Oklahoma Magazine January 2020

JANUARY 2020

Special Issue

Oklahoma Wedding Planning the big day from A-Z

Oklahomans of Mavericks the Year who make

the state thrive

Health and Wellness

Keeping your mind and body fit

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FOREVER IS JUST BEGINNING

Features JANUARY

2020 Oklahoma Magazine Vol. XXIV, No. 1

40 Unifying the Body and Mind

Being well is more than running a few miles or eating your greens. Overall health should be an all-inclusive effort that incorporates tailored exercise, mindful eating habits and a continual awareness of your mental state.

True wellness stems from a strong body and a strong mind.

PHOTO BY MERRICK MORTON

34

Oklahomans of the Year

Whether born and raised here or transplants who made the state home, these seven change-makers have created a lasting impact on Oklahoma. Two are Hollywood heavyweights; one is a conservationist; others include a doctor, social advocate, developer and CEO. All make the state shine a bit brighter with their works and acts of service.

WANT SOME MORE? JANUARY 2020

JANUARY 2020

59 Oklahoma Wedding

Are wedding bells in your future? If so, the Oklahoma Wedding special section is a great place to start your planning. Enjoy a stunning bridal shoot, gorgeous spreads of flowers, catering and cakes, and even tips on etiquette for brides, grooms, wedding parties and guests.

2

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Visit us online.

MORE ARTICLES ON THE COVER:

Special Issue

Oklahoma Wedding Planning the big day from A-Z

Oklahomans of Mavericks the Year who make

the state thrive

Health and Wellness

Keeping your mind and body fit

SATURDAY, JAN. 11

10 A.M.-3 P.M. • EXPO SQUARE CENTRAL PARK HALL

OUR COVER IMAGE FEATURES A GOWN BY BRIDAL REFLECTIONS, JEWELRY COURTESY BRUCE G. WEBER DIAMOND CELLAR AND SHOES FROM SAKS FIFTH AVENUE. A SPECIAL THANKS TO HARWELDEN MANSION FOR HOSTING OUR PHOTO SHOOT. PHOTO BY NATHAN HARMON

Read expanded articles and stories that don’t appear in the print edition.

MORE PHOTOS

View expanded Scene, Style, Taste and Entertainment galleries.

MORE EVENTS

The online calendar includes more Oklahoma events.

YOU ALWAYS PLANNED ON PUTTING ART ON THE WALLS. (You just didn’t think your kid would beat you to it.)

Some expenses in life you know are coming. Others come out of nowhere. That’s why it’s good to have both a checking and savings account, so you can keep cash on hand for the things you want to buy and the things you have to buy. Open an account online in as little as five minutes. And let us help you plan for life.

Checking | Savings | Lending | Retirement www.bankofoklahoma.com © 2019 Bank of Oklahoma, a division of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender

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Depa partments

ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA

11

11 State 13 14 16 17 18 20

Revitalizations in Broken Arrow, Norman, Guymon, Tishomingo and other cities draw visitors ... and tax dollars.

Hobbies Culture Sports Infrastructure Education Insider

23 Life and Style 24

Interiors A development

28 30 31 32

Destinations FYI Health Scene

of small homes on Grand Lake focuses on minimalism and fellowship among neighbors.

45 Taste 46 48 49

Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano, ‘treating each employee like a star,’ has a kitchen staff averaging 10 years of service.

Local Flavor Chef Chat Tasty Tidbits

51 Where and When 52 56

The 34th annual Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa has racers competing for more than $250,000 in prize money.

In Tulsa/In OKC Film and Cinema

57 Closing Thoughts

4

51

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

45 36

24

Recognizing

Excellence

Pat Crofts Chief Executive Officer Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos congratulates CEO Pat Crofts on being named one of Oklahoma Magazine’s 2019 Oklahomans of the Year. A veteran of the gaming industry with more than 40 years of experience, Pat Crofts’ strategic vision which included the expansion of River Spirit Casino Resort with the addition of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Ruth’s Chris Steak House has generated over 1,000 new full-time jobs, creating an ongoing economic impact of over $135 million annually.

Thank you for your contribution.

OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA™

Oklahoma Magazine presents

PRESIDENT AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

OKLAHOMA

DANIEL SCHUMAN

PUBLISHER AND FOUNDER VIDA K . SCHUMAN

MANAGING EDITOR

MARY WILLA ALLEN

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CONTRIBUTING EDITOR JOHN WOOLEY

GRAPHICS MANAGER MARK ALLEN

GRAPHIC DESIGNER GARRET T GREEN

OFFICE/ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

Let Oklahoma Magazine help you plan your special day.

The Oklahoma Wedding Show and issue have everything you need to organize your wedding in one place!

Saturday, Jan. 11 10am – 3pm Expo Square Central Park Hall, Tulsa

More than $12,000 in prize giveaways!

OLIVIA LYONS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Reproduction without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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Reproduction, copying, or redistribution without the express written permission of Schuman Publishing Company is strictly prohibited.

All requests for permission and reprints must be made in writing to Oklahoma Magazine, c/o Reprint Services, P.O. Box 14204, Tulsa, OK 741591204. Advertising claims and the views expressed in the magazine by writers or artists do not necessarily represent those of Oklahoma Magazine, Schuman Publishing Company, or its affiliates.

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Welcome to 2020! Our first issue of the new decade is filled to the brim with gorgeous photoshoots and the in-depth, quality editorial that you’ve come to expect from Oklahoma Magazine.

Our annual Oklahomans of the Year feature spotlights seven changemakers who excelled in the last year, from world-famous actors and writers to developers, CEOs, doctors and activists. Turn to page 34 to see who received one of our magazine’s highest honors.

Starting a new year is the perfect opportunity to shake off the dust and begin focusing on your overall wellness. We speak to experts around the state about reaching individual fitness goals, causes of inflammation, and ways to keep your mental health in check (and help others with the same goal) starting on page 40.

January welcomes our Oklahoma Wedding special section, beginning on page 59. Enjoy our breathtaking shoot at Harwelden Mansion, followed by spreads highlighting local bakers, caterers and florists. We also break down common etiquette for weddings and hand out inspiration for brides- and grooms-to-be. If you need more help, visit the Oklahoma Wedding Show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at Expo Square Central Park Hall (and visit oklahomawedding.com for more details).

I don’t have enough room to tell you about the rest of the gems awaiting you in this issue ... so you’ll just need to read on to see!

Happy new year!

Mary Willa Allen Managing Editor

S TAY CONNECTED

LET TER FROM THE EDITOR

OK What’s HOT at

OKMAG.COM COMING IN JANUARY

Oklahoma Magazine’s January issue covers all things wedding – flowers, venues, cakes, catering, etiquette and more. For bonus content and photos, visit oklahomawedding.com. And don’t forget to visit us at the Oklahoma Wedding Show on Sat., Jan. 11 at Expo Square Central Park Hall.

GO VOTE OKMAG.COM

Congratulations Dr. Kayse Shrum

on being named one of Oklahoma Magazine’s 2019 Oklahomans of the Year.

We are proud of your many accomplishments. OSU Medicine has become an academic powerhouse and a beacon of hope for a healthier Oklahoma because of you. Thank you for your visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to excellence, and dedication to serving our state.

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Sta ate

ALL THINGS OKLAHOMA

Down on Main Street

Revitalizations in Broken Arrow, Norman, Guymon, Tishomingo and other cities draw visitors ... and tax dollars.

I

REVITALIZATION EFFORTS FOR BROKEN ARROW’S ROSE DISTRICT BEGAN IN 2005.

PHOTO COURTESY BROKEN ARROW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

n scores of towns and cities across Oklahoma, Main Street revitalization depends upon everything from public grants and private investment to getting residents to shop local. City leaders agree that drawing people to activities and attractions is crucial in helping downtowns spring back to life.

“A big part of the success is all the amazing festivals and events held every year,” says Dan Schemm, executive director of Visit Norman and a board member of the Norman Downtowners Association. “There’s Fall Fest, a Christmas parade and the Norman Music Festival.”

In Guymon, the Pangaea event gives residents a chance to learn about the rest of the world and open their

hearts to immigrants, says Melyn Johnson, director of Main Street Guymon. The festival, named for the supercontinent that linked most land masses 335 million years ago, has a family represent each of today’s seven continents. Pioneer families and newer residents recruited by Seaboard Foods, which has a nearby facility, tell their origin stories and how they made their ways to Oklahoma.

“There is a real art to building a community,” says Johnson, a Colorado native who attended Panhandle State University on a volleyball scholarship, fell in love with Guymon and never left. “It’s working together and having common ground and common goals, and that’s one of the things that we work at here.”

Tishomingo leaders capitalize on

everything they’ve got to keep their Main Street vibrant: from history and culture to natural wonders and a certain country music singer. Main Street is U.S. Highway 377, and Blake Shelton’s Ole Red restaurant anchors its junction with Oklahoma 22.

Jordyn Frazier, executive director of the Johnston County Chamber of Commerce, says Shelton was born in Ada, “but we claim him.”

Ole Red opened first, followed by The Doghouse, a partnership between Shelton and Ryman Hospitality that is an event venue with a stage for live performances, Frazier says.

Frazier says other tourist draws are the historic Chickasaw National Capitol, the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge and the Blue River, which features trout fishing and kayaking.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

11

The State MUCH OF DOWNTOWN NORMAN’S SUCCESS CAN BE TRACED TO THE NUMEROUS FESTIVALS AND EVENTS HELD THERE.

PHOTO COURTESY NORMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

12

Broken Arrow’s recent holiday lighting ceremony was the first for Jennifer Conway, who became president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development on July 1.

“I truly felt like I was in a Hallmark Christmas,” Conway says. “We all counted down together. All the trees down Main Street went on at the same time.”

The city’s Rose District stretches for more than a mile along Main Street. City leaders kicked off its revitalization in 2005 with more than $65 million in historic building renovation, a performing arts center, a farmers market pavilion, an interactive water feature, decorative street lamps and landscape planters.

“Main Street was four lanes,” Conway says. “In order to create a safe pedestrian area, we brought Main Street down to two lanes. They just put in a beautiful new bike lane. My next dream is a small dog park right off Main Street.”

Schemm says Norman’s downtown “is not really recognizable anymore” compared to how it looked when he went to college there a couple of decades ago.

“We have a variety of locally owned restaurants, shops, art galleries, food truck parking and bike racks designed by local artists,” he says. “It’s an amazing atmosphere in Norman.”

In Guymon, Main Street, also U.S. 64, goes past the Texas County Courthouse and through downtown.

“Downtown is the heart of the town,” says Johnson, referring to

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

restaurants, clothing stores, a coffee shop, an art gallery, a frame shop and two furniture stores.

Members of the immigrant community have started businesses and tend to shop locally, she says.

In Tishomingo, Murray State College runs the boutique Murray on Main.

“It’s a two-year college always looking to diversify and bring in revenue,” Frazier says. “The boutique carries clothing and home décor and has wedding and shower registries.”

Tishomingo hosts its annual Chickasaw festival, which draws 10,000 visitors. The chamber of commerce coordinates Small Business Saturdays, a July 4 event and the Alfalfa Bill Bicycle Ride. But there’s no denying what Shelton has done to invigorate the city of about 3,100.

“He stops in pretty frequently,” Frazier says. “He owns six buildings on Main Street. One is a bed and breakfast for when his family comes to stay. He likes to hunt and fish in the area.”

Broken Arrow’s Rose District is a nod to the 1920s, when residents planted roses to beautify the town, held an annual rose festival and called itself the City of Roses and Sparkling Spring Water. The city’s investment has paid off with skyrocket-

THE OPENING OF OLE RED, BLAKE SHELTON’S RESTAURANT IN TISHOMINGO, WAS A LIVELY AFFAIR. PHOTO COURTESY TISHOMINGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ing sales tax revenues, Conway says.

“We have also seen a revitalization of the homes near downtown, and a significant increase in property values,” says Conway, adding that nearly all the downtown businesses are locally owned, including 17 restaurants and 45 retailers.

Guymon’s Johnson says Main Street revitalizations have ripple effects.

“When you have a healthy downtown, you are apt to have a healthy outskirts, too,” she says. “It’s a very good indication of how healthy your schools are. Local businesses are the ones who sponsor the sports program and the school events. And one of the things that makes it easier for us is that we have a daily newspaper, which helps you keep your identity.”

KIMBERLY BURK

HOBBIES

Launch from Lots of Likes

A lifelong passion of photographing old buildings in Oklahoma evolves into a popular website for Amy Hedges.

W WHAT STARTED AS A HOBBY HAS TURNED INTO A VIRAL WEBSITE AND BUSINESS FOR FORGOTTEN OKLAHOMA FOUNDER AMY HEDGES. PHOTOS BY RANCH CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY

e’ve all done it – driven past an abandoned building and wondered about the story behind the weathered wood and paint, the dilapidated stairs and the unkempt property filled with items from a bygone era.

Amy Hedges has turned those musings into a website, appropriately called Forgotten Oklahoma, with more than 70,000 followers.

“I remember when I was a kid driving around with my grandma I would take photos of old houses,” Hedges says.

“A few years ago, I started posting them on Instagram and Facebook on my personal page, and my dad said I should make a [separate] page for it – so I did.”

Hedges’ page became so popular that other people submitted photos and within a short time her love of photography and historical settings evolved into a Facebook site encompassing much of Oklahoma’s past.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought it would become so popular,” Hedges says. “I remember getting 500 likes and I was beside myself.

In 2013, I started the original Forgotten Oklahoma page and, when it received 12,000 likes from fans, I decided to start the group so everyone could share their own photos, instead of

submitting them to me to share.”

Hedges isn’t just a fan of Oklahoma’s vintage edifices; she acquired a 1902 bank building in Pawnee that once belonged to Gordon William “Pawnee Bill” Lillie, a colorful wild west showman.

“I have been in the process of restoring the building and it now houses the Pawnee Tag Agency, where I am the tag agent, and the Forgotten Oklahoma headquarters,” Hedges says. “I sell Forgotten Oklahoma branded merchandise and I give tours of the building.”

Hedges says she has met many others who have their own restoration projects underway as they try to revitalize their own towns and keep those histories alive.

Jana McElyea, part of Hedges’ inner circle, joined the Facebook group because she loves “anything old and seeing how people used to live.” She especially enjoys memorabilia from Chandler, where she was born, and other parts of Lincoln County.

“I have enjoyed this group since day one,” McElyea says. “There are lots of places I had never known anything about, so I learn something new every day.”

McElyea wants to visit Cheyenne soon and take in the Black Kettle National Grassland.

Meanwhile, Hedges plans to expand the group and write a book.

“There is so much left for me to explore,” Hedges says.

“Oklahoma has some great places. I am passionate about preserving our great history in Oklahoma and bringing awareness to it. Our motto is ‘Preserving Oklahoma history one picture at a time’ and we want to make sure our history is not forgotten.”

DEBI TURLEY

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

13

The State

C U LT U R E

Tunes of Global Sisterhood China’s Gansu province and Oklahoma celebrate a 35-year relationship begun by George Nigh and nurtured by Kyle Dillingham.

N

KYLE DILLINGHAM AND HIS BANDMATES HAVE PERFORMED IN GANSU PROVINCE, CHINA, SEVERAL TIMES TO CONTINUE THE SISTER STATE RELATIONSHIP WITH OKLAHOMA. PHOTO COURTESY KYLE DILLINGHAM

14

umerous trips to China have given Oklahoma’s official musical ambassador insights into at least one region of the world’s most populous country.

“A lot of people in Gansu love Oklahoma and cherish our friendship,” fiddler-violinist Kyle Dillingham says of the 35-year Sister State relationship that Oklahoma has had with the large province in northcentral China.

The landscape of Gansu – about 7,100 miles from Oklahoma with a population of 26 million – includes part of the Gobi Desert and remnants of the Silk Road, initially linking ancient Rome to China. The Great Wall of China and the Yellow River (the world’s sixth-longest river system) stretch across the province. Elevations reach up to 19,130 feet.

When McAlester native George Nigh became lieutenant governor in 1959, he saw the importance of traveling in order to forge international relationships to benefit Okla-

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

homa’s economy. To his dismay, he found the state’s international reputation mired in the Old West and the Great Depression, especially with images from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. While governor in 1979, Nigh continued traveling, brought industry to Oklahoma and changed global perceptions of the state.

“There was a company in Gansu that was considering coming to Oklahoma,” Nigh says. “I heard the Sister State term, but this wasn’t part of the U.S. Sister State program.

I simply used the term.”

In 1985, he and his wife, Donna, traveled to Gansu to create a relationship, marking its 35th anniversary in 2020.

“I just did it,” says Nigh, who only visited Gansu that one time and “planted a tree there” to commemorate the new Sister State bond. “We went to the Gobi Desert, where we had our picture taken on camels.”

Nigh says during his two full terms as governor, many Chinese students attended the University of Central Okla-

homa in Edmond, including all five children from one family. After retiring from politics, Nigh served as UCO’s president from 1992 to 1997.

“I established a Sister College relationship with the University of Pueblo in Mexico,” says Nigh, who won the 2015 Global Vision Award from Oklahoma City’s chapter of Sister Cities International.

Also in 2015, to celebrate the Oklahoma-Gansu relationship’s 30th anniversary, UCO hosted a delegation from the province’s office of foreign affairs. Dillingham, who twice played the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville as a 17-year-old, provided the entertainment.

“It was formal and reserved,” says the crackerjack violinist-fiddler from Enid. “I did my traditional American fiddling to give them an impression of Oklahoma and the U.S., and then went straight to Chinese music.

The whole Chinese delegation started clapping, singing, standing and smiling. Talk about an ice breaker. Everybody is awake at a new level and they start talking at a very natural level.”

At the end, Zhang Baojun, now Gansu province’s director, insisted that Dillingham go to Gansu that year to perform for the anniversary, and he secured all plans on the spot.

“It’s why we’ve become such good friends,” Dillingham says.

Known for using his music and people skills to break through geo-political barriers, Dillingham drew phenomenal responses from crowds and officials with that first performance, so in “2016 I was invited back for the first Silk Road International and Cultural Expo.”

Officials showed Dillingham the Friendship Tree, planted by Nigh in 1985. Now the center of a revered park, it’s grown into “a massive tree. I started playing and people started gathering. I told them: ‘The person whose name is on the commemorative stone is my friend. Gov. Nigh is not here today. But I can hear his voice telling me to play the “Orange Blossom Special” for the people.’ So, finger tips freezing, I played with all my heart.”

Dillingham, who has visited China 13 times, returned in 2017 to represent the United States.

“My Horseshoe Road band members, Peter Markes and Brent Saulsbury, and I were the first American artists to perform in Dunhuang, Gansu province, a city that has a 5,000-year history. In the Gobi Desert, we visited Min-

gsha Mountain, the oasis of the desert. It was the meeting point of the East and the West for centuries, to meet and exchange. At the mountain, we did a camel-back caravan and posed for a picture just like Gov. Nigh and Donna did in 1985.”

Dillingham exchanged gifts between Gansu Gov. Tang Renjian and then-Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.

Last summer, Dillingham blew the roof off the Grand Ole Opry again by riding a Dolly Parton skateboard onto the stage for his official Guest Artist Debut with Horseshoe Road. Also in 2019, with Dillingham’s fourth trip to Gansu, the band performed in two cities that “had never before heard American music performers,” he says.

Dillingham has performed in 41 nations and sees music as an international language and game-changer.

After decades of work by Oklahoma leaders, the U.S. International Trade Administration’s 2018 figures show that foreign-owned companies employed 50,000 Oklahomans in 2015 with 3,091 companies exporting from Oklahoma locations. In 2016, Tulsa exported $2.4 billion and Oklahoma City $1.3 billion in goods. The U.S.-China Business Council’s figures show that Oklahoma’s exports to China are significant.

“It’s important that Oklahoma has an international presence and world image,” Nigh says. “It’s been a challenge to promote a modern image of Oklahoma. Traveling pays off.”

