The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 6 No. 12

PHOTO GALLERY:

MAKING CHANGE,

TULSA PRIDE

ONE BIKE

WEEKEND

AT A TIME

P24

P28

JUNE 5 – 18, 2019

//

VOL. 6 NO. 12

YOUR TULSA TOUGH GUIDE P30

FIXING TULSA’S INFRASTRUCTURE INEQUITY P26

2 // CONTENTS

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

CONTENTS // 3

June 5 – 18, 2019 // Vol. 6, No. 12 ©2019. All rights reserved.

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

OUT AND ABOUT

EDITOR Jezy J. Gray ASSISTANT EDITOR Blayklee Freed DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon

P24

BY MAKAILA MCGONIGAL

Photos from Tulsa Pride 2019

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

BUILT FOR WHAT?

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf

P26

CONTRIBUTORS Alicia Chesser Atkin, Kyra Bruce, Matt Carney, Kristi Eaton, Angela Evans, Barry Friedman, Mitch Gilliam, Destiny Jade Green, Fraser Kastner, Gary Mason, Makaila McGonigal, Katie Moulton, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Alexandra Robinson, Joseph Rushmore, Damion Shade, Terrie Shipley

BY JEZY J. GRAY

Fixing Tulsa’s infrastructure inequity

WHEELS OF FORTUNE P28

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

BY MATT CARNEY

Tulsa Hub, making change one bike at a time

TOUGHER THAN EVER

Member of

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

P30

BY TTV STAFF

Your guide to Tulsa Tough 2019 1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926

Tulsa Pride 2019 | MAKAILA MCGONIGAL

FOOD & DRINK

NEWS & COMMENTARY 7 PRICED OUT

B Y DAMION SHADE

16 FINAL FRONTIER

B Y MITCH GILLIAM

HB 1269 makes drug sentencing reform retroactive—for those who can afford it

8 THE DARKNESS TO COME

B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN

18 PALETAS TO THE PEOPLE

B Y TERRIE SHIPLEY

The future of abortion rights in Oklahoma

10 STORMY WATERS

B Y FRASER KASTNER

Climate change and the flood next time

12 THE WEATHER WIZARD OF TULSA Y TTV STAFF B Meteorologist Travis Meyer on saving lives and becoming a meme

14 KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

B Y KRISTI EATON New online curriculum explores historic Greenwood and the Race Massacre of 1921

Scaling “Chicken Mountain” at Los Tres Fronteras

La Tropical is a summertime institution

MUSIC 38 THE WIND CRIES ‘MMMBOP’

B Y KATIE MOULTON

Tulsa newcomer examines Hanson fan culture

41 LEATHER AND LIBERATION

B Y KYRA BRUCE Queer and trans music showcase comes to Tulsa

ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 36 THEHAPS 40 MUSICLISTINGS 45 FULLCIRCLE 46 SUDOKU + CROSSWORD

4 // CONTENTS

ARTS & CULTURE 32 LIFE AND DEATH IN ‘TULSA’

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL Larry Clark’s photographs show a city at war with itself

34 SHELTER FROM THE STORM

B Y ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN

The Tempest is the free theater experience Tulsa needs now

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to: voices@langdonpublishing.com FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

35 MEET THE FELLOWS

B Y TTV STAFF

In the studio with Olivia Stephens

TV & FILM 42 SAY EVERYTHING

B Y ANGELA EVANS John Cusack talks Say Anything ahead of its 30-year celebration

MAKING CHANGE,

PHOTO GALLERY: TULSA PRIDE

ONE BIKE

WEEKEND

AT A TIME P28

P24

JUNE 5 – 18, 2019

//

VOL. 6 NO. 12

YOUR TULSA TOUGH GUIDE P30

44 CHAOTIC GOOD

B Y ALEXANDRA ROBINSON Booksmart is a hilarious and thoughtful look at kids these days

FIXING TULSA’S INFRASTRUCTURE INEQUITY P26

ON THE COVER Kolby Webster, advocate for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure PHOTO BY GARY MASON June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

”AN ENTIRELY FRESH, FUNNY & GORGEOUS NEW PRODUCTION.

A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!”

PHOTO BY JEREMY DAN

IEL. 2018.

–NEW YORK MAGAZINE

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/ModernSpiritsTulsa CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

T

wo months ago, 31-yearold Chad Ryan Epley was struck by a driver and killed while riding his bike at the intersection of NW 16th Street and Classen Avenue in Oklahoma City. In a chilling surveillance video, sparks fly from the bicycle frame caught beneath the car as the driver flees the scene.

I didn’t know Chad, but I’ve ridden my bike through that intersection a lot. I never felt safe there. I imagine he didn’t either. But that’s the grim reality of riding a bike on city streets in Oklahoma: the environment is not built for human bodies—and a driver could take your life at any moment.

But we stay on our bikes.

Why? For some, it’s the physical and mental health benefits. For others, it’s about taking a car off

6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

the road and moving us toward the horizon of Utopian Millennial Green Deal Fully-Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism.

