BY ANGELA BOTZER AND JENNIFER CHANCELLOR P. 36
FOOD & DRINK: FIND SOMETHING TO WINE ABOUT AT LE TOUR DE VIN. P.23 FILM: ANGELINA JOLIE PROVES TO BE A SWEEPING BEAUTY IN MALEFICENT. P.48
LIBRARY OF CONG RESS
FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY VOL. XXXVI NO. 23 JUNE 4, 2014
2 | M AY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 | O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E
CONTENTS 30
31
ON THE COVER
NEWS
The Grapes of Wrath was a groundbreaking historical novel that examined the poverty, hardship and harsh realities of human nature during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era. This year, John Steinbeck’s story celebrates its 75th anniversary, and as Oklahomans, we celebrate our authentic history. Story by Angela Botzer and Jennifer Chancellor. P. 36
4
Education: Emerson High School
6
Metro: nighttime bus route
8
Metro briefs
— by Jennifer Chancellor, editor-in-chief
35
23
LIFE
LIFE
16
OKG picks
20
Food & Drink: Ole Town Gyros & Kabob, sushi, Le Tour de Vin, OKG7 eat: desserts
35
Sports: Thabo Sefolosha
36
Cover: The Grapes of Wrath
38
Sudoku / Crossword
41
Music: Thompson Square, Birds of Chicago, Milk Jr., event listings
10
Gazette: Best of OKC
26
OKG shop: bikes
12
Chicken-Fried News
27
Celebrate Independents
14
Commentary
28
48
Health: PTSD
Film: Maleficent, A Million Ways to Die in the West
14
Letters
30
Culture: contra dance
49
Astrology
50
Classifieds
31
Visual Arts: Figments & Fragments, Evelyne Boren, Etsy craft party
34
Performing Arts: Red Earth Festival
O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | M AY 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 | 3
NEWS EDUCATION
Graduating with class BEN FELDER
Pegged with failure, Emerson High School produces tales of triumph. BY BEN FELDER
The odds were stacked against Jacquelin Pando. A year before she was scheduled to graduate from Emerson High School, which has the city’s highest dropout rate, she became pregnant. When her daughter was born, Pando thought she would leave school, joining nearly half of her classmates who fail to make it to graduation day. “When I had my daughter, I thought I wasn’t going to finish high school,” Pando said. However, as her daughter, Anahi, nears her first birthday, Pando not only walked across the graduation stage but did so as valedictorian. Ask her what made her decide to finish school and she pauses, wiping a tear with one hand and holding her diploma with the other. “My daughter,” she said. At Emerson High School, which the state labels with an F grade, the average dropout rate is more than double any other Oklahoma City Public School and the students seem set up for failure. Add in the challenges of poverty, parenthood and other facets of urban life and the expectations beyond the walls of the classroom aren’t high. But Pando, along with nearly 100 of her classmates, celebrated the completion of high school last month. “It feels so awesome,” Pando said. “It’s been really difficult.” Most of Emerson’s students fail to complete high school within four years. “I wouldn’t say it’s less than 55
4 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
It’s a good thing for a kid to come back off the street and say, ‘I want to finish.’ — Sherry Kishore percent,” Emerson principal Sherry Kishore said about her school’s dropout rate. “But it’s not a fair formula.” The state bases dropout rates on students who fail to complete high school in the traditional four-year span. At Emerson, many students take longer. “What people don’t understand is that I am graduating five-, six- and seven-year students who may of had to drop out for a year,” Kishore said. “It’s a good thing for a kid to come back off the street and say, ‘I want to finish.’ It’s a good thing for a [pregnant] girl to say she wants to stick with it, even though it might take her five or six years.” Kierston Hill is one of those students who took a longer path to graduation. “I’m a 20-year-old senior,” Hill said. “I was going to decide to drop out of school [after failing last year], but my mama told me I should stick with it.” Ask Hill what he’s going to do next and a smile shoots across his face. “I’m going to be a rapper,” Hill said. “I’m going to take over Oklahoma City.” It’s hard to bet against Hill’s ambition, even though his mother translates “rapper” as becoming a music major in college.
When Hill failed out of school two years ago, he figured high school wasn’t for him. His mom, Latoya Hill, said nagging him to go back to school didn’t work. Instead, she found a more subtle way to motivate her son. “I happened to find this picture frame that said, ‘It’s never too late to start a happy ending,’” Latoya said. “So I hung it in his room. A month or two later ... he said, ‘That’s the first thing I see,’ and it’s what he thinks about all day.” Kierston also told his mother he was ready to go back to school. “I was like, let’s go,” Latoya said. “I called my job and said, ‘I’m not coming in; I’m taking my child to enroll.’” A few years later, Kierston is a high
above Jacquelin Pando graduated as class valedictorian at Emerson High School. below School board member Laura Massenat presents a diploma to an Emerson High School graduate. school graduate and an example that for every story of failure Emerson might get pegged with, there are just as many stories of triumph. “It just shows he is strong,” Latoya said about her son’s graduation. “He’s going to be strong in life. He’s going to survive.”
UNI_14-RP-102_SportOfKings_Gazette.indd 1
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 5 5/29/14 1:35 PM
NEWS METRO
BEN FELDER
Night riders The lack of nighttime public transportation leaves many working people in the dark. Several city leaders would like to change that.
An Embark bus drops off passengers in downtown Oklahoma City.
BY BEN FELDER
Kevin Jones sat alone on a bus bench at the downtown transit center around 7:30 p.m. But he wasn’t waiting for a city bus. “I’m waiting for my girlfriend to pick me up,” Jones said. Even if Jones were waiting for a bus, one would not be coming. “I missed the last bus,” Jones added. Public transportation in Oklahoma City shuts down before 8 p.m. each weekday, as the city lacks evening service. Oklahoma City is the largest city in America without it. Based on research by Oklahoma Gazette, it is only one of three — Tulsa and Wichita — of the 50 largest cities to not have buses that run until at least 11 p.m. The lack of evening service presents a challenge for the city’s system, which recently rebranded itself as Embark in an attempt to attract new riders. However, it also creates issues for many of those like Jones who already rely on bus transit. “I’d love to work evening hours at work because I can make more money,” Jones said about his downtown warehouse job. “But I wouldn’t have a way to get to or back from work.” Jones said he is moving to Fayetteville, North Carolina, next month, where he will also depend on bus transit. Despite being one-third the size of Oklahoma City in population, Fayetteville’s bus system
6 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
runs until 10:30 p.m. “That will be nice,” Jones said.
The cost of service
Like most decisions at City Hall, expanding bus service into the evening comes down to cost. “The issue with public transit is so complex because of the size of the city,” Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer said. “I think with each budget cycle over the last few years, we have tried really hard to make some enhancement that will make public transit more rider-friendly for everybody.” Transit officials told the city council last month that running its core bus routes until midnight would cost an additional $1.5 million annually. Members of the city council have expressed an interest in finding a way to pay for at least some of that expansion, and it appears likely that at least a few routes will be approved for night service. City Manager Jim Couch issued a memo to the council last week reporting an extra $1.9 million in city revenue for the next budget year. He suggested using some of that money to hire more police officers but believes there is enough to spend an additional $1.3 million to improve transit, which would include evening service on a few routes and
If your goal is to increase ridership, your biggest impact is always going to be increasing frequency. — Ed Shadid
increased frequency. “That’s a baby step, but its important,” Salyer said about the proposal. Ward 5 Councilman David Greenwell said he believes both residents and city officials see the benefit in expanding bus service. “Within this year ... we will probably be able to provide for some evening service,” Greenwell said. In addition to expanding evening service, Greenwell said he would also like to see the city increase frequency on some routes and possibly add Sunday service. “It becomes a question of which is more important,” Greenwell said. “I think we would say it all is, but we have to pick.” Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid has long advocated for improved public transit
and said evening service was just one needed change. “If your goal is to increase ridership, your biggest impact is always going to be increasing frequency,” said Shadid, referencing conversations with local transit officials. “We want to address that, but right behind that is [adding] evening transit service.” Shadid said the city should look for ways to grow its ridership but expanded service is also good for those residents who rely on city buses. “[Expanded service] opens the possibility of employment for many people,” Shadid said.
Increased transit focus
Oklahoma City might lag behind other cities when it comes to public transit, but the city has made strides in recent years. Last year, City Hall, which accounts for 57 percent of transit funding, pushed an extra $1 million to public transportation. The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority rebranded its bus system this year and plans to add technological improvements, such as mobile apps and digital signage. “I think we have more of an understanding of how important [transit] is,” Greenwell said. “I think we are seeing it as an important aspect of the city.”
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Booze and bullets
Adapted for the Stage by
Randal Myler Directed by
Wilshire Gun shooting range might soon start serving alcohol on its premises.
Rebecca Upshaw
BY BEN FELDER
Produced by special arrangement from The Dramatic Publishing Company
June 6th- 15th
Fri & Sat at 7:30p | Sunday at 2p
Stage Door Theater
601 Oak | Yukon, OK | 73099 for tickets visit stagedooryukon.com or call 405-265-1590 Funded in part by a grant from OAC/NEA
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A train blares its horn as it blasts past a crossing at NW Ninth Street in Automobile Alley.
M A RK HA N COC K / FI LE
The city council approved an alcohol permit for Wilshire Gun shooting range, 615 W. Wilshire Blvd., last week. Jeff Swanson, representing Wilshire Gun, said the shooting range would not allow customers to handle firearms after they had a drink of alcohol. Driver’s license scans would be used to monitor those who drink, Swanson said. “You will never be able to get a drink and then shoot a gun,” Swanson told the council. “We have absolutely zero tolerance.” Ward 1 Councilman James Greiner was one of several councilors to raise questions about the inclusion of alcohol at a gun range. “Adding the alcohol component seems to make the zero tolerance even harder,” Greiner said. Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee acknowledged there was nothing illegal about the concept but questioned its safety. “Alcohol is legal in Oklahoma. Guns are legal in Oklahoma,” McAtee said. “[But] I have a real problem with mixing the two.” McAtee, along with Meg Salyer and John Pettis, voted against the application. The measure passed 6 to 3. Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid agreed that the concept raised red flags but said the gun range had a right to include a bar. “I’m not sure on what legal ground the city could deny this application,” Shadid said. “We do live in a state where guns and alcohol are mixed.” The concept has been approved in
other states, such as Georgia. Wilshire Gun would be the first gun range to sell alcohol in Oklahoma.
zig-zagging between the lowered crossing arms. By preventing cars from crossing the tracks, warning whistles from passing trains would not be required. City officials said the quiet zone could be in place by the end of 2015.
Quiet zone
Noisy trains are a common complaint of residents and businesses in downtown Oklahoma City. But the rail corridor that travels along Interstate 235 might become quieter in a couple of years. The city council has been working with railroad operators on a proposed quiet zone that would allow trains to pass through downtown without operators having to announce their presence with a horn. The council received an engineering report last week about the improvements that would be needed at dozens of railroad crossings in order to allow train operators to lay off the horns. For example, mediums could be constructed on each side of a railroad crossing that would prevent cars from
Do it: City offering free youth fishing course
OKC will offer free youth fishing classes throughout the summer. Volunteer and staff educators from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the city’s Municipal Fishery will be on hand to assist kids
Wilshire Gun shooting range will soon serve alcohol on its premises.
8 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Oklahoma Gazette June 4, 2014 ad.indd 1
4/30/14 9:54 AM
MARK HANCOCK
PROVID ED
Dunbar-Ortiz’s odyssey from Oklahoma poverty to the urban New Left gives a working-class, feminist perspective on a time and a movement that forever changed American society.
aged 5 to 15. Classes will be on selected Saturdays in June, July and August from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. They will includes lessons on fishing basics, knot-tying, casting, fish identification, angler etiquette and fishing regulations. Poles, tackle and bait are provided during the class. All participants must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required. Call 755-4014 for more information. Tweet of the Week
14
Local bike blog Bike OKC is backing Alternative D out of the four options officials with ODOT have presented for a proposed downtown boulevard. Advocates for walkability and bikeability say Alternative D is a better option because it operates with more “low level” streets rather than elevated portions that can feel like a highway. ODOT is expected to announce its final recommendation in the coming month. Say what?
“I instantly fell in love with your city. It was a dream come true [to come to OKC].” Those were the words of Doug Kupper, who started last week as the city’s new parks and recreation director. Kupper comes from Wichita and replaced Wendel Whisenhunt, who retired this year. Word to the wise
This week’s word is Vietnamese, as in the language most commonly spoken in Oklahoma other than English and Spanish. In a map published by Slate.com, based on the most recent U.S. Census data, Oklahoma, along with three other states — Texas, Nebraska and Washington — featured Vietnamese as the third most popular language.
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NEWS METRO
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It’s coming! It’s that time of year: Oklahoma Gazette’s Best of OKC nomination ballots hit streets next week. BY JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
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Oklahoma Gazette’s Best of OKC contest is a Millennial baby. Born in 1985, this year marks its 30th birthday. We’re going big. Starting June 11, voting goes live. Find your ballots in that issue (in more than 800 metro locations) and online. “When initiated the Best of Oklahoma City reader survey 30 years ago, it was the first to let readers determine what local products and services are the best in the market,” said Oklahoma Gazette owner and publisher Bill Bleakley. With more than 80 categories, nomination forms kick off the annual event in the June 11 and 18 print editions, as well as on a special website, which will be announced next week. “Oklahoma Gazette’s Best Of OKC has long been the best way to determine our metro’s shining examples of greatness,” said Dave Rhea, Gazette general manager. “Each year, Gazette readers determine the best people, places and things that OKC has to offer. Best Of 2014 will continue this long, fun and informative tradition.” Best of OKC is the longestrunning “best of” contest in OKC, Bleakley said. “Through the years, there have been many imitations, but none have provided the integrity of our voting process, which strives to limit each reader to one ballot,” he said. “We’ve worked very hard to gain the respect of our readers for the legitimacy of Best of Oklahoma City, and maintaining that
When Oklahoma Gazette initiated the Best of Oklahoma City reader survey 30 years ago, it was the first to let readers determine what local products and services are the best in the market. — Bill Bleakley respect is very important to us.” That includes proprietary measures taken to restrict multiple votes both with paper ballots and online voting. With more than 80 categories this year, the top three areas to vote are “competitors,” with everything from best smartphone app to best television news and best chef; and “best destinations,” including best concert venue, art gallery and vapor shop, and “refreshments,” which includes everything from best hamburgers to best diner and best dessert menu. Pick up nomination ballots in the June 11 and 18 print issues. The top five ballots will run July 16 and 23, with the Best of OKC results announced Aug. 20. So get out there. There’s plenty of time to champion your favorite local goods, businesses and services.