CAROL MOWDY BOND

ABOVE LEFT: KYLE DILLINGHAM AND HORSESHOE ROAD HAVE FANS ACROSS THE GLOBE, EVEN IN GANSU PROVINCE, CHINA. PHOTO COURTESY KYLE DILLINGHAM

ABOVE: GEORGE NIGH TRAVELED TO GANSU IN 1985 WITH HIS WIFE, DONNA, TO BEGIN THE SISTER STATE RELATIONSHIP. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGE NIGH

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

15

The State SPORTS

Moving Up the Coaching Ranks Tyrone Ellis, a Southern Nazarene product and an ex-assistant in the OKC Thunder system, sees himself as a teacher.

T

TYRONE ELLIS SAYS HIS PLAYING EXPERIENCES IN EUROPE MAKE HIM STRESS BASKETBALL’S NUANCES. PHOTO BY STOCKTON KINGS FOR ELLIS PHOTOS

16

ime spent in Oklahoma as a collegiate basketball player and a minor league assistant coach has helped Tyrone Ellis work his way into the head job of the Stockton (California) Kings of the NBA G-League.

The Dallas native, 42, competed at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, graduated in 2001 and embarked on an 11-year career that spanned the United States and four other countries.

“Coming from Dallas Carter [High School], it was a culture shock [but] going to SNU was the best thing for me,” Ellis says. “Coach Bobby Martin instilled some character traits that were lacking, and I was able to get my master’s degree. They taught me the importance of education as well as on-court production. I owe Bobby Martin and SNU a ton.”

His considerable time overseas also shaped his approach to basketball.

“I had to be very meticulous, very detailed in my game,” Ellis says. “Going to Europe, they teach basketball. They really teach the

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

game. Now as a coach, I’m more of a teacher as opposed to a teller. It’s my job to teach the why, the how and the what.

“When I was growing up, the coach told you what to do and you did it. But now, because of my European experience, I like explaining the smallest detail because they yield the biggest results.”

In 2012, Ellis, pondering retirement, put out some feelers to make the transition into coaching. He landed an interview with the Oklahoma City Thunder and ended up as an assistant coach with the Tulsa 66ers, the team’s developmental league affiliate at the time, during the 2012-13 season. (The 66ers became the OKC Blue in 2014.)

Ellis calls Thunder general manager Sam Presti “phenomenal. The things I learned my first year – I’ve never been part of an organization that pushed me and taught me so much. After my year with the 66ers, I was able to do everything. They taught me how to do video, write reports, the coaching acumen, the coaching verbiage.

“SNU and the Oklahoma City Thunder, they are a key part of my foundation of who I am. That’s been a key part of my success over my coaching career.”

Ellis was an assistant with three other G-League teams before landing his first head coaching gig with the Northern Arizona Suns in 2016. That season in Prescott earned him another promotion, this time to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. He spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant under thenhead coach Jay Triano.

“It was super valuable,” he says.

“I will be forever indebted to Jay Triano. He has some European experience, so he respected my ideas.

That experience gave me confidence.

Some of the plays I gave Jay or suggested, he trusted me, and they worked. The defensive philosophies – I love thinking outside the box, things that are not as traditional. Jay had our guys do it and it worked.

“I’m very confident in my ability to coach at this level, the collegiate level or the NBA level. That job just changed my life really.”

STEPHEN HUNT

INFRASTRUCTURE

From Fairways to Backyards

Developers convert defunct golf courses across the state into residences that provide the feeling of living in a park.

A DEFUNCT GOLF COURSE IN BROKEN ARROW HAS BECOME A SPRAWLING NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED EMERALD FALLS. PHOTO COURTESY CAPITAL HOMES

T

he proposal was pretty much a no-brainer for David Charney, founder and CEO of Capital Homes.

After an Arkansas investment group approached him about a housing development project at Emerald Falls, a defunct golf course on the eastern edge of Broken Arrow, he moved on the opportunity and added to Oklahoma’s growing list of converting fairways to backyards.

“I reviewed the platted subdivision and saw that it had beautiful land surrounding these lots,” he says. “There were lakes and trees, and the former golf course corridor.

It was not economically feasible to bring the golf course back into operation, but it provided a beautiful greenbelt and walking trails.”

Eighteen houses stood at Emerald Falls in 2017, when Charney took over the project; by November, 55 had been built or were underway, with space for about 200.

In Yukon, a portion of the former Westbury Country Club is set to open in the spring as Oak Haven, a 22-acre, gated, rental community for active adults 55 and older, says Amy Camarata, a project director with 2Cor318, which bought much of the golf course in a public auction about six years ago. (The company name comes from the biblical 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

Ron Walters Homes is building the Oak Haven duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes, with 100-150 units planned.

Single-family homes are underway on about 30 acres known as Crystal Creek, Camarata says, and 2Cor318 is considering a 9-acre community of senior patio homes that would be owner-occupied.

“The key to successful 55-plus living is creating a community that people want to move to,” Walters says.

“People go to a park, nature trail [or] hiking to connect with the outdoors. Why go to a park when you can live in one? This is what makes a golf course attractive. It has

natural elements that have been developed over time as an enhancement to the course.”

Charney says Emerald Falls offers houses “for empty nesters and young families who just want a pretty space around them, on the edge of a thriving suburb.”

He says he has tried to convert the golf course “with dignity and a concerted effort because I saw much beauty in the land. It gave me pleasure to breathe life back into something that was abandoned.”

Camarata says her company is “keeping a lot of the aesthetics of the course and would like to incorporate golf in some way, maybe a chipping green, or something along those lines.”

The former clubhouse and pool areas will be remodeled to provide such amenities as a fitness center, swimming pool, tornado safe room, sports lounge and open-to-thepublic restaurant.

Housing isn’t the only way to reuse a golf course. Since 2008, the Bartlesville Development Authority has owned the Sunset Country Club, which closed the previous year, and turned it into a 205-acre industrial park, authority president says David Wood, adding that 40 acres were sold in 2018 to Service and Manufacturing Corp., a custom fabricator based in the city.

Wood says the industrial park, adjacent to the Bartlesville Municipal Airport with runway access, would work well for aviation-related businesses, such as fixed-base operations and repair and maintenance facilities.

However, in Sapulpa, Clary Fields is among the closed golf courses across the state that have not been repurposed.

Suzanne Shirey, president of the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce, says Clary Fields is in a flood plain, so no structures can be built on it. A Sapulpa resident recently suggested it would be ideal for a bicycle motocross practice site.

“I think that would be a great repurpose,” Shirey says.

KIMBERLY BURK

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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The State E D U C AT I O N

A New Way to Code

Holberton School’s Tulsa campus may satisfy aspiring software engineers looking for out-of-the-box learning.

M

oney is often a pressing concern for those wanting a college education.

With the student loan debt crisis continuing to worsen, alternatives to traditional higher education have

ASPIRING SOFTWARE ENGINEERS CAN APPLY TO TULSA’S HOLBERTON SCHOOL, WHICH OFFERS TUITION-DEFFERED PAYMENT PLANS. RENDERING COURTESY HOLBERTON SCHOOL

18

emerged.

Holberton School, a tuition-deferred institution for software engineering, may provide academic outlets for some Oklahomans. The San Francisco-based school, which opens its Tulsa campus in early January, allows students to pay tuition using an income-sharing agreement, meaning they pay nothing upfront for their education, including fees, but, instead, pay fixed percentages of their incomes after they’re employed.

“Students who seek employment in the Tulsa area after graduation will pay 10 percent of their annual salary for 3½ years,” says Libby Wuller, executive director at Holberton Tulsa. “We believe that a career in software engineering should be available to all, regardless of your ability to pay upfront.”

The school is named for Frances Elizabeth Snyder Holberton, a programmer of the first general-purpose computer created by the U.S. military. In 2016, Sylvain Kalache and Julien Barbier began Holberton, which also has locations in New Haven, Connecticut; Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali and Medellín, Colombia; Tunis, Tunisia; and Beirut.

The duo wanted to build an institution that addressed the issue they saw repeatedly in their field: software engineers, in debt and under-prepared, not being job-ready after graduating from four-year universities.

“Holberton is a revolutionary … school that trains people with no prior coding experience how to be software engineers in under two years,” Wuller says.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

“They will graduate with a certificate of completion … as full-stack software engineers. We do not have teachers or classrooms; we think that our students learn best by getting hands-on experience with the course material, so our curriculum is delivered through project-based learning.”

Holberton has no grade-point average requirements, application essays or application fees; you just need to be 18 or older and have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. The program runs 9-18 months, depending on whether a student wants to specialize with a final “career sprint” to prep for entering the workforce, Wuller says.

The 9-month foundations course is on a trimester system, and each student completes the curriculum at the same pace as others in a cohort, a group of peers studying at the same time.

Holberton has set up shop in Tulsa through help from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which “recognized the need for education programs in coding,” Wuller says. “Tulsa has a real spirit of entrepreneurship; from its founding as a trading post to the oil boom, the city has always been a hub for innovation.”

Holberton takes pride in enabling anyone, despite circumstances or background, with the skills and knowledge needed to seek a coding career.

“Our students come to Holberton with various degrees of educational experience,” she says. “We are a good choice for an aspiring student who can’t afford a traditional degree or doesn’t fit well in the lecture-style classroom setting. But we are also a great option for someone already in the workforce, someone looking to accelerate their career in tech or make an industry move altogether.”

Applications, online at holbertonschool.com, are open for a second round of classes starting in June.

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The State

INSIDER

Pryor Obsessions

Jimmie Tramel’s annual comic convention stems from his childhood love of the medium, particularly one treasured issue.

A THE PRYOR CREEK COMIC CONVENTION FOCUSES ON ACTUAL COMIC BOOKS, BUT ALSO HAS ITS SHARE OF COSTUMED VISITORS. PHOTO BY JIMMIE TRAMEL

20

s a kid growing up in Locust Grove, Jimmie Tramel was obsessed by comic books. He can still recall individual issues – the way the covers jumped from the spinner racks, the new characters introduced inside, even the distinct smell of the pulp paper – that he bought at hometown locations, like Fleming Drug and the In-N-Out convenience store, and weekly flea markets held in a building once used for livestock auctions.

Tramel grew up to be an awardwinning journalist and writes about pop culture – including comics – for the Tulsa World. And for the past few years, his unabated love for the medium is reflected in his chairmanship of the annual Pryor Creek Comic Convention. This year, it’s from 10 a.m.

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

to 5 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Mayes County Event Center at the fairgrounds, just east of Pryor. Admission is $5, with all proceeds benefiting the Pryor Arts Council.

If you go, you’ll likely see Tramel among the stacks and boxes of comics and streams of patrons dotted with colorful costumed characters.

It’s even possible you’ll see him with a copy of Iron Man No. 1, a vintage 1968 Marvel Comics collectible, which is for sale at the right price.

Tramel is a longtime Marvel fan.

So why in the world would this dedicated comic-book guy want to sell a key issue from his collection that’s worth at least a few hundred bucks?

Maybe it’s because he found out long ago that it was possible to love a comic book too much … or, at least, to be too careful with it.

Sometime after his fifth-grade year, following a move back to Mayes County from Wertheim, Germany, where his dad had been stationed for a year, “I splurged and bought a mail-order copy of Iron Man No. 1 for $10,” Tramel says. “It was like an oh-my-gosh, wow, comic for me.

I was so proud of that Iron Man No. 1 that, during a tornado warning, I needed a safe place to put it, so I put it in the dryer because it was sort of built like a safe. I wanted to protect it, but I kind of outsmarted myself.”

It was, he adds, “a great plan until my mom ran the dryer (my fault, not hers). It was pretty much papier mache when it came out. I healed the wound by eventually buying it again – twice.

So I have two Iron Man No.1’s right now, and I’m trying to unload one.”

Tramel probably couldn’t find a better place for that than this month’s event, where the emphasis from the beginning has been on comic books themselves. That might seem pretty obvious with something called a comic convention, but, Tramel says, that’s not always the case, especially with the huge, star-studded shindigs held regularly in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and other cities.

“Most of the big shows anymore are celebrity-driven,” he says. “That’s fine because there’s a big market to meet celebrities and take selfies and get autographs. But honestly, the autograph and photo prices have gotten way out of hand. Someone like a big star in a Marvel movie charges $100 for an autograph or a photo – and people line up to get ’em. More power to ’em, but if you’ve got a wife and kids and a mortgage, that’s tough.”

The Pryor Creek Comic Convention does feature guests, including comic book-related artists and writers (in the interest of full disclosure, I’m one of them) and at least one performer from movies or TV. Last year, the celebrity was Justin Nimmo, an Oklahoma-based actor who played the Silver Space Ranger in the TV series Power Rangers in Space. This time around, the scheduled guest is actress and comedienne Misty Rowe, known for the TV shows Hee-Haw, Happy Days and Mel Brooks’ When Things Were Rotten.

Also on the guest roster is Muriel Fahrion, designer of such cartoon characters as Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears and the Get-AlongGang. In addition, Tramel says, the

convention features two “mini-museums” that attendees can visit at no extra charge.

“We’re trying to add attractions that might appeal to people with other interests, so they will come to the show and be exposed to the chunky goodness of comic cons,” he says.

“For instance, music impresario Jim Halsey, who at one point managed just about every big name in country music, brought items from his memorabilia collection for a Legends of Country Music exhibit at last year’s convention. He is coming back this year.

And we’re adding another non-comics draw with a Legends of Baseball exhibit courtesy of Robert Taylor, who has one of the largest sports memorabilia and autograph collections in Oklahoma.

“We’ve got … a lot of costumed people running around, which makes for good people-watching, and some celebrity vehicles, which have been a good draw, too. We have a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine van that normally comes, and I think we’ll have two Ghostbusters vehicles. This year, we’re also getting something we’ve not had before, the Supernatural Impala [based on the car in the current TV series]. These are replica

vehicles that have been created, and people in Oklahoma own them and use them to help out children, to go to children’s hospitals, or for parties and things like that.

“People love to have their pictures taken with them – I mean, who doesn’t want a picture with the Scooby-Doo van?”

Even with all those ancillary attractions, Tramel is adamant about comic books always making up the heart of the Pryor Creek convention.

“If I was to venture a guess on why the show has gained momentum and created positive word of mouth, it’s because we have the core right,” he says. “The core of a comic convention should always be comics.

You can go to major comic cons and they are comic cons in name only because you can’t find comics. We place a priority on populating the dealer room with comic dealers because everything comic-related in pop culture stems from the source material.

“Comics are the sun. Toys, games and art are the planets in the solar system. We value all those things, but we want our con to have a reputation as a show for comic hunters.

And then, we flesh out the dealer room with other cool or nerdy merchandise from the

pop-culture realm.

“We want people to actually be able to find comics at our show because that’s not always the case at a ‘comic con.’”

It’s an approach that’s working. This year, the convention expanded from its former home at downtown Pryor’s Graham Community Center to its larger location at the fairgrounds.

“We were having to turn down too many vendors every year,” he says. “Our wait list was so big that if you weren’t near the top, you wouldn’t even have a sniff. I’ll bet we turned down 15 or 20 vendors last year.

“We won’t know how big we could get until we go to this bigger venue. Maybe we’ll max out at a certain number of vendors and attendees, or maybe this will allow us to get way bigger than we ever thought we could be.

Really, though, we just want to be big enough to be respected in the comic con community, for people to know that if they go, they’re going to be guaranteed a positive experience for a minimum amount of money.”

For information on this event, see the Pryor Creek Comic Convention Facebook page.

JOHN WOOLEY

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Life & Style

A M A P TO L I V I N G W E L L

Honoring Leon A new mural in downtown Tulsa highlights a local legend.

A MUSICIAN LEON RUSSELL’S LIKENESS DOMINATES A MURAL IN DOWNTOWN TULSA. ART BY AND PHOTO COURTESY JEKS

top hat adorns the wild blond mane of a local rock god, depicted in a hyper-realistic mural on downtown Tulsa’s Grooper Building at Third Street and Frankfort Avenue. It’s as if the young Leon Russell painted there could emerge from a lush otherworld of roses.

With a self-described “graffiti/mural” style specializing in hyper-realism, artist Jeks, originally from Greensboro, N.C., is the global force that created this hidden gem. He has brought to life an abundance of public artworks across the United States, Canada and Colombia with commissions and independent projects.

Jeks’ repertoire spans from monochromatic portraits to full color, larger-than-life projects using smooth gradients

and color saturation. Subject matter and muses to date include rappers the Notorious B.I.G., the duo Outkast, Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle, along with other well-known public figures including Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Janis Joplin and Marvel creator Stan Lee. The Russell mural took three days to complete, according to Jeks, and was commissioned by Danny Rotelli, CEO of Oklahoma-based software company BIS. “The inspiration for commissions usually comes from the direction the client provides, and then I run with it,” says Jeks. “With this piece, I chose to accent the floral aspect and a young Leon. All my work is freehand, so mapping it out is the most difficult and important process. The painting is the fun part.”

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Life & Style

LEFT: LARGE WINDOWS AND GLEAMING WOOD SURROUNDED

BY NATURE CREATE A STUNNING FIRST IMPRESSION OF THIS HOME AT GRAND LAKE. GUESTS ARE GREETED WITH A FIREPLACE AND WARM LIVING AND DINING AREAS. PHOTOS BY ARIELLE MCKENNA, ELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

INTERIORS

A Pocket Community An up-and-coming development of small homes on Grand Lake focuses on minimalism and fellowship among neighbors.

I

By M.J. Van Deventer

t’s a small house on Grand Lake that makes an enormous first impression.

The project is the inaugural dwelling in a series of homes called 94 West, being developed by Phillip Uzzel, a Tulsa-based entrepreneur, and architecture firm Selser Schaefer.

“In 2015, I was looking for something that had not been done in Oklahoma,” Uzzel says. “I approached Selser Schaefer Architects and we started on the … project in 2016. Designing the project took a year.

“I didn’t want to do anything like anyone else. I wanted to create something with a modern feel that looks like something you might see in a German village, a Colorado resort town or the Disney resort in Florida.”

He chose Monkey Island, a peninsula on the north shore of Grand Lake near the recently renovated Shangri-La, whose golf course is less than a mile from Uzzel’s project.

The development, which Uzzel calls a pocket community, is on 3½ acres nestled in the woods around the lake. A 9-foot fence wraps around the property and the homes will feature private access. Abundant green belts are planned between homes, with a view of the lake as an added amenity.

Uzzel’s mission with the community’s design is fellowship, with each homeowner sharing space with neighbors.

“In our world, we are so connected yet we are lonelier than ever,” he says. “I wanted to build something unique

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Life & Style

THE DINING ROOM APPEARS EVER SO SPACIOUS, THANKS TO THE GLEAMING WOOD TREATMENTS AND THE STREAMING LIGHT FROM ALL THE WINDOWS PHOTOS BY ARIELLE MCKENNA, ELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

ABOVE: COMPACT AS IT APPEARS, THIS KITCHEN HAS ALL THE LATEST AMENITIES. THE CAMBRIA QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS ARE COMPLEMENTED WITH PEWTER GRAY TILE AND CUSTOM-MADE 8-FOOT-TALL CABINETS.

.

THIS TINY HOME HAS TWO BATHROOMS. IN THIS ONE, THE VANITY MIRROR IS UNDERLIT AND HAS A TOP LIGHT FEATURE. A FLOATING SHELF RUNS OVER THE TOILET FOR ADDED SPACE FOR AMENITIES.

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

that is more focused on humanity than just making a dollar.”

The first two-story home is 1,420 square feet with 6-inch walls. The hallways are wide and accommodating.

“There’s a surprising amount of closet space,” Uzzel says. “The rock fireplace is 16 feet tall; the pitched ceilings in the main living area range from 12 to 16 feet high. The inside is gorgeous and immaculate.”

Another compelling feature is the wrap-around porch. All the porches in the community will face each other and add to Uzzel’s inspiration of community.

“The view of the lake from the porch facing northeast is incredible,” he says.

