOARD
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Where the industry does business.
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FLOWER REVIEW
Cannabis effects vary wildly from patient to patient based on a multitude of factors, including THC tolerance, brain chemistry and personal taste. This review is based on the subjective experience of one patient. Strain name: Green Crack Grown by: Toucannabis Wellness Co. & Dispensary Acquired from: Toucannabis Wellness Co. & Dispensary Date acquired: Sept. 11 THC/CBD percentages: 19.77 percent/.65 percent (per Scissortail Laboratory, LLC)
vibes for a short while before blending into a strong indica high and then bouncing back to energetic as it tapered off. It’s a bit confusing, but enjoyable if you are looking for a strain that lets you experience the best of both worlds. Toucannabis also grows all of its own product (you can smell the live grow from the dispensary), and I am looking forward to seeing the other curious crosses it has. (I picked up a high-CBD sativa-dominant strain of its CB Dutch Treat while I was there, for example.)
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15 Colt, maybe 16 City in Texas or Ukraine 26 Forces (upon) 28 Short end of the stick 29 Raising 30 Prepared 32 Smoky agave spirit 35 Big advertising catchword 37 Police rank: Abbr. 40 Like some poetry 43 “You didn’t fool me!” 46 Geographical anagram of ASLOPE DOWN 47 Bring on 1 Upstart’s goal 49 Material found in countertops 2 Istanbul’s Grand ____ 52 Birthstone of some Scorpios 3 Perfect places for bowlers to aim? 53 Close kin, casually 4 Ring 54 Lotus-____ (figures in the 5 Comment when you need a “Odyssey”) serious comeback at the end of a 56 Stroked bowling game? 57 Code for the busiest airport in 6 What a slug may leave behind? Australia 7 Bygone cry of outrage 60 ____ blanc 8 “You got that right!” 62 Niña companion 9 ____ Singer (Annie Hall 65 Projected, as a film protagonist) 67 First word across in the world’s 10 French way first crossword (1913) 11 Estevez of The Breakfast Club 69 Relates 12 Whether to aim at 7 or 10, in 70 Director Leone of spaghetti bowling? westerns 13 “Chop-chop!” 71 Pre-K group? 14 Disappointing news for a bowler? 72 Knockout
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VOL. XLI NO. 39 Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers. The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.
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73 Pace at which bowlers complete their games? 76 Wheel of Fortune option 78 Hip bowling enthusiasts? 79 Go from one state to another? 80 Family Feud option 82 Like some car air fresheners 84 Action-packed 85 What people who agree speak with 86 Like breast-cancer awareness ribbons 88 Three-____ (long movies, once) 89 Highland language 91 Mix up 92 Changed like Ophelia in Hamlet 94 Modern activity banned in most high schools 95 Rodeo activity 101 Ben & Jerry’s buy 102 Beloved: Lat. 104 Adele, voicewise 106 Quite a long time 108 Friendly femme 109 Bowlers’ targets … 10 of which can be found appropriately arranged in this puzzle 111 “Gosh!” 113 When Bastille Day occurs 114 Major operation? 116 Prefix with -morphic
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SUDOKU HARD | N° 7614
Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com
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SKULLDUGGERY LANE By Ingvard Ashby
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS
Puzzle No. 0922, which appeared in the September 18 issue. A B B E S S
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: “It is hard work and great art to make life not so serious,” said John Irving. How are you doing with that? FreeWillAstrology.com ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Comedian John Cleese speaks of two different modes toward which we humans gravitate. The closed style is tight, guarded, rigid, controlling, hierarchical, and tunnelvisioned. The open is more relaxed, receptive, exploratory, democratic, playful, and humorous. I’m pleased to inform you that you’re in a phase when spending luxurious amounts of time in the open mode would be dramatically healing to your mental health. Luckily, you’re more predisposed than usual to operate in that mode. I encourage you to experiment with the possibilities.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Upcoming adventures could test your poise and wit. They may activate your uncertainties and stir you to ask provocative questions. That’s cause for celebration, in my opinion. I think you’ll benefit from having your poise and wit tested. You’ll generate good fortune for yourself by exploring your uncertainties and asking provocative questions. You may even thrive and exult and glow like a miniature sun. Why? Because you need life to kick your ass in just the right gentle way so you will become alert to possibilities you have ignored or been blind to.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Novelist John irving asked, “Who can distinguish between falling in love and imagining falling in love? Even genuinely falling in love is an act of the imagination.” That will be a helpful idea for you to contemplate in the coming weeks. Why? Because you’re more likely than usual to fall in love or imagine falling in love—or both. And even if you don’t literally develop a crush on an attractive person or deepen your intimacy with a person you already care for, I suspect you will be inflamed with an elevated lust for life that will enhance the attractiveness of everything and everyone you behold. CANCER (June 21-July 22) You know your body is made of atoms, but you may not realize that every one of your atoms is mostly empty