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OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 11
CHiCKEN
FRiED NEWS
Takin’ care of business
rate lower than the national rate and such perks as less traffic and affordable housing. Combined with the natural beauty of our state and, again, the nicest people in the nation, we could be poised to take the wind out of our neighbor to the south’s sails. Watch out, Texas. We’re looking at you.
The Tulsa World reported recently that Oklahoma, one of the nicest places on earth, has slipped a whopping six places to land on number 20 of “Best States to do Business.” What? Adding insult to injury, Texas is No. 1 — for the 10th year in a row. The newspaper goes on to explain that a lot of what makes Texas such a “friendly” place are the incentives that they can offer CEOs. But the report also mentioned that Texas might be set for a fall. “Texas may fall victim to its own successes,” J.P. Donlon, the editor of Chief Executive magazine, said. Offering sweet deals for CEOs might be the key to its downfall. The editor went on, citing lagging infrastructure and difficulty managing a large influx of new businesses. Oklahoma boasts an unemployment
Country doctor
Trisha Yearwood — who is married to Oklahoma’s own Garth Brooks — won’t be making house calls to sick patients anytime soon, but as of May 10, she is Dr. Yearwood. Music Times reported the good doctor holds an associate degree in business administration from Young Harris College in Georgia. In May, she returned to the college to deliver the commencement speech and receive an honorary doctorate in music. While she studied business, not music — later earning a bachelor’s
degree in business from Belmont University — Yearwood has put both talents to work. She is host of her own show on the Food Network, has authored two cookbooks and is one heck of a successful country singer. So if Yearwood shows up at your door, don’t ask her to look at the red spot on your leg that seems to be infected, but do ask her to sing you a song or suggest a recipe. It won’t cure you, but it just might ease your pain.
Dude, where’s my car?
That’s the question some person in Memphis is asking after expecting the arrival of a 2013 Chevy Impala from Los Angeles that contained nearly 115 pounds of pot. However, sheriffs in Canadian County spotted the car being hauled by a trucker last week at a west Oklahoma City truck stop and found the highgrade marijuana, reported to value
around $650,000, inside. NewsOn6. com reported that sheriffs believed the truck driver had no knowledge of the pot and he was released without charges filed. We would never condone the use of narcotics, but it’s worth pointing out that one way for local authorities to halt the illegal movement of marijuana across our state might be to just go ahead and legalize its use. Besides, that would also allow the state of Oklahoma to tap into a new source of tax revenue.
“Grab a fork. It’s time to pork!”
Blake Shelton is one of the most recognizable faces in all of modern country music. So it makes perfect sense that he’d be the new face of Pizza Hut — right? To prove his mettle, the Tishomingo resident and husband of
ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK! ADOPTION EVENT
JUNE 7, 2014 Midnight Friday to midnight Saturday (24 hour event)
McDonalds, NW Expressway at Council
Dog and cat adoptions. Cats will be free, kittens $30, dogs and puppies $60. Bella Foundation will be present with $10 microchips for adopted animals. PetSmart will be present with adoption packets with coupons and specials to their stores.
12 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Miranda Lambert sat down for a Q&A with Pizza Hut Executive Chef Wiley Bates, spitballing some names for the franchise’s new barbecue pizzas. “How about this right here? Chicky Chicky Boom Boom,” Shelton joked. “Cutie fruity … the aloha bro-ha.” C’mon, Blake. At least pretend that you care. What would Papa John do? “The ‘Shellshocked!’” he said, seemingly proud of his accomplishment. “It’s the first part of my last name, but then you get into how shocking it is.” Ugh. Yeah, we get it, man. Other gems like “The Oklahoma Stuffer,” “P.S., it’s B.S.” and “Cluck-aDoodle-Doo” were tossed around. But Shelton would save his best — or worst, depending on who you ask — for last: “Grab a fork. It’s time to pork!”
Chef Bates wasn’t particularly fond of that last one, but we kinda dig it. In the end, Pizza Hut settled on “Blake’s Smokehouse BBQ” (boooooriiiiing), which includes sweet honey barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, smoked bacon and ham flavored with “a hint of sugar and juicy pork.” So basically, a pizza version of Shelton’s hit single “God Gave Me You.”
No stopping us now ... well, most of us
The SandRidge Sky Trail opened recently in the Boathouse District, and Gov. Mary Fallin, former OU coach Barry Switzer and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett were among the first to try out Oklahoma River’s newest attraction. NewsOK. com caught the zipliners — and their reactions — on video. While Fallin and
Switzer made it across the river swiftly and safely with no problems, Cornett got stuck on the last half of the line and had to be rescued. And before you say it, no, Cornett hasn’t abandoned his famous diet and started putting the pounds back on again. The zipline operator said Cornett was stalled midflight because of the wind. Fallin lightheartedly heckled Cornett while he was stranded over the river: “Just release your buckle! It won’t hurt too much when you hit the water!” The zipline will be open TuesdaySunday each week through Aug. 24 and costs $20-$100 to ride.
We’re No. 9!
A recent survey by a website that few have ever heard of determined that living conditions in Oklahoma for veterans are could be better but also could be far worse. Wallethub.com, a social networking site for finance, determined that Okie veterans fare far better than most of the country, ranking it ninth in quality of
life for military retirees. The study looked at economic factors such as housing costs, job opportunities and health care. According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 340,395 veterans lived in Oklahoma in 2013, and we’re doing pretty right by them. The study cited access to the state’s healthcare facilities and two major military bases, as well as the chance to apply for housing and financial assistance, as perks. As a bonus, vets receive free admission to all of our state-run parks and attractions with proof of military service. So while the rest of the country seems to want to forget these brave men and women who serve, Oklahoma strives to treat them like the honored citizens they are.
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 13
COMMENTARY
Sex registry law needs overhaul BY DAVID SLANE
In 2007, the Oklahoma State Legislature approved a new law that required all sex offenders be classified under a three-tier system that placed offenders in a specific category depending on the nature of the sex crime. However, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) went a step further and made the new registration law retroactive to 1998. However, in June 2013, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the retroactive application of the rule was unconstitutional. The court’s landmark ruling allowed more than 2,000 sex offenders to remove their names from the statewide registry because their registration requirements had either expired or would be prolonged by the 2007 law. The law has left everyone scratching their heads about what’s next. The current registration system makes no
sense and leaves plenty of room for debate about fairness and public safety. It makes sense for the state Legislature to return to the drawing board and start over on this law. Some people are on the registry because they urinated in a public street, and they’re not sex offenders. State officials need to stop wasting time and precious resources on those registrants. For the record, indecent exposure convictions and other low-level offenses require 15 years of registration. Instead, devote the majority of resources to the high-risk offenders who need the most intensive supervision and strictest registration requirements the state can offer. The high-risk offenders should be required to check in daily, which would give the public a higher level of security. Level 2 offenders, those who pose a moderate danger to the community,
must register for 25 years. Meanwhile, Level 3 offenders, those who pose a serious danger to the community and are likely to engage in criminal sexual conduct, must register for their lifetime. Part of the problem is that DOC officials, when implementing the system, tossed most of Oklahoma’s sex offenders into the Level 3 category. They didn’t want to take the heat to make an honest assessment of each case. Changing the system will take a groundswell of public support. Still, reform of any kind might cause consternation for most state lawmakers who have never seen a sex offender law they didn’t like. It’s popular to be tough on crime, which includes drunks who urinate next to their car. It’s time for Oklahoma legislators to stop thinking about re-election and polls and study what works and doesn’t work with the sex offender registration system.
Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.
One solution is to remove the registration assessment out of the hands of DOC only and rework the procedure to include trial judges, district attorneys and defense attorneys. That would provide a higher level of fairness while ensuring public safety. A broken system gives parents and the community a false sense of security while really protecting no one. When most people think of a sex offender, they think of a baby raper or serial rapist. But the truth is most sex offenders are convicted of nothing even similar. We need to stop painting every sex offender with the same broad brush and look at individuals for what they did and act accordingly. While high-risk sex offenders need to be closely supervised, it’s critical for others who have completed their sentence to be given a second chance at life. David Slane is an Oklahoma City attorney who represents sex offenders who oppose Oklahoma’s registration requirements.
LETTERS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification. Insight from the other side of the table
I am a Norman resident and a vendor at the Norman Farm Market, and I feel so fortunate that our community offers this semiweekly opportunity for growers and buyers to come together, face to face. What a wonderful thing, to be able to tell customers about our farm and to see them come back week after week to support us. The appreciation and enthusiasm we experience is surely unmatched. While I thoroughly enjoy the overwhelming majority of my interactions, I would like to offer some insight from the other side of the table. When farmers set prices for their produce, they must balance what they think their product is worth with what customers are willing to pay. Those of us who are small, local farmers selling homegrown goods have to factor in all of
14 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
the time, labor and financial investments that are necessary to create a product we are proud of. And proud of it we are. It is insulting and hurtful to be told that our offerings are “overpriced.” It’s perfectly okay for you to think that — and I promise we will get the message clearly enough if you simply walk by without buying. But please don’t make us stand and listen to all of the reasons why our product, one in which we have invested so much of ourselves, isn’t worth your money. We all vote with our dollars, and no one expects you to pay more for something than you think it is worth or buy something that doesn’t meet your standards. On the flip side, we can’t sell our products for less than we think they are worth. If we can’t cover our costs and set some aside, we can’t maintain our business. And it is a business, albeit a very personal one. We work hard for the money we earn on our goods, and we use it to pay our mortgages, clothe our families and save for the day when our bodies are no longer able to dig around in the dirt. Farming is a risky endeavor, and in a time when so many of us are so far removed from the production of our food, it’s difficult to recognize the gamble that food producers are taking. It is even
harder to appreciate the effort required to turn seeds, dirt and water into something not just edible but also marketable, if you have never taken on the task yourself. Keep in mind, too, that not all shoppers share your ideals. You might place a great deal of value on certified organic produce, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but many other customers are looking for locally grown goods or unique items or heirloom varieties that can’t be found elsewhere. Those little green “Homegrown” signs are more than just a price tag. They indicate that the produce being offered was grown by the person selling it — it wasn’t purchased from somewhere
else to then be resold. Take a careful look next time. If the sign doesn’t say “Homegrown,” or if the sign is white, the product wasn’t grown by the vendor. It’s probably not from a local farm, and it might not even be from Oklahoma. — Melissa Karner Norman Correction
Last week’s issue of Oklahoma Gazette mistakenly referred to the city’s transit director as Rick Cain. Cain departed the city last year and was replaced by Jason Ferbrache, the city’s current transportation and parking director.
OUT-Neighborhood Arts 2014 Gazette ad.indd 1
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 15 5/20/2014 3:52:30 PM
h n so n o J s i u Lo JUNE 4-8
EEK W E R U T FEA TRIPLE June 11-15
OKG picks are events
recommended by our own Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
BOOKS
Shrews d e m a Unt UNE 18-22
The Art of the Judicial Center, Terry Zinn book signing, 6:30 p.m., June 4. Oklahoma Judicial Center, 2100 N. Lincoln Blvd. WED
ne TonNyE 2T5o-29 JU
One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future, book signing by neurosurgeon and political pundit Ben Carson, 7:30-8:30 p.m., June 6. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Rd., Edmond, 340-9202, bestofbooksedmond.com. FRI
P ROVI DED
J
Living History, Barbara Byrd shares living history tales of Harvey Girls, pre-statehood society women; WWII Heroines; and mail order brides, 7 p.m., June 9. Belle Isle Library, 5501 N. Villa Ave., 843-9601, metrolibrary.org. MON
FILM 2014 Sundance Short Films, 94 minute theatrical program of eight short films showcasing a wide variety of story and style, 5, 7:30 p.m., June 5; 5:30, 8 p.m., June 6-7; 2 p.m., June 8. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU–SUN
Red Earth Festival
deadCENTER Film Festival, Oklahoma’s largest film festival designed to promote, encourage and celebrate the independent film, June 11. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. WED
Same fest, new location. The 2014 Red Earth Festival features hundreds of American Indian artists, dancers and performers from around the continent in one of the country’s premiere cultural showcases, with a parade 9 a.m. Friday at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. The festival itself begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday-Saturday at Remington Park, 1 Remington Place. Admission is $7.50-$10. Visit redearth.org and read our full story on page 34.
FOOD
Thursday–Saturday
Chai Spiced Hot Tea, learn to blend spices, teas, sweeteners and milk to make a relaxing beverage, 6:30 p.m., June 4. Francis Tuttle Technology Center-Rockwell Campus, 12777 N. Rockwell Ave., 717-4900, francistuttle. edu. WED Midtown Market at Saints, fresh, Oklahoma-grown produce, meats, dairy, baked goods, honey and prepared foods such as salsa, jam, jelly and relish, 1 p.m., June 6. Midtown Market, NW 9th St. and Walker Ave. FRI
Canning Seminar, learn how to preserve your harvest, 9:30-10:30 a.m., June 7. tlc Garden Centers, 105 W. Memorial Rd., 751-0630, tlcgarden.com. SAT
An Evening of Death by Art, Wine and Chocolate, grand opening, wine and chocolate sampling, 6-9 p.m., June 6. PaseoArtWorks, 3005 Paseo St. FRI
Wines of the West Festival, sample Oklahoma’s finest wines, noon, June 7. Stockyards City, 1305 S. Agnew Ave., 235-7267, stockyardscity.org. SAT A Taste of Culture, evening of international wine, food and entertainment benefitting the YMCA’s international partnerships, 6-9 p.m., June 8. Cafe do Brasil, 440 NW 11th St., 521-1399, cafedobrazilokc.com. SUN Grilling 101: Dinner on the Terrace, casual grilling lesson and dinner in one, 7-9 p.m., June 8. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. SUN
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The Curry Lab: Taste of Jamaica, explore the exotic flavors of the island, 6:30-9:30 p.m., June 9. Francis Tuttle Technology Center-Rockwell Campus, 12777 N. Rockwell Ave., 717-4900, francistuttle.edu. MON Coupon Class, attendees receive written class material and coupons for goodies, 6:30-8:30 p.m., June 10. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Rd., Edmond, 5092700, uptowngroceryco.com. TUE
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PROVID ED
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Summer Cinema Clinics The saying goes, “Those who can’t do, teach.” But Gray Frederickson, Academy Awardwinning producer (The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now) and artist in residence at Oklahoma City Community College, excels at both. Frederickson and the Oklahoma Film Institute will host a series of three-day clinics in which you can learn the ins and outs of everything from script writing to cinematography. The clinics begin with motion picture production 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the OCCC campus, 7777 S. May Ave. Tuition for each clinic is $300. Call 682-7847 or visit occc.edu/ofi.