Abundant, large, floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home bring in natural light and beautiful views of nature. Each of Uzzel’s design features enhances the feeling of wide-open spaciousness in a compact area. A perfect example is the 8-foot-tall door leading into the master bedroom from the kitchen, along with the recessed lighting in the main living area. Ceiling beams add to the design drama.

“I used every inch of space in an extremely purposeful way even though the home has a minimalist look,” Uzzel says.

One might call Uzzel a magician.

After all, he has worked magic in a space that might become a symbol of future living.

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Life & Style D E S T I N AT I O N S

A Citadel in the Sky Peru’s Machu Picchu provides awe-inspiring vistas and a spiritual experience for visitors.

S

THE STUNNING VISTAS OF MACHU PICCHU PROVIDE A TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE FOR GUESTS. PHOTOS BY GINA MICHALOPULOS KINGSLEY

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ome people like to keep their feet on the ground and their heads out of the clouds. However, many of life’s best experiences occur high in those clouds … like Machu Picchu.

This Peruvian journey requires detailed arrangements involving planes, trains, automobiles, taxis and buses.

Fly into Cusco, get acclimated, then choose a train route to the entry town of Aguas Calientes. (Research train routes beforehand. Ollantaytambo’s departure is faster and easier to access than others for various reasons.)

Before going to Machu Picchu, get into shape. The entire Cusco region,

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

at 11,000-plus feet above sea level, involves steep ascents of mountainous roads. Slippery streets and narrow sidewalks have you teetering to avoid speeding cars. Deep breathing, oxygen shots, Advil and coca leaf tea are all recommendations for combating altitude sickness. For those hoping for awe-worthy photos, reaching each vantage point is essential. (There is an easier, lower trail that foregoes some vistas.)

Buy entry tickets to Machu Picchu months in advance, then focus on train and bus tickets. This writer’s 7 a.m. entry required a 6 a.m. bus ticket … and about 2,000 people were in line.

Upon entry, one can hire a tour guide for information and photo opportunities. Sunrise is a sight to behold; veiled in cloud mist, this historical landmark is an illusory sanctuary.

Veils of clouds float down onto the Andes, the sun emerges slowly and the green grass is imbued against the impressive masonry.

While every view is stunning, this hour, when the sun glows behind the clouds, is unforgettable.

When choosing a trail to travel, decide whether you’d like a trek or instant entry to the plaza. Sun Gate’s trail adds some hours of walking, whereas Guardhouse’s trail brings you right upon the plaza, temples and king’s house, where you can interact with the ruins.

You can bask in the sunlight at the Temple of the Sun or reflect quietly at Meditation Mountain. Feel the calm energy there between the triangulating peaks. In the king’s living room, place your head in the nook and

hum until you feel a vibration. A sun dial sits atop several stairs, and guides warn you of vertigo. However, everything is worth the climb. Guardhouse’s iconic mountain vista has a fascinating feature: when you observe it at an angle, it’s a man’s profile. Alpacas, belonging to no one, graze freely. The last Sunday of each month allows Cusqueños (people from Cusco) free entry due to their heritage.

After hours of exploring, you become part of the topography and energy of Machu Picchu; if you relinquish yourself, you can feel the spirituality and royalty of this cloudcapped citadel.

When exiting, mark your passport with a Machu Picchu stamp. For fun, you can also stamp your arm with it like a temporary tattoo – a symbol of accomplishment for this bucket list goal.

GINA MICHALOPULOS KINGSLEY

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Life & Style

F YI

Winter Driving Woes Preparation, an emergency kit, common sense and slowing down help when the roads are icy or snowy.

W

inter is here and with it comes the usual headaches for anyone forced to venture into the cold. Oklahoma, which doesn’t usually see a lot of snow, gets its fair share of ice and sleet, which can make travel treacherous.

The state’s largest population centers – Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Lawton – get about one 4-inch snowfall every few years, according to the National Weather Service. However, ice storms, which can be localized or regional, can close roads, knock out power and leave travelers stranded.

Before driving in winter weather, preparation is key. Leslie Gamble, public affairs manager for AAA Oklahoma, says every driver should have emergency essentials: a fully charged mobile phone, a heavy coat, a blanket, gloves, a hat, an ice scraper, and kitty litter to provide traction for tires.

“These are just basic items that make sense this time of year,” Gamble says. “If you get stuck, chances are you’re going to need one or all of them.”

Gamble encourages people to have a professional service in mind ahead of time and call if you remain stranded “and not rely on your brother-inlaw or your sister’s boyfriend, who may get stuck themselves.”

Above all, limit your exposure to oncoming traffic if you get stuck.

“It’s one of the biggest risks there is,” Gamble says. “We see people killed every year trying to get themselves out of a jam. That’s why people need a reliable service with a big truck and flashing lights and the knowledge of what it requires to

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

avoid being hit.”

Changing the way you drive in snow or ice can also keep your car on the road.

“Slow down and keep your distance,” says Mark Madeja, AAA Oklahoma’s public affairs specialist.

“I like to use the example of pretending you’re driving with raw eggs glued to your gas and brake pedals.

The goal is to not break either when you’re pressing down. Another idea is to pretend there’s a three-tiered wedding cake sitting in the passenger seat. You don’t want to accelerate too fast or brake too hard.”

Madeja says staying in the middle of your lane is essential in winterweather driving.

“If you’re crowding the lane next to you and there is a car, you run the risk of a collision, which can lead to a lot of inconveniences,” he says. “It’s important to stay in your lane.”

If your begin to skid, steer in the direction you want the car to go, take your foot off the gas pedal and let the Automatic Braking System found in most cars take over.

“Never slam on the brakes,” Madeja says. “If you don’t have ABS, pump the brakes.”

Madeja says another common mistake is setting off before a car is completely clear of ice, frost or snow.

“If you need to let the vehicle idle for 10 minutes with the defroster on to get the windows cleared, that’s what you should do,” he says.

“Headlights and tail lamps should be visible. And snow should be cleared from the roof because it can fly off and hit other vehicles. These are just basic steps people can take to reduce risk for themselves and others.”

MATT PATTERSON

• When freezing rice or quinoa,

H E A LT H

“Consider working in the types of foods your family enjoys,” she says. “You [could] have a soup and salad every Monday, a chicken dish on Dieticians offer advice on how to plan dinners for a few days Tuesday, pasta on Wednesday. or an entire week, while saving money in the process.

“A word of advice if you are not currently cooking at hen you’ve home: Don’t get too ambitious that you had a hectic are going to change and make homeday, figuring cooked meals seven nights a week. Be out what’s realistic and honest with yourself and, for dinner if you skip a night, just pick it back up can be difficult. The time and energy the next day.” needed to plan meals can be overwhelming, but the process doesn’t Valerie Allison, an outpatient clinical have to be. Meal preparation can be dietician for the Nutrition and Food simple and beneficial.

Service Department at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, says you don’t have Susan B. Sisson, Ph.D., a registo prepare your meals for the entire tered dietitian, faculty member and week to feel the benefits. researcher for the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health, says “Your food prep day can be as meal planning can save time, ensure advanced as preparing all your meals for balanced, healthy meals throughout the week, cooked and ready to reheat or the week, and reduce stress for busy as simple as cutting up a few veggies and families and individuals. It can also boiling a few eggs so that you have some save money by reducing food waste simple, grab-and-go snacks,” she says. (using all your ingredients) and lowerWhen preparing meals in advance, ing your takeout or dining-out budget. it’s important to consider what foods will stay fresh. Allison says most To begin, grab a calendar and set aside time to plan, with recipes and a cooked foods will last three to four grocery list on hand. Sisson suggests days in the refrigerator and foods shopping for the full week, especially quickly frozen will keep much longer. for ingredients that can stay on the She offers the following tips for meal shelf, then get fresh produce as needed. preparation.

Meal Prep Made Easy

stir in a little olive oil and broth to keep the grains from sticking together and to keep moist.

• Some vegetables, such as cucumbers, celery, spaghetti squash, zucchini and raw peppers, do not freeze well unless they are already cooked into a dish, such as soup, a stew or a casserole.

• Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and beets freeze and reheat well whether they are fresh or cooked.

• If freezing liquid, leave a bit of space in the container so the liquid can expand; otherwise, the dish may crack. Also, do not leave too much air in any container or the food will not stay fresh and may end up with freezer burn.

• For wraps or sandwiches, make fillings beforehand and store separately from the bread, lettuce wraps, pitas or tortillas before assembling.

• Invest in leak-proof, durable food storage containers – essential tools for meal preparation.

For additional food storage guidelines, download the FoodKeeper application or visit foodsafety.gov.

REBECCA FAST

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Life & Style

SCENE

Barry Corbin, Benjamin Deal Wilson, Tyler Robbins, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry; Will Rogers Motion Picture Festival, Claremore

J.C. Watts Jr., Gray Frederickson, John Herrington, Tricia Everest, John T. Nickel, James C. Day, Steve Largent; Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Oklahoma Hall of Fame, OKC

Reji & Rachel Pappy, Tammy Powell, Marla & Eric Joiner; Saints Ball, SSM Health St. Anthony Foundation, OKC

Larry & Polly Nichols, Kari Watkins, Sara & Kyle Sweet; Day One Luncheon, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

Robyn Sunday-Allen, Hickory Starr, Everett Rhoads; Red Feather Gala, Oklahoma City Indian Clinic

J.W. Craft, James Cannon, Bill Thomas; Alexis de Tocqueville Third Thursday Luncheon Series, Tulsa Area United Way

Lynne Lackey, Barbara Richards-Horn, Lynne Blissit; Christmas luncheon, Salvation Army, Tulsa

Shawnte Isaac Hughes, Julius Hughes, Mike Murphy, Lori Baker; Gift of Hope Fundraising Luncheon, Tulsa Boys’ Home

Cindi Shelby, Monique Hector, Wendi Foltz; Celebrate Pink OKC, Oklahoma Project Woman

Anna Bottinelli, Robert Edsel, Leslie Pritchard; Town Hall Speaking Event, Tulsa Town Hall

Peggy V. Helmerich, Kimberly Johnson, Stacy Schiff, Pam Hillis; Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Gala, Tulsa City-County Library System

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Jim Jakubovitz, Rita Rudner, Maxine Zarrow, Judy Zarrow-Kishner, Tom Kishner; Legacy of Laughter, Zarrow Pointe, Tulsa

Bill Citty, Joanna Trimble Smith, Jean Winfrey, Christie Luther, Paula Gates, Jean & David McLaughlin; Visions: A Celebration of Nonprofit Leadership, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, OKC

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Oklahomans

Year

o f

t h e

Whether born and raised here or transplant s who made the state home, these seven change-makers have create d a las ting impac t o n O k l a h o m a . Tw o a r e Hollywood heavyweights; one is a conser vationist ; others include a doctor, social advocate, developer and CEO. All make the state shine a bit brighter with their works and acts of service.

By Carol Mowdy Bond, Tracy LeGrand and Brian Wilson

TRACY LETTS

The acclaimed actor-playwrightscreenwriter has roots in the state ... and he wants his young son to appreciate them.

TRACY LETTS, PICTURED HERE IN 2019’S FORD VS. FERRARI, IS OPENING HIS NEWEST PLAY, THE MINUTES, IN MARCH.

PHOTO BY MERRICK MORTON

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Tracy Letts hasn’t been back to Oklahoma from New York as much as he’d like in the past few years, but that will soon change.

His son, Haskell Letts – named for a grandfather named for Charles Haskell, Oklahoma’s first governor – is the first child born into his family in more than 50 years. The author, screenwriter and actor wants his son to experience life in Oklahoma, whether it’s appreciating the state’s great artists, hanging out with Letts’ brother in Wagoner or fishing for crappie in Lake Eufaula.

Letts, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008 with his play August: Osage County, opens his latest work, The Minutes, in March.

“It’s about the system by which we conduct our politics, and it’s addressing some of the original sin of being an American and how we got here, so there is a Native American theme,” he says. “It’s a 1½-hour comedy, a look at a city council meeting set out in real time in a small-town, fictional setting.”

People might assume it was influenced by the 2016 presidential election, but Letts says he was “already writing the play and was nearly done when the election happened. I had to keep my blinders on to finish the play I set out to write.

“If everyone walked out [at the end of the

play] talking about personal responsibility – how they’d like to conduct themselves in our country and our society – it will more than do its job.”

Letts grew up in Durant; his parents were professors at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. There was a premium on the written word and his childhood was filled with books, movies, television and lively critical discussions.

“It was a place of very fertile imaginations and curious minds,” he says. “Education was the path for both of [my parents], and the way they got out of the cycle of poverty in their families. My parents hoped that we’d find things in our lives about which we could feel passion … and we did.”

Letts’ parents retired from teaching while in their 50s and went on to successful second careers: Dennis as an actor and Billie as a novelist.

“If you wanted to foster a sense of artistic ambition in your children, I can’t imagine there is a better way to go about it,” he says.

“They were delighted if I was doing something that I loved.”

When in Tulsa, Letts likes to grab a burger at Claude’s on Brookside or explore the Woody Guthrie Center. He plans to visit the Gathering Place on his next trip. Encouraged, Letts focuses on Oklahoma’s future.

“I was so proud when I saw how many teachers fought for change” in 2018, he says.

“Support those teachers – they are raising your kids. If you want the next Pulitzer Prize winner to come out of Oklahoma, they will need a good education.”

– TL

KAYSE SHRUM

A country girl at heart, the president of OSU’s Center for Health Sciences recruits students who understand the importance of the state’s rural areas.

Kayse Shrum understands rural Oklahoma because she grew up, and still lives in, the country.

That’s why May’s historic groundbreaking of the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation gave the president of the OSU Center for Health Sciences personal satisfaction.

Shrum says establishing the nation’s first tribal medical school built on an alliance “that OSU has long had with the Cherokee Nation. We understand the tribe’s culture because we’ve done clinical rotations with our medical students in the Nation for years.”

The Tahlequah facility “fits with our mission to improve the lives of rural Oklahomans and gives them access to primary-care physicians. Less than .4% of medical students across the country are Native Americans, so this was a natural partnership.”

Shrum and the Cherokee Nation also work together on Operation Orange, which exposes rural high schoolers to what medical school is like. This, too, reflects part of Shrum’s life.

KAYSE SHRUM, DEAN OF OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY’S MEDICAL SCHOOL, TAKES THE LESSONS SHE LEARNED AS A PEDIATRICIAN INTO LEADERSHIP. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

“A college professor suggested that I consider applying to medical school,” she says. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Later, I realized that where I grew up, there are a lot of smart students who don’t consider medicine as a career.

“And that’s what Operation Orange is about: taking people from the medical school out to rural students and showing them they can do this.”

Shrum also appeals to FFA and 4-H students with a mentoring and scholarship program called Blue Coat to White Coat. She says these agriculturally minded young people make ideal physicians because “they are hard-working, service-oriented and bright. They understand the importance of rural areas to Oklahoma and the nation. They understand our mission. They get it.

“We want them to go back as doctors and become leaders in their communities.”

A pediatrician who graduated from the medical college she now oversees, Shrum, in 2013, became Oklahoma’s youngest person (at age 41) and first woman to become president of a health science center and dean of a medical school.

Shrum says her management style derives from

doctoring children.

“Watch and wait is a prime directive for pediatricians, who always have to be patient,” she says, “and that helps in leadership. Sometimes you have an idea, but you have to wait for the right moment to happen. I chose pediatrics because I wanted to partner with parents and see kids in Oklahoma thrive, so I know how to collaborate.

“As a pediatrician, you have to be a good communicator and a good listener. It’s important for people to know they’re being heard. And you want to have a positive interaction with everyone.”

In May, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Shrum secretary of science and innovation. In that position, she wants Oklahoma to become a research hub and “use science to grow industries from the ground up.”

Shrum drives into Tulsa from Coweta, where she was raised and lives with her husband, Darren, and their six children. Three are from Ethiopia; the Shrums adopted them when they were 10, 12 and 13, respectively.

“They have changed our family’s perspective on life,” she says.

– BW JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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ALFRE WOODARD STARS IN CLEMENCY, IN WHICH SHE PLAYS A PRISON WARDEN IN CHARGE OF EXECUTIONS. PHOTO COURTESY NEON PRODUCTION

ALFRE WOODARD

This star of stage, screen and TV takes the ideals she learned during her Oklahoma upbringing and helps to improve the world.

Critically acclaimed actor Alfre Woodward, with a new movie and Apple TV series, never forgets her Oklahoma origins.

“Whatever your beginnings, they are your roots. My roots were nutritious roots,” says Woodard, a graduate of Tulsa’s Bishop Kelley High School who studied drama at Boston University and made her theater debut in 1974. “That 17 years in Tulsa was my launch.”

Woodard takes pride in her family’s history in and deep connections to the state. On her dad’s side, one of Woodard’s once-enslaved ancestors went to South Texas, then to Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s.

“My father’s people grew up owning land,” she says. “They did well during the Great Depression. As a boy, my father was helping pass out food to men he called hoboes. His mom told him those weren’t hoboes; they were someone’s father, brother, son.”

Such lessons about treating people with respect were integral to Woodard’s formative years.

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

“In Oklahoma, if someone’s family crop doesn’t come up, you help them. The land was a great equalizer,” she says. “The lesson is there is no difference between people.”

When she was 5, Woodard recalls her father teaching her that as a citizen of the world, she had a right to be out in it. Woodard took that to heart; her career includes more than 100 film and television projects, a Golden Globes victory, four prime-time Emmy Awards, eight NAACP Image Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, numerous other nominations and induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2014.

When deciding on projects, Woodard considers her ability to bring something new to a part.

“Something organically takes hold,” she says. “I only go to work when I can think of something to do with this character that someone may not think of.

I’m over 60, educated, traveled. I’ve seen the world, from squatter camps to palaces. I have a real store of experiences I can draw from.”

She’s in one of Apple TV’s inaugural shows, See, set in a dystopia where all humans are blind. In the movie Clemency, which opened in December, she plays a prison executioner.

“It’s a story that belongs in the population’s con-

versation,” says Woodward, who toured U.S. prisons to prepare for the part. “We’ve never looked at the lives of the people that we charge with carrying out the sentences.”

On being named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in the 1990s, Woodard says the acknowledgment “gave little brown girls a booster.

They can walk a little straighter. Everybody’s face is intricate and a work of art.”

Known for her activism spanning many causes, she focuses now on criminal justice and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“Oklahoma people would give you the shirt off their backs,” she says. “I took that into the world. We have to catch that same spirit.”

A California resident, Woodard spent Thanksgiving with about 40 family members and christened her niece’s new Tulsa home. She has dozens of cousins in Texas and Oklahoma and has two grown children, Mavis and Duncan, with her husband, Roderick Spencer.

“My children have taught me so much,” she says.

“If you’re really alert, you learn from watching your children grow. I’m grateful to witness the kind of people they’ve developed into. It’s the most glorious and important thing I will ever do.”

– CB

PAT CROFTS, CEO OF MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION CASINOS, SAYS MAY’S FLOODING OF RIVER SPIRIT BUILDINGS WAS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGES OF HIS CAREER. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

PAT CROFTS

This gaming veteran has persevered in the casino industry, including the flooding that closed the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s gem for a month.

In his nearly half-century in the casino industry, Pat Crofts has encountered mudslides, blizzards and monsoons at premier gaming venues across the globe – from Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada to Macao on the South China Sea. With those experiences in mind, the CEO of Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos says the Arkansas River flooding the River Spirit Casino Resort in May ranks as “one of the top five challenges that I’ve ever faced because of the cost and the time frame” of getting the Tulsa entertainment hub back to business.

“I’ve built and opened hotels all over the world, but that’s over a year or two,” Crofts says. “Here, we had to do it quickly. It was a race against the clock.”

High waters from record rains closed the facility from May 22 to June 21.

“We had four hours to get air conditioning up to all [438] rooms to keep out mold,” Crofts says. “We brought in three remediation companies and had 19 semi-trailer truckloads of air-conditioning units

throughout the hotel within 48 hours of having our power cut.