space. Each nucleus contains 99 percent of the atom’s mass, but is as small in comparison to the rest of the atom as a pea is to a cathedral. The tiny electrons, which comprise the rest of the basic unit, fly around in a vast, deserted area. So we can rightfully conclude that you are mostly made of nothing. That’s a good meditation right now. The coming weeks will be a fine time to enjoy the refreshing pleasures of emptiness. The less frenzy you stir up, the healthier you’ll be. The more spacious you allow your mind to be, the smarter you’ll become. “Roomy” and “capacious” will be your words of power.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
“We don’t always have a choice about how we get to know one another,” wrote novelist John Irving. “Sometimes, people fall into our lives cleanly—as if out of the sky, or as if there were a direct flight from Heaven to Earth.” This principle could be in full play for you during the coming weeks. For best results, be alert for the arrival of new allies, future colleagues, unlikely matches, and surprise helpers.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
In North America, people call the phone number 911 to report an emergency. In much of the EU, the equivalent is 112. As you might imagine, worry-warts sometimes use these numbers even though they’re not experiencing a legitimate crisis. For example, a Florida woman sought urgent aid when her local McDonald’s ran out of Chicken McNuggets. In another case, a man walking outdoors just after dawn spied a blaze of dry vegetation in the distance and notified authorities. But it turned out to be the rising sun. I’m wondering if you and yours might be prone to false alarms like these in the coming days, Virgo. Be aware of that possibility. You’ll have substantial power if you marshal your energy for real dilemmas and worthy riddles, which will probably be subtle.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
“I just cut my bangs in a gas station bathroom,” confesses a Libran blogger who calls herself MagicLipstick. “An hour ago I shocked myself by making an impulse buy of a perfect cashmere trench coat from a stranger loitering in a parking lot,” testifies another Libran blogger who
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refers to himself as MaybeMaybeNot. “Today I had the sudden realization that I needed to become a watercolor painter, then signed up for a watercolor class that starts tomorrow,” writes a Libran blogger named UsuallyPrettyCareful. In normal times, I wouldn’t recommend that you Libras engage in actions that are so heedlessly and delightfully spontaneous. But I do now.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
You could call the assignment I have for you as “taking a moral inventory” or you could refer to it as “going to confession.” I think of it as “flushing out your worn-out problems so as to clear a space for better, bigger, more interesting problems.” Ready? Take a pen and piece of paper or open a file on your computer and write about your raw remorse, festering secrets, unspeakable apologies, inconsolable guilt, and desperate mortifications. Deliver the mess to me at Truthrooster@ gmail.com. I’ll print out your testimony and conduct a ritual of purgation. As I burn your confessions in my bonfire at the beach, I’ll call on the Goddess to purify your heart and release you from your angst. (P.S.: I’ll keep everything confidential.)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Two hundred years ago, Sagittarian genius Ludwig Beethoven created stirring music that’s often played today. He’s regarded as one of history’s greatest classical composers. And yet he couldn’t multiply or divide numbers. That inability made it hard for him to organize his finances. He once wrote about himself that he was “an incompetent business man who is bad at arithmetic.” Personally, I’m willing to forgive those flaws and focus on praising him for his soul-inspiring music. I encourage you to practice a similar approach with yourself in the next two weeks. Be extra lenient and merciful and magnanimous as you evaluate the current state of your life. In this phase of your cycle, you need to concentrate on what works instead of on what doesn’t work.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
“When you hit a wall—of your own imagined limitations— just kick it in,” wrote playwright Sam Shepard. That seems like a faulty metaphor to me. Have you ever tried
In 1965, Chinese archaeologists found an untarnished 2400-year-old royal bronze sword that was still sharp and shiny. It was intricately accessorized with turquoise and blue crystals, precision designs, and a silk-wrapped grip. I propose we make the Sword of Goujian one of your symbolic power objects for the coming months. May it inspire you to build your power and authority by calling on the spirits of your ancestors and your best memories. May it remind you that the past has gifts to offer your future. May it mobilize you to invoke beauty and grace as you fight for what’s good and true and just.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
“All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret,” wrote Piscean novelist Gabriel García Márquez. I will add that during different phases of our lives, one or the other of these three lives might take precedence; may need more care than usual. According to my analysis, your life in the coming weeks will offer an abundance of vitality and blessings in the third area: your secret life. For best results, give devoted attention to your hidden depths. Be a brave explorer of your mysterious riddles.
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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
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to literally kick in a wall? I just tried it, and it didn’t work. I put on a steel-toe work boot and launched it at a closet door in my basement, and it didn’t make a dent. Plus now my foot hurts. So what might be a better symbol for breaking through your imagined limitations? How about this: use a metaphorical sledgehammer or medieval battering ram or backhoe. (P.S. Now is a great time to attend to this matter.)
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