Thursday–Saturday, ongoing
16 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Lumpia Shanghai and Vegetables, learn to cook this traditional Filipino dish, 6:30-9:30 p.m., June 11. Francis Tuttle Technology Center-Rockwell Campus, 12777 N. Rockwell Ave., 717-4900, francis-tuttle.edu. WED
HAPPENINGS Urban Pioneer Awards, given annually to individuals in the OKC community who exemplify Oklahoma’s pioneering spirit with their leadership and commitment to urban revitalization, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., June 4. Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 208-5000, okcu.edu. WED RED Rooftop 2014, outdoor cocktail and dance party, live DJ, silent auction, proceeds benefit AIDS Walk OKC, 7 p.m., June 5. Cardinal Engineering, 1015 N. Broadway Ave. THU Women of the South Summer Blood Drive, teaming with OSBI to collect blood for metro area medical facilities, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., June 5. South OKC Chamber of Commerce, 701 W. Interstate 240 Service Rd. THU Red Earth Parade, hundreds of participants in authentic tribal regalia participate in what has been referred to as America’s most unique parade, 9 a.m., June 6. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. FRI
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Ponca City Herb Festival, over 100 vendors showcase lawn and garden ornaments, herbal vinegars and oils and other handmade products, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., June 7. Cann Memorial Gardens, 14th St. and Grand Ave., Ponca City, poncacityherbfestival.net. SAT
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Ruffles and Rust Expo, traveling vintage show with a boutique feel, 9 a.m., June 7. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. SAT
Schelly’s Aesthetics Schelly Hill, R.N.
Glamour, Glitz and Gatsby Masquerade Ball, annual gala fundraiser for the Canterbury Youth Choruses program, 6 p.m., June 7. Skirvin Hilton Hotel, 1 Park Ave., 272-3040, skirvinhilton.com. SAT
Shoppes at Northpark, 12028 May Ave. 405-751-8930 Open Mon-Sat Gift Certificates Available
401 S. MERIDIAN
A Night Aboard the Orient Express, live music, auctions, wine pull and raffle, dishes by local restaurants, period dress encouraged, 6:30 p.m., June 7. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT
PERFORMING ARTS Other Desert Cities, family reunion with palpable tension, June 6-7. Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St., 232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI–SAT Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night, revelry, disguises, swashbuckling, and (of course) pining lovers abound in what some call Shakespeare’s most perfect comedy, 8 -10 p.m., June 5-7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. THU–SAT
SHANNON CORNMAN
Gypsies, Tramps and Tweed, story of a band of traveling show biz roustabouts and their struggles to find fame, 8 p.m., June 6-7. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI–SAT
Rock the Boat Festival At the Rock the Boat Festival, literally rocking the water taxis isn’t encouraged, but rocking out to local tunes is. With three stages, local food trucks, pop-up retail shops and other familyfriendly fun, the Bricktown fest is the place to be. It all goes down noon-midnight Saturday at the Bricktown Canal, 198 E. California Ave. Admission is free. Call 235-3500 or visit downtownokc.com/rocktheboat.
Saturday
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 17
continued The Vagina Monologues, play features some of the candid, funny, painful, yearning insights of women talking about their no-longer-so-private part, 8 p.m., June 6-7; 2 p.m., June 8. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 282-2800, thepollard.org. FRI–SUN
Help us with diabetes insulin research Type 2 Diabetes A 15 month clinical research study is evaluating if a new investigational basal insulin dosed once daily can provide safe and effective blood sugar control compared to a marketed basal insulin dosed once daily in people with type 2 diabetes. Qualified participants will receive all study-related care and study medication at no cost and may be compensated for travel.
Western Avenue: On the Lawn, kids games, bounce house, OKC’s favorite food trucks, perfect summer finds from your favorite Western Avenue merchants, 5-8 p.m., June 5. Chesapeake Lawn, 6001 N. Western Ave. THU
SPORTS
Little Brushes Kids Camp, child-friendly painting, arts and crafts, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., June 6. Pinot’s Palette, 115 E. California Ave., 602-3850, pinotspalette.com. FRI
2014 NCAA Women’s College World Series, women’s college softball championship, June 4. ASA Hall of Fame Complex, 2801 NE 50th St., ncaa.com/ championships/softball. WED
Story Time with Julie, hear the best and newest children’s books, 10:15-11 a.m., June 7. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT
Battle Under the Stars, WBU World Lightweight Championship Title Fight, Zuhdi vs. Reis, June 6. OKC Downtown Airpark, 1701 S. Western Ave., 364-3700, zooamp.com. FRI
Learn to Count Ladybug, kids design a one-of-a-kind ladybug with fanciful spots they’ll love to count, 11 a.m., June 7. Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT
Bellator MMA, exciting, hard-hitting action returns, 6 p.m., June 6. WinStar World Casino, 777 Casino Avenue, Thackerville, (580) 276-4229, winstarworldcasino.com. FRI
Weekend Keeper Connections, from anemones to zebras, learn about your favorite Zoo animals from the people entrusted to care for them, 11 a.m., June 7-8. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT–SUN
Great Lawn Games, every Saturday in June, play badminton, croquet, corn toss, Bocce ball and more, 9 a.m.-noon, June 7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, myriadgardens.org. SAT NAMIWalks 2014, 5K, health and wellness fair supporting mental health awareness, 9:30 a.m., June 7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 4457080, myriadgardens.org. SAT YogaVerve, donation-only class, proceeds donated to a local nonprofit organization, 10:30 a.m., June 8. YogaVerve, 16501 N. Shawnee Ave., Edmond, yogaverve.net. SUN
Bugs and Slugs, kids get dirty as they burrow into Norman’s parks for everything that’s creepy, crawly and cool, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., June 9-11. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. MON–WED
VISUAL ARTS A Summer Place, paintings by Jan Hellwege and Kim Pagonis. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.
OKC Redhawks vs Salt Lake Bees, minor league baseball, 7:05 p.m., June 9-10; 11:05 a.m., June 11. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 Mickey Mantle, 2181000, okcredhawks.com. MON–WED
A Walk Through the Soul, paintings by Karam, whose impressionist oil paintings are derived from her emotions. Paseo Originals Art Gallery, 2920 Paseo St., 604-6602, paseooriginals.com.
YOUTH
Art After 5, downtown workers, adventurous concert and film goers and the art crowd gather for art and cocktails on the skyline, 5 p.m., June 5. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa. com. THU
Harkins Summer Movie Fun, providing parents the opportunity to take their kids to the movies once a week for 10 weeks for only $5, 9 a.m., June 4-6, 9-11. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 231-4747. WED–FRI, MON–WED
Beginning Encaustic Workshop, one-day workshop on painting with encaustics, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., June 7. Paseo School of Art, 3110 A N. Paseo Drive, 205-8990, paseoschoolofart.com. SAT
You may qualify if you:
Summer Kids Camps, sports and recreation camps, college for kids and counselors in training program, June 4-6, 9-11. Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 682-1611, occc.edu. WED–FRI, MON–WED
✓ Are 18 years or older ✓ Have had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for at least 6 months ✓ Are receiving treatment with any basal insulin with or without oral antidiabetic drugs for at least 6 months ✓ Are at high risk for developing hypoglycaemia (i.e. recent hypoglycaemic episode, severe hypoglycaemic episode, hypoglycaemic unawareness, moderate chronic renal failure or insulin usage for more than 5 years) ✓ Have an HbA1c level of not more than 9.5% ✓ Have a body mass index (BMI) of not more than 45 kg/m2
UCO Endeavor Games
Please contact: COR Clinical Research 1211 N Shartel, Ste. 802 Oklahoma City, OK 73103 405-272-8481 • email: mgreen@corclinical.com www.cordinical.com 18 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
PROVID ED
Black, White and Color, featuring plain air landscapes by Colorado artist Karl Brenner and photographs by Connie Imboden. JRB Art at the Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 5286336, jrbartgallery.com.
Olympic athletes are great and all, but we think overcoming a physical disability and then competing in a sport is much more impressive. The University of Central Oklahoma Endeavor Games kick off with a swimming competition 5:30 p.m. Friday at Mitch Park YMCA, 2901 Marilyn Williams Drive, in Edmond. In all, 11 sports will be featured through the entirety of the games, which runs through Sunday at various venues in Edmond. Admission is free. For more information or to volunteer, visit ucoendeavorgames.com.
Friday–Sunday
P R OVI DE D
s n o i t i d u A ng i t p e c c A W NO
Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome It’s not exactly clear when Awesome began (although Oklahoma Gazette was founded in 1979). Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome follows the team as they try to stop a mysteriously dangerous black car through the sleepy town of Hilly Woodlands. The all-ages movie screens 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday at Cinemark Tinseltown USA, 6001 N. Martin Luther King Ave.; AMC Quail Springs, 2501 W. Memorial Rd.; and Regal Spotlight Stadium, 1100 N. Interstate Drive in Norman. Tickets are $7-$15. Visit fathomevents.com.
Saturday–Sunday Chambers, Chambers and McKnight, artwork on display in the Project Space Gallery. IAO Art Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 232-6060, iaogallery.org. Cletus Smith, includes watercolor still-life and landscapes. Summer Wine Art Gallery, 2928 B Paseo St., 831-3279, summerwinegallery.com. Faculty Showcase, opportunity for the community to experience the art of FAC faculty members. Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 329-4523, normanfirehouse.com. Fiberworks 2014, features weaving, needlework, basketry, softsculpture and beading, both traditional and innovative in nature. IAO Art Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 232-6060, iaogallery.org. First Friday Gallery Walk, over 60 artists in more than 17 galleries, 6-10 p.m., June 6. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI “Fore” - Looking Back at Golf in Edmond, exhibit examining how individual golfers, and the game as a whole, have both been so successful in Edmond. Edmond Historical Society and Museum, 431 S. Boulevard St., Edmond, 340-0078, EdmondHistory.org. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, gain a global perspective on the food and the environment through photos. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.
Lifetiles, wall pieces that appear to come to life, moving and changing as the observer passes by. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 6026664, sciencemuseumok.org. North of Reno, black-and-white photographs of architectural elements from selected buildings in Oklahoma City. JRB Art at the Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. Not Just Another Day in May, curated photography exhibit marking last May’s storms in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 951-0000, cityartscenter.org. Outta the Ball Park, featuring artists Alan Ball and Nancy Park. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. The Art of the Brick: Permission to Play, 1,400 square-foot exhibit displaying sculptures created out of iconic LEGO bricks by artist Nathan Sawaya. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. Vinyl Exposed, a continuum of the petroleum-based medium that has allowed Jason Willaford to evolve within the series. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 951-000, cityartscenter.org.
PROVIDED
Jeanne Rorex Bridges, paintings convey a reflective mood embodying a womans spirit through historical and universal themes. Jann Jeffrey Gallery, 3018 Paseo St., 607-0406, jannjeffrey. com. Joelene Barber, autumn landscapes, abstracts and symbolism art. Gallery 66, 6728 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, 314-2430.
Oil and Wood: Oklahoma Moderns George Bogart and James Henkle Two Norman artists in particular have helped shape the cultural climate at the University of Oklahoma: George Bogart and James Henkle. Oil and Wood combines their abstract paintings with sleek, modern furniture design for a uniquely expressive exhibition. It opens with a lecture by exhibit curator Susan Havens Caldwell 7 p.m., followed by a reception at 8 p.m. Friday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., in Norman. The exhibit runs through Sept. 14, and admission is free. Call 325-3272 or visit ou.edu/fjjma. For OKG
Friday, ongoing
music picks
om c . v t i b s go o www.k L d r a ild C W e h t Click on nter Today! to E
see page 51
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 19
P HOTOS BY M A R K HA N COC K
LIFE FOOD & DRINK
A hint of Persia
A small Norman gyro restaurant offers an Iranian take on some familiar cuisine.
Mediterranean-style chicken curry with a salad and pita bread.
BY DOUG HILL
Ole Town Gyros & Kabob 402 E. MAIN ST., NORMAN 447-0884 WHAT WORKED: EXOTIC FOOD, LOW PRICES. WHAT NEEDS WORK: MENU DOESN’T NEED THE CORN DOGS AND FISH STICKS. TIP: PARKING IS SCARCE. PLAN TO PARK IN THE NEARBY DOWNTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT.