“Once the water went down, we had a tremendous cleanup. We had 500 more workers from the remediation companies. We had an industrial hygienist on-site and we took it area by area. The water was mostly below the casino and hotel. On the lower levels, we had to take everything down to concrete and metal studs.”

Crofts says River Spirit “lost a large amount of money every day that it was closed,” yet kept paying 1,600-plus workers – a $2.5 million payroll while bringing in zero revenue.

“It wasn’t our employees’ fault and many had flood issues themselves,” Crofts says. “It was the right thing to do. A lot of our employees don’t have the resources to be out of work.

“Many people, since we reopened, have patronized our casino because they found out that we supported our employees. One couple were at a casino in Arizona and drove here when they learned what we did.”

Crofts says many River Spirit employees volunteered to clean up “and worked until we had to send

them home after being here 12-14 hours a day.”

Crofts, a native of Panguitch near Bryce Canyon in southern Utah, got his start in the industry after graduating from Weber State University in 1973.

“Deloitte offered me an accounting job with a choice of either working in Las Vegas or Los Angeles,” he says. “Well, that was an easy choice for a guy just out of college.”

Deloitte, at the time, handled the accounts for Howard Hughes, the reclusive industrialist who owned 15-20 casinos.

Crofts rose through the ranks and eventually opened world-class casino resorts for Harvey and Harrah’s. The Muscogee tribe hired him full time in 2011 to oversee River Spirit’s expansion, which included the 27-story tower, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Crofts sees managing people as “a team situation, a collaborative effort. I had mentors while I was coming up and the successful ones weren’t tyrants.

I remember a food-and-beverage director whom everyone called Coach because he would coach, not boss, his employees.”

– BW JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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JOHN T. NICKEL

This plant-growing entrepreneur, conservationist and philanthropist bought thousands of acres of wilderness – then gave it to The Nature Conservancy.

John Nickel’s passion for nature began at age 10, when his dad took him and his brother on an Illinois River camping trip.

The Muskogee native has often gravitated to those Ozark hills and into the river.

“Back in those days, the country was undeveloped, pristine,” he says.

With parents who owned a Muskogee landscape nursery, Nickel grew up in the business. He saw California nurseries growing plants in containers, but no one else was really doing that. As a young entrepreneur, Nickel wanted a wholesale nursery, with the United States as his marketplace.

He took that California idea and established Greenleaf Nursery near Lake Tenkiller at age 22. Nickel mentions the company is one of America’s largest wholesale container-growing nurseries, with additional locations in Texas and North Carolina. Greenleaf “ships everywhere in the U.S. and Canada east of the Rockies,” he says.

In another connection to California, Nickel’s brother revitalized Far Niente Winery, established in 1885 but put out of business by Prohibition. In 1979, the brothers began restoring Far Niente’s historic building, vineyard and winery in Napa Valley. Their efforts resulted in placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nickel’s sense of conversation came when he attended Connors State College in Warner. He took a class field trip to “a large cattle ranch in Cherokee County along the Illinois River to observe the results of chemically killing trees to allow more grass for grazing. I didn’t think I would ever have such a place, but I wanted to have [it] to make a nature and wildlife preserve.”

In 1989, Nickel bought those beloved 14,000 acres, which gave rise to his J-5 Ranch. He donated it all to The Nature Conservancy in 2000. As the Ozarks’ largest privately protected conservation area, the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve comprises 17,000 acres.

The Nature Conservancy restores and maintains the preserve, and offers the public opportunities to enjoy the breathtaking area.

“I love the beauty of unspoiled nature and want some to remain undeveloped for future generations to see,” Nickel says.

– CB

SARAH STITT

Oklahoma’s first lady fights for the marginalized and advocates for better mental health resources.

FIRST LADY SARAH STITT WORKS TO HELP THE DISENFRANCHISED AND THOSE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES. PHOTO BY BRENT FUCHS

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Sarah Stitt channels a famous literary character as she advocates for Oklahomans caught in whirlpools of imprisonment, addiction, mental illness and other devastations.

Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird, says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.”

As Oklahoma’s first lady, Stitt tries to live those words – seen in helping 527 inmates, recently released with commuted sentences, reenter society “with a helping hand up, not just a pat on the back.”

“You can’t pick the position you were born into,” Stitt says. “I could have easily been in their situations. Each of those I met, with just a little tweak here or there, wouldn’t have ended up in prison. Any of us could be just a few circumstances away from this.”

After state question 780 turned a host of

JOHN NICKEL HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO NATURE PRESERVATION, ALONG WITH JUGGLING SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS VENTURES. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

property and drug felonies into misdemeanors, House Bill 1269 made the law retroactive, so a record number of convicts left prison Nov. 1. Stitt told many officials that merely sending commutees into the world was not enough.

“I just said, ‘Hey, this isn’t going to work.

You can’t let people fall back into the same problems,’” Stitt says. “The nonprofits, the business community, government agencies, the pardon and parole board, the prison system – everyone – made it work.

“Even up to the day of the commutations, I had texts from businesses and nonprofits wanting to help.”

Stitt also fights for people with mental illness. Candid about her family members’ battles with addiction, depression and other issues, Stitt says education and childhood treatment are keys in addressing problems that shatter lives.

“We can keep people from the ledge instead of waiting to help them when they’re on the ledge,” says Stitt, who encourages all Oklahomans to support each other. “It’s one life at a time, one family at a time. There is hope for the future in our state.”

– BW

STUART PRICE

This developer and his family focus their business on reinventing Tulsa and creating stunning places for Oklahomans to live and work.

In 1979, Stuart Price and his wife, Linda, arrived in Tulsa. The Denver native says they stayed because the couple “found an incredible community in Tulsa and Oklahoma, which was kind and inviting.”

A graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law and a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Price has a résumé that includes a long tenure in the oil and gas industry and nine years with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

In 2011, Price embarked on a mission to revitalize downtown Tulsa. With his wife and their four children at the helm, Price Family Properties now claims half of the central business district and manages more than 2 million square feet of commercial office space. Many of the acquisitions occurred in 2017, when Price bought Maurice Kanbar’s portfolio of historic downtown buildings.

“It’s turned into a passion,” he says. “We believe we are stewards of these historic structures to prepare them for the next generation of use.”

A hotbed of Art Deco architecture, Tulsa became the Terra Cotta City in the early 20th century, partly because of Waite Phillips. One of Price’s favorite buildings is the Philcade, which still has the initials WP on STUART PRICE HAS all the doorknobs from when the oil tycoon WORKED TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN TULSA FOR opened it in 1931. Price, whose first name is SEVERAL YEARS. PHOTOS BY JOSH NEW William (another WP), says it’s surreal that he now owns the building.

Fond of quoting Phillips, Price says, “The only things we keep permanently are those we give away.”

That mantra rings true in Price’s philanthropy, including involvement with the Gathering Place and the Tulsa Achieves scholarships at Tulsa Community College. He says more than 20,000 students have received them.

In the next 10-15 years, Price foresees a “downtown Tulsa not seen since the 1920s – entertainment, apartments, arenas – bubbling with people and energy.”

Price also says he values a strong work ethic: “My dad always said, ‘Son, you can do anything you PRICE FAMILY PROPERTIES IS RUN BY (LEFT TO RIGHT) JACKIE PRICE JOHANNSEN, ALAN JOHANNSEN, want. You just can’t do it on the couch.’”

NIKKI PRICE, STU PRICE, LINDA PRICE, STUART PRICE, STEPHANIE BROWN AND ADAM BROWN. – CB

FOR MORE,

go to okmag.com/ ooty2019

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Unifying the Body and Mind

By Rebecca Fast

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Being well is more than running a few miles or eating your greens. Overall health should be an all-inclusive effort that incorporates tailored exercise, mindful eating habits and a continual awareness of your mental state.

True wellness stems from a strong body and a strong mind.

MAKE EXERCISE COUNT

As you make goals for exercise, consider whether you want to lose weight, improve flexibility, strengthen muscles and/or increase stamina. To reach your objectives, you need a plan.

“Achieving individual goals needs a blueprint,” says John Jackson, personal trainer and owner of Impact Fitness in Tulsa.

He says anyone can attain fitness goals with a clear strategy and personal support. He recommends using a certified personal trainer to assess your strengths and abilities to create a tailored program.

“For example, if someone with a thin body type wants to add muscle to their frame, they must have the right balance of caloric intake versus energy expenditure,” Jackson says.

“Their workouts would consist of low reps and heavier weights once a core and stabilization phase has been established.”

National guidelines for physical activity for adults recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate intensity, or 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous intensity and aerobic physical activity – as well as strength training two or more days a week.

“Time matters,” says Dr. Joanne Skaggs, with OU Medicine internal medicine in Oklahoma City. “But if you don’t have much time, I recommend HIIT workouts – high intensity interval training.”

Weight-bearing exercise is important for increasing metabolism and losing weight. For older adults, the addition of balance training can help to prevent falls.

Skaggs encourages daily exercise and suggests group fitness for motiva-

tion and accountability.

“I’m active with the YMCA and find that the relationships there keep me returning regularly,” says Skaggs, who adds that it’s OK to start slowly.

“I always recommend the rule of threes: three minutes for three days in a row. Increase by three minutes every three days until you are able to reach 30 minutes.”

Before beginning any new workout, visit your primary care physician to learn of any health limitations.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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OBESITY IN OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma has the 10th highest adult obesity rate in the nation and the sixth highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17, according to a report by the State of Childhood Obesity.

Factors contributing to the state’s obesity epidemic include lifestyle choices, income and environment.

“Socioeconomic status and convenience lead to food insecurity and poor nutritional choices,” says Carah Patterson, clinical programs manager for St. John Weight Management and Healthy Lifestyles. “Farmers markets and fresh produce are limited in our poorest neighborhoods while convenience stores with cheap, prepackaged foods abound.”

Smoking also plays a role, with higher rates of obesity reported among those who quit smoking than those who have never smoked.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “over 30 percent of our adult population denies participating

in any intentional physical activity, while nearly 30 percent of our adolescents watch greater than three hours of TV per day,” says Patterson, who includes the decline in required physical education in schools as a factor for obesity in kids. “We are literally setting a precedent for inactivity in this crucial developmental time of our children’s lives. We need … to help implement nutritious food access, intentional behaviors that will aid in developing healthy coping skills, and social strategies that don’t revolve around food.”

To address the state’s obesity rates, several initiatives have been implemented, such as Shape Your Future, a community program promoting healthy living through physical activity, nutrition and being tobacco free.

In addition, “Ascension St. John has assembled the healthy lifestyles task force … to address local issues of food insecurity and exercise programming among our most vulnerable populations,” Patterson says.

SIMPLE STEPS TO A HEALTHY YOU

INFLAMMATION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE BODY

Inflammation in the body can reveal itself in many ways.

“Usually it’s the body’s way of fighting off an infection, but also can occur as a reaction to tissue injury, allergies or many other alterations in a body’s equilibrium,” says Dr. Amanda Titus, with Mercy Clinic Rheumatology in Oklahoma City.

Symptoms can vary from rashes to joint swelling and stomach pain.

“When someone catches a cold, the chills and achiness are symptoms of inflammation as your body is fighting off the infection,” Titus says.

“Inflammatory conditions include gout, eczema [and] Crohn’s disease; inflammatory conditions can even occur in the kidneys or lungs.”

She says symptoms vary and are based on what parts of the body are affected. A common underlying symptom may be fatigue or fevers.

To fight inflammation, a healthy diet of unprocessed vegetables and whole grains may help. Research has shown that if you have an increased risk for autoimmune disease or want to naturally address an ongoing inflammatory condition, steps to reduce inflammation include getting adequate rest, reducing stress, exercising and avoiding nicotine.

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

“Every step matters,” says Carah Patterson, clinical programs manager for St. John Weight Management and Healthy Lifestyles. “One intentional step at a time will help you attain your goal of living a healthy life.”

Jump-start your goals with some simple steps.

Define Reasons “Knowing why you want to lose weight is a key factor in long-term success,” she says. “You have to reach a point of knowing where you want to go and why it’s important to get there.”

Write down your reasons and make goals matching the acronym SMART. “Ensure the goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely,” Patterson says. “Set your sights on something you can achieve, then set a new goal once you’re there.”

Avoid Comparisons “This is a personal journey that cannot be measured by anything other than the you that you were yesterday,” she says. “Your why. Your goals. Your progress. Keep your focus on your journey.”

Activity in Small Ways “You don’t have to have a gym membership or even a pretty day to incorporate activity into your habits,” Patterson says. “Challenge yourself to find movements conducive to the space you’re in.”

These can include taking the stairs, walking to visit a coworker instead of emailing or texting, doing pushups from the wall or your desk, performing squats or wall sits, holding a plank to strengthen your core and improve posture, and working on mobility by stretching.

THRIVING, NOT JUST SURVIVING, MENTALLY Most are familiar with physical wellness, but fewer people understand the parameters of mental wellness. The World Health Organization says states of well-being come when people realize their abilities, cope with life’s normal stresses, work productively and fruitfully, and contribute to the community. In short, it’s the feeling of thriving instead of just surviving.

“Mental health can be viewed just like any other health – physical, financial, relational,” says Rebecca Hubbard, Ph.D., director of outreach, prevention and education for Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

Equally as important as exercising physically is incorporating mental-health routines into everyday life. Taking time to reduce stress and re-energize helps to maintain mental balance.

“Some simple daily activities to boost mental wellness are making a gratitude list, meditation or prayer, a positive relational connection with a trusted other, and physical exercise such as walking or yoga,” Hubbard says.

Body-Mind Connection “Diet and exercise are completely intertwined with our mental health and well-being,” Hubbard says. “The neurotransmitters that regulate emotions and mental health are not only found in our brain but in our digestive system. Additionally, what we eat, our exercise habits and even our physical connections with others – think hugs – impact the levels of important neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Additionally, specific exercise and diet choices – like yoga, outdoor activity in green spaces, and choosing salad over a burger and fries or dark chocolate over cake and ice cream – impact our brain and thus our mental health.”

Be an Ally If you have a friend or loved one who may have mental-health issues, it may difficult to know what to do or how to help. Hubbard says to first learn about mental health and mental-health disorders, including signs and symptoms, and find local resources for assistance.

“Second, to have mental-health knowledge, acceptance and support from one human to another creates an irreplaceable component for the path back to wellness,’ she says. “Third, and I cannot emphasize this enough, learn the difference between normal child and adolescent development and signs of a developing mental-health disorder. The latest research states that 50% of mentalhealth symptoms start before age 14 and 75% before age 24. Early detection of symptoms and appropriate intervention are key to longterm mental-health and wellness.”

She also stresses that when recognizing signs and symptoms in yourself or others, it’s important to understand that the brain is an organ, just like the stomach or heart.

“Just like with the flu, we can have one or several bouts of a mental disorder across a lifespan,” Hubbard says. “Likewise, just like a heart arrhythmia, we can have an ongoing or recurring mental disorder. We would never think to say to our stomach, ‘Stop being sick,’ or to someone else, ‘You don’t have the flu; just get out of bed and try harder.’ We would never think to say to our own heart or someone else’s for that matter, ‘Just beat normally.’ We need to start taking that approach to mental disorders as well.”

ADDING VEGGIES TO YOUR DIET

The American Heart Association suggests filling at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables to reach the recommended 4½ cups each day.

To increase the amount of vegetables in meals without noticing, try to:

•

• •

•

Shred zucchini, beets or carrots and add them to favorite recipes, or sauté shredded carrots, summer squash or butternut squash and throw them in pasta sauce.

Replace half the ground meat in recipes like burgers and meatballs with cooked, chopped mushrooms.

Add cooked and puréed orange vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots into cheesy dishes like macaroni and cheese, lasagna or baked enchiladas.

Add a frozen banana, spinach, carrots and/or squash to a smoothie.

Source: American Heart Association

MENTAL-HEALTH RESOURCES • • • •

• •

Call 211 for help.

Text HOME to 741-741 for a trained crisis counselor.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.

Call the Mental Health Association Oklahoma’s assistance center at 918-585-1213 and 405-943-3700.

Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association at samhsa.gov.

Visit the National Institute for Mental Health at nimh.nih.gov/ index.shtml.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

43

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THE PROFESSIONALS PERSONAL TRAINER My shins hurt when I run.

How can I make this pain stop?

Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), also known as shin splints, refers to pain at the middle of the shin on the inner (medial) part of the lower leg (tibia). The cause can range from hard training JOHN JACKSON surfaces, foot shape, or too much repetitive walking, running, or jumping. I suggest seeing a podiatrist (foot doctor) who can assess your specific issue before resuming activity. If this chronic condition is ignored, it can become debilitating and may lead to permanent damage requiring surgery.

John Jackson, Personal Trainer St. John Siegfried Health Club 1819 E. 19th St., Tulsa, OK 74104 918.902.4028 jljackson70@hotmail.com

ATTORNEY AT LAW Is it legal for a person to cross at an intersection that is not marked for pedestrians?

Pedestrians can cross at any intersection, regardless of whether it is marked for pedestrian traffic.

However, a pedestrian must yield to oncoming traffic in all locations where a tunnel or overhead ESTHER M. SANDERS pedestrian crosswalk has been provided. A pedestrian shall not cross the street between adjacent intersections.

Esther M. Sanders Sanders & Associates, P.C. 1015 S. Detroit Ave. Tulsa, OK 74120 • 918.745.2000 Telephone 800.745.2006 Toll Free

44

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

HOSPICE CARE

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR

My mother is battling cancer and her doctor recently told us she does not have much time left. He has recommended hospice care but my family would like to keep my mother in her home. Is that possible?

I have been noticing a lot of advertising for neurofeedback and wondering if you could explain.

I am very sorry to hear of your mother’s diagnosis. We provide care to our patients wherever they call home.

Our mission is to make sure the patient is as comfortable as possible. To do that, we want to offer hospice care in a place that is best for the patient and their family. Our team of experts can work with you and your family to create a specialized plan of care for your mother.

We can help ensure your mother has a great quality of life in the comfort of her home and surrounded by the people who love her. For more information, please call Grace Hospice day or night at 918-744-7223 or visit www.gracehospice. com. We are here to help!

CAITLIN EVERSOLE

Caitlin Eversole Admissions Supervisor Grace Hospice of Oklahoma 6218 South Lewis, Suite 1000 Tulsa, OK 74136 918.744.7223 www.gracehospice.com

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST I have been coming to BA Med Spa for years now and have many friends who are new but want to start coming too. How do we get the most out of our experience?

I recommend enrolling in one of our many membership programs.

We have several options to meet all MALISSA SPACEK of our patients’ needs and budgets.

These plans help you to get the most out of your BA Med Spa experience by locking you in at our best pricing for your services all year long, helping you to get into a routine for your treatments, and each month you will receive a bonus service at an amazing special price not offered to the public. These memberships are limited and spots are filling fast. To find out more call 918-872-9999.

Dr. James R. Campbell D.O. and Malissa Spacek, Founder BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center 510 N. Elm Place Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012 918.872.9999 www.baweightspa.com

Neurofeedback has been around for several decades but is gaining attention with increased research and practice.

It is a proven method that helps train your brain for healthy functioning.

Brain action is observed from moment AMY KESNER PHD, LPC, LADC/MH to moment, and that information is shown back to the person (feedback).

The brain is then rewarded for changing its own activity to more appropriate patterns. This is a gradual learning process and applies to any aspect of brain function that can be measured. However, not all neurofeedback is the same; there are significant differences in training, approach and equipment among providers. Brain dysregulation patterns are identified through an electroencephalogram (EEG), or brain scan, and then a treatment plan is developed. Most common psychological disorders have EEG biomarkers that correspond with the diagnosis. This may mean that there are areas of your brain that are working too hard, or areas that are not working hard enough. Think of neurofeedback as a learning process.

Amy Kesner, PhD, LPC, LADC/MH Neurofit at Recovery In Oklahoma 4835 S. Fulton Ave Suite 100, Tulsa, OK 74135 918.591.3071 amy.kesner@recnok.com www.recnok.com

FINANCIAL ADVISOR How can I take steps now to save on my tax return?