Some of us can’t afford cars. Some of us don’t have homes. Some of us don’t have the documentation required to get a driver’s license.

Some of us just like the feeling.

We need bikes, and we need infrastructure to protect the people who ride them.

You’ll meet Ren Barger in this issue of The Tulsa Voice. She’s has a permanent titanium matrix in her spine from being hit by a driver in Chicago. She’s also the founder of Tulsa Hub, a nonprofit providing bikes, education, gear and support to vulnerable communities in our city (pg. 28). The story by Matt Carney comes to us from The Curbside Chronicle, a publication created for and sold by

people experiencing homelessness in OKC. You’ll also meet 25-year-old cycling advocate Kolby Webster, who was hit on his bike while commuting to work as a teenager—an experience that propelled him to become one of the city’s most vocal and visible champions of people who get around the city on bikes and on their feet (pg. 26).

And for the cry babies, we’ve got your 2019 Saint Francis Tulsa Tough guide (pg. 30). This will be my first year attending the annual cycling bacchanal, which I have been assured is—like so many of the weird and wonderful things I love about my new city—deeply bonkers.

Yes, we love bikes, but we’ve got other stuff in this issue too. First, every Okie’s favorite

topic: the weather. Fraser Kastner takes a look at how climate change could mean more extreme weather events like the flooding and storms that have ravaged our communities in recent weeks (pg.

10). We’ve also got a Q&A with KOTV News on 6 Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer (pg. 12) who talked to us, on the first sunny day after the storms, about saving lives and becoming a meme.

That’s it until next time. Stay dry, stay safe, and be nice to people on bikes. a

JEZY J. GRAY EDITOR

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

okpolicy

I

PRICED OUT HB 1269 makes drug sentencing reform retroactive—for those who can afford it

by DAMION SHADE for OKPOLICY.ORG

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

n 2016, Oklahoma voters made simple drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony. By voting yes on State Question 780, Oklahomans expressed a clear desire to prioritize treatment over incarceration for those struggling with addiction.

These changes raised significant public policy and moral questions. What should be done about the people serving felony sentences in Oklahoma prisons that would be misdemeanors under current law? What about the thousands more with prior felony convictions for crimes that are now less serious offenses?

HB 1269 was designed to make State Question 780 retroactive, so that people arrested for simple drug possession before SQ 780 would have the opportunity to undo the lifelong consequences of a felony sentence. HB 1269 will create an opportunity for nearly 1,000 people serving time in prison for simple possession to have their felony sentences commuted by the Pardon and Parole Board. If Gov. Kevin Stitt signs the bill, these commutations would begin in December or January.

HB 1269 is a positive step for justice reform in Oklahoma, but a recent amendment will complicate the process and create fi nancial hurdles for Oklahomans trying to remove a felony from their records. The bill now uses expungements to erase the criminal records of those sentenced before simple drug possession became a misdemeanor. A breadwinner with a felony record has greatly diminished job prospects, so it’s important for the more than 60,000 Oklahomans with simple drug possession felonies to have an accessible path to clearing their record.

Unfortunately, the expungement process proposed in HB 1269 will price it out of reach for many individuals. The process requires numerous expensive

steps and often the assistance of an attorney. At a minimum, it will cost more than $300 just to fi ll out the expungement paperwork created by HB 1269.

Attorney fees may cost hundreds more, in addition to any other fi nes and fees that individuals must pay before they can fi le for expungement.

The new language of HB 1269 perpetuates a two-tiered justice system where those with the fi nancial means to hire an attorney and pay these costs have better access to justice. Low-income Oklahomans, largely from rural communities and communities of color, will have great difficulty benefiting from this new system.

Lawmakers should fix this problem by waiving these expungement costs for anyone fi ling under the new provisions of HB 1269. Justice reforms that can only be accessed by those with money are not a real break from the failed policies of the past.

The fact that nearly 1,000 Oklahomans will be released from prison early because of HB 1269 is a profound victory for justice reform in this state.

However, the bill leaves more than 60,000 Oklahomans outside prison with a costly and prohibitive expungement process.

Oklahoma voters decided that prison is not a rational or cost-effective means of dealing with addiction, and policymakers should respect this decision.

HB 1269 is a positive fi rst step, but lawmakers should address the issues left unresolved by this legislation if they hope to truly alter the direction of Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis. The future of thousands of Oklahomans depends on it. a

Damion Shade is a criminal justice policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute (okpolicy.org).

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

The darkness to come The future of abortion rights in Oklahoma

by BARRY FRIEDMAN

T

here was a moment early in the 57th Oklahoma State Legislative Session where it looked like we were headed for a four-month wingnut jubilee.

Introduced by Majority Leader Jon Echols, (R-Oklahoma City), the bill allows anyone who is not a felon, adjudicated as mentally defective, or who has had a conviction for a crime involving domestic violence, to carry a gun without a license in Oklahoma.