Ole Town Gyros & Kabob has been on the corner of N. Porter Avenue and E. Main Street in Norman since Pluto was a pup. It’s in a former filling station and not much bigger than a good-sized sailboat. Long and narrow, it has a somewhat nautical appearance from the outside, and the interior is galleylike as well. The parking lot can accommodate maybe eight vehicles, but there are plenty of spaces nearby because it’s near the downtown business district. Eight dining tables make Ole Town a tiny joint, but many patrons opt for carryout anyway. Traditionally, North American gyro shops have been the purview of Greek and Lebanese folks with food variations dependent on their family recipes. Ole Town is operated by the IranianAmerican Kazemi family. They produce a fine culinary blend of Mediterranean, American and Persian dishes that are a treat to eat. While many restaurants of this ilk offer commercially prepared yogurt as the house sauce, Ole Town makes its own. It’s Greek tzatziki using
20 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
house-made yogurt that’s then mixed with fresh garlic, lemon juice and parsley. This delectable condiment may be ordered as an appetizer ($3.99), and it comes as a side with several dishes. It’s reflective of the thoughtful preparation Ole Town generally puts into its food. A reasonable wait, plate appearance and taste all indicated that it’s not fast food. The restaurant is small enough that after an order goes to the kitchen, you can hear the resulting symphony of pots and pans. An appetizer sampler plate ($9.99) includes savory ground chickpea hummus, spicy rice swaddled in grape leaf dolma and crispy bean patty falafel with pita bread and tzatziki dip. Naturally, ranch dressing is available for philistines. If an eatery is discovered in central Oklahoma that doesn’t have ranch dressing, you will be the first to know. Among the finer entrees is what the menu describes as Mediterranean-style chicken curry ($9.99). It’s a gargantuan portion of marinated and sautéed white meat, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms served over basmati rice. Rather than overpowering the curry, it is a subtle and unusual variety that’s long on flavor without the typical funk. Chicken veggie biryani ($9.99) brings the Kazemis’ Iranian heritage cooking skills front and center. Half a dozen different countries have their own versions of biryani. This take features roasted vegetables flavored with hints of
cinnamon and pomegranate seed. Gyros are assembled from thin-sliced marinated beef and lamb slow-roasted to tenderness. All that meaty goodness is surrounded by hearty pita bread. Kabobs are part of Ole Town’s claim to fame, and it serves a memorable combo platter ($16.99) of ground beef kubideh and grilled chicken. It comes with a Greek salad with iceberg lettuce, ripe olives and feta cheese. Other salads include bulgur wheat tabbouleh ($4.49) and Persian cucumbers, tomatoes and onions dressed with an olive oil, mint and lemon concoction ($4.49). With all the exotic choices, it was amusing to see more familiar items on the menu. Ole Town also serves fish sticks ($4.99), Polish sausage sandwich ($3.99), corn dog ($1.99) and Philly cheese steak ($8.99). Go totally global with a gyro
Ole Town produces a fine culinary blend of Mediterranean, American and Persian dishes. taco ($4.99) or gyro pizza ($9.99). “Most of our regular customers order gyros,” owner Paul Kazemi said. “After that, the chicken and beef kabobs are most popular.” There’s exactly one item on the dessert list, so the choice is easy and one not to skip. Don’t let the tiny slice fool you; the nutty honey-laden baklava ($1.99) with its flaky filo pastry layers is decadently rich and just the right size.
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LIFE FOOD & DRINK
Homestyle sushi
Sushi bars abound, but it’s fun to create sushi at home and name a sushi roll after yourself. BY ANGELA BOTZER
Sushi originated in southeast Asia as a means to preserve fish using fermented rice. It has evolved to nigiri, a street food (the sushi we commonly know today), and also temaki, a cone-shaped roll filled with fish, vegetables and rice. Nori-maki is rolled and sliced and is commonly found in almost every supermarket. First, the terms. Sushi actually means rice that has been boiled and then sweetened with rice vinegar (not the entire roll or fish). Nori is the delightfully salty seaweed wrapped around a sushi roll, and sashimi is the delectable thin slices of raw fish. Sushi-making wizardry, however, is not magically learned overnight. “When I was learning to be a sushi chef, I spent my first months solely doing prep work. I prepared cucumbers, carrots and vegetables for six months. Then, after a year, I was able to begin work as a sushi chef,” said Sushi Neko’s chef Jeab Chansahdee. “The rice is the most difficult part to handle. It sticks to the hands and everywhere,” said Jack Surya, owner of Jiro Sushi, 1101 NW 23rd St. “Rolling out the sushi rolls and cutting them perfectly takes a while to learn.” Sushi variations and trends abound as well. “Deep-fried ingredients are more popular here in the U.S., and requests for spicy mayonnaise are on the increase,” said Jiro Sushi manager Mickey Chan. It’s easier than you think to shop for the sushi tools of the trade. Start with a bamboo sushi-rolling mat, a wooden bowl for mixing rice and a rice paddle for stirring. Some of the most important utensils to own — sushi and sashimi knives — are found at Super Cao Nguyen, 2668 N. Military Ave. Ask for them at the front manager’s counter. (Serrated knives do not work; they tear fish.) Sushi rice, rice vinegar and soy sauce can be found at almost any grocery store, along with nori (seaweed). Other types of rice won’t do; the stickiness of sushi rice is essential. On to the produce section. Pick up some cucumber, carrots and scallions for basic sushi rolls. Spicy hot wasabi paste is easily found in a tube, as is sweet and
SHANN ON CORN M A N
6 REASONS TO FREQUENT
Participants learn how to make sushi at a class at Sushi Neko on May 18. tangy pickled ginger. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western Ave., sells sashimi-grade frozen salmon and yellowfin tuna in a special section. This fish is specifically for sushi, “super frozen” to maintain peak freshness — using fish other than super frozen is, of course, never recommended. Despair not; there are instructions on how to slice the fish and roll the sushi on the packaging. Insider chef tips include having a bowl of water to wet hands and moisten the nori, having a wet towel to frequently wipe the sushi knife, using a good cutting board for slicing rolls and remembering to work quickly when making rolls because the nori dries up fast. Any serving plates will do, but authentic sushi dishes are so beautiful. You can find sushi presentation bowls, miso soup bowls, spoons, teapots and sake serving sets at Sabi, 3703 N. Western Ave. Learn the basics of sushi-making at Sushi Neko, 4318 N. Western Ave. Classes are offered once a month and cost $63.19 per person. (Dates and times vary. Call Sushi Neko at 528-8862 for reservations.)
S HA N N ON CORN M A N
Something to wine about A yearly wine event will honor a charity that helps children, youth and families. BY GREG HORTON
Le Tour de Vin 2014 6 P.M. FRIDAY AND 6:30 P.M. SATURDAY RIVERWIND CASINO, 1544 W. OKLAHOMA 9 SHOWPLACE THEATRE LETOURDEVIN.COM
above Katie Fitzgerald, executive director at the Center for Children & Families, stands near the entrance of the group’s new construction site in Norman. Proceeds from Tour de Vin will benefit the nonprofit organization.
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310-9121 $100-$150
The Center for Children & Families, Inc. (CCF) in Norman will be the recipient of funds raised at the 12th annual Le Tour de Vin. The Rotary Club sponsors the two-day charity fundraiser that benefits a charity each year. In the 12-year history of the event, the Cross ß, Norman and Sooner Rotary Clubs have raised more than $750,000 for local charities. The event culminates with a wine-tasting and silent and live auctions Saturday at Riverwind Casino’s Showplace Theatre, 1544 W. Oklahoma 9. Le Tour de Vin is notable for being one of the largest wine-tasting events in Oklahoma, with more than 200 wines available to sample. Le Tour de Vin relocated to Riverwind Casino last year, after 10 years at the Stadium Club at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Le Tour de Vin Executive Director Laurie Wynn said Riverwind does not charge the Rotary clubs for use of the facility. CCF is a charity in Norman that works with children, youth and families. Programs include a baby pantry; neighborhood centers that offer recreational, educational and cultural activities; trauma services for abused and neglected children; and teen parenting education and support. Funds raised at Le Tour de Vin will be used for two CCF projects: renovation of an existing therapeutic area and construction of a new therapeutically oriented playground. CCF Executive Director Katie
Fitzgerald said funds will help renovate five play therapy rooms. The rooms are equipped with items like dollhouses and kitchens that allow children to engage in play therapy. The outdoor equipment will be built to accommodate youth with physical needs. “Many of our kids who have been badly abused or neglected have developmental delays, and the equipment allows the kids to work where they most need work in those areas,” Fitzgerald said. Items to be auctioned include a South African photo safari, several bottles of top-shelf wine, a Florida Keys getaway, a football signed by OU’s Heisman Trophy winners and many other items. Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) will donate the wine for the event, and the brands range from the well-known to the new and upcoming. RNDC will provide wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma in California, and some from Oregon and Washington as well as other regions in the U.S. Featured wines will include bottles from Elk Cove, Krupp Brothers, Pride Mountain, Schramsberg and Titus vineyards. International wines from France, Germany, Italy, South America, Spain, Australia and New Zealand will also be featured. Ten Norman restaurants, including Blu Fine Wine & Food, Blackbird Gastropub and Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, will provide food this year. Tickets to the event are $100-$150 and are available at Le Tour de Vin’s website, letourdevin.com.
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OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 23
Life is uncertain; eat dessert first. You know what’s great about being a grown-up? Getting to go to bed whenever you want. You know what else is great? Getting to eat whenever and whatever you want. Go ahead; no one’s going to stop you. Waltz into one of these local restaurants and order dessert first. In this crazy world, there are few certainties. These are sure things. — By Devon Green, photos by Mark Hancock and Shannon Cornman
24 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Harry Bear’s All American Grill
La Baguette Bistro
The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro
2113 Riverwalk Drive, Moore harrybears.com 799-2327
7408 N. May Ave. labaguettebistro.com 562-5139
6418 N. Western Ave. metrowinebar.com 840-9463
Gone are the days when there was more than one Harry Bear’s, but this Oklahoma original is still the stuff of legend. And you can take a sweet walk down memory lane with the fried peaches any day of the week. The good news is that the beloved bear hasn’t changed the recipe and the fried peaches are as good as you remember them. The better news is that you don’t have to eat your veggies before you have them.
A chocolate cake filled with white chocolate mousse and coated with chocolate ganache is not for someone who just kind of likes chocolate. While there are plenty of other sweet treats for chocolate haters, like La Baguette’s cheesecake, the Bombe Au Chocolat (Chocolate Bomb) is a treat worth spoiling your dinner.
Ah, the Vanilla Bean Pot de Crème with chocolate sauce or caramel! As with most delicacies at The Metro, we have the French to thank. This elegant custard is heavenly by itself. The chocolate and caramel sauce, which thankfully come on the side, rocket it into the stratosphere. Order it with some strong coffee and delight in the little things, like tiny pots of sweet cream.
ND Foods
Saturn Grill
2632 W. Britton Road 840-9364
6432 Avondale Drive saturngrill.com 843-7114
The Mule
1630 N. Blackwelder Ave. themuleokc.com 601-1400
ND Foods is a well-kept secret with a legion of loyal, devoted followers. Its deli is a thing of wonder, offering fresh soups, prepared meals and generous sandwiches. One look at the dessert case — laden with everything from freshly baked sugar cookies to a mile-high coconut cake that’s as pretty as a bride in a spring wedding — and you know it’s the real star of the show. Order the icebox pie, take a dozen cookies to-go and thank us later.
Bread pudding is a classic dish that originated as a way to use stale bread rather than throw it away. A staple of Southern comfort food, this dish with humble origins is widely offered in upscale dining establishments, thanks to its almost universal appeal. The folks at Saturn Grill have upped the ante by adding chocolate chips and a delicate caramel glaze.
We think the Mule’s Grand Lake Monte Cristo is often overlooked in favor of savory items. People get to the dessert portion of the meal and don’t have room for it. Solve that problem and order this first. This item is like everything else we’ve tried on The Mule’s menu: a perfect combination of flavors lacking in pretension. Do yourself a favor and discover it.
The Barrel 4308 N. Western Ave. barrelokc.com 525-66820
Milk jam is one of those things that you didn’t know you needed in your life until now. It’s the byproduct of simmering whole milk and sugar, and the results are astounding. Combined with fruit and pound cake, you don’t stand a chance. The Barrel is Deep Fork Group’s new kid on the block, located in the former Café Nova space. The eatery serves the milk jam with chocolate, fresh fruit and pound cake. One bite and you’ll forget all about your worries and cares.
Belly Dancing Saturdays • 8:30
6014 N. May • 947-7788 www.zorbasokc.com
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 25
Just like riding a bike
P HOTOS BY S HA N N ON CORN M A N
Ah, spring. It’s time to dust off those bike gears and get outside. In case you haven’t noticed, OKC is becoming more and more bikefriendly. Whether it’s an evening ride around the neighborhood or a jaunt around Lake Hefner, get out and grind. Here are metro shops to help you with everything from a bike to the perfect accessories. — Devon Green
local
okgazette.com
Schlegel Bicycles 900 N. BROADWAY AVE. SCHLEGELBICYCLES.COM 232-4040
The Schlegel family is so nice it decided to give the metro two shops, depending on your needs. There is a pro shop, where the dedicated will find the latest and greatest equipment to trick out their rides, and the family shop, where you can get great deals for the whole gang. They even created the first “biker bar,” Peleton Wine Bar & Cafe, in Oklahoma City. You can hang out on the patio and sample delicious local wines and beers while waiting for your bike. Melonbike
Get your SUMMER ON
3021 N. PORTLAND AVE. MELONBIKE.COM 602-3310
This stop got its start as a small parts and service shop and quickly grew into the full-service store you see today. They carry all manner of bikes, whether you are looking for a rugged mountain bike or an asphalt cruiser for city riding. Melonbike does all manner of repairs and prides itself on getting you back on the road. The Bicycle Store 336 NE 122ND ST. THEBICYCLESTORE.COM 752-8402
601-0605 • Hours: Mon-Fri 11-6 Sat 11-4 www.shopbowandarrow.com • 617 N. Broadway Ave. 26 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
The Bicycle Store has a whole bunch of inventory crammed into a little space, but it’s not overcrowded. It sells bikes and equipment for every taste, from road bikes
to mountain bikes and hybrids. Employees are knowledgeable bikers with years of experience fixing and riding, and they will help you find the perfect setup for your bike ride. Wheeler Dealer Bicycle Shop 2729 NW 50TH ST. WHEELERDEALERBICYCLES.COM 947-6260
This friendly neighborhood bike shop specializes in making everyone feel at home, regardless of their level of commitment to the sport. The shop owners are passionately committed to their customers, whether they are there to purchase a new bike or get a flat tire patched. Don’t let the size of the shop fool you; if there’s something Wheeler Dealer doesn’t carry and it can be found, you can order it.