How you claim deductions affects the steps you can take to save. You can either take the standard deduction or itemize deductions. However, fewer people may benefit from the itemized deduction option due to 2018 changes in the tax law. There are still potential taxDAVID KARIMIAN CFP®, CRPC®, APMA® saving steps you can take. Save more for retirement: Maximize your contributions to a retirement plan. Dollars contributed to the plan on a pretax basis reduce your taxable income. Take advantage of other pre-tax savings options: You may be able to contribute money from your paycheck to fund a health savings account. Offset investment gains with losses: If you have taxable investments that are in a loss position, you can sell those investments and deduct capital losses from your capital gains. If you can benefit from itemizing deductions, some key steps include: making your Jan. mortgage payment before the end of Dec., as you may be able to claim the interest portion of the payment as a deduction; make donations to qualified charities by Dec. 31; keep track of state and local taxes – up to $10,000 may be eligible to be deducted from your federal income taxes.

David Karimian, CFP®, CRPC®, APMA® Prime Wealth Management A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial 7712 S. Yale Ave. Suite 240 Tulsa, OK 74136 918.388.2009 • David.x.Karimian@ampf.com www.primewealthmgmt.com Views expressed in the Professionals do not necessarily represent the views of Oklahoma Magazine, Schuman Publishing Co. or its affiliates.

Taste

F O O D, D R I N K A N D O T H E R P L E A S U R E S

Veterans in the Business

Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano, ‘treating each employee like a star,’ has a kitchen staff averaging 10 years of service.

G

THE GREEK PASTA COMES WITH SPAGHETTI SAUTEED IN OLIVE OIL, FINISHED WITH SPINACH, BRUSCHETTA, GREEK OLIVES, ALMONDS, FETA CHEESE, AND A HINT OF SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO. YOU CAN ADD CHICKEN (PICTURED), SHRIMP, SCALLOPS, MEATBALLS OR ITALIAN SAUSAGE. PHOTO BY JOSH NEW

o to Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano any night you choose and join the crowd at the cozy horseshoe bar. Perhaps order an orangecello – a flavorful, orange liqueur, brewed in-house for a month – and look across the grand, spacious dining room. Chances are you see a tall, debonair man winding his way from table to table as he greets diners like family.

“It’s our first time here,” a customer tells the owner, Mehdi Khezri.

“Oh no,” he replies. “I saw you here one time before, in 2011.”

And he’s right. Most of the guests have dined here many times; some have come every week for almost 30 years.

“It means a lot to me – these regu-

lars,” Khezri says. “Some of my best friends I first met at the restaurant. I could name a dozen right off the bat.”

Meanwhile, a stream of dishes pours forth from the kitchen. Looking at these delicious plates, you see one reason why people keep coming back. Diners can enjoy thick, juicy, bone-in ribeyes, filets and lamb chops; spaghetti pescatore in a light olive oil and pesto sauce, studded with big shrimp, clams and scallops; lobster macaroni and cheese; veal cutlets topped with shrimp and served with Alfredo; manicotti, baked ziti and any other pasta you can imagine, including authentic spaghetti carbonara (more on that later).

You probably won’t see the man behind this cuisine – he’s often too shy, or too busy, to greet diners.

Executive chef Aziz Metalloui came to this profession not by choice but by necessity. In 1991, he worked three jobs in Muskogee, including a graveyard shift, to support his four young children. A friend of a friend – Khezri – offered Metalloui a job in the Ti Amo kitchen that would pay as much as all three gigs combined. He entered Khezri’s restaurant on South Sheridan Road at the lowest level … and loved it. Quickly becoming fascinated by every aspect of cooking, Metalloui spent all of his spare time devouring cookbook after cookbook.

“Mehdi let me experiment,” Metalloui says. “He gave me carte blanche.”

After years of toil, Metalloui became executive chef and he’s never left. He’s not the only longtime employee.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

45

A MEAL AT TI AMO CAN BEGIN WITH THE CRAB CAKE SLIDERS AND CHIPOTLE AIOLI. SALAD CHOICES AT TI AMO OFTEN COME WITH SEAFOOD. TI AMO’S SALMON INCLUDES A BOURBON GLAZE SAUCE OR A LEMON BUTTER GARLIC SAUCE, WITH RISOTTO AND ASPARAGUS. PHOTOS BY JOSH NEW

BRIAN SCHWARTZ

46

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

LO C A L F L AV O R

THE HAMILTON

The Hamilton Supperette and Lounge has thrown down a mid-century supper club vibe outside the independent restaurant hub that is downtown, midtown and uptown Oklahoma City by bringing new sights and tastes to northwest OKC. The Hamilton, in the Shoppes at Northpark Mall, offers creative, elegant food, a cozy atmosphere and sips from the bar that match the Hamilton’s lounge theme.

From the menu, a la chef Michael Paske, creative yet focused flavors abound. Starters include bison tartar and the Snack Tower – loaded with house-made Boursin, black-eyed pea hummus and pepper jam toast. Entrées for any date-night include a 14-ounce ribeye, tomahawk pork and the meatless portobello Rockefeller … and everything in between.

Creative cocktails don titles ranging from the familiar Old Fashioned to the “say what?”

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (which boasts gin, lemon, pineapple, orgeat and house grenadine). They go hand in hand with an impressive wine list and tasty local brews.

SCOTTY IRANI

PHOTOS COURTESY THE HAMILTON

Taste

TOP TO BOTTOM: DELICIOUS CUTS OF MEAT ABOUND, INCLUDING THE 18 OZ. BONE-IN RIBEYE WITH ASPARAGUS AND MASHED POTATOES.

OTO BY JOSH NEW

“On average, the kitchen staff has been here 10 years,” Khezri says, “and two or three since 1998.

I believe in treating each employee like a star. You’re only as good as your employees.”

Khezri also helps with the menu.

“Nobody served carbonara correctly,” Khezri says, “so when I was in Italy a few years ago, I ate carbonara in restaurants every day for a week. Then I picked the best and got the recipe.”

The carbonara at Ti Amo has pancetta, not bacon, and is made without cream but with an egg cooked by the heat of the pasta … just like you find in Italy.

Khezri also takes pride in what happened 10 years ago – the opening of Ti Amo Downtown. You go under a canopy and down some narrow stairs into a brick-lined space, a lot like those Italian eateries in Greenwich Village from 1940s movies.

The same delicious menu is found here.

Khezri is a born restaurateur.

“I’ve always loved food,” he says, “and when I was a child, there were always guests for dinner. My mother was a great cook and I enjoyed watching her cook. And perhaps that’s why what I do isn’t work.

It’s fun. Sometimes by the end of the week I’m tired, but the minute I start greeting guests I come alive.

“Just last weekend there was a young couple, and I went to their table and we talked for a while. Later on, the wife came up to me and said, ‘We’re usually ignored at restaurants because we are young and we don’t look rich, but you made us feel welcome. God bless you.’ And that’s why I do what I do. I enjoy making people feel happy and I want them to leave with a smile.”

Oklahoma Magazine is available by subscription for only $18 for 12 issues.

2019

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Taste

TOMAS LOPEZ, HEAD CHEF AT IRON STAR URBAN BARBECUE, BEGAN HIS CULINARY CAREER AS A DISHWASHER AND WORKED HIS WAY UP THE LADDER. PHOTO BY BRENT FUCHS

C H E F C H AT

Dividends of Diligence

Tomas Lopez of OKC’s Iron Star Urban Barbecue includes guests’ satisfaction and quality food in the recipe for success.

FOR LOPEZ’S RECIPE FOR A SMOKE

RACK OF PORK RIBS, VISIT

OKMAG.COM/LOPEZ

48

H

ard work and a love for his mother’s cooking paid off for Tomas Lopez, head chef at Oklahoma City’s Iron Star Urban Barbecue.

“I started as a dishwasher at a young age and wasn’t really sure what I wanted to be in life,” Lopez says. “But I was impressed with my mother’s cooking skills and knowledge. I have great memories of the

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

delicious foods from my childhood, and my mom inspired me to learn more about food.”

Lopez says Iron Star is a great company because it gives opportunities to all employees.

“They treat everyone like family and also try to help the community by creating jobs,” says Lopez, who has been part of the ever-growing Good Egg Dining Group for 11 years. “They help young talent to develop professionally and personally, and they make sure employees have the tools they need to succeed.”

Early in his career, Lopez discovered and developed several traits: to learn something positive from all co-workers, no matter their positions; to work hard; and to exploit his knowledge and experience.

“If you are in the restaurant business, make sure your guests are satisfied and happy with the quality of your food,” says Lopez, who stresses that the top-quality food and an abundance of hospitality at Iron Star are “not negotiable to us. Guests are the reason why we cook.

“New guests should try our mac and cheese, which is our best side in my opinion. Also try our bread pudding, ribs and turkey. They are all unique in their flavor and texture.”

Off the clock, Lopez says he cooks every now and then for his family when they are all together.

“I always like to introduce new food concepts to our Hispanic culture,” he says. “They try something they have never tried before and love it.”

His advice to young people interested in becoming chefs is to “be passionate, creative and curious. Cooking is a type of science and art. Learn from everybody and teach everyone you can.”

Family-friendly Iron Star, in the heart of Oklahoma City, opened in 2002 and is named after infamous Oklahoma outlaw Belle Starr.

The eatery features house-smoked barbecue, prime rib and comfort food. Appetizers include nachos, a meat and cheese sampler and Mama’s Deviled Eggs. Salads, burgers and sandwiches are staples on the menu, along with salmon, several desserts and pies of the day.

DEBI TURLEY

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SOUP SOUP SERVES CORN CHOWDER.

TA S T Y T I D B I T S

SOUP FOR YOU January weather is the perfect excuse to warm up with soup.

Ti Amo’s Ristorante Italiano in downtown Tulsa offers lobster bisque and the south Tulsa location also has zuppa del giorno (Italian wedding soup).

Claremore’s Hammett House has served hearty soups since 1969 and they rotate daily with vegetable beef (Tuesdays), navy bean (Wednesdays), broccoli cheese days (Thursdays), Scandinavian meatball (Fridays) and traditional matzoball (weekends). Hammett House always has a vegetable-only choice.

Brian Hughes, owner of Queenie’s in Tulsa’s Utica Square, invites diners to check out winter specials, such as the Robert Redford Corn Chowder or the brown rice-tomato soup paired with grilled cheese choices.

At Stella Modern Italian Cuisine in Oklahoma City, look for Italian wedding soup this winter, although there are a bevy of soups that change seasonally. Soups of the day change, but customers particularly like a returning favorite made from apples and parsnips.

Terry Sinclair, owner of Soup Soup in Oklahoma City, says her shop has “get and go,” prepared food to heat at home. Winter soups include great cabbage, beef chili, baked potato and pozole, a Santa Fe recipe made from roasted red chilis, hominy and chicken and served with fresh cabbage and radishes.

Oklahoma City’s Stuffed Olive serves

PHOTO COURTESY SOUP SOUP

STELLA HAS ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP. PHOTO COURTESY STELLA MODERN ITALIAN CUISINE

HAMMETT HOUSE FEATURES MATZOBALL SOUP.

PHOTO COURTESY HAMMETT HOUSE

from-scratch soups with tomato basil as the staple and du jour offerings of baked potato (Mondays), vegetarian black bean (Tuesdays), broccoli cheddar (Wednesdays), chef’s choice chicken (Thursdays), cream of mushroom (Fridays) and a varied chef’s choice (Saturdays).

FARRELL FAMILY BREAD

PHOTO COURTESY P-TOWN PIZZA

Owned by Ree Drummond, the culinary superstar known as The Pioneer Woman, P-Town Pizza offers wood-fired pies, along with chicken wings, fresh salads and signature drinks.

Brittany Mauricio, customer service and events manager, recommends the tomato bisque and chicken noodle soup as savory winter warm-ups, along with the changing soup of the day. P-Town serves traditional pizza combinations and some cattle-country options; for instance, the Steakhouse pizza has mediumrare steak, balsamic red onions, crispy mushroom chips, peppercorn cream and steak sauces on it. Other favorites include Not Knots, little bites of pizza dough fried to “pillowlike perfection” and tossed in creamy Parmesan butter made with two kinds of garlic. 515 Kihekah Ave., Pawhuska; p-townpizza.com

PHOTO BY VALERIE WEI-HAAS

P-TOWN PIZZA, PAWHUSKA

The locally sourced and locally owned Farrell Family Bread, with a traditional European style, has been a Tulsa favorite since its inception in 1999.

The artisan bread products are available at many Oklahoma’s grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts and Reasor’s. Favorite items include the 12-grain loaf, traditional sourdough, cinnamon raisin bread, Asiago cheese bread, rustic French rolls and wholly granola.

The family-owned company was sold recently to longtime Oklahoma restaurateur Justin Thompson, who encourages shoppers to visit the retail bakery in south Tulsa. Specialty breads are being renewed and the best way to find out the latest options is to stop by or call. 8034 S. Yale Ave, Tulsa; farrellbread.com TRACY LEGRAND

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

49

Where & When

G R E AT T H I N G S TO D O I N O K L A H O M A

A Revved-Up Affair The 34th annual Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa has racers competing for more than $250,000 in prize money.

PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL

T

he 34th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals at the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa runs Jan. 13-18 with more than 350 entrants in an event that packs about a $30 million wallop to the local economy.

Competitors vie for more than $250,000 in payouts by racing in midgets, vehicles about half the size of traditional cars. The Jan. 18 final decides who goes home with the $10,000 first prize.

“It’s unlike any sporting event you’ve ever been to,” says Bryan Hulbert, Chili Bowl’s announcer and publicist. “You get intensity beyond measure with drivers from 40 differ-

ent states and five countries. Only 24 drivers make it to the final championships. It’s a melting pot of talent as you’ve got people from NASCAR, Formula One, Indy cars – just about any major sanctioning body you can name. There’s even a Rolex 24-Hour driver, a rookie from Australia.”

The event’s co-founder, Emmett Hahn, also known as The Boss, says that to understand midget car racing, compare the Chili Bowl to rodeo.

“NASCAR is barrel racing and your Chili Bowl is your bareback bull riding,” he says.

The event is a family affair in many ways; for instance, Hahn’s grandson Matt Ward is the event director.

“Drivers have been racing here more than 30 years and now it’s a generational thing in some families,” Hulbert says. “Sammy Swindell won five times and now his son has won four times. There are others that have made it a family tradition.”

For those without tickets, the Jan. 12 Fan Fest Sunday is free to the public with interviews, autographs and the Blake Turner Band in concert.

Also free is the trade show, running Monday through Saturday and featuring more than 100 vendors with racing products, apparel, collectibles and “everything from housing gutters to scooters for the handicapped,” Hulbert says.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

51

COMMUNIT Y

Where & When

THE OKLAHOMA WEDDING SHOW

If you’re in the midst of wedding planning, the annual Oklahoma Wedding Show presented by Oklahoma Magazine is the place to be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 11 at Tulsa’s Expo Square Central Park Hall.

Differing from other wedding shows in the state, this intimate gathering brings together some of Oklahoma’s finest wedding vendors in a venue that facilitates one-onone conversations – your questions get answered and you get the personal attention you need.

From caterers, bakers and venue representatives to photographers, videographers and entertainment companies, this show brings experts together in one room.

You can enter to win one of more than $12,000 worth of prizes in the Dream Wedding Giveaway, or stick around until the end of the show for the cake dive. A group of brides- and grooms-to-be stand around a tiered cake and dig for a plastic ring. Whoever finds it wins the grand prize giveaway, which includes a Mikimoto jewelry piece from Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

Central Park Hall is at 4145 E. 21st St. For details, visit oklahomawedding.com.

1

IN TULSA PERFORMANCES

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS PRESENTS: MISS SAIGON Through Jan. 5 Tulsa PAC

Experience the acclaimed new production of the popular musical Miss Saigon.

celebrityattractions.com

CHAMBER MUSIC TULSA PRESENTS: PARTHENIA VIOLS CONSORT Jan. 5

St. John’s Episcopal Church “A

New Year’s Gift: Elizabethan Music for Twelfth Night” presents songs, dance suites and fantasias to celebrate the conclusion of the 12 days of Christmas.

chambermusictulsa.org FRANK CALIENDO Jan. 10 River Spirit Casino Resort

Known for his sketch comedy and celebrity impersonations, Caliendo first broke through to national recognition as a MadTV regular.

riverspirittulsa.com

THEATRE TULSA PRESENTS: THE MUSIC MAN Jan. 10-26 Tulsa PAC

Con man Harold Hill poses as a band director to “sell” instruments to unsuspecting Midwestern townsfolk. Hill’s plan hits a snag when he is found out by – and falls in love with – a prim and proper librarian/piano teacher. theatretulsa.org

TULSA SYMPHONY PRESENTS: STRAUSS AND SCHUMANN Jan. 11 Tulsa PAC Lush and ornate, this

52

THE OKLAHOMA WEDDING SHOW BRET MICHAELS Jan. 23 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Spend an evening

program is a rainbow of shimmering orchestral color.

century composer Dmitry Shostakovich’s life and music.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AXEL

MARK NIZER: 4D AND SCIENCEPLOSION Jan. 30-31

with rocker Bret Michaels.

the International Juggling Championships and being named Collegiate Entertainer of the Year, Mark Nizer has changed how some people view the world. tulsapac.com

one of the most lauded rappers of the last two decades on tour.

tulsasymphony.org

Jan. 16-19 BOK Center Cirque

du Soleil is back on ice with Axel, which fuses world-class ice skating with breathtaking acrobatics. bokcenter.com

CHRIS TUCKER Jan. 17

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Enjoy lauded

comedian Chris Tucker.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS PRESENTS: BLUE MAN GROUP – SPEECHLESS Jan. 20-22 Tulsa PAC The

world-renowned bald and blue trio embarks on a journey of discovery, the result of more than 27 years spent observing humanity.

celebrityattractions.com

IAN DAVID ROSENBAUM

Jan. 24 Tulsa PAC Praised

by the New York Times for his precisely attuned performances, percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years.

choregus.org

MIKE EPPS Jan. 24 River

Spirit Casino Resort Mike

Epps generates buzz among his peers for being one of the funniest comic actors in town and his burgeoning dramatic talent. riverspirittulsa.com

signaturesymphony.org

Tulsa PAC Since winning

INNOVATION ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN IN CONCERT Jan.

31-Feb. 1 Tulsa PAC Based on the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s saga, fans of all ages can experience the thrilling tale accompanied by the music of a live orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen. tulsapac.com

CONCERTS RICK SPRINGFIELD Jan. 9 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Rock out with 1980s

favorite Rick Springfield at the Joint.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com FLATLAND CAVALRY Jan. 11 Cain’s Ballroom Despite

embracing the harsh realities of modern civilization and the anxieties of life, Flatland carves out its own path on Homeland Insecurity. cainsballroom.com

SIGNATURE SYMPHONY PRESENTS: CLASSICS – SHOSTAKOVICH 5

RECKLESS KELLY Jan. 17

Maestro Andres Franco guides the audience through mid-20th

cainsballroom.com

Jan. 25 TCC Van Trease PACE

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Cain’s Ballroom Reckless Kelly

has an apt name. Outlaw spirit pervades the band’s ambiance.

hardrockcasinotulsa.com T.I. Jan. 24 Osage Casino See

osagecasino.com CHAKA KHAN Jan. 30 River Spirit Casino Resort Chaka

Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated musical icons. riverspirittulsa.com

MIKE RYAN Jan. 31 Cain’s Ballroom This singer/

songwriter has accumulated fans across the world with powerful, smooth vocals and well-crafted lyrics.

cainsballroom.com

ART FIRST FRIDAY ART CRAWL

Jan. 3 Arts District This

year-round, monthly event features works from galleries, artists, studios and museums.

thetulsaartsdistrict.org

philbrook.org

MEMORIES AND INSPIRATION: THE KERRY AND C. BETTY DAVIS COLLECTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART Jan. 24-July

26 Gilcrease Inspired by previous African-American art collectors, Kerry and Betty Davis began gathering a wide variety of works by African American artists. gilcrease.org

CREATIVE CABAL Through Jan. 26 Ahha Tulsa There’s

nothing secretive or sinister about the Creative Cabal, which supports and promotes creativity and the artistic efforts of those in the group and community. ahhatulsa.org

STATE OF CRAFT Through Jan. 26 108 Contemporary

Included pieces are constructed from fiber, wood, ceramics, metal and glass, with installations presenting a diverse look at contemporary artistic talent in the region.