(U.S. Law Shield)

What made this maddening—as if making it easier to own a Glock than an iPhone in Oklahoma isn’t maddening enough, as if state legislators not being the slightest bit embarrassed about lying supine with arms flailing about in front of the gun lobby isn’t maddening enough—was that the bill was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Feb. 27. Why is the date important? Because the opening day of the session was Feb. 4—about three weeks prior.

Nothing makes its way through state government in three weeks. A bill making ribeye the official state steak took longer than that. This “constitutional carry” bill (and the term, itself, which means as much as Corinthian leather) was like the one Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed in 2018. She did so because it was redundant, hated by businesses and chambers of commerce, and designed only to feed a gluttonous, spoiled gun lobby that will not rest until 6-week-old fetuses are armed and women are once again wearing hooded cloaks.

I’m only barely exaggerating.

Senate Bill 13, dubbed the “Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act,” would 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

David Blatt, reminds us—even if the whole 2019 production was a bit of a downer.

As unsatisfying as the 57th Oklahoma State Legislative Session was, it could have been worse— especially for women.

Next session, it will be. make abortion a homicide effective Nov. 1 and punishable by up to life in prison.

That beauty was introduced this past session by state Sen. Joseph Silk (R-Broken Bow), who contends Oklahoma can ignore federal law.

It says any federal laws, regulations, executive orders or court decisions that deprive an unborn child the right to life are void. (Tulsa World)

So horrendous was the bill, even a group of Baptists thought it had cooties: Credible expert legal/ policy analysis indicates SB 13 will be invalidated immediately by the courts, if it passes at all, and we cannot save lives with legislation that never goes into effect. SB 13, as proposed, unnecessarily and purposely repeals hard-earned pro-life laws that have helped signifi-

cantly reduce Oklahoma’s abortion rate. (The Baptist Messenger)

When the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma—which signed the letter For Christ, for life— thinks your bill is an unwelcome, unlawful mess, it’s time to dial back your douchebaggery.

The Baptists weren’t the only ones who thought so.

“I support the bill ’s author and I support his cause,” [Sen.] Jason Smalley said. “I just don’t support his methods.”

(The Oklahoman)

Fantastic. An awful bill doesn’t advance, not because its awful, but because those who usually support such awfulness were unhappy with how awfully it was rolled out.

Legislatively, the show more or less returned to normal after those two bills—as good friend of the column and outgoing director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute,

“Low-income working Oklahomans were once again forgotten this session … In a year where there was plenty of money to expand business incentive programs like the Quick Action Closing Fund and to allocate enormous increases for the governor’s office and the Legislature, there was no excuse for turning a deaf ear to those struggling to get by and get ahead.”

(Shawnee News-Star)

As unsatisfying as the session was—from the failure to pass bail reform, to expand health coverage to more than 100,000 Oklahomans, to fully reinstate the Earned Income Tax Credit, to raise the minimum wage or extend paid leave, to the paltry increases in education that will still leave public schools almost $100 million below what they were in 2008, even though enrollment has grown by over 50,000 students—it could have been worse, especially for women.

Next session, it will be.

Missouri passed a bill on Friday to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, making the state the eighth this year to pass abortion restrictions that could challenge the constitutional right established in Roe v.

Wade. (New York Times)

Bills in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Utah, Louisiana (led by Democrats) and Ohio were similarly passed, and I’ll make you the Toby Ziegler bet (“All the money in my pockets against all the money in your pockets”) that the Oklahoma Legislature, in 2020, June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

will once again take its rightful place in the pantheon of states wishing to return women to the 14th century.

The punchlines of years past in Oklahoma will now be the policy makers.

In 2017, GOP Rep. George Fought believed women who are raped should marvel at God’s mysterious ways.

“And, obviously if it happens in someone’s life, it may not be the best thing that ever happened, but—so you’re saying that God is not sovereign with every activity that happens in someone’s life and can’t use anything and everything in someone’s life and I disagree with that.” (Raw Story)

May not be the best thing—so, c’mon gals, buck up. The almighty has a plan to turn the lemon of rape into a lifetime of lemonade.

Also in 2017, Rep. Justin Humphrey reminded women they are just incubators anyway.

“I understand that they feel like that is their body,” he said of women.

“I feel like it is a separate—what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant.”

(The Intercept)

And the hits kept coming.

The measure, dubbed the “Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2017,” would prevent the abortion of a fetus solely on the basis that it had a genetic abnormality. It makes no exceptions for rape or incest. (Tulsa World)

That was from Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) whose bill, if approved, would have required a woman carrying an Anencephalic fetus (one born unconscious, blind, deaf, and probably already dead; Anencephaly literally means “open skull”) to bring it to term, thus making her body a coffin.

Humphrey, Fought, Silk and Dahm are sanctimonious blowhards, but they’re now in the luxury boxes of a national party THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

that proposes abortion legislation that would force 11-year-old rape victims to give birth to their rapists’ babies. So horrendous are these bills that the always-horrendous Tomi Lahren and Pat Robertson oppose them.