Celestial Cycles 2929 W. HEFNER ROAD CELESTIALCYCLES.COM 751-8809
The folks at Celestial would love nothing more than to make their store your store. They enjoy riding and working on bikes and helping people discover the sport. Plus, they’re just really nice people. The store’s website has a series of pro-tip videos that are informative and fun to watch.
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Al’s Bicycles FOUR METRO LOCATIONS ALSBICYCLES.COM 632-0483
Al’s Bicycles has been a fixture in OKC for more than 30 years. Four area locations offer lifetime adjustments and customized service. Al’s is also a fantastic resource for updates about upcoming events, current conditions on off-road trails and contacts in the community to help you reach out and connect with other riders.
Specializing in beads, findings, and vintage stones. Rivet presses and other jewelry tools available for use.
LARGEST SELECTION in OKC 3629 NW 10th (E. of Shell @ 10th & Portland) 600-3043 • www.jansjewels.com
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Buchanan Bikes 561 BUCHANAN AVE., NORMAN BUCHANANBIKES.COM 364-5513
Bike-riding and Norman go together like peanut butter and jelly, and the folks at Buchanan have been keeping the city riding in style since 1973. Whether you are an amateur enthusiast or a hardened pro, Buchanan has the tools and the technology to make you better and faster. OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 27
“Showcasing a wide variety of story and style.”
LIFE HEALTH
- Sundance
2014 Sundance Short Films
SHANNON CORN M A N
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 5:30 & 8 p.m. Sunday 2 p.m.
For movie descriptions and ticket sales visit okcmoa.com
Stress relief Soldiers with PTSD have resources available to help them cope with trauma when they’re ready. BY ANGELA CHAMBERS
As a high-ranking female with the Oklahoma National Guard’s field artillery, Sgt. Kristy Fleshman didn’t want to leave fellow women behind. That’s why she hid a concussion and neck injury sustained before a 2008 tour in Iraq. This physical pain coupled with the stress of war led Fleshman to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When she first returned home, the sergeant received medical attention for the physical, not the emotional, strains. “It took me five years to seek help [for PTSD],” Fleshman said. “That’s how long it took for me to lose everything.” In this time, her marriage and job ended, and she isolated herself from family and friends. “I was reacting inappropriately in a civilian setting,” Fleshman said. “I was too aggressive and too assertive. I lost a lot of the things I worked hard on.” The National Institute of Mental
28 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Health reports about 7.7 million Americans are affected with PTSD. Along with veterans, people from various circumstances and ages have developed PTSD, including those who have experienced abuse, natural disasters, torture, accidents or other traumatic encounters. But for many, like Fleshman, it’s a long road to recovery.
First steps
Sarah Rahhal, chief operating officer at NorthCare, a behavioral health center in Oklahoma City, said when comparing children and adults who have PTSD, symptoms are similar but the age groups can react in different ways. “Children often get stuck and keep reenacting play or doing the same scenario over and over, while adults have more flashback triggers and difficulty concentrating,” Rahhal said. Once symptoms are identified,
Kristy Fleshman has taken up rowing at the Chesapeake Boathouse in order to help combat post-traumatic stress disorder. Rahhal recommends finding a therapy option that makes the sufferer feel comfortable, even if it takes trying multiple health professionals or support groups. For Fleshman, asking for help meant facing a fear of being stigmatized for her gender in a military setting. “I just didn’t want someone to say because I’m a woman, ‘You can’t handle this,’” she said. After feeling hopeless for several years, she found help from the Oklahoma City Vet Center, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “It’s very small ... and I get oneon-one face time with a counselor,” Fleshman said. Another way she received support was by joining a rowing team, which received equipment from Chesapeake Energy and uniforms sponsored by Warriors for Freedom, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit dedicated to helping physically and mentally injured veterans and their families. Maj. Ed Pulido, Warriors for Freedom founder, experienced PTSD after a roadside bomb during 2004
combat in Iraq caused him to lose his left leg. Now that he has overcome suicidal thoughts and particularly dark moments, he advises anyone dealing with PTSD to seek out one or more of multiple resources available in the OKC area. A key focus of the Warriors organization is offering a variety of social activities for veterans. “You are still a strong warrior,” Pulido said. “Don’t let your life go into a spiral. Don’t worry that your career is going to end. You want to be resilient, and that means getting back up. As down as you may be, you can’t give up on your life.”
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Family and friends might wonder how they can provide support. Fleshman believes while you can’t force someone to seek help, one way to reach out is engaging a person’s interests. “Know the interests and do those interests with them and observe them,” Fleshman said. “They’ll talk when they’re ready. I go to the movies or watch Thunder
You are still a strong warrior. Don’t let your life go into a spiral. — Ed Pulido
games with my family, and there is no pressure there.” Another way to give helpful support, advises Fleshman, is by encouraging a loved one to get involved in a peer-to-peer group in which they can share their story with someone who understands the situation. Ultimately, it’s important to remember to never give up. “Anyone who has gone through a traumatic event has their relationships and worldview shaken,” Rahhal said. “They need someone to be there and listen and help guide them to someone who can give professional help.” Fleshman admits she doesn’t feel like she has overcome her struggles yet. But each day, she’s making steps in the right direction. “I’m still not there, but I’m not going to quit because it’s going to get easier,” she said.
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 29
A N GE L A BOTZE R
LIFE CULTURE
Contraband Put on your comfortable shoes because it’s the weekend and time to contra dance. BY ANGELA BOTZER
Flamingo Fling 8 a.m.- midnight Friday, 10 a.m. -11 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Epworth Ballroom Epworth United Methodist Church 1901 N. Douglas Ave. scissortail.org kevbarrt@gmail.com Registration starts at $85
Glogau Photography
Monday - Friday 9am - 11am
host Diane Rehm
30 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
“Honor your partner, honor your corner, balance and swing your corner. Hey for four!” You’re swingin’, cruising down the contra line; you’re contra dancing. Different from modern club country dance or other types of folk dance, contra dance has its origins in New England. Beginning around 1850, the style came out of the then-popular quadrilles with four couples performing five dance figures and has evolved. Pairs form two lines down the length of the dance hall as they all alternate between traditional contra, Appalachian, square and Appalachian circle dances. The fun part? Nobody’s required to arrive with a partner. People find a different dance partner for each dance; it’s unusual to dance with the same partner throughout the night. “Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I was exposed to contra dancing and barn dancing,” said dance caller Noel Osborn. “I started out with folk dance groups here, and I put together a contra dance workshop and learned how to do the dances. A lot of research went into starting the group. I had never called before, and there were no other contra dance groups in the area that we knew of. Our first workshop that got the dance group going was in 1988. About 1990, it became its own group, and it just took off.” Live music at contra dances adds wild energy too. There are fiddles, guitars, flutes, banjos, accordions and bodhrans (handheld Irish drums), all playing New England, Irish and Appalachian old-timey music. Often, the Scissortail Mega band, a lively group, is on tap for a full contra dance band sound. The Scissortail Traditional Dance
Contra dancers at First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City. Society hosts four contra dances a month. For more information, visit scissortail. org. Alternating Friday contra dances are held at First Baptist Church Family Life Center, 300 W. Comanche St., in Norman and at Lowry Activity Center, 315 W. Eighth Ave., in Stillwater. Locally, alternating Saturday contra dances can be found at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1901 N. Douglas Ave., and First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, 600 NW 13th St. “I found out about contra dance through a world music class taught by OU professor Miranda Arana,” said OU student and dancer Timmy Ramseyer. “One of the class assignments
I went in February with my fiancée, Laura Grosz, and we enjoyed it so much, we are considering having a contra dance at our wedding reception. — Timmy Ramseyer
was to attend a contra dance. I went in February with my fiancée, Laura Grosz, and we enjoyed it so much, we are considering having a contra dance at our wedding reception.” Flamingo Fling Annual Contra Dance Weekend, Friday-Sunday in OKC (see above Scissortail website for details), is a big workshop and gathering. “People come in from all surrounding states, and it’s really fun because you have fantastic callers and bands and the dance can be a bit more challenging,” Osborn said.
LIFE VISUAL ARTS on where she’s going. “As a mother, I love this,” she said. “It’s just been a joy to work on this exhibit and the one previously, and it gives me a reason to produce the art that I do.” Janice and Elise put on their first show last September, and it represented a more collaborative effort; over the summer, they were able to communicate in person rather than through a long-distance setup. However, the result of that
We play off of one another continuously. — Elise Gordon
“Untitled” by Elise Gordon
Fragments of time A joint exhibit in The Paseo Arts District explores the artistic connection between a mother and her daughter. BY MOLLY EVANS
Figments & Fragments Through June 28 In Your Eye Studio & Gallery 3005-A Paseo St. inyoureyegallery.com 525-2161 Free
When it comes to her passion for visual art, 20-something Elise Gordon can’t decide if she learned to love it or if it was just a matter of good genes. As the daughter of a graphic designer, Elise recalls early memories of tagging along with her mother, Janice Mathews-Gordon, to work and “going to town” with professional-quality art supplies at her leisure. “It’s been a continuous part of my life,” said Elise, who pursues visual art as a painting major at the University of Oklahoma.
Continuity serves as a key concept in Elise and Janice’s upcoming joint exhibition, Figments & Fragments, because the two have been in constant communication preparing for the show over the past several months while Elise has been at school. “We send pictures of our work as we’re working on it and give each other feedback and inspire one another continuously,” Elise said. “We picked pieces for this show that reflect the communicative nature of that process.” It’s plain to see their passion for art is both shared and mutually influential through the symbolic nature in both of their works, specifically their depictions of home and the human figure. Although their works echo each other through symbolism, the two women have distinct styles based on their different artistic paths and stages of development.
“Elise is exploring so many different things, which she should be,” Janice said. “She’s a young artist who’s just kind of finding her sea legs, exploring a huge breadth of different things, and that’s just exciting for me to see.” After working as a graphic designer for 25 years, Janice recently shifted her focus into fine arts about five years ago, so she describes her work as a “targeted exploration,” one that is simultaneously reflective and focused
communication will be the same as the first show. The figments and fragments of one another will culminate to reveal not only Elise and Janice’s relationship but also their relationship with art. “We play off of one another continuously,” Elise said, “so it’s rewarding to be able to express that and put together something that reflects it for other people to see.” Like their first joint exhibition, 10 percent of the proceeds from sales will go toward a local organization close to the Gordons called Heels for Hope, which raises awareness of ovarian cancer and funds for Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medical Center. Figments & Fragments opens Friday at In Your Eye Gallery, a cooperative gallery that permanently houses Janice’s work and a staple of The Paseo Arts District. “Long Road Forward” by Elise Gordon
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 31
Alive with color
Evelyne Boren
Evelyne Boren, this month’s featured artist at Acosta-Strong Fine Art, paints from a diverse and bountiful palette. BY DEVON GREEN
Evelyne Boren exhibition 5-8 p.m. Thursday Through June 30 Acosta-Strong Fine Art 6420 N. Western Ave. johnbstrong.com 843-7955 Free
Santa Fe, New Mexico, is known for its art community. Artists are drawn to the region’s beauty, and the city has a thriving, art-friendly atmosphere. The natural beauty of its surroundings and the history of the region make it an obvious choice for patrons and artists alike, which is why Carlos Acosta and his partner John Strong own and operate a gallery — Acosta-Strong Fine Art — there. When the time came to explore a new venture, opening a gallery in Oklahoma City, with its proximity to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, was a natural choice. The museum is home to one of the most prestigious collections of historical and contemporary Western art in the nation and hosts the Prix de West exhibit, acknowledged as the crème de la crème of Western art. With the new gallery, they don’t just want to duplicate what they have in New Mexico. The Acosta-Strong gallery aims to grab people’s attention with a selection of carefully chosen artists ranging from traditional Western artists to more contemporary styles. The gallery will feature a new artist on the third Thursday of each month with an opening reception and a chance to connect with the artist. June’s featured artist is internationally known impressionist painter Evelyne Boren (no relation to the famous Oklahoma statesman), who has lived a life almost as colorful as her paintings, working as a professional stunt diver in the James Bond films Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. She was also the first woman to swim with an orca, or killer whale, in the film Namu the Killer Whale and
32 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
made numerous television appearances on Sea Hunt and Aquanauts. She even dived with and helped train everyone’s favorite dolphin, Flipper. And this is all before she went on to be an internationally acclaimed artist and teacher. She started painting while on location in the Bahamas, hoping to capture the color and light of the islands with brushstrokes. “I was so taken with these incredible colors of the turquoise sea and the natives with their really bright colors,” she said. “I wanted to capture some of that beauty.” What started as a way to express her feelings about a particular place has
My paintings make people happy. — Evelyne Boren
evolved into a successful career of living in beautiful places and interpreting them with her brushes. She lives in both Santa Fe and Mexico, and she travels extensively, pausing now and then to teach what she calls her “gourmet painting classes.” “I like good food, good wine, and they’re in a beautiful location,” she said. Boren has recently been experimenting with applying oil paints with a palette knife, giving the paintings an interesting texture as well as her signature vibrant color. Although her techniques have evolved over the years, she has never lost her fascination with color. “My paintings make people happy,” she said. With over 4500 paintings in private hands all over the world, it would appear that her fascination with color has a universal appeal.
P ROVI DE D
LIFE VISUAL ARTS
Restaurant & Brewery
BEERGARDEN M A RK HA N COC K
Crafty cuts Over the past few years, Etsy Craft Parties have seen a steady rise in popularity, and two Oklahoma City residents are bringing the party here. BY DEVON GREEN
Etsy Craft Party 7-10 p.m. Friday Dry/Shop Blowdry Bar and Boutique 1212 N. Walker Ave. #101 craftokc.com $15
3401 S. Sooner Rd - Moore, OK Just south of OKC - RESERVATIONS 799-7666
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An embroidered photograph by Jenna Spence. Bar and Boutique in Midtown is providing the space for the gathering. Spence and Curtis will rearrange things to make it the perfect space for crafting and mingling. Dustin and RaQuele Sliger are the brains behind Kahoy Studios, a local wood and paper craft company that makes wooden farm tables for rent or for purchase and will provide tables for the event. You might have noticed their creations in the dining area at H&8th Night Market, and their handmade tables are creating a buzz in event planning circles. Emerson Events and Designs, a local event-planning company specializing in simple, beautiful appearances, will provide the floral arrangements and goodie bags.