AETHER AND EARTH

Ongoing Gilcrease Aether and Earth is the description that Mazen Abufadil uses to describe his feelings behind the innovative photo-fresco process he developed – combining the ancient art of fresco with 21st-century digital photography. gilcrease.org

SPORTS TULSA SHOOTOUT Jan. 1-4

Expo Square This is the largest event for micro-sprint racing in the world. tulsashootout.com

Feb. 16 Philbrook Anila

philbrook.org

10-11 Cox Business Center The National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance present this athletic event. coxcentertulsa.

Quayyum Agha uses light, shadow, space and pattern to create communal experiences of beauty and wonder.

exhibit explores the colorful abstractions of Tulsa-based artist Eric Sall and how a transformative event augmented his risk-taking in abstract painting.

features a rotation of works representing a pivotal time in Mexico’s history. gilcrease.org

Center Cheer the city’s hockey team during a slate of home games. bokcenter.com

are often connected. The Great Depression was a catalyst for an outburst of creative energy from America’s photographic community. gilcrease.org

Jan. 10-April 12 Philbrook This

Gilcrease This exhibit

TULSA OILERS HOCKEY

SHADOW OF TIME: ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA Through

THE CURRENT: ERIC SALL

org

MEXICAN MODERNISM: REVOLUTION AND RECKONING Through Aug. 30

108contemporary.org

DORTHEA LANGE’S AMERICA Through Jan. 5

Gilcrease Art and suffering

includes works by current Tulsa artist fellows and fellowship alums. gilcrease.

RECALL/RESPOND: TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP AND GILCREASE MUSEUM COLLABORATION (PHASE II) Through March 15 Gilcrease

The second iteration of Recall/ Respond is a multi-phased contemporary exhibition that

Jan. 3-5, 10-12, 24-26 BOK

OKLAHOMA CLASSIC Jan.

com

AMERICAN SPIRIT AND CHEER CELEBRITY DANCE REGIONALS Jan. 11

Expo Square See some of the best cheerleaders and dancers in the region

PHOTO BY NATHAN HARMON

READY FOR AN EXCITING JANUARY? READ ON FOR OUR TOP CHOICES THIS MONTH.

FROM INDIANA JONES TO BLUE MAN GROUP

2

Join Tulsa Symphony Orchestra on Jan. 11 at the Tulsa PAC for Strauss and Schumann, a lush orchestral presentation featuring acclaimed soprano Sarah Coburn. Celebrity Attractions brings two shows to the PAC this month: Miss Saigon through Jan. 5 and the Blue Man Group’s Speechless Tour on Jan. 20-22. The Van Trease PACE resounds with Classics: Shostakovich performed by Signature Symphony on Jan. 25. Chamber Music Tulsa presents the Viol Consort on Jan. 5 at St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Daedalus Quartet from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at ahha Tulsa and the PAC. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs Jan. 30 at the McKnight Center in Stillwater.

The OKC Philharmonic presents Minimalism in a New World, Classics: Dvorak on Jan. 11 and Pops: Raiders of the Lost Ark on Jan. 24-25 at Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall. After its run in Tulsa, the blockbuster revival of Miss Saigon, presented by OKC Broadway, plays at the music hall Jan. 14-19. The whimsy of Dr. Seuss reigns at Lyric Theatre’s presentation of The Cat in the Hat from Jan. 22 to Feb. 16 at Lyric at the Plaza. Enjoy trumpeter David B. Hooten performing The Legends of Dixieland on Jan. 16 at Edmond’s Armstrong Auditorium.

catering and cake tastings to a fashion show and one-on-one conversations with vendors. oklahomawedding.

com

BIXBY’S WINTER

WONDERLAND Through Jan. 11 Charley Young Event Park, Bixby Stroll through

the illuminated Charley Young Event Park decorated with holiday light displays.

bixbyswinterwonderland.com

MID-CONTINENT KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOWS Jan. 11-12

Expo Square Enjoy an exciting – and adorable – dog show. midcontinentkennelclub.com

TULSA MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. PARADE Jan. 20

Detroit Avenue and John Hope Franklin Boulevard Head

to the 40th annual parade to remember a legend and celebrate freedom with the community. mlktulsa.com

GREEN COUNTRY HOME

PHOTO COURTESY CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS

PERFORMANCE

AND GARDEN SHOW Jan. 24-26 Expo Square Get a

jump start on your spring home improvement projects.

coxradiotulsa.com

BLUE MAN GROUP

3

TOYLAND BALL Jan. 18 Cox Business Center This

PHOTO COURTESY CHAMBER MUSIC TULSA

High School This tradition

includes a fun-filled night of trivia, food and friends, all while fundraising for Bishop Kelley. bishopkelley.org/trivia

DAEDALUS QUARTET

CASCIA TRIVIA NIGHT Jan.

24 Cascia Hall This entertaining evening of pizza, drinks, games and prizes is sponsored by the Cascia Hall Alumni Association.

BEST OF BRUNCH Jan. 25 Cain’s Ballroom Try delicious

bites from favorite brunch spots and vote for the Best of Brunch title. dvis.org

CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATE Jan. 25 Living

Arts Honor Tulsans, munch chocolate and sip on champagne at this annual gala.

livingarts.org

BARTLESVILLE POLAR PLUNGE Jan. 25 Hilton

Garden Inn, Bartlesville A

MISS SAIGON

Polar Plunge is a goal for an individual or a group and challenges participants to dive into cold water to raise money for the Special Olympics.

mysook.org/polarplunge ascacelebritycompetition.com CHILI BOWL Jan. 13-18 Expo Square The Midget Nationals

PHOTO COURTESY NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES

BISHOP KELLEY TRIVIA NIGHT Jan. 18 Bishop Kelley

casiahall.com

compete for top prizes.

arrive for high-adrenaline action. chilibowl.com

FLO TULSA NATIONALS

Jan. 16-18 Expo Square Some

of the best young wrestlers in the country compete in this national meet.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

30th annual event is the Parent Child Center of Tulsa’s signature black-tie fundraiser, offering dinner, dancing and a live auction. toylandball.org

PHOTO COURTESY OKC BROADWAY

The Tulsa Oilers hit the BOK Center ice for games Jan. 3-5, 10-12 and 24-26. Old-time Americana lives on with the American Finals Rodeo at Tulsa’s Expo Square with traditional events Jan. 24-26. For some rowdy fun, check out the WWE Friday Night Smackdown at the BOK Center on Jan. 31 with universal champion Bray “The Fiend” Wyatt and other wrestlers.

The Chesapeake Energy Arena rings loud and fierce with Oklahoma City Thunder games Jan. 9, 11, 15, 17-18, 24 and 27. Examine equine expertise at the free Oklahoma City Patriot Qualifier Team Roping Event at State Fair Park on Jan. 18-20. The Professional Bull Riders circuit has its event at Chesapeake Energy Arena from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.

GALA: GOLDEN BREW COMPETITION Jan. 9 Ross

Group Join Youth Services of Tulsa as it selects the Golden Brew for 2020 from a pool of Tulsa’s breweries. yst.org

SPORTS

WRESTLING, HOCKEY, BASKETBALL AND BULLS

CHARITABLE EVENTS

worldofwrestling-roller.com

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN LIVE Jan. 31

BOK Center Don’t miss your

chance to see some of the biggest names in professional wrestling. bokcenter.com

COMMUNITY RHEMA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Through Jan. 1 Rhema Bible Church Enjoy a massive

display of lights.

rhemabiblechurch.com

GARDEN OF LIGHTS

Through Jan. 5 Tulsa Botanic Garden View dazzling lights at

the garden. tulsabotanic.org

WINTERFEST Through Jan. 5

Downtown Tulsa Lace up

your skates and take in what has become one of Tulsa’s favorite holiday traditions.

tulsawinterfest.com

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE PRESENTS: THE OKLAHOMA WEDDING SHOW Jan. 11 Expo Square Central Park Hall This event

is your one-stop-shop for planning your big day, from

EAT, DRINK AND BE GIVING Jan. 27 Biga Italian Restaurant

Skip cooking for the night and enjoy the restaurant’s award-winning food, alongside owner Tuck Curren, all while supporting the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. tulsacenter.org

GLOW Jan. 31 Silos Event Center Enjoy a dinner to

help Global Gardens, which promotes science and peace education through gardening in Tulsa area schools. global-gardens.org

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

53

Where & When

ART

A BEVY OF OPENINGS

4

Opening Jan. 10 at Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum, The Current: Eric Sall exhibition explores the colorful abstractions of this Tulsa-based artist. Memories and Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art opens Jan. 24 at Gilcrease Museum. This exhibit offers a wide array of pieces by African-American artists, collected over 35 years and with works spanning 100 years.

Warhol and the West premiers Jan. 31 at Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and showcases Andy Warhol’s love of the American West represented in art, movies, attire and travel. Renegades: Bruce Goff and the American School of Architecture opens Jan. 24 at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman and explores the impact of Goff and Herb Greene on the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY COMMUNIT Y/KIDS

COWBOYS AND INDIANS: MOTHER AND CHILD. HOTO COURTESY THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC.

MLK, ARCHITECTURE AND EAGLES

WARHOL AND THE WEST

IN OKC

PRESENTS: MISS SAIGON

WHY NOT? COMEDY SHOW

new production of the popular musical, from the creators of Les Misérables.

PERFORMANCES Jan. 10 Tower Theatre As

an innovative brand that intertwines the love of basketball with the heart of laughter, this event carries on the passion of co-founder Russell Westbrook’s Why Not? mentality.

towertheatreokc.com

OKC PHIL PRESENTS: MINIMALISM IN A NEW WORLD – DVORAK SYMPHONY NO. 8 Jan. 11

Civic Center Music Hall This

program explores a variety of innovative forms and celebrates the contrasts of music. okcphil.org

OKC BROADWAY

54

Jan. 14-19 Civic Center Music Hall Experience the acclaimed

okcbroadway.com

ARMSTRONG AUDITORIUM PRESENTS: DAVID B. HOOTEN, TRUMPETER Jan.

16 Armstrong Auditorium, Edmond Hooten’s band

consists of musicians he has performed with for years. armstrongauditorium.org CHRIS TUCKER Jan. 18 Riverwind Casino, Norman

Chris Tucker is an international award-winning actor and comedian. riverwind.com

PJ MASKS LIVE! SAVE THE DAY Jan. 19 Chesapeake Energy Arena Based on

eOne’s top-rated animated

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

series PJ Masks, this show features preschoolers’ favorite superheroes and familiar songs from the popular show.

Explore downtown Tulsa’s world-class architecture and fascinating history on foot with the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture’s Second Saturday Tour on Jan 11.

There are a variety of Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities around the state Jan. 20. Travel to downtown Tulsa at Detroit Avenue and John Hope Franklin Boulevard for the 41st annual MLK Jr. Commemorative Parade with this year’s theme, “20/20 Vision: The Dream Seen Clearly.” Oklahoma City’s MLK Jr. Holiday Parade kicks off with this year’s theme ,“40 Years – Better Together,” and downtown Ardmore has its MLK Jr. Day Parade and Celebration.

Reservations are required for the eagle watches at Lake Thunderbird State Park and the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Norman on Jan. 11. Find family fun at Arcadia’s Round Barn Rendezvous on Jan. 23 on historic Route 66. You can join the metal-crushing, car-smashing melee at the Mad Dog Demolition Derby at the Claremore Expo Center Indoor Arena on Jan 18. the longest-held prisoner of war in American history.

okcciviccenter.com

CONCERTS THE DRIFTERS, CORNELL GUNTER’S COASTERS AND THE PLATTERS Jan. 11 Civic Center Music Hall Enjoy three

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legends on the same stage.

okcciviccenter.com

chesapeakearena.com

JOSH ABBOTT BAND Jan. 11 The Criterion This country

23-Feb. 9 Lyric at the Plaza

criterionokc.com

LYRIC THEATRE PRESENTS: THE CAT IN THE HAT Jan.

Lyric Theatre brings the classic children’s book to life in a wild ride of physical comedy. lyrictheatreokc.com

OKC PHIL PRESENTS: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Jan. 24-25 Civic Center Music Hall The film that gave the

world one of its greatest movie heroes, Indiana Jones, returns.

okcphil.org

GLORY DENIED BY TOM CIPULLO Jan. 31-Feb. 7 Civic

Center Music Hall This stirring work delves into the life of Jim Thompson, the Vietnam veteran who was

5

group rocks the stage.

PARKER MCCOLLUM Jan. 25

Riverwind Casino, Norman A

singer/songwriter, multiinstrumentalist and dedicated road warrior, Parker McCollum began building a following in his native Texas with The Limestone Kid. riverwind.com

BLUE WATER HIGHWAY Jan. 26 Tower Theatre Blue Water Highway comes from the working class, coastal town background that has informed the work of so many of rock’s greatest writers and artists.

towertheatreokc.com RICHARD MARX Jan. 30

Tower Theatre As a performer,

songwriter and producer, Richard Marx has a long career. towertheatreokc.com

ART FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY

WALK Jan. 3 Paseo Arts District More than 80 artists

and more than 25 businesses, all within walking distance, stay open late the first Friday of each month. thepaseo.org

CABALLEROS Y VAQUEROS Through Jan. 5 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum The iconic

Western cowboy can trace his roots to north and west Africa, up through Spain and then to the New World.

nationalcowboymuseum.org

RENEGADES: BRUCE GOFF AND THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Jan. 24-April 5 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman The

exhibition includes more than 150 drawings, documents and objects, many of which are drawn from the newly created American School Archive in the OU Libraries Western History

Collection. ou.edu/fjjma

O. GAIL POOLE’S SIDESHOW Jan. 24-May 10

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art,

Norman Sideshow surveys the satirical and often irreverent imagery of artist O. Gail Poole. ou.edu/fjjma

WARHOL AND THE WEST

Jan. 31-May 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum This is the first

museum exhibition to explore Andy Warhol’s love of the West, represented in his art, movies, attire, travel and collecting. nationalcowboymuseum.org

PASSPORT Through March 1

National Cowboy and Western

Heritage Museum Though often defined by their most well-known work or style, artists experiment and evolve throughout their careers. nationalcowboymuseum.org

TWO GRITS: A PEEK BEHIND THE EYEPATCH Through

March 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum This

exhibit examines similarities and differences in the two versions of the film True Grit. nationalcowboymuseum.org

IN CONCERT

Experience a new form when Cirque De Soleil Axel fuses world-class ice skating with breathtaking acrobatics into a fantastic story of love and art on Jan. 16-19 at the BOK Center.

Rick Springfield, a 1980s heartthrob, kicks off Tulsa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s new year of entertainment Jan. 9. Comedian Chris Tucker follows Jan. 17 with rocker Bret Michaels on Jan. 23.

Kids of all ages can catch PJ Masks Live on Jan. 19 at OKC’s Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville brims with night-out options: Ron White on Jan. 1; Elvis Presley impersonator Kraig Parker on Jan. 5; Motown legend Gladys Knight on Jan 10; country sensation Chris Young on Jan 18; southern rocker Jason Isbell on Jan. 24; comedian Dana Carvey on Jan. 25; and R&B icon Chaka Khan on Jan. 31.

Country music crooner Blake Shelton takes the Choctaw Casino stage in Durant on Jan. 25.

PHOTO COURTESY CHOCTAW CASINO

HEARTS POUNDING

okcboatandrvshow.com

OKLAHOMA CITY HOME AND GARDEN SHOW Jan.

RENEWING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT: THE ART OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Through April 26 OKCMOA This

exhibition explores the physical and social landscape of the United States during the Great Depression through paintings, prints, photographs and other media. okcmoa.com

statefairparkokc.com

NORMAN CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Jan. 18 North

High School The Firehouse Art

Center’s annual event, ranked third among food festivals in the United States by the Food Network, delights chocolate lovers with more than 25,000 samples. normanptacouncil.org

REPTICON REPTILE AND EXOTIC ANIMAL CONVENTION Jan. 18-19

State Fair Park Reptiles of all shapes and sizes are available to observe at this child-friendly event. statefairparkokc.com

MLK HOLIDAY PARADE Jan.

20 2600 N. Martin Luther King Ave. Honor an American hero

with a celebration of love and equality at this 40th annual parade and celebration.

ONE MUST SEE MANY THINGS: SELECTIONS FROM BEN SHAHN’S RILKE PORTFOLIO Through May 3 OKCMOA Known for his linear and abstracted images of the human body, Ben Shahn became one of the leading American social realist artists in the 1930s. okcmoa.com

COLORS OF CLAY Through

May 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Colors of Clay explores the cultural and regional diversity of indigenous ceramic vessel

okcmlk.org/events/parade

DEVON ICE RINK Through

Feb. 2 Downtown OKC Enjoy

BLAKE SHELTON

18, 21, 25, 28 Myriad Botanical Gardens Practicing yoga in

JUNIOR OPENING WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP Jan. 3-4

State Fair Park Enjoy this

lively children’s event. statefairparkokc.com

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Jan. 6 Chesapeake Energy Arena Don’t miss seeing some

of the world’s well-known professional wrestlers.

chesapeakearena.com

OKC THUNDER BASKETBALL Jan. 9, 11, 15,

Emily was abandoned by her mother.

So were her three sisters.

downtownindecember.com

DOWNTOWN IN DECEMBER

Through Feb. 2 Downtown OKC

chesapeakearena.com

SPORTS

a skate around the rink with friends and family.

Downtown is turned into a winter wonderland.

Through May 10 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Consumption

nationalcowboymuseum.org

FIELD OF DREAMS LUNCHEON Jan. 23

of beautiful gems, minerals and other stones at this show.

COMMUNITY

of the West through popular media has been a mainstay of Western culture.

THE OKC GEM, JEWELRY AND BEAD SHOW Jan. 17-19

State Fair Park See a variety

17-18, 27 Chesapeake Energy Arena The state’s only major

FIND YOUR WESTERN

supports Mercy Hospital.

Guests can enjoy dinner and a concert by country artist Gabby Barrett, as well as auctions and raffles.

oklahomacityhomeshow.com

nationalcowboymuseum.org

traditions in North America.

vendors, displays and hands-on help are available at this expo.

17-19 State Fair Park Many

6 professional team hosts six regular-season NBA games.

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL Jan. 25 Chesapeake Energy Arena The

Sooners entertain Mississippi State in an off-campus game. chesapeakearena.com

downtownindecember.com

BOTANICAL BALANCE FREE YOGA Jan. 4, 7, 11, 14,

the gardens has the benefit of connecting with nature and offers a space of beauty and tranquility to help relieve stress and quiet the mind.

GREATER OKLAHOMA HUNTER JUMPER WINTER SCHOOLING SHOW Jan. 25-26 State

myriadgardens.org

event brings together some of the top competitors in the region. goshow.org

The entire conservatory bridge serves as a canvas for moving lights choreographed to music.

Fair Park This equestrian

PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS Jan. 31-Feb. 1

Chesapeake Energy Arena Get ready to “unleash the beast” at this extravaganza. chesapeakearena.com

ILLUMINATIONS: STARRY STARRY NIGHT PRESENTED

BY OGE ENERGY Through

Jan. 5 Myriad Botanical Gardens

myriadgardens.org

OKC BOAT AND RV SHOW Jan. 10-12 State Fair Park

Choose from hundreds of boats and dozens of dealers from across the state who are ready to get your family to the lake.

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum This gala

CHARITABLE EVENTS

mercy.net/okcmercygala

Children’s Center Rehabilitation

Hospital, Bethany The hospital is the recipient of Edmond North High School’s Bring Light to Others fundraising week.