Presently, Oklahoma abortion laws, while not as abominable as Alabama’s, are pretty dismal.

A woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 72 hours before the procedure is provided.

(Guttmacher Institute)

Ply a woman with slick disinformation and then make her wait three days before allowing her to decide what to do with her body?

If that sounds belittling, that’s the point. This isn’t even about the unborn—it’s about control over women.

And it’s going to get worse.

It used to be that even the most ardent anti-abortionist agreed to an exception in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother because to think otherwise would make you a monster.

The GOP didn’t change on this issue—it mutated.

Here’s Marco Rubio during a 2015 presidential debate defending his position on abortion.

“You don’t favor a rape and incest exception?”

[Megyn] Kelly asked.

“I have never said that.

And I have never advocated that,” Rubio said.

Kelly gave him the chance to take a humane position … and he was proud he hadn’t?

The GOP, nationally, is now passing legislation sponsored by doltish, ignorant representatives based on doltish ignorance.

Chambliss then argued that his bill required no rape or incest exception because under the new law a woman could still get an abortion as long as she didn’t know she was pregnant. “If we pass this bill, my hope is that all ladies will be educated by their parents or guardians that should a situation like this occur, you need to go get help immediately so

they could get the physical help they need. If they wait, justice delayed is justice denied.” (Slate)

He has hope for you, ladies.

Relieved?

Such patronizing misogyny has always been alive in the catacombs of GOP thought in Oklahoma, but it’s now being coaxed out of the basement and invited to the front yard.

By 2020, it’ll be a block party.

Under Senate Bill 614 introduced by state Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, doctors performing medically induced abortions will be required to inform women the process may be reversed after they ingest the first of two abortion-inducing pills.

(The Oklahoman)

TULSA’S ONLY TRADITIONAL JAZZ CLUB

UPCOMING SHOWS

downstairs

Collective Improv. with Mason Remel JUNE 5

John Petrucelli June 6

It is a “procedure” that has as much credibility as gay conversion therapy and one with which everyone who doesn’t have an “R-” after his or her name dismisses.

Not only is “abortion reversal” scientifically unproven, it is not FDA-approved and possibly dangerous. (The Daily Beast)

The only women in America who will be allowed to get abortions in the coming years are those sleeping with and getting pregnant

by GOP representatives.

Gov. Stitt signed SB 614 into law. a For complete citations, visit the hyperlinked version of this article at thetulsavoice.com.

Dean DeMerritt’s Jazz Tribe June 7

Siembra Salsa Dance Party June 8

George Markert June 12

NATIONAL TOURING ARTIST

Pat Bianchi and Clark Gibson June 13

Swunky Face Big Band June 14

As many of you know, David Blatt is leaving Oklahoma Policy Institute and will no longer be covering the legislature and, thus, no longer ripping out with his bare hands what little hair he has left. I owe David a great deal, for I would have simply been unable to write about state politics these past few years without him. He is the smartest person I know and has been a mentor, a dear friend, and one who, when I bollix one of these columns, leaves me messages telling me so. Folk Singer Pete Seeger talked about the good people in your life, the ones with the “live hearts, live eyes and live minds” that keep you going.

That’s David.

Off Beat Stories June 15

Ted Ludwig Trio June 19

Branjae June 21

David Moore and the Nocturne Sextet June 22

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

statewide

Our climate continues to change—and with greater change comes more instability. | JOSEPH RUSHMORE

Stormy waters

Climate change and the flood next time

by FRASER KASTNER

I

n mid-May, a powerful storm system ripped through northeastern Oklahoma. Much of that water made its way to Keystone Lake, prompting the Army Corps of Engineers to release water into the Arkansas River to compensate. About a week later, a second group of storms ravaged our area, causing tornadoes and dropping record-breaking amounts of precipitation. This, in turn, forced the Corps’ hand and caused them to gradually open the Keystone Dam further.

Floodwaters soon threatened communities. Parts of Sapulpa and Bixby were evacuated. On May 22, the entire town of Webbers Falls was evacuated due to the rising floodwaters. In Tulsa, the Arkansas River continued to rise. Sinkholes began appearing in roads and trails along the river.

Parts of the Gathering Place were submerged for days. Riverside businesses like the River 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Spirit Casino and Blue Rose Cafe closed their doors. Mohawk Park flooded as Bird Creek surmounted its banks.

Meanwhile, Gov. Kevin Stitt and Mayor G.T. Bynum placed 66 counties in Oklahoma under a state of emergency as 215,000 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) was released from Keystone Dam. As night fell on May 22, the region was battered by yet another storm surge. Two barges from the area lost their mooring and struck the dam, sinking below the waves and potentially damaging an already straining bit of infrastructure.

By noon the next day, the Arkansas was taking on 250,000 cfs from Keystone Lake. The following days saw more storms and tornadoes. The state of emergency expanded to cover all of Oklahoma. The federal government approved the disaster declaration and ordered more assistance to

response efforts. The Arkansas rose from 21 to 23 feet, stopping just short of the 25 feet it reached in October 1986.