Range shown is for illustrative purposes only.
Since no one was throwing what is essentially an Etsy-sponsored meet-up, Jenna Spence and Kelly Curtis decided to throw one themselves. Etsy.com is a craft-centered online marketplace where individuals can sell their handmade goods. Since its founding, Etsy has inspired others to make their own crafts. Spence was one of those inspired people; she decided to combine her love of crafting with a desire to bring people together. The Etsy Craft Party is “a celebration of meeting and making.” This year’s theme is “recapture,” turning old photos into works of art. Etsy — along with a few local businesses — is helping sponsor the event. “This is a great way to bring a lot of different people together from different places,” Spence said. The party’s organizers will provide the materials, although guests are welcome to bring their own. Embroidered photos are particularly popular on Etsy right now, and Spence and Curtis are making some as guides for guests to work from. “Whether its just for food and drink or DIY, we are definitely hoping to make it an all-the-time thing,” Spence said. The party is a ticketed event, and admission includes wine, hors d’oeuvres and the necessary supplies to repurpose your photos. The hostesses are also scouring local thrift stores and shops for old photos that guests can use. Spence and Curtis got some help from local businesses to make their craft party a reality. Dry/Shop Blowdry
IS OPEN!
Live Music AUTHENTIC GERMAN FOOD MADE FROM SCRATCH HANDCRAFTED TRADITIONAL GERMAN BEER KID’S PLAY AREA FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY EVERY THURS, FRI & SAT
This is a great way to bring a lot of different people together from different places. — Jenna Spence
So far, Spence and Curtis have 30 participants signed up, and they plan to cap the event at 50 to avoid overcrowding. The party is a casual come-and-go event. Spence mentioned that while online registration has been steady, there might be a few tickets available at the door as well. The organizers are looking forward to a night of creativity and togetherness, with the guests having something to show for it.
Fire up your creativity and enter our recipe contest for a chance to win a new natural gas range valued at $900 courtesy of Metro Appliances & More. For official contest rules, visit OklahomaNaturalGas.com/Recipe. Deadline for entries is June 9. Plus, get up to $200 in rebates when you purchase and install a new natural gas range. For details, visit OklahomaNaturalGas.com/Rebates.
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 33
LIFE PERFORMING ARTS
Native roots
This year’s Red Earth Festival features the dazzling art and performances its patrons know and love — only in a bigger, better location. BY AIMEE WILLIAMS
Red Earth Festival
One of the artists featured at the Red Earth Art market is Les Berryhill, whose art emphasizes traditional Native American beadwork. “Beadwork is making a comeback in Native American art,” Berryhill said. “I started beading knife cases, which is actually what Native Americans would trade with European trappers for furs.” A Creek Nation descendant, Berryhill is a self-taught artisan. “I used to go to a lot of galleries where I would see beadwork, and I became really interested in the process,” Berryhill said. “So I bought a book and started learning how to bead on my own.”
34 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
“The festival gives Native Americans an opportunity to show their unique talents — and to show people that our culture is not dying but actually thriving.” — Les Berryhill
above A dancer performing in the Red Earth dance competition below A Red Earth dancer with a camera SH ANNON CORNMAN
Thursday kicks off the 28th annual Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma’s largest celebration of North America’s rich Native American culture. “Red Earth focuses on what makes our state unique: our native heritage,” Red Earth, Inc. Deputy Director Eric Oesch said. While the festival is rooted in Oklahoma, Red Earth represents a diverse range of traditions from hundreds of Native American tribes. “The majority of the tribes come from places like the Florida Everglades, the Pacific Northwest and upper New York,” Oesch said. “When they were relocated to Oklahoma in the 1800s, they brought a broad range of customs.” The award-winning festival is one of Oklahoma’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing in journalists from Australia, Germany and Ireland — even foreign tourists driving along Route 66. Oesch said the festival’s new location presents several advantages for participants and festival-goers. “We are thrilled to be at Remington this year,” he said. “We have over six thousand free parking spaces and free valet services, but what’s more important about the new location is Remington Park’s connection to the Chickasaw Nation.” This year, over 1,200 American Indian artists and dancers will compete for prestigious arts awards. Oesch said the dance competitions are the festival’s main attraction. “Men’s and women’s fancy dance competitions draw crowds because of the athleticism of the performances — and because they are so exciting to watch,” Oesch said. “We are using Remington’s three-story screen on the race track to broadcast the dance competitions, so no matter where you are in the arena, you’ll be able to watch.” Along with the dance competitions, the festival offers music, food, a parade downtown around the Myriad Botanical Gardens and an art market.
SH ANNON CORNMAN
6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday 1 Remington Place redearth.org/red-earth-festival 424-1000 $7.50-$10
Berryhill said Red Earth was where he first showed his beadwork and where he won his first award in the early ’90s. “Red Earth has been one of the key factors in my success as an artist,” he said. “The festival gives Native Americans an opportunity to show their unique talents — and to show people that our culture is not dying but actually thriving.” Red Earth starts Thursday evening at 6 p.m. with an art awards ceremony. The festival itself runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Saturday. For a complete event schedule, visit redearth.org.
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Oklahoma City Thunder’s Thabo Sefolosha is on the top of his game when it comes to charity. BY ANGELA BOTZER
What’s one thing that tugs at Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha’s heartstrings the most? It’s his work with IMBEWU (pronounced eem-BE-woo), a Swiss nonprofit organization that supports young, underprivileged children in South Africa. Born in Switzerland, Sefolosha would often visit his South African father’s home, Mamelodi, on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa. He was awestruck at an early age by the social work that was needed there. “It’s about 30 minutes outside of Pretoria, a township started historically during apartheid. The government moved the population outside of the city,” Sefolosha said. “The country itself is beautiful, but when you go in and see the struggle in Mamelodi, it’s difficult to have a positive image.” He said there is not a lot for kids to do there now, unemployment is high and the public school system is not great at all. Thabo, in the South African Tswana language, means “joy,” and Sefolosha has indeed brought joy to the town of Mamelodi. The after-school program developed by IMBEWU and Sefolosha has grown and currently assists about 160 children between the ages of 8 and 18. Sports play a large part in reaching the kids. “That was very much the idea. Sports helped me in a lot of different ways, by learning and by becoming an adult. We can teach and learn so much from sports through the guidance and support in these after-school programs,” Sefolosha said. He said AIDS also is a huge problem in the country. “So through games and sports,
Thabo Sefolosha supports OKC Thunder team members during a regular season game earlier this year.
11AM-9PM | MON-SAT • 11AM-4PM | SUN we try to educate them about health issues; this is not spoken about in their homes,” he said. “There are many young ones. We can follow them throughout their high school. We try to stay close to them to give them guidance.” There are three soccer fields for sports and exercise available to the kids. Two huge shipping containers were procured by IMBEWU and serve as after-school classrooms in which kids do homework and eat a nutritious snack. A small library is also tucked away in one of the shipping containers. “When I go back in the summer, I note how a lot of the kids’ stories are similar in a lot of ways,” Sefolosha said. “Many of them have lost one or both parents to AIDS, many parents are unemployed and most of these kids have five to seven siblings.” Is Mamelodi changing? “There is still a lot of work to do; a long and slow process,” he said. “It’s difficult to change their situation overnight. The government is currently doing more to help the minorities there.” Sefolosha said his Thunder teammates have helped raise funds for the project. “They have donated shoes and clothing. It’s been a success all the way,” he said. Bertille, Sefolosha’s wife, is also involved with IMBEWU. “We are working on something that is near [and] dear to us. We just wanted to be hands-on, to say, ‘That’s what we do,’” he said.
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OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 35
COVER BOOKS
Drive it home BY ANGELA BOTZER AND JENNIFER CHANCELLOR
Published in April 1939 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1940, The Grapes of Wrath continues to resonate today. Its popularity rose quickly; The New York Times recently noted that in 1939, “it brought (John) Steinbeck’s publisher, Viking (Press), more advance sales than any other book to that point in the company’s history.” The writing approach alone is genius. Steinbeck created a new method of fiction writing using contrapuntal style. He alternated oddnumbered chapters of background about the tenacious lives of migrants with even-numbered narrative chapters depicting the Joad family’s arduous migration to California. Chapter 15 is the lonely, pivotal chapter that uses both narrative and editorial styles. The title, suggested by Steinbeck’s wife, Carol, was culled from the Civil War-Era song “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” “When first published, it carried both the verses of Julia Ward Howe and the sheet music on the endpapers in order to fend off accusations of unpatriotic Marxism. But really it succeeded because it contrived to pick up the strain of what Wordsworth called ‘the still, sad music of humanity,’” Christopher Hitchens wrote of The Grapes of Wrath in his book Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays.
A family abandoned their car after it broke down en route to Bakersfield, California, after fleeing the Oklahoma drought in 1936 and picking cotton in Arizona for gas money.
AT THE OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER See a film poster, a car from the era and more Great Depression and Dust Bowl artifacts at the Oklahoma History Center. Oklahoma Writers: A Literary Tableau, an exhibit that includes details about John Steinbeck, the Mother Road and more, is now on display. The history center, along with Oklahoma City University and local professional theater groups, will stage a production of The Grapes of Wrath play, according to Larry O’Dell, director of special projects/ development of the Oklahoma History Center. Details and dates will be announced later this year.
A sharecropping family in 1935 pauses near Bakersfield, California.
Conflict and discussion
A depiction of the social, economic and climatic conditions during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era needed to be shouted from the rooftops. It was a condemnation of the country being destroyed by natural disaster, poor land-use practices and technological arrogance. But it was also a story about survival and tenacity. Not always a welcome story, it was banned from some libraries in Oklahoma and elsewhere in the
36 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Oklahoma refugees keep house in a California squatters camp in 1937.
country, including Kern County, California, the endpoint of the Joad family’s trek. It also was burned in California, among other places. The Oklahoma Legislature denied a request to invite Steinbeck to the state for its semicentennial exposition in 1957, said Larry O’Dell, director of special projects/ development of the Oklahoma History Center. In an updated interview transcript on file at the Oklahoma History Center, a reporter asked Steinbeck about being essentially voted out of
Oklahoma: “A lot of them [voters] seem to feel that you wrote The Grapes of Wrath deliberately to embarrass Oklahoma in some way. Could you comment on that?” The author replied, “I should think that quite the opposite is true. In truth, it was because an act of God had happened. People were in deep trouble. They were wonderful people. I lived with them and I admired them very much ... I don’t know why the charge has been against me that I have spoken against Oklahoma. I haven’t. I’ve spoken against dust. I’ve spoken against poverty. But never against Oklahoma!”
Okies and human worth
During those years, the word “Okie” was commonly used as a slur against poverty-stricken migrants who made the trek from this state to California. Popularized by Steinbeck’s novel, the word’s meaning expanded to mean,
P HOTOS P ROVI DED BY THE N ATI ON A L LI BRA RY OF CON GRE SS
The Grapes of Wrath celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, and its stories of humanity are as timely as ever.
Woody Guthrie
DID YOU KNOW?
Oklahoma native and folk icon Woody Guthrie sang of the story in “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” a song on his album Dust Bowl Ballads.
— The Grapes of Wrath was first published on April 14, 1939. — In the book, Steinbeck coins the nickname for historic Route 66: Mother Road. It winds through Oklahoma and our country. Its midpoint in Oklahoma carried many Okies from the Dust Bowl into California during the Great Depression in the 1930s. — The historical fiction novel took Steinbeck five months to write, from May to October 1938 in Los Gatos, California. — It won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. — The term “Okie,” which commonly was used as a derogatory term to describe poor migrants, became well-known after Steinbeck’s usage to describe destitute Oklahoma travelers during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era. — In 2010, the book was named one of the “Top 100 Englishlanguage novels of all time” by Time magazine. — The work was cited as a reason for author John Steinbeck winning the Nobel Prize in 1962. — A mint-condition version of the first edition is valued at $25,000. — In 1940, the book was made into a move starring Henry Fonda. In 1989, the movie was chosen for preservation by the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It called the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” — By 1940, more than 400,000 copies of the book had been printed. — Since its release, more than 14 million copies of the book have been sold.
Wherever little children are hungry and cry, Wherever people ain’t free. Wherever men are fightin’ for their rights, That’s where I’m a-gonna be, Ma. That’s where I’m a-gonna be.
— Woody Guthrie, “The Ballad of Tom Joad”
top An Oklahoma family with their stalled car near Lordsburg, New Mexico, in 1937. middle An Oklahoma family seeks shelter in a potato pickers camp near Shafter, California, in 1937. bottom An Oklahoma farmer and his wife in a Farm Security Administration migratory labor camp. The couple and their 11 children fled Oklahoma in 1936 and moved to California.
essentially, “white trash,” regardless of where the person was from, O’Dell said. Today, it has morphed to take on a note of pride with many in our state. But the Okie experience isn’t relegated to the past. “In terms of relevance, The Grapes of Wrath is worth reconsidering. It was written when the government felt it was time to intervene on the behalf of people’s needs,” said David Wrobel, a University of Oklahoma history professor. Steinbeck predicted some people would try to give the book a Communist angle. He took the title from a patriotic song that kids sang in school and tried to craft a truly American book designed to help and instruct people. “Steinbeck was motivated by a concern for humanity. This is illustrated in the story’s ending. For me, it’s one of the great endings in American literature,” Wrobel said. “During the Great Depression, we saw efforts to make life more manageable as the New Deal government interceded. After The Grapes of Wrath was published, Steinbeck was attacked by agribusiness, with claims that the conditions depicted didn’t exist,” he said. Upon its release, the Associated Farmers of California dismissed the book as a “pack of lies.” “But actually, the reality was that conditions were worse than portrayed in the novel,” Wrobel said. Blaming part of the environmental devastation and economic destitution on the increased use of the tractor, Steinbeck also noted that this use also led to the evictions of tenant farmers. “The tenant system won’t work
Sources: Oklahoma History Center, Pulitzer. org, National Endowment for the Arts, Time, The Telegraph
anymore. One man on a tractor can take the place of twelve or fourteen families,” Steinbeck wrote in the novel.