Funds from this luncheon go towards a Field of Dreams for patients and families to enjoy. miracleshappenhere.org SNOWFLAKE GALA Jan. 24 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum This

event celebrates the accomplishments of donors and volunteers in the OKC United Way’s annual campaign.

The total is announced and volunteer awards are presented, along with a formal dinner and live music. unitedwayokc.org

PIPELINE TO POLITICS Jan. 25 Oklahoma City University Sarkey’s Science and Math Center This nonpartisan educational program is designed for women interested in increasing their involvement in politics and public service. The program’s goal is to address the historic under-representation of women in politics and public life. okwc.org

AROUND THE STATE PERFORMANCES

RON WHITE Jan. 1 Winstar

SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF OKLAHOMA WINTER GAMES Jan. 9-11 Citywide,

World Casino and Resort, Thackerville The wry comedian kicks off 2020. winstar.com DANA CARVEY Jan. 25 Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville One of

winter-games

winstar.com

OKC and Norman Volunteer or cheer athletes in this exciting event that includes bowling, volleyball, basketball and other sports. sook.org/events/

DEVELOPERS’ LUNCHEON

Jan. 15 OCU School of Law This

annual event brings in an expert from the field to discuss tips, trends and initiatives.

Design professionals, developers, business leaders, elected officials and anyone interested in the growing landscape of OKC are welcome to attend. downtownokc.com

MERCY GALA Jan. 17

the country’s most beloved comedians visits Oklahoma.

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND Jan. 30 McKnight

Center for the Performing Arts, Stillwater This quintessential

New Orleans musical institution guarantees an electrifying even with songs from its recent releases. mcknightcenter.org

GASLIGHT THEATRE PRESENTS: THE GIVER Jan.

31-Feb. 8 Gaslight Theater, Enid

Adapted from the Newbery

r oluntee CASA V ERE. nH Steps i

They live in four different foster homes.

And will likely never see each other again.

A LOVING FAMILY L. ADOPTS THEM AL

Be the Difference.

20612 CASA.indd 1

Karen Weidner, R.N.

918-584-2272 www.tulsacasa.org

Kristen Rice, M.D.

Tracy O’Malley, L.E.

Advanced skin treatments and cosmetic dermatology.

918-712-3223 • 1325 E 35th Street Suite B

2/2/15 23893 4:29 PM Utica Square Skin Care.indd 1

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

55

7/1/19 9:00 AM

Where & When

Award-winning book, Jonas’ world is perfect. Everything is under control and safe.

There is no war or fear or pain.

There are also no choices. gaslighttheatre.org

GROVE COMMUNITY PLAYMAKERS PRESENTS: UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL

Jan. 31-Feb. 16 121 W. Third

St. Follow the time-traveling journey of a librarian who discovers a book 113 years overdue. groveplaymakers.com

CONCERTS KRAIG PARKER Jan. 5

Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville This Elvis

Presley impersonator is sure to impress. winstar.com

GLADYS KNIGHT Jan. 10

considers how artists employ text within their work.

crystalbridges.org TEMPERA Ongoing Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark. Tempera

painting (also known as egg tempera) has a rich history as a medium of choice for artists from ancient times to today, and is an older form of painting than oil. crystalbridges.org

SPORTS ALL-STAR TEAM ROPING

EVENT Jan. 11-12 400 S. Veterans Parkway This format

is designed by team ropers to put the contestants first.

This event combines the finest points of other associations to create an all-star lineup. allstarteamroping.com

winstar.com

WORLD CLASS REVOLUTION: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE III PRO WRESTLING Jan. 18 Stride

Stride Bank Center, Enid See Janson on his Real Friends tour.

for action-packed professional wrestling.

Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville The

Queen of Soul visits Oklahoma.

CHRIS JANSON Jan. 17 stridebankcenter.com

stridebankcenter.com

Jan. 23 Stride Bank Center, Enid The 95th annual Skeltur

JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT Jan. 24 Winstar

World Casino and Resort, Thackerville After riding away

from the Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell has made some of the most impressive and influential music in Southern rock. winstar.com

SKELTUR TOURNAMENT

Tournament tips off with teams that include Cimarron, Covington-Douglas and Waukomis. stridebankcenter.com

RED RIVER SHOWDOWN GO-KART RACING Jan.

31-Feb. 1 Stephens County Fair and Expo Center, Duncan Cheer on racers as

With Raiders of the Lost Ark, the OKC Philharmonic joins the trend of playing live accompaniment while the movie runs.

Around Town

Crystal, one of the world’s most enigmatic natural materials, transcends time, the visible and the invisible.

Jan. 18 Stride Bank Center, Enid

ILLUSTRATED BIBLE STORIES REIMAGINED: WORKS ON PAPER FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION Through Jan. 19

MAD DOG DEMOLITION DERBY Jan. 18 Claremore

Start the new year off right by combining two of the most exquisite pleasures known to man: movies and symphony orchestras.

An increasing number of orchestras hold screenings that feature a live performance of the film’s score. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic presents a doozy Jan. 24-25: Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of the greatest action films of all time and one with a killer score. The main theme might be John Williams’ supreme achievement (sorry, Star Wars), a jaunty tune that perfectly fits the film’s serial-movie aesthetic.

See Harrison Ford kick Nazi butt while supporting a great local symphony. Grab your Indiana Jones-style whip and hat and get a move on.

Mabee Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee Enjoy the museum’s newest exhibit. mgmoa.org

travelok.com

At Home

Jan. 31 Downtown Stillwater

12,000-pound trucks in head-to-head competitions.

BLAKE SHELTON Jan. 25

Choctaw Casino and Resort, Durant Oklahoma’s

own country star Blake Shelton returns home.

choctawcasinos.com CHAKA KHAN Jan. 31 Winstar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville Ten-time

they compete in this annual event. mwrs.net

COMMUNITY GUTHRIE MAKER DAYS Jan. 4 Guthrie Art Center Visitors

are invited to engage with their inner creative sides at this monthly event. travelok.com

Grammy Award-winning Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted musicians. winstar.com

KNID AGRIFEST Jan. 10-11

ART

largest farm show provides informative seminars, demonstrations, vendor booths and activities. 1071knid.com

CRYSTALS IN ART: ANCIENT TO TODAY Through Jan. 6 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.

crystalbridges.org

FINAL FRIDAY ART CRAWL

Inspired by First Friday events in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, this lively art crawl is on the final Friday of every month and celebrates the art culture of the community.

museum.okstate.edu SMALL TALK Through March 2 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark.

This free, focused exhibition

Chisholm Trail Expo Center, Enid Northwest Oklahoma’s

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY CELEBRATION This is the city’s 51st anniversary of the MLK celebration. stridebankcenter.com

Expo Center Make your way to the Rogers County seat for fun and car smashing.

DUNCAN MONSTER TRUCK WARS Jan. 25 2002 S. 13th St. This event showcases

travelok.com

MYAAMIA WINTER GATHERING AND MIAMI TRIBAL STOMP DANCE Jan.

25 Miami Nation Council House

This intertribal celebration of traditional dancing starts with gourd dancing followed by a free chili and stew dinner. miamination.com

FOR MORE EVENTS IN TULSA, OKC AND AROUND THE STATE, HEAD TO OKMAG.COM.

A Screening That Scores

Bank Center, Enid Get ready

Winstar World Casino and Resort Country crooner Chris Young performs. winstar.com

CHRIS YOUNG Jan. 18

FILM AND CINEMA

56

OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

With no signs of the streaming market slowing anytime soon (Disney and Apple recently jumped into the game with their own services), it is getting increasingly difficult to keep track of all the content on offer. Most of these services desperately want you to focus on their television shows, especially original content, since these drive their metrics.

However, many also include a deep bench of rotating movies worth seeing.

This month, Amazon Prime gains streaming rights to two favorite films of the 15 years.

First is David Fincher’s Zodiac, a slowburn procedural about the effort to catch the Zodiac serial killer. Stylish, precise and per-

sistent, the film is arguably Fincher’s best.

Second, my favorite film of 2017, David Lowery’s devastating A Ghost Story, tells a simple but affecting tale of a love stronger than death, with a mind-bending epilogue to boot.

In Theaters

Welcome back to the wasteland of cinema, where forgotten movies go to die. Recommending a film in January is risky, but two should be worth betting on.

First is Sam Mendes’ 1917, a one-shot technical showcase about World War I. Oneshot films can easily become gimmicky, but World War I is greatly underrepresented on screen, and Mendes, a capable director, should imbue the film with some gravity and style. The presence of master cinematographer Roger Deakins, who teamed with Mendes for the superb James Bond film Skyfall, makes for what should be a beautiful film, if nothing else.

The other film comes from another stylish Brit, Guy Ritchie, whose hyperkinetic style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but whose new film, The Gentlemen, looks delightful.

Bringing Texan Matthew McConaughey into Ritchie’s familiar world of British gangsters is an inspired stroke, and the rest of the cast fills out nicely: Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding and Hugh Grant all look to chew their way through Ritchie’s famed spitfire dialogue.

The end result might not amount to much more than empty cinema calories, but they should be tasty ones.

ASHER GELZER-GOVATOS

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Lisa Wells

L

isa Wells began working at the Normanbased Pioneer Library System in 1990 and served in many roles before becoming executive director in 2017. As president of the Oklahoma Library Association and a member of the American Library and Public Library associations, Wells has presented nationally on innovative library services and creating leaders in the field. She was named one of the Journal Record’s Most Admired CEOs in 2019.

Wells also raises Quarter horses on her ranch in Purcell. We caught up with Wells and got her thoughts on …

… her library career.

My undergraduate degree in early childhood education led to a very short career in the field. I responded to a job posting for Pioneer Library System in Purcell as a children’s librarian; I felt this would be an opportunity to use my early childhood education background until I found something else. Essentially, I started a job with Pioneer and found a career. Pioneer’s mission of inspiring innovation, engagement and learning is a dedicated to serving people and changing lives. There is nothing boring about library work; it’s very rewarding.

… changes the past 30 years.

… changes the next 30 years.

We will continue to see libraries as places where people come together to engage in civil discourse. Now, more than ever, our communities need a safe place to discuss the many aspects of diversity and inclusion. Libraries serving solely as storehouses for books continue to be replaced by libraries serving as places for community engagement, workforce development and career exploration.

… her accomplishments.

I’ve been fortunate to be deeply involved in starting many things that are now core services: information stations to provide access in our most rural communities; the addition of specialists to focus on business communities, financial literacy and workforce development; deploying the first 24-hour library in North America right here in Norman; and the development of PLS Connect, a mobile app to consolidate digital offerings for a convenient customer experience. As executive director, opening two libraries in Norman has been rewarding, along with implementing internal programs to grow our own library leaders and increase employee engagement.

PHOTO BY SHEVAUN WILLIAMS

Emerging technologies and the evolution of new formats continue to change the way we offer and deliver services to our customers. I remember when VHS was introduced … and then DVDs … and now streaming media is becoming more prevalent. E-book usage is on a rapid trajectory and libraries are including maker spaces that focus on STEM and STEAM learning.

… the necessity of libraries.

Libraries are more than books; we are community places where people gather to engage in collaboration, learning and entertainment. Libraries today are filled with people studying, updating resumes, applying for jobs, knitting, gaming and, yes, checking out physical materials. We are the curators of these experiences.

… short and long-term goals.

I’m midway into my one-year term as president of the Oklahoma Library Association, and we are striving to focus on “turning outward” and embracing change. In Pioneer for the short term, we continue to review internal mission critical programs to align our program and service offerings across our system. We are modernizing internal business functions for the organization to create more efficient work processes.

Long term, we are always striving to help people understand how libraries are changing and determining the best way to promote the myriad services we offer. Libraries are the common denominator in communities across Oklahoma and provide the broadband connectivity needed to provide a level playing field in today’s environment. Libraries change lives and engage people beyond their current capacities.

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Gowns

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Etiquette 101

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Accessories

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Bridesmaids

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Designer Gowns

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Flowers

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Cakes

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Catering

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Honeymoons JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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GOWNS

Pièce de Résistance The clothes you wear on your big day will be immortalized through myriad photos – make them count.

Photography by Nathan Harmon

Gala by Galia Lahav A-line strapless gown, Bridal Reflections. Penny Preville rose gold suite: circle diamond earrings; diamond rosebud necklace; Christopher Designs rose gold engagement ring; Roberto Coin rose gold princess flower suite: ring with Mother of Pearl and diamonds; matching bracelet, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar. Manolo Blahnik embellished ankle-strap satin sandals, Saks Fifth Avenue.

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A SPECIAL THANKS

to the Harwelden Mansion for hosting the photo shoot.

Just south of downtown Tulsa, Harwelden was built in 1923 as a four-story mansion for oil tycoon Earl Harwell. Although the mansion has undergone stunning renovations over its near century in existence, the integrity of the original design remains intact.

These renovations to the property – which, so far, total about $3.5 million – are expansive and took about a year to complete, says owner Teresa Knox. Changes include updating the heating and air units; removing offices and adding back in four bedrooms original to the mansion; re-purposing the basement to install a bridal suite, green room and groom’s suite; investing heavily in the grounds and gardens; and restoring the carriage house into twobedroom suites.

The mansion serves as an event center and boutique hotel for weddings, parties, retreats and other functions. Guests can enjoy luxury bed linens, complimentary coffee, tea, wine and beers, a continental breakfast and a private butler and concierge upon request. The mansion also offers an afternoon tea on the first Tuesday of each month with a carefully curated menu and live music.

Tours are available. Visit harweldenmansion.com for information.

Hair by Shawna Burroughs, Jara Herron Salon and Spa

Makeup by Starla Ward, StunningbyStarla Makeup Artistry Fine jewelry courtesy Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar

Gowns and veils courtesy Bridal Reflections; Alyssa’s Bridal and Tuxedos; and David’s Bridal Tuxedos courtesy Jos. A. Bank

Bridal bouquet courtesy Stems Shoes courtesy Saks Fifth Avenue Models are Alex Eppler-Williams and Shane Nearman JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Amalia Carrara sweetheart neckline othe-shoulder gown, Bridal Reflections.

Roberto Coin suite: white gold leaf teardrop earrings with diamonds; princess flower diamond pendant necklace; Kwiat white gold cascade ring set with round diamonds; Christopher Designs white gold diamond band; white gold threestone engagement ring; Roberto Coin white gold bracelet with diamond and princess flower links, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

Calvin Klein Super 100s wool premium black tuxedo set with coat, shirt, vest, pants, neckwear, shoes, socks and pocket square, Jos. A. Bank.

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Amalia Carrara three-dimensional strapless sheer ballgown, Bridal Reflections.

Mikimoto suite: white drop earrings with South Sea pearls and graduated diamonds; white gold South Sea pearl pendant necklace with round diamonds; white gold ring with akoya pearls and pave set diamonds; akoya pearl bracelet; platinum engagement ring with round diamond, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

Calvin Klein Super 100s wool premium black tuxedo set with coat, shirt, vest, pants, neckwear, shoes, socks and pocket square, Jos. A. Bank.

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Milla Nova California Dreaming gown, Alyssa’s Bridal and Tuxedo. Alessandra Dona white gold suite: drop earrings with black South Sea pearls and diamonds; ring with black South Sea pearls and diamonds; Rahaminov Designs white gold oval engagement ring, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

Calvin Klein Super 100s wool mid-price tuxedo set with coat, shirt, vest, pants, neckwear, shoes, socks and pocket square, Jos. A. Bank.

JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Long-sleeved embroidered gown, Alyssa’s Bridal and Tuxedo.

Alessandra Dona white South Sea pearl stud earrings; Mikimoto 18-inch necklace with akoya pearls and diamond rondelles; Alessandra Dona white gold bypass ring with pearls and diamonds; Rahaminov Designs white gold oval engagement ring, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

Calvin Klein Super 100s wool mid-price tuxedo set with coat, shirt, vest, pants, neckwear, shoes, socks and pocket square, Jos. A. Bank.

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Morilee Bridal beaded bodice tulle ball gown; embroidered veil, Alyssa’s Bridal and Tuxedo.

Kwiat white gold suite: marquise star earrings; graduated diamond bar necklace; cascade ring set with round diamonds; Christopher Designs white gold three stone engagement ring; Kwiat white gold suite: graduated diamond bangle bracelet; pave diamond stackable bangle bracelet, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar.

JANUARY 2020| WWW.OKMAG.COM

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David’s Bridal Collection floral beaded lace and tulle mermaid gown, David’s Bridal. David Yurman yellow gold suite: origami drop earring set; Wheaton diamond ring; white and yellow gold engagement ring with radiant cut yellow diamond; David Yurman yellow gold bracelet suite: Paveflex diamond bracelet; Tides bracelet with diamonds; Stax bracelet with diamonds, Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar. Jimmy Choo Rav embellished satin mules, Saks Fifth Avenue.

Calvin Klein Super 120s navy blue suit set with coat, shirt, vest, pants, neckwear, shoes, socks and pocket square, Jos. A. Bank.

For more bridal looks, visit oklahomawedding.com

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12/12/19 1:34 PM

Oklahoma Wedding

Etique e 101

Understanding what is expected helps everyone enjoy the big day. Following are some guidelines for brides, grooms, wedding party members and guests.

Gifts and registry

Many couples prefer cash as wedding gifts, but some question whether it’s appropriate to ask for money. Experts say such requests can be tastefully done.

“While I don’t think there are strict rules anymore for registries, I also don’t think it is appropriate to ask for cash only without providing a reason,” says Christina Sorrells, sales coordinator with the Millhouse Group bridal registry.

“Guests still want to know what they are contributing to. If the bride and groom want cash because they are saving for a down payment on a home, that’s something guests can relate to.”

Bringing a beautifully wrapped gift is preferable for some guests. Sorrells says to remember that an established and/or older couple have no need for the stereotypical toaster and likely prefer something with sentiment.

“Must-haves make me think of staple items that are

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heirloom quality – a quality set of knives or a set of pots and pans,” Sorrells says. “Our products actually have a lifetime warranty and some have a double lifetime warranty.

Something that couples can use forever and not have to replace is important. I have seen online registries that you are able to link your product wants and travel wants all into one site.”

As for “going rogue” as a gift-giver, Sorrells says, “if they have a registry, unless you are handmaking a gift or passing down a family heirloom, it’s best to stick to the registry or give cash.”

Wedding party duties

The challenges of a long-planned celebration are often eased by wedding party friends, but don’t overwork them, says Ashley FarthingPorto, owner of Farthing Events in Tulsa.

Most people assume when they are asked to be in a wedding that it comes with a hefty price tag. That can be true for some, but etiquette says otherwise, she says. A wedding party is made up of close family and friends, and it is important to be considerate. It’s appropriate to ask for help stuffing and stamping invitations, preparing welcome bags and decorations, and attending a dress fitting.

Give wedding party members specifics about attire and state clearly who will pay for it.

It is not appropriate to ask wedding party members to attend every single shower and party or to expect them to throw those parities ... unless they specifically volunteer. It’s never OK to ask them to write thank you notes or act as your staff on the big day.

Thank these special people with personal-

ized gifts, Farthing-Porto says. Thoughtful touches, like a set of monogrammed coasters or custom stationary, can express your gratitude.

Invitations

Common sense applies for both the couple sending invitations and the potential guests.

Etiquette experts agree that timely consideration is ideal because RSVPs help with budget planning.

Email, digital and social media options exist, but use technology as additions to, not in lieu of, traditional invitations sent via conventional mail.

To optimize results, send invitations eight weeks before the big day with an RSVP date three to four weeks before the wedding. Send “Save the Date” notices for a destination wedding nine months in advance with an RSVP date two months ahead of the day.

For all invitations, consider clarifying RSVP with a sentence such as, “The favor of a reply is requested by …” and the specific date prominently displayed.

More information can be found at thespruce.com.

Indoor and outdoor venues

Timing is everything, so book your event space at least a year in advance, says Catina Johnson, sales manager for Salt and Surrey Catering, the catering partner at the OKC Zoo, which has year-round indoor and outdoor flexibility.