Precipitation continued in the Tulsa area and upriver, compounding the floods. The Corps lowered the dam again, ultimately releasing 275,000 cfs by May 26.

On May 29, the Corps gradually raised the dam again, and by May 31 the dam was releasing 200,000 cfs, more than the 182,000 it is estimated to be taking in.

Unfortunately, more storms are on the horizon, both in the immediate future and stretching into the next years and decades. Our climate continues to change, and with greater change comes more instability.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment, released last year, attempts to outline the risks and

impacts of climate change across the United States over the coming century.

Although more research is needed, the climate report shows some evidence that severe storms, tornados, hailstorms and other extreme weather events will increase in our area in the coming century. Storms are difficult to predict, but the Arkansas River gets its water from a huge area covering parts of northern Oklahoma and southern Colorado and Kansas. Increased storm activity anywhere in this watershed could increase our risk for floods.

It is known that extreme weather events like this cause stress to existing infrastructure.

Dams, bridges, levees, roads and other crucial infrastructure built to withstand historical extremes will be exposed to greater strain than ever intended.

The authors of the report found that many dams and levees June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

in our region, the Southern Great Plains, have gone uninspected and unmaintained. These responsibilities fall largely on local governments, many of which lack the funding and resources to fulfi ll them. Small towns and rural municipalities are especially vulnerable.

Compounding this issue, many of our region’s dams and levees are pushing the limits of their design life. Tulsa’s levees were built in 1945. Todd Kilpatrick, who spent the last six years as a levee commissioner, says the levee is past its expiration date. “I’ve been telling people for a long time that it’s a matter of when, not if,” Kilpatrick told the Tulsa World.

“And now we’re living through the when.”

The climate assessment predicts that our region will increasingly experience swings from drought to flooding, much as we are experiencing now. This means that the soil will spend more time drying out, while moisture will come in ever briefer and more intense bursts that do not soak in as much as they run off. The net effect will be an ever drier, less fertile landscape and more potential for damaging floods.

The report found that droughts have increasingly ended with flooding in recent years.

This happened in 2015, causing $2.6 billion in damages. It also predicted that “100 year floods,” or floods that have a 1 percent chance of happening every year, will occur more frequently.

The study concludes that flood standards and floodplain management will have to change to accommodate these changes.

Unfortunately this will be left to local governments, many of which are limited in funds and other resources.

Floods, as part of a pattern of extreme weather, can change the makeup of our ecosystem in unpredictable ways. These patterns open the door for invasive species like weeds, vermin, algae and fungi that can damage or contaminate crops.

The levees that run parallel to Charles Page Boulevard protect two oil refineries and scores of THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

homes in Tulsa and Sand Springs.

Water is currently seeping under them, flooding parts of this area.

This can erode the sand and soil that makes the levees, further weakening them. Neighborhoods along some parts of the river were evacuated. Residents in some neighborhoods in Sand Springs complained they were evacuated on short notice.

While many people have been displaced by the floods, others have lost their livelihoods. One River Spirit employee said workers at the casino were told to evacuate and await further instructions.

“They just told us that we would be evacuated and that they would update us,” they said.

Furloughed workers are being compensated, but some are still looking for new jobs. As of publication, it is not known for sure when the casino will reopen.

Eventually, this battery of storms will cease and the floods will recede. Some people are returning to their homes, reckoning with the damage done and attempting to wring order from chaos. Those of us lucky to have made it through unscathed will forget for a while, but not for long.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment tells us we can expect more extreme weather events in the coming years. Oklahoma, ever loathe to invest in infrastructure, is simply unprepared to face the dangers that the coming decades will bring. Our dams and levees need updating. Many bridges and roads are in need of inspection and maintenance, a responsibility that state-level authorities have happily passed down to the lowest levels of local government, at times drastically underfunded and unprepared to take on the task.

Without these vital reinforcements, the next flood could be the one that breaks the levee—the flood that drowns a neighborhood, or washes away a vital piece of infrastructure. Meanwhile, our nation’s leadership has taken a stance against protecting the environment, a trend that will intensify the aspects of climate change we are already experiencing.

Whether the next election cycle reverses the trend or continues it, Oklahoma must be prepared for the worst. a

L A R RY C L A R K : T U L SA See Tulsa in Tulsa.

The iconic photos come home.

JUNE 1—NOV. 10.

PHILBROOK DOWNTOWN. 116 E M.B. BRADY ST, TULSA, OK 74103

Get a new lens on Oklahoma. Acclaimed photographer, actor (My Name is Earl, Almost Famous), & skateboarder Jason Lee debuts his series of photographs taken on Oklahoma roadtrips.

O K : JA S O N L E E P H O T O G R A P H S

Larry Clark (American, b.

1943). Billy Mann, 1963.

Gelatin silver print, 11 × 14".

Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Museum purchase, 2018.1.2. © Larry Clark; Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.

Jason Lee (American, b. 1970).