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 37
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63 Dealt (with) 64 A musical might be on one 65 Neighbors of Navajos 66 Sale site, maybe 67 Popular pre-marathon meal 68 Wedding site 69 Engine booster 73 Tropicana Field team 74 W.W. II invasion site 76 Tight spot in South Florida? 78 ___ Hawkins Day 79 Correct 81 Taedium vitae 82 View from Lake Como 84 Relatives of turtles 86 Neon frame? 87 Stirred
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40 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
LIFE MUSIC
PHOTOS BY ANTHONY BAKER
Square roots When husband-wife lovebirds Thompson Square sing love songs, they actually mean it. BY JOSHUA BOYDSTON
Thompson Square 7 p.m. Saturday Frontier City 11501 N. Interstate 35 Service Road frontiercity.com 478-2140 Free with park admission
Sometimes, when a man and woman love each other very much, they form a Grammy-nominated country act and tour the world together, living happily ever after. That’s the “birds and the bees” talk of how country duo Thompson Square came to be, at least. Keifer and Shawna Thompson were two struggling solo artists who encountered each other at a singing competition in their nowadopted home of Nashville (Keifer is from Miami, Oklahoma, while Shawna hails from Alabama) and soon fell head over heels for each other. Many times, for a career in music to work, one has to sacrifice for the other, but Keifer and Shawna found a loophole: The pair decided to ditch their solo endeavors for a lifetime of collaboration with each other on and off the stage, vowing to spend their personal
and professional lives together. “We were singing together at the house, at my gigs and her gigs,” Keifer said. “It just made sense to do it together professionally. That’s when everything started happening for us, and we haven’t looked back.” The duo found a home on Stoney Creek Records, a division of Broken Bow Records, the label that helped Jason Aldean to fame, and Keifer and Shawna then sought out to charm their way into America’s hearts. A smash, platinumselling single, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not,” and “I Got You” made Thompson Square’s eponymous 2011 debut a hit,
Obviously, we married the right person. — Keifer Thompson
adding to a lineage of successful married country duos that has seen scarce few new entries since the days of Johnny and June Carter Cash. “It just works. I don’t know why,” Keifer said of balancing a marriage and career together. “Obviously, we married the right person.” The two were able to equally bear the pressure to match the success of that selftitled debut when it came
time to write and record the follow-up. Mostly, though, Thompson Square was on Cloud Nine, thrilled equally with the surreal professional success and personal bliss they had been enjoying, which is probably why the duo’s second album (which hit shelves last year) came to be called Just Feels Good. “It kind of encompassed everything we were feeling,” Keifer said of the title. “We opened up a little more with this record. We wanted to give our fans an inside track to what Shawna and I are about.” Playing Saturday at Frontier City, Thompson Square is in the preliminary stages of writing for its third record, and the duo has little intention on shying away from its fairy-tale story and penchant for love songs. “We’re going to embrace even more that we are a married couple duo,” Keifer said. “As hard as we party or as much as we like to rock on stage, we don’t want to ignore that we can do something on stage that no one else can, and that’s sing a love song to one another and mean it. It’s a very powerful tool.”
OKL AHOMA GAZ ETTE | J U NE 4, 2014 | 41
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P R OVI DE D
LIFE MUSIC
Birds of a feather Americana artists JT Nero and Allison Russell flock together, both on tour and in life. BY KEVIN PICKARD
Birds of Chicago 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 The Blue Door 2805 N. McKinley Ave., bluedoorokc.com 524-0738 $20
If you’re going to be a songwriter, it’s tough to carry a piano with you. — JT Nero
Raised by a pair of English professors, JT Nero’s initial attempts to mine the family business were with poetry. “Words are sort of my family’s trade,” said Nero, half of the creative brain behind folk band Birds of Chicago. “I wrote a lot of really aggressively awful poetry in my late teens and early 20s.” In his early 20s, Nero also played percussion in a jam band. After a couple of years, he started experimenting with attaching melodies to the poems he wrote. He began playing guitar partly because of its practicality. “If you’re going to be a songwriter, it’s tough to carry a piano with you,” he said. Nero became serious with his songwriting when he moved to San Francisco around 2000, joining a songwriters group that spurred his creative momentum. “It was a good group because it was very friendly, very supportive but also very competitive,” he said. “We met every Monday, and you didn’t want to show up with a half-assed song. That’s what got it really sort of clicking for me.” Around that time, he met the other half of Birds of Chicago: Allison Russell. Nero had relocated to Chicago in 2003 and was playing with his band, JT and the Clouds. Russell’s band, Po’ Girl, came through town, and the two bands played a show together. Nero and Russell soon realized they had a
mutual admiration for each other —― both personally and professionally —― and Birds of Chicago was born. This admiration comes through when Nero talks about Russell. “Allison is this amazing self-taught musician,” Nero said. “She taught herself clarinet when she was 20. I don’t know how many people have taught themselves clarinet over the years, but I think it is fairly small. And she taught herself ukulele and banjo and guitar. She has an incredible musicality that way.” Fast-forward about a decade, and they have just had their first child together. Now five months old, their daughter has been the newest adjustment to living life on the road. “When she was four weeks old, we went to the Netherlands. So she’s put some miles in,” Nero said. “When you’re first-time parents, no matter what you do, everybody’s kind of figuring it out as they go. This is the life we’re most accustomed to, so it’s probably the best one to raise a child in.” Though it seems like touring with a baby would result in a uniquely stressful situation, Nero’s biggest complaint was fairly ordinary for a new parent. “I will say there is a weird kind of spell that is cast,” he said. “Babies sort of remove the conversational filter from all other people. So there’s a lot of advice being given to us, whether invited or not — anything from normal to fairly outrageous.”
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 43
LIFE MUSIC REVIEWS
Lactose intensity BY JOSHUA BOYDSTON
As Harvey Dent would tell it, the night is darkest just before the dawn. Judging by its debut album, Oklahoma City noise punks Milk Jr understand that sentiment all too well and built up seven songs using that concept as currency. Like a daisy popping out of the scorched earth or a mud fight in the Louvre, Bad Things Don’t Happen to Bad People is a record composed of these trembling pockets of quiet beauty sandwiched between deafening, bipolar bouts of pure chaos. The record is an angsty, PCPspiked prom-punch rager, yes, but one with a conscience — its punched walls patched and shattered windows boarded up with just enough meditation to make a statement worth hearing. And that’s not an easy feat for a band so young and new, making Bad Things a commendable, if occasionally uneven, effort. Marry Jawbreaker with Death from Above 1979 or give Dananananaykroyd an adrenaline shot and you have a good starting point, sonically speaking. The fourpiece shares the same wry sense of humor as the latter two, which is important here. (One of its songs is called “Kenny Rogers and Jerry Garcia Are the Same Person,” for Christ’s sake.) As viscerally exciting as Bad Things can be, it also gets caught up in its teeth-gnashing and fistpounding, and those short breaths (“We Gotta Get That Wolf,” “JockStoppers”) are just enough to
keep the band from mashing itself into a bloody pulp. Opener “Dear God, Life Is Hell” works best in terms of bringing the sun and shadow into the same stretch of two minutes; a strobe light blink of thrashing guitar riffs and melodic math-rock flourishes before embracing both equally from the climax to close. “I Hate All Of Your Friends,” a delightfully off-kilter vignette of vertigo-afflicted bass progressions and throbbing distortion, does the same in different ways, bouncing against padded walls with a short-circuiting jetpack strapped to its back. “Kenny Rogers” is the most bloated entry, both in length (just shy of six minutes) and arrangement, lumbering along with all the sweaty, puffy grace of Rob Ford post-bender. It might have worked if reserved for an exhausted collapse of an ending, but the song shakes Milk Jr’s momentum, inserted pretty violently mid-effort. As it stands, though, “Top Gun From the Top” is a top-notch thesis statement. It’s the most polished and grown-up we find Milk Jr in its first outing, grinding down its emo-bent noise rock inclinations for ’90s college-rock hooks in a great singular testimony. That pairing of ire and artistic ambition will serve Milk Jr well as it reconciles those two worlds moving forward, and despite a few errant punches, Bad Things proves to be a party worth a black eye or two.
Milk Jr Album: Bad Things Don’t Happen to Good People | Available now milkjr.bandcamp.com
44 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 45
NESCATUNGA
ARTS FESTIVAL
and the kerr foundation present
THE 2014 SUMMER SEASON PERFORMANCE
The longest consecutively running annual arts festival in Oklahoma!
Saturday, June 7, 2014 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Entertainment: begins at 10:00 a.m. Downtown Square Alva, Oklahoma
Thursday, June 12th OKC Farmer’s Market All Ages $15.00 Doors at 6p Show at 8p ticketstorm.com
June 12-15 & 19-22
• Entertainment all day • Quilt Show • Variety of food and plenty of it • Gourmet Food Booth Like us on Facebook!
Artist & Crafters: For Booth Space Contact Ken at 580-748-3018
THURSDAYS & FRIDAYS @ 8PM, SATURDAYS @ 2PM & 8PM, SUNDAYS @ 2PM EVENING PERFORMANCE TICKET PRICES: ADULT - $25 STUDENT - $20 | GROUP RATES AVAILABLE
LIVE AT UCO’S MITCHELL HALL THEATER CALL 405-974-3375 FOR TICKETS OR VISIT WWW.SUMMERSTOCKOK.COM
311 S. KLEIN • OKC
46 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
Rain location: Merchants’ Building, Woods County Fairgrounds
LIFE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC
Jacob Becannen/Mark Vollertsen, Nonna’s Purple Bar. ACOUSTIC
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
Jared Sutton/Jarrod Baker, Thunderbird Casino, Shawnee. ROCK
Bruno Mars, BOK Center, Tulsa. POP
Loves It/Brian Pickering, Capital Bicycle Company. FOLK
Grant Wells, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
Lower 40, Brickhouse Saloon. COUNTRY
The Red Dirt Rangers, Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa. COUNTRY
THURSDAY, JUNE 5 Acoustic Terrace Thursdays, Myriad Botanical Gardens. ACOUSTIC Blake Lankford, O Asian Fusion, Norman. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Dr. Dog/The Districts/The Hawks, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ROCK
Mark Newton/Steve Thomas, Double Stop Music Hall, Guthrie. BLUEGRASS Maurice Johnson, Avanti Bar & Grill. JAZZ Myron Oliver/Stephen Speaks, Redrock Canyon Grill. SINGER/SONGWRITER North Meets South, Grandad’s Bar. FOLK Shivery Shakes/Team Nightstand/Bored Wax, Opolis, Norman. POP Smokey & the Mirror, The Blue Door. FOLK Stephanie Pena, The Paramount OKC. VARIOUS Stereo Deck, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER Taddy Porter, Lower Bricktown Plaza. ROCK
Hosty Duo, Grandad’s Bar. ACOUSTIC
The Clique, Friends Restaurant and Club. COVER
Lower 40, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY
The Waymires, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK
Mike Dillon Band, VZD’s Restaurant & Club. ROCK
Time Machine, Baker St. Pub & Grill. COVER
Mike Turner, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
Travis Richmond, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. COUNTRY
Reel Big Fish/Survay Says!/This Magnificent, Bricktown Music Hall. ROCK The Clique, Friends Restaurant and Club. COVER The Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COVER
A N DREW VOLK
Mark Vollertsen, Redrock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC
Laura Leighe, Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown. POP
OKG
music
The Courtneys Wednesday, June 11
pick
The members of Vancouver-based slacker-pop trio The Courtneys aren’t actually all named Courtney. Nevertheless, the band’s music — dubbed “super killer post-punk girl-group rock ’n’ roll” by its label Burger Records — is still, well, all of those things. Check out the rising indie rockers, along with Mikah Young and Youphoria, 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 at The Conservatory, 8911 N. Western Ave. Tickets are $10. Call 607-4805 or visit conservatoryokc.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7 ADDverse Effects, Opolis, Norman. HIP-HOP Bandromeda, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. ROCK
Reel Big Fish, Bricktown Music Hall, Thursday, June 5
MONDAY, JUNE 9
Rhythm of Cruelty/LOOM/Depth & Current, Dope Chapel, Norman. ROCK Rhythm on the River featuring Nelly, T. I. and Kelly Rowland, OKC Downtown Airpark. HIP-HOP Robert Thornton Kent, Vintage 89, Guthrie. ACOUSTIC Samantha Crain, The Blue Door. FOLK
JONATH AN TH ORPE
Stat Band, Riverwind Casino, Norman. ROCK
DJ Ryno/DJ Brewdawg, Baker St. Pub & Grill. DANCE
Thompson Square, Frontier City. COUNTRY
Don Williams, Rose State College, Midwest City. COUNTRY
SUNDAY, JUNE 8
Grant Stevens, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Kierston White/Eliza Bee, VZD’s Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY
Edgar Cruz, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC
Sex Snobs, The Drunken Fry. ROCK
KALO, Myriad Botanical Gardens. BLUES OBS Blues Jam, Oklahoma City Limits. BLUES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
Randy Cassimus, Bricktown Brewery. ACOUSTIC
Birds of Chicago, The Blue Door. FOLK
The Mix featuring Tyler Hopkins and Sherree Chamberlain, Film Row. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Beth and Jess, Nonna’s Purple Bar. ACOUSTIC
The Red Dirt Rangers, Hart Building. COUNTRY
Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks, Edmond. JAZZ
Time Machine, Redrock Canyon Grill. COVER
Grant Stevens, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
Andy Ferrell Trio, Vintage 89, Guthrie. FOLK
Shantel Leitner, Vintage 89, Guthrie. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Steve Crossley , Redrock Canyon Grill. ROCK
Jim the Elephant, Baker St. Pub & Grill. ROCK
The Courtneys/Mikah Young/Youphoria, The Conservatory. ROCK
John Wayne’s Bitches/Dykes of Holland/Helen Kelter Skelter, HiLo Club. ROCK Laura Leighe, Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown. POP Lip Service, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK
Backstreet Boys/Avril Lavigne, Chesapeake Energy Arena. POP
Micky and the Motorcars, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY
Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
Mikah Young, VZD’s Restaurant & Club. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Curtis Grimes, Wormy Dog Saloon. SINGER/ SONGWRITER
Mitch and Allen, Redrock Canyon Grill. VARIOUS
Equilibrium, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK
Grant Wells, Red Piano Lounge, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO
North Meets South, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. FOLK Patrick Winsett Band, Grandad’s Bar. COUNTRY
Samantha Crain, The Blue Door, Saturday, June 7
MICHAEL COOPER
Albert Aguilar Band, VZD’s Restaurant & Club. ROCK
TUESDAY, JUNE 10
The Clique, Friends Restaurant and Club. COVER
The Haunted Windchimes, The Blue Door. FOLK
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
John Moreland, VZD’s Restaurant & Club. FOLK
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.