Claremore’s Pecandarosa Ranch is another facility with indoor and outdoor options.

Head coordinator Savannah Riley and staff

JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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have contingency expertise with tents, space heaters, fans, backup canopies and other fickle weather needs. Pecandarosa’s event center has oversized doors around the building that open onto spacious patios. This type of multipurpose facility accommodates both indoor and outdoor experiences.

Dress to impress

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#

Putting the best foot forward is always in style for wedding guests’ wardrobe. Here are some suggestions to match the type of expected clothing.

“Cocktail” implies well12/18/19 10:57 AM dressed, often in darker colors, like the proverbial little black dress for women and dress pants, dress shirt, sport coat and optional tie for men. “Garden party” or “beach formal” is a signal for C E L E B R AT E W I T H S I R E NS women to accommodate outdoor surfaces with wedges or flats and

B I R DA N D B O T T L E T U L SA . C O M B R A M B L E B A RT U L S A . C O M CELEBRITYTULSA.COM

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consider summer dresses and light hues. “Black tie optional” lets a man know that a tuxedo or a dark suit with tie is appropriate.

“Black tie” means a tuxedo with a cummerbund for men and ladies in evening gowns and cocktail dresses.

Guests show respect by considering the couple’s color scheme and the weather, and, most of all, not wearing shades of white.

Jeans, T-shirts and shorts should only be worn if they’re explicitly stated as acceptable.

Go to weddingshoppeinc.com or theknot.com for more information.

Proposing at someone else’s wedding

Love is in the air at a wedding … but it’s not OK to propose to one’s beloved at the event, even with the bride and groom’s

permission. Most experts, including Ryan Dubree of Complete Weddings and Events in Tulsa, advise against it.

“There is a wedding taboo about this primarily because that takes attention away from why you are attending the wedding in the first place,” Dubree says.

“Even as traditions start to fade from our modern sense of what a wedding should look like, this is still a hot subject, so even with permission, I wouldn’t personally do that. And a large number of people will share a similar discomfort watching someone propose to their lover at a friend’s wedding.”

Thank you notes

Writing thank you notes is expected for presents and experts advise writing them within two weeks of receiving gifts. It’s fine to send them before the wedding if gifts are received then.

Multiple-event attendance also requires separate thank you notes to guests, regardless of whether there were multiple gifts.

The adage of having a year after the wedding to send notes isn’t advised; three months after the wedding day is the latest acceptable response.

Speeches and vows

Memorable marital vows take planning. Joe Mathis, a partner at RumbleDrum, an event planner in Tulsa, encourages couples to venture beyond traditional vows with original pledges of troth by seeing themselves after 25 years of marriage. Avoid clichés and craft meaningful phrases for long-lasting impact.

The movies make wedding speeches look effortless, but these toasts and testimonials require dedication and consideration. Mathis says etiquette varies but advises some traditional guidelines: the parents speak during the rehearsal dinner; the rehearsal dinner or wedding

party luncheon is appropriate for the bride and groom to express gratitude; and the best man and maid of honor toast the couple at the wedding reception.

Some couples prefer all speeches in an intimate setting, such as a rehearsal dinner, while others invite other family or friends to speak – perhaps even every member of the wedding party. Each speech should be clear, no longer than three minutes and void of inside jokes, embar- 22969 Tulsa Botanic Garden.indd rassment or risqué behavior. In general, prepare, rehearse and aim for authentic warmth and brevity.

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Honeymoons

For those lucky enough to have a honeymoon, duration is a consideration. Tamara Horrell, honeymoon and destination wedding specialist for Warren Place Travel, says a short honeymoon or “mini-moon” is an alternative for couples without time or funds.

Still, weeklong honeymoons are what most couples choose and they tend to want a full immersion in local culture and amenities. The destination wedding trend continues and many couples elect to combine their wedding with a honeymoon, especially at resorts such as Sandals that offer complimentary weddings.

Recent national honeymoon trends are exotic, less-traveled tropical destinations while favored hotspots for Oklahoma couples are Caribbean beaches, with relatively easy air travel from Tulsa or Oklahoma City.

TRACY LEGRAND

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Oklahoma Wedding

ACCESSORIES

The Icing on Top

ROBERTO COIN DIAMOND PRINCESS BANGLE

Whether it’s a touch of blue, a bit of glam or the perfect pair of shoes, the small details go a long way on your wedding day.

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MIKIMOTO MORNING DEW AKOYA CULTURED PEARL EARRINGS

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ALL JEWELRY COURTESY BRUCE G. WEBER DIAMOND CELLAR PRICES UPON REQUEST

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PHOTO BY SHANE LAVANCHER

CHRISTIAN WU

PHOTO BY RODIN BANICA

PHOTO BY RODIN BANICA

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

PHOTO BY SHANE LAVANCHER

HAILEY PAIGE OCCASIONS BRIDESMAIDS

MUSE BY BERTA

JENNY YOO BRIDESMAIDS

PHOTO BY RODIN BANICA

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

JENNY YOO BRIDESMAIDS

MUSE BY BERTA

BARI JAY

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

JENNY YOO BRIDESMAIDS

BARI JAY

JENNY YOO BRIDESMAIDS

LUXE BERTA

BRIDESMAIDS

The wedding party will glow with the right duds.

Maid with Love

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Make Your Wedding Wildly Unique!

The Zoo’s newest expansion, Sanctuary Asia, is now open and the Lotus Pavilion is the perfect place for your wedding or special event.

Floor-to-ceiling windows allow your guests to see the Asian elephants, Indian rhino, Komodo dragons and more!

For information about this and other amazing event spaces, contact the Zoo’s official catering partner, Salt & Surrey Catering: 405.425.0289 | SaltandSurrey.com

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Your special day deserves a memorable experience.

See how weddings at Campbell can change an ordinary occasion into an extraordinary one. Book our hotel along with your event center and make The Campbell your own private venue. Experience a new horizon of refined style & boutique luxury.

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Weddings at Campbell

The Campbell Hotel

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DESIGNER GOWNS

Trust the Experts LUXE BERTA

GALIA LAHAV

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Glean inspiration for your wedding dress from the world’s foremost designers.

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020 GALIA LAHAV

BERTA PRIVEE

CAROL HANNAH

ADRIANNA PAPELL PLATINUM

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GALIA LAHAV

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JUSTIN ALEXANDER

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Oklahoma Wedding

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OSCAR DE LA RENTA

ALLISON WEBB

MUSE BY BERTA

LUXE BERTA

GALIA LAHAV

LIHI HOD

LUXE BERTA

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MONIQUE LHUILLIER

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INBAL DROR

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020 JENNY PACKHAM

GALIA LAHAV

BERTA PRIVEE

GALIA LAHAV

LUXE BERTA

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

BLUSH BY HAYLEY PAIGE

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Oklahoma Wedding

2017

2016

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Oklahoma Wedding

F LO W E R S

Budding Beauty

Hot themes this season include tonal bouquets, several colors of the same bloom, and classic blush aesthetics.

Tulsa bouquets photographed by Josh New OKC bouquets photographed by Brent Fuchs

Catalina, Keira, Juliet and Darcey garden roses, free spirit roses, orange unique roses, pink Mondial roses, coral and hot pink spray roses, acacia Trochta’s Flowers and Garden Center, OKC

White O’Hara roses, garden roses and white hydrangeas with gardenia foliage Toni’s Flowers and Gifts, Tulsa

Green hydrangeas, deep purple roses, purple lisianthus, brunia, seeded eucalyptus Mary Murray’s Flowers, Tulsa

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Playa Blanca roses, quicksand roses, cappuccino roses, Italian ruscus Ever Something, Tulsa

Mona roses, Mona spray roses, proteas, green scented geranium, ruscus, eucalyptus French Bouquet, Tulsa

Purple dahlias, eggplant mini calla lilies, garden roses, orchids, seeded eucalyptus, salal, agonis foliage Whole Foods Market Brookside, Tulsa

Ranunculus, freesia, roses, mini pine cones, dusty miller, winter greens Designs by Tammy, Edmond

Blueberry roses, dark rose lisianthus, sweet Eskimo roses, ranunculus, allium, smoke bush, chocolate lace, privet berries, honeysuckle vine Robyn’s Flower Garden, Coweta

Lavender stock, roses, blue/purple hydrangeas, ranunculus, limonium, Israeli and Italian ruscus, silver dollars Wild Orchid Florist, Tulsa JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Oklahoma Wedding

Lavender campanula, blueberry roses, ranunculus, scabiosa, stock Ever Something, Tulsa

Pink Floyd roses, Geraldine roses, astilbe, ranunculus, cymbidium and hydrangeas with gardenia foliage Toni’s Flowers and Gifts, Tulsa

Playa Blanca roses, white stock, blush garden roses, blush spray roses, silver dollar eucalyptus, white waxflowers Tony Foss Flowers, OKC

Roses, garden roses, spray roses and greens Whole Foods Market Yale, Tulsa

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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2020

Spray roses, yarrow, carnations, wax flower, mixed greenery Mary Murray’s Flowers, Tulsa

Spray roses, yarrow, carnations, wax flower, mixed greenery Mary Murray’s Flowers, Tulsa

Fuschia stock, hot pink roses, fuchsia roses, burgundy dahlias, burgundy leaves Tony Foss Flowers, OKC

Red monster garden roses, hearts roses, red gerberas, begonias, kalanchoe, sunset safari, red cone leucadendron, red charm peonies Trochta’s Flowers and Garden Center, OKC

Green and white cymbidium orchids Toni’s Flowers and Gifts, Tulsa

Peonies, three varieties of roses, lisianthus, limonium, cushion mums, honeysuckle vine, fern, lemon leaf, privet greenery Robyn’s Flower Garden, Coweta

For even more bouquets, visit oklahomawedding.com JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Oklahoma Wedding

Sweet Devotion Cakery, Tulsa PHOTO BY EPIC PHOTOS

Merritt’s Bakery, Tulsa PHOTO COURTESY MERRITT’S BAKERY

CAKES

A Slice of Heaven

Whether colorful and unique or classic and sleek, your wedding cake should sweeten your already wonderful day.

Merritt's Bakery, Tulsa PHOTO COURTESY MERRITT'S BAKERY

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Mishelle Handy Cakes, Edmond PHOTO BY PEREZ PHOTOGRAPHY

Amy Cakes, Norman PHOTO BY SARAH LIBBY PHOTOGRAPHY

Amy Cakes, Norman

PHOTO BY KATIE CUNNINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Andrea Howard Cakes, OKC PHOTO BY ANDREA HOWARD

Madison's on Main, Norman PHOTO BY KEVIN PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY

You Need a Cake, Edmond

PHOTO COURTESY YOU NEED A CAKE

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Oklahoma Wedding

Rosebeary’s Bakery, OKC PHOTO COURTESY ROSEBEARY’S BAKERY

Ms. Laura's Cakes, Okmulgee PHOTO COURTESY MS. LAURA'S CAKES

Ms. Laura's Cakes, Okmulgee PHOTO COURTESY MS. LAURA'S CAKES

Sweet Devotion Cakery, Tulsa

PHOTO BY JORDAN TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY/SOMETHING BLUE JOURNAL

The Red Rooster Bistro and Bakery, Wagoner PHOTO COURTESY THE RED ROOSTER BISTRO AND BAKERY

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Capture the luxury wedding you deserve

Historic luxury for the modern bride in downtown Tulsa.

GOLD Package SILVER Package 3hrs – $800 1 ½hrs – $400

Luxury reborn.

115 E. Fifth Street Tulsa, OK 74103 918.582.5722 • tulsaclub.com events@tulsaclub.com

918.508.5866

www.okluxuryphotobooth.com

White House Mansion

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1 W. 81st St., Tulsa OK

Where lifetime memories are created …

PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOGRAPHY

WhiteHouseMansion@gmail.com 918.313.0808 (Julia) 23743 White House Mansion.indd 1

DISC JOCKEY PHOTO BOOTH LIGHTING

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918.576.6132 Ryan@CompleteWeddingTulsa.com COMPLETETULSA.COM #PARTYWITHCOMPLETE

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C AT E R I N G

A Diner’s Paradise

If you’re searching for elevated comfort food, small bites, delicious desserts or something in between, Oklahoma caterers can do it all.

Tulsa dishes photographed by Josh New OKC dishes photographed by Brent Fuchs

Infused cereal milk shots and cookies, L-R: Cinnamon Toast Crunch with a passion fruit curd tartlet; Fruity Pebbles with a peanut butter truffle; and Chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs with a caramelized banana Whoopie pie Aunt Pittypat's Catering, OKC

Assorted charcuterie and cheese board Three Sirens Catering, Tulsa

Lobster rolls with steamed Maine lobster, celery-lemon aioli and chives in a mini New England style roll Summit Club, Tulsa

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Applewood smoked duck breast with butternut squash purée, roasted root vegetable ribbons and Brussels sprout leaves Justin Thompson Catering, Tulsa

Blackberry and strawberry cobbler Just Catering by Orr, Tulsa

Succotash chicken stack with layers of paillard chicken and whipped potatoes, topped with a citrus beurre blanc sauce nuanced with peas, corn, red bell pepper and bacon Cafe 7 Catering, OKC

Assorted miniature desserts Summit Club, Tulsa

Justin’s Favorite Chocolate Pie with Oreo crust, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache Justin Thompson Catering, Tulsa

Mini high-rise slider from S&B's Burger Joint Quail Springs Culinary, OKC

Micro steak frites with bĂŠarnaise and micro greens Museum Cafe, OKC JANUARY 2020 | WWW.OKMAG.COM

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Blacken ahi tuna tacos with pickled vegetables and avocado crema on a crispy wonton and leaf lettuce; braised beef croquette with red eye gravy pipette (middle) Aunt Pittypat's Catering, OKC

Halibut with prosecco sauce and rainbow carrots Prossimo, Tulsa Lemon cloud pie with white chocolate lace C2 Catering, OKC

Beet and burrata salad with roasted red and golden beets, preserved lemon aioli, grapefruit segments, burrata, basil spheres and flaked sea salt Summit Club, Tulsa

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Lamb lollipop with sauce algiers, caramelized fennel and cucumber quinoa Duet, Tulsa

Ahi tuna tacos with avocado, soy-ginger reduction, wasabi caviar, Tokyo bekana and wakame in wonton shells Summit Club, Tulsa

Miniature crab cakes Museum Cafe, OKC

Thai chicken salad in wonton cups C2 Catering, OKC Orange curd and spicy white chocolate tart from Pepperoni Grill Quail Springs Culinary, OKC

Poke tostada with radish, chile vinaigrette, marinated ahi tuna in a corn tortilla Duet, Tulsa

Garlic roasted loin with cauliflower purĂŠe and red wine demi-glace Aunt Pittypat's Catering, OKC

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HONEYMOONS

Heavenly, Dreamy Visions St. Lucia

Here is a quintet of over-the-moon locales to entice and beguile newlyweds to different parts of the world.

Sedona, Arizona

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PHOTO BY MAL COOPER

St. Lucia

Soft oval beaches bracket quaint fishing villages below waterfalls, rainforests and lush mountains, with the regal volcanic peaks of the Pitons standing guard. That’s St. Lucia, arguably the prettiest of the Caribbean islands.

Castries, the island’s capital and port, provides insights into St. Lucian life at its vibrant market. At Pigeon Island National Park, learn of the fierce battles between the French and English, then take in sweeping ocean views at nearby Fort Rodney.

Stretch your muscles and your imagination by hiking nature trails, ziplining, climbing the Pitons, riding horseback or diving among corals. When you’re done, settle into natural hot springs.

Accommodations: Sandals Grande St. Lucian has views of the Caribbean and the Atlantic and glass-bottom, over-water bungalows.

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona’s got it all. Near Flagstaff, the village has top-notch art galleries, outdoor adventure, natural beauty and unique shops. Sedona is surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests, all providing nonstop inspiration for the town’s many artists and more than 300 miles of hiking trails.

Dozens of art galleries dot the town, including the renowned Tlaquepaque (pronounced t-lockey-pockey) Arts and Crafts Village, a massive cultural and shopping destination on the banks of Oak Creek.

Soothe your body and soul at a spa. Each of the better resorts has one. There are also day spas and even a massage school.

Accommodations: El Portal Sedona Hotel has 12 rooms ensconced in an unusual, ivycovered architectural marvel.

Together is a beautiful place to be.

216 Luther Drive, Broken Arrow 918.470.9102 chapelonthehilltulsa.com

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Watch for monthly wine dinners in 2020!

Ti Amo Downtown 918.592.5151

219 S. Cheyenne Ave.

TiAmoTulsa.com

Ti Amo South 918.499.1919

61st & Sheridan (NW Corner)

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Perfect Spaces. Perfect Prices.

Perfect Location. Yes, Perfect.

Plan your perfect wedding, gala or party... with unmatched affordability, style, flexibility and convenience.

• Indoor and Outdoor Spaces • Beautiful Lake and Fireplaces • Large Exhibit Halls • Holiday Inn Express next door • Restaurants within 3 minute walk

Explore Tulsa’s best-kept venue secret.

Call 918-209-4632 See plans, photos, policies and pricing on GlenpoolConferenceCenter.com 15 minutes south of downtown Tulsa on HWY 75 12205 S. Yukon Avenue • Glenpool, OK 74033 24061 Glenpool Conference Center.indd 1

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Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand

PHOTO BY PETER VANICSEK COURTESY VISIT MALTA

Morocco

Malta Morocco

Mysterious, mystic Morocco is the stuff of which romance is made – browsing bazaars filled with exotic goods and tagines laced with spices, haggling with carpet merchants, and riding camels on sand dunes.

Casablanca, Morocco’s port on the Atlantic coast, shows off its French colonial legacy in Moorish stylings and European art deco. (The legendary Casablanca, while looking for all the world like the title place, was filmed in Burbank, California.)

After the rose-pink walls, maze-like marketplaces and mesmerizing sunsets of Marrakesh, check out the adobe cottages and never-ending staircases, lanes and squares in the 1,200-year-old Maghreb city of Fez. Finally, kick back on the beaches of Essaouira.

Accommodations: Designed by King Mohammed VI, the Royal Mansour in Marrakesh is the gold standard of luxury hotels.

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Malta

Just off of the southern tip of Sicily, this tiny archipelago fascinates visitors with deep-rooted Mediterranean culture and a seductive mix of customs born of Sicily and the Middle East.

Malta’s rocky landscape brims with monuments, from ancient ruins and secret bays to breathtaking cliffs and edifices thought to be the world’s oldest freestanding structures.

Take a break from exploring temples and fortresses by sunbathing on scenic beaches, indulging in Maltese cuisine, and working it off by hiking fossil-filled limestone cliffs and diving through extraordinary underwater caves.

Accommodations: Westin Dragonara Resort in cosmopolitan St. Julian has multiple restaurants, an upscale piano bar and two private beaches.

Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand This coastal paradise is the easternmost of the primary Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand’s South Island.

Island sanctuaries are plentiful. Native bird species thrive along with dolphins, penguins and orcas. It’s also blessed with one-of-a-kind resorts and restaurants, particularly on Picton, a buzzing community on the north coast with an eclectic mix of eateries offering freshly caught seafood.

Picton itself is a gateway to the islands of the Marlborough Sounds. That’s where the EcoWorld Aquarium shelters and rehabilitates native animals, such as rare tuatara reptiles, blue penguins and king salmon.

Accommodations: McCormick House in Picton is an ideal base of operations set in private, established, woodland gardens just minutes from ferry and train stops.

CHUCK MAI

CHICKA SAW

C U LT U R A L C E N T ER

Experience

LIVING C u lt u r e

Visit the Chickasaw Cultural Center to explore and learn about the unique history and vibrant culture of the Chickasaw people. Enjoy immersive exhibits, delicious cuisine, films and so much more at one of the largest and most extensive cultural centers in the United States.

CONNECT WITH US:

CHICKASAWCULTURALCENTER.COM • SULPHUR, OKLAHOMA