Untitled, 2018. Digital print, 44 × 54". Courtesy of the artist. © Jason Lee

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

community

The weather wizard of Tulsa Meteorologist Travis Meyer on saving lives and becoming a meme

by TTV STAFF

T

he weather in Green Country—and across the state—has been relentless the last few weeks. During the chaos, many Tulsans have been glued to coverage by Travis Meyer, the chief meteorologist at KOTV News On 6, for in-depth, up-tothe-second updates on every hook echo, squall line and flood warning in northeastern Oklahoma. Meyer has more than 30 years of meteorology experience, first working in Tulsa with KTUL Channel 8 before moving to Channel 6 in 2005. We talked to Meyer on a sunny afternoon, the first since the severe weather outbreak began, for an inside look on what it’s like to be a weatherman in the heart of Tornado Alley.

THE TULSA VOICE: I imagine you’ve had a crazy week, to say the least.

Can you tell us what the last 10 days have been like in the studio?

TRAVIS MEYER: “Relentless” is the word I would use to describe it.

You know, you’re prepared, and yet even when you’re prepared, you can run out of energy. … We were running low on gas, but fortunately, we have six meteorologists on the staff, and so we were able to rotate a lot. I spoke quite a bit during the events. … I got kind of sore toward the end, because it was hours and hours and hours of talking. So we split it up as much as we can and make sure that nobody wears out their voice.

TTV: How long were you on air during this period of time?

MEYER: It’s all a blur, to be honest with you. All the days merged into the same. You sleep for about five hours, six hours, and you hurry up and get back to work. … I think 12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

wrecking their programming, bad forecast. … There were still a few that thought I was an idiot and all that—you can’t please everybody, and you try to help as many people as you can.

It really didn’t sink in. It just started with those memes … I was having my own little moments of just laughing in the middle of, you know, being stressed. So it was probably the best thing that could’ve happened for me, because it gave me a little bit of a light moment. Everything else is so serious and you’re so intense making sure you’re not misreading the radar. It was a moment that I’ll cherish forever.

It won’t happen again. It’s one of those once in a lifetime moments for people.

Travis Meyer is the chief meteorologist at KOTV News On 6.

MORGAN WELCH

we were a solid nine-and-a-half [hours] on Channel 6 and then another two hours or so [on Facebook]. It came out to almost 12 hours total. So that broke all our records. I think the longest before had been closing in on eight.

TTV: How do you find time to eat?

To go to the bathroom?

MEYER: We don’t eat a whole lot.

We do try to eat protein stuff to keep going. You’re not an athlete, but you have to act like one there, with persistence as far as not being able to leave the field of play, so to speak. Usually you have just a moment to rotate, that’s when people take a quick break.

I don’t think Stacia [Knight] left her position, we counted, for like five-and-a-half hours. She ran the radar; she’s great.

I drink quite a bit trying to keep my voice going, and try to not get too dry or make it raw and sore, so I’m constantly drinking more. That kind of changes my philosophy a little bit, because I’ll be like, ‘Oh wait, I’ll be right back,’ so I’ll have to spin it off to someone else. Eating is just on the fly. A lot of times we don’t during those events; usually those events are four to six hours and we grab a bite before we start it.

TTV: You’re pretty much the most famous public figure in Tulsa right now. What does it feel like to become a local celebrity for doing your job?

MEYER: It’s a good feeling, because you get enough people chewing you out for so many different reasons—staying on the air,

TTV: Philbrook offered you a day to yourself at the museum, and Nothing’s Left Brewery put your face on prayer candles—did you see those? And someone even wrote and recorded a song called “The Ballad of Travis Meyer.”

MEYER: [Laughs] That was crazy!

Because this was right after one long, long night. I was worn out, and I felt bad for everybody because everybody had to stay for so long. I came home and I saw that somebody sent [the song] to me, and I listened to it, and it just about—it didn’t break my heart, but it was one of those moments, like ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was happy, but I kinda had a tear in my eye.

Like, I don’t deserve that.

I was just really, really touched by that. I don’t know if I was just really tired or if it was just the moment, but that was probably one of the best moments in my life. … Because you go 30 years, and every five years or so someone says, “Thank you—you might’ve saved my life June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

by telling me to get off the sofa and actually go to someplace safe.” … That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s just like everything that you do, everything that you work for just makes it so worthwhile. That you’re actually helping someone.

a soft place to land

BY ALICIA CHESSER PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RUSHMORE

YVONNE CHOUTEAU

EVERY SINGLE OTHER

ROSELLA HIGHTOWER

PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RUSHMORE

MEYER: Number one: I hire people that care, and that’s not a slam on anybody else, but I love to have people that have ownership in Oklahoma, and they’re not just kinda passing through looking to just get a job. I want them to have families here. I want them to be invested. So everybody that’s on my staff is either from Oklahoma or extremely close, or has family in the area.

I like people who are invested here, who aren’t just coming through for a couple of years of experience so they can go on to the big market. It makes a huge difference in the psychology of the person. They’re fighting for something. They’re working for something. They’re rooted here.