OKL AHOMA GA Z ET TE | J U N E 4 , 2014 | 47
LIFE FILM REVIEWS
Sweeping beauty P ROVI DE D
Not without its shortcomings, Disney’s Maleficent features extravagant visuals and a powerful performance from Angelina Jolie. BY AIMEE WILLIAMS
In Robert Stromberg’s Maleficent, an antiquated fairy tale gets a progressive rewrite and a gratuitous 3-D makeover. Unlike Disney’s previous retellings (Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland), the highly anticipated Maleficent admirably attempts to present fully rounded female characters and make necessary the evil inherent in the 1959 animation. Fans anticipating glamorous malevolence, thanks to Angelina Jolie’s fiercely sculpted cheekbones in promo media, can expect a bit more to the story than sheer vengeance. The revisionist Sleeping Beauty first constructs the story of Maleficent’s (Angelina Jolie, Kung Fu Panda 2) enchanted childhood, a la Wicked. A young, winged Maleficent spends her
days flying through fantastically garish CGI landscapes and mending trees with her fairy powers. When Stefan (Michael Higgins as a boy, Jackson Bews as a teen and Sharlto Copley as an adult), a human boy, stumbles upon Maleficent’s magical world, the two fast become friends. As time passes, they fall in love, and Stefan gives teenaged Maleficent the gift of “true love’s kiss,” naturally. So far, it’s difficult to believe this is the beginning of a revenge narrative. Soon, the plot takes a deeply unnerving shift. When Stefan drugs Maleficent, he cuts off her wings to take back to the king in order to become successor to the throne, in turn robbing Maleficent of her strength as well as her identity. Stefan forcefully inflicts harm to satiate his appetite for power. The
rape metaphor becomes transparent when Maleficent awakes in pain and confusion, a scene that presents an unexpected, heartbreakingly brilliant performance from Jolie. The banality of the first half makes the preceding affairs the more poignant. But first, more predictability: Aurora (Elle Fanning, Ginger and Rosa) is born, and then Maleficent (fabulously) crashes the baby’s celebration and bestows an irrevocable curse on the princess. Time passes, and Aurora grows into a beautiful adolescent under the care of the three most obnoxious fairy godmothers (played by Juno Temple, Leslie Manville and Imelda Staunton) while Maleficent watches from afar. After an inevitable encounter, the
tale becomes a narrative of compassion and forgiveness — the feminist current is unmistakable, and Sleeping Beauty is cleansed of its originally patriarchal overtones. Still, expensive visuals don’t distract from vacant dialogue and underdeveloped secondary characters, and character development seems to be the reason for this retelling. Aurora’s mother is barely mentioned, and Fanning is saccharine, even for Aurora, and almost flat beside the lead. The film’s poignancy does lessen the impact of its shortcomings, salvaging a narrative that is otherwise bogged down by its own self-awareness. Maleficent is not the revenge story predicted — it’s better than that. You just have to make it through the thorns in order to reach fairyland.
is that, while he claims to be the “smart” one in a barren desert of buffoonery, his schtick almost exclusively relies on toilet humor, unabashed misogyny and a hefty dose of racism in order to demonstrate his supposed wit. Shock value is here in abundance (though not too shocking, given who we’re working with). Actual value, on the other hand, is largely absent in this arduous two-hour fart joke. If anything about the film is likable, it’s Ruth (Sarah Silverman, Wreck-It Ralph), a prostitute who is waiting to have sex with her boyfriend Edward (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted) until the two are married. Her character is, on occasion, genuinely funny, as Silverman possesses the comedic chops necessary to trounce the shortcomings
of the script. Neil Patrick Harris (TV’s How I Met Your Mother) also gives a commendable performance as Foy, a wealthy, mustachioed egoist who steals Louise from Albert. These two characters were actually cast appropriately, but the same cannot be said for MacFarlane, who awkwardly tries to insert himself into a leading role. While he is certainly capable of producing an engaging, well-written comedy, MacFarlane seems to be aiming lower and lower with each subsequent endeavor. A Million Ways forgoes any semblance of effort and points its barrel directly at the fecescovered ground, which is the only framework in which the movie could be said to have hit its mark.
Western wear
PROVIDE D
A Million Ways to Die in the West, the new comedy from Seth MacFarlane, manages to tire despite exerting minimal effort. BY ZACH HALE
There’s a moment toward the climax of A Million Ways to Die in the West that finds Seth MacFarlane — the film’s director, co-writer and lead actor — hiding among a sea of sheep. As he lays in the dirt, he looks up, and a male member of the herd proceeds to urinate on his face. This particular gag is, for lack of a better phrase, the entire movie in a nutshell. MacFarlane, who rose to fame as the creator of TV’s Family Guy and his feature-length directorial debut Ted in 2012, has never been accused of provoking too much thought with his humor. But, amazingly, A Million Ways cheapens his jokes even further, with a remarkably dull script full of more misfires than MacFarlane’s own firearm-challenged character. That it is
48 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
able to accomplish so little is the film’s greatest feat. Albert, played by MacFarlane, is a timid, bookish and (supposedly) witty sheep farmer in the frontier of 19th-century Arizona. After getting dumped by Louise (Amanda Seyfried, Les Misérables), Albert plans to flee the danger of the desert, but he is lured back by Anna (Charlize Theron, Prometheus), who takes him under his wing despite the fact that she is married to Clinch (Liam Neeson, Non-Stop), the most feared killer in the West. Albert and Anna inevitably fall for one another, and when Clinch rolls into town, Albert must shed his inner nerd in order to protect his own self-interests. The tragic irony of Albert’s character
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Imagine your future self has sent a message to you back through time. What is it? Write: uaregod@comcast.net.
ARIES March 21-April 19 In its quest for nectar, a hummingbird sips from a thousand flowers every day. As it flaps its wings 70 times a second, zipping from meal to meal, it can fly sideways, backward, or forward. If it so desires, it can also hover or glide upside-down. It remembers every flower it visits, and knows how long it will take before each flower will produce a new batch of nectar. To some Spanish speakers, hummingbirds are known as joyas voladoras, or “flying jewels.” Now take everything I’ve just said, Aries, and use it as a metaphor for who you can be in the coming week.
CANCER June 21-July 22 You have a strong, intricate understanding of where you have come from. The old days and old ways continue to feed you with their mysterious poignancy. You don’t love every one of your past experiences, but you love ruminating about them and feeling the way they changed you. Until the day you die many years from now, your history will keep evolving, providing an endless stream of new teachings. And yet at this particular moment in your destiny, Cancerian, I think your most important task is to focus on where you are going to. That’s why I urge you to temporarily forget everything you think you know about your past and instead concentrate on getting excited about the future.
TAURUS April 20-May 20 n 1947, the impossibly wealthy Duke of Windsor went shopping in Paris to buy a gift for his wife, the Duchess. She already had everything she wanted, so he decided to get creative. He commissioned the luxury-goods manufacturer Hermes to build her a high-fashion black leather wheelbarrow. I am not urging you to acquire something like that for yourself, Taurus. But I do like it as a symbol for what you need in your life right now: a blend of elegance and usefulness, of playful beauty and practical value, of artistry and hard work.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22 In 1928, Bobby Pearce won a gold medal in rowing at the Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. An unforeseen event almost sabotaged his victory. As he rowed his boat along the Sloten Canal, a family of ducks swam leisurely from shore to shore directly across his path. He stopped to let them pass, allowing an opponent who was already ahead of him to gain an even bigger advantage. Yet he ultimately won the race, rowing with such vigor after the duck incident that he finished well ahead of his challenger. I foresee a comparable sequence in your life, Leo. Being thoughtful and expressing compassion may seem to slow you down, but in the end that won’t hinder you from achieving your goal -- and may even help.
GEMINI May 21-June 20 Your brain absorbs about 11 million pieces of information every second, but is consciously aware of less than .001 percent of all that richness. Or at least that’s usually the case. Having analyzed your astrological omens, I suspect that you might soon jack that figure up as high as .01 percent -- a ten-fold increase! Do you think you can handle that much raw input? Are you amenable to being so acutely perceptive? How will you respond if the world is a ten times more vivid than usual? I’m pretty confident. I suspect you won’t become a bug-eyed maniac freaking out on the intensity, but rather will be a soulful, wonder-filled explorer in love with the intensity.
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 In one of her “Twenty-One Love Poems,” Adrienne Rich talks about her old self in the third person. “The woman who cherished / her suffering is dead. I am her descendant. / I love the scar tissue she handed on to me, / but I want to go from here with you / fighting the temptation to make a career of pain.” With your approval, Virgo, I’d like to make that passage one of your keynotes in the coming months. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will have an excellent opportunity to declare your independence from an affliction you’ve been addicted to. Are you willing to say goodbye to one of your signature forms of suffering?
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 “You should be interviewing roses not people,” says a character in Anne Carson’s book *The Autobiography Of Red.* That’s sound poetic advice for you in the coming days, Libra. More than you can imagine, you will benefit from being receptive to and learning from non-human sources: roses, cats, dogs, spiders, horses, songbirds, butterflies, trees, rivers, the wind, the moon, and any other intelligences that make themselves available to you. I’m not saying you should ignore the revelations offered by people. But your emphasis should be on gathering in wisdom from life forces that don’t communicate with words. SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 William Shockley was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who co-invented the transistor. He also helped launch the revolution in information technology, and has been called “the man who brought silicon to Silicon Valley.” *Time* magazine named him one of the hundred most influential people of the 20th century. On the other hand, Shockley became a controversial advocate of eugenics, which damaged his reputation, led many to consider him a racist, and played a role in his estrangement from his friends and family. I suspect that you will have to deal with at least one Shockleytype phenomenon in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Will you overlook the bad stuff in order to take advantage of the good? Should you? SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 ovelist Herman Melville wrote that in order to create art, “unlike things must meet and mate.” Like what? “Sad patience” and “joyous energies,” for example; both of them are necessary, he said. “Instinct and study” are crucial ingredients, as well as humility and pride, audacity and reverence, and “a flame to melt” and a “wind to freeze.” Based on my interpretation of the astrological omens, Sagittarius, I believe you will soon need to meld opposites like these as you shape that supreme work of art -- your life. CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Haggis is a Scottish pudding. According to the gourmet food encyclopedia *Larousse
Gastronomique,* it has “an excellent nutty texture and delicious savory flavor.” And yet, to be honest, its ingredients don’t sound promising. To make it, you gather the lungs, liver, small intestine, and heart of a sheep, put all of that stuff inside the stomach of the sheep along with oatmeal, onions, salt, and suet, and then simmer the whole mess for three hours. I’m guessing that your work in the coming week may have a certain metaphorical resemblance to making haggis, Capricorn. The process could a bit icky, but the result should be pretty tasty. AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Almost a hundred years ago, world-famous comedian Charlie Chaplin decided to take part in a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest in San Francisco. He did his best to imitate himself, but it wasn’t good enough. He didn’t come close to winning. But I think you would have a different fate if you entered a comparable competition in the coming weeks. There’s no question in my mind that you would be crowned as the person who most resembles you. Maybe more than ever before, you are completely yourself. You look like your true self, you feel like your true self, and you are acting like your true self. Congratulations! It’s hard work to be so authentic. PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease,” said French philosopher Francois-Marie Voltaire. That principle will be useful for you to invoke in the coming weeks. You definitely need to be cured, although the “disease” you are suffering from is primarily psychospiritual rather than strictly physical. Your task will be to flood yourself with fun adventures, engaging stories, and playtime diversions so that nature can heal you without the interference of your worries and kibitzing. 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.
JUNE 15
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JUNE 19 NEON TREES W/ SMALLPOOLS JUNE 20
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OKGAZETTE.COM 50 | JUNE 4, 2014 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
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Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis.
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842-8889 M-Sat 10-10 ❖ Sun 11-9 Walk-ins welcome Lic. #13248
Call to set up appt.
7864 S. WeStern @ I-240
405.408.5181
Email:TommyKeith1964@hotmail.com “The Doctor is Making House Calls”
Now Accepting New Patients! • Suboxone/Subutex Detox & Maintenance Treatment • Methadone to Suboxone Switch • Counseling for all Drug Addictions
LIC. 05460
IRRIGATION • INSTALLATION • REPAIR
M-Sat 9am-10pm • Closed Sun • Lic. 16824
OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT
*Prices may vary depending on zones
DOC SPRINKLER
massage
405.888.0367
(at Broadway Ext.)
290.7552
We will flow valve, check the back s and adjust the head x. bo set the control
405.748.6888
546 E. Memorial, Okla. City
totally enclosed • 24-hr access climate controlled
10% OFF 1 hour
This is a model
This is a model
Java s Dave’
Therapeutic Table Massage Body Waxing Private Studio & Outcalls
(acroSS from Hampton Inn)
OKGAZETTE.COM
405.632.8989
Lic. OCC 04591 • tHIS IS a moDeL
HELP IS A PHONE CALL AWAY
405-525-2222
OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | JUNE 4, 2014 | 51