And so I think that adds an extra layer of energy and responsibility to their jobs. … To me it’s a lot healthier, and I get better people because they care. They’re heavily invested in our state. … That’s one of the big reasons I loved moving to Channel 6. They’re still locally owned. God willing they can stay that way for a long time. a THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

MARJORIE TALLCHIEF

How the ‘Oklahoma Indian Ballerinas’ gave the United states a regional tradition B y

L y n d s a y

K n e c h t

ARCHIVE PHOTOS COURTESY TULSA BALET

F 20 // FEATURED

18 // FEATURED

August 15 – September 4, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

Feature Writing: Alicia Chesser Atkin, “A Soft Place to Land”

or all the public depictions of the world-famous Native American women who created regional ballet in the United States, the monumental dance they performed together in 1967 remains unseen by anyone who wasn’t there. Complete footage of “The Four Moons” does not exist. The work was a covenant between the ballerinas, the Russian-born art form they mastered, and the ritual dances of their ancestors. It was planned to crown the second Oklahoma Indian Ballerina Festival.

One can’t brush by the history of ballet without meeting the names of Maria Tallchief and her sister Marjorie, of Osage descent; Yvonne Chouteau, of the Shawnee tribe on the Cherokee Nation rolls; Rosella Hightower, whose heritage is Choctaw; and Moscelyne Larkin, of Eastern Shawnee-Peoria descent. Their stories glimmer through the most prestigious halls of dance. Hit after hit.

November 7 – 20, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // December 5 – 18, 2018

Diversity: Fraser Kastner, “Every Single Other”

FEATURED // 21

Entertainment Feature: Lyndsay Knecht, “Moon Phases”

First Place Awards TULSA COUNTY STADIUM | COURTESY

FROM ‘BLACK SUNDAY’ TO GREENWOOD, THE TULSA DRILLERS HAVE A STORIED PAST (AND PRESENT)

BY JAKE CORNWELL

O

n Sunday, April 3, 1977, the rains fell steadily all morning in Tulsa, just before the much-anticipated major league exhibition game featuring the Texas Rangers against the Houston Astros. By midday, the showers ceased and a standing-room-only crowd of some 5,000 people crammed into old Driller Park (formerly known as Oiler Park, at East 15th Street and South Sandusky Avenue) to watch major-league action in their minor-league town.

Overcast skies threatened the game. The smell of rain-soaked asphalt, concrete, and wood permeated the air.

By the second inning, a thunderstorm swept back into town. Rain and hail pelted the exposed seats closest to the field. Many spectators, who wanted to wait out the weather, sought shelter at the highest point in the grandstands. Several fans clustered together on the rightfield side of the upper walkway.

The sudden gathering of people in one condensed area proved too much for the 43-year-old wooden edifice. With a crack and a loud pop, a

Cadillac-sized section of the rightfield walkway collapsed.

Tulsa baseball historian Wayne McCombs was at the game working the new electronic scoreboard.

As he kept counts of innings, balls, and strikes, he heard what he “thought was a heavy thunderclap.

[But] what had happened, part of the stands had given way.”

Men, women, and children plummeted 20 feet to the ground. Others were caught somewhere in between the top of the walkway and the gravel underneath, gripping and clawing, as they scampered to save themselves or their loved ones from falling.

Some lost their grip and fell on top of the debris and people below.

It was not the first time something like that had occurred in Tulsa’s sporting past. The damaged stadium echoed a previous event that had happened 64 years prior when the South Main ballpark (near present day Veterans Park at West 21st Street and South Boulder Avenue) buckled during another exhibition game that killed one man in 1913.

But in the ’77 collapse, no one died. From

jammed fingers and broken arms to injured necks and fractured vertebrae, some 17 or 18 spectators ranging from young children to the elderly were listed as those who needed medical attention. It was an ominous day in Tulsa baseball history. The Tulsa World and Tulsa Tribune reported several witnesses and victims comparing the carnage to popular 1970s disaster movies. But there was one other kind of casualty resulting from the event.

Wayne McCombs once lamented in his book “Let’s Goooooooooo Tulsa!” that “this was the day the stadium died.” Tulsa World sportswriter Barry Lewis later coined the traumatic event “Black Sunday.”

News of the stadium collapse spread across the country, threatening the newly-formed Tulsa Drillers. Ownership found themselves in a precarious situation. Not four months after purchasing a minor league baseball club down in Louisiana and transplanting them to Tulsa, owners Bill Rollings and “Hee Haw” host Roy Clark found themselves at a crossroads. Just days before the season opener, the section of bleachers resembled a pile of pickup sticks. The former Oilers baseball cathedral had

26 // FEATURED

TTV: How does the News 6 weather team keep spirits and energy up during bad weather events?

MARIA TALLCHIEF

TULSA’S LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY COMES TO WORSHIP

BY FRASER KASTNER

TTV: Have you ever had any close calls at the studio?

MEYER: About 10 days ago, Alan Crone was on in the morning and that tornado touched down just on the west side of downtown. It just went on the north side of downtown, and they pushed everybody to the basement, to the tornado shelter at Channel 6, and Alan stayed on the air. Stephen Nehrenz, he ran the radars and stuff while Alan was doing the analysis of what the storm was doing, and it just barely missed. … But we do have tornado shelters and stuff like that like every business pretty much does, so we make sure to get everybody to get their rears down there and not just sit there and watch it like normal Oklahomans.

MOSCELYNE LARKIN

Use of Graphic Illustration: Eliseo Casiano, “The Ones We Lost”

July 3 – 17, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE

sang its last hymn. Years of exposure and neglect had rotted the ballpark to its core.

“The only thing holding that ballpark together was the paint,” Clark said. “This was my introduction to professional baseball!”

Amidst the fallout of injured folks proclaiming never to return to Driller Park, compounded by Tulsa County inspectors declaring the stands not fit for use, the County razed the park. After four decades of play, all that was left was a field and box seats.

The negative press could have ruined the nascent ballclub, but Rollings sought to make baseball in Tulsa successful. Temporary bleachers were erected behind the box and reserve seat sections and the Drillers were ready for play by Opening Day. Rollings said in an interview several years later about the ordeal, “I think I told everybody at that time that I wasn’t in it for the money, that Roy and I were in it to try to satisfy the city of Tulsa. We wanted to have [a place] where a family of four could come out to the ballpark, have a hot dog, have a Coke, and get in for twenty dollars. We were able to do that.”

After the collapse, Driller Park had an expiration date. The stands that seated an excess of 5,000 spectators were sacrificed to the gods of baseball past, and the makeshift accommodations dwindled seating down to 3,500. The “temporary” solution lasted well beyond the expected timeline. It took four years for a new stadium to materialize.

MOVING HOME PLATE

The ballfield that came to be known by several names over its 29 year existence (Sutton, Tulsa County, and Drillers Stadium) began when oilman Robert Sutton donated the initial funds to build the aluminum ballpark at the corner of East 15th Street and South Yale Avenue, adjacent to the old field.

Built in three sections (home plate, rightfield, and leftfield), Sutton Stadium opened for play in 1981, and the Drillers began gaining momentum, developing their fanbase, and building their brand.

After moving into the new facility, Rollings and Clark sold their club to the Texas Rangers. Then, the ballclub began to turn around, transitioning

from dwindling attendance to a more consistent turnout. When New Hampshire business executive Went Hubbard’s son Jeff played in the Rangers farm system, he looked for business opportunities in minor league baseball. According to Drillers General Manager Mike Melega, after doing his homework on minor league teams and their cities, Went Hubbard fell in love with Tulsa. He purchased the team in late 1986 and brought with him a vision for expansion, professionalism, and fun.

Not long after acquiring the Drillers, Hubbard doled out the money to connect the three stands, completing the stadium. The park eventually expanded seating to 11,999, which made for a jampacked house at the height of baseball in the late 1980s. Back then, Oklahoma State University and University of Oklahoma battled it out in Tulsa for bragging rights at bedlam baseball games. “[Hubbard] put sound business principle into play, put money into the club, [and] added staff,” Melega said. “We went from probably drawing 70,000–80,000 a year to drawing over 300,000 [annually] for a decade. Baseball was [Hubbard’s]

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 17, 2018

FEATURED // 27

Sports Feature: Jake Cornwell, “Rains May Come”

IS PSYCHED! THE TULSA VOICE received 10 awards in the 2019 Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists Awards including FIVE First Place Awards (shown above)! We also received FIVE Design awards from the Art Directors Club of Tulsa, Society of Publication Designers and Great Plains Journalism Awards!

These honors add up to 57 total awards for journalistic and artistic excellence in The Tulsa Voice during the past four years.

Flash Fiction cover awards: • Art Directors Club of Tulsa Graphex in Print Award • Society of Publication Designers Merit Winner

Additional Honors: Society of Professional Journalists Second Place, Feature Writing: Kristi Eaton, “Love, courageous and strong” Second Place, Story/Photo Essay: Bhadri Verduzco & Nate Grace, “Perfectly Queer” Second Place, Page 1 Layout & Design: Madeline Crawford, “Flash Fiction” Second Place, Use of Graphic Illustration: Matt Chinworth, “Yes We Cannabis”

Third Place, Feature Page Layout & Design: Madeline Crawford, “Perfectly Queer”

Art Directors Club of Tulsa

Honorable Mention in Print: “The Year in Everything” cover

Great Plains Journalism

Finalist: Designer of the Year, Madeline Crawford Finalist: Newspaper Feature Page Design NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13

community

Knowledge is power

New online curriculum explores historic Greenwood and the Race Massacre of 1921

by KRISTI EATON

T

he John Hope Franklin Center has unveiled a resource portal to help teachers, researchers and citizens learn about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Black Wall Street, and the Greenwood District.

The curriculum resource portal includes official documents as well as survivor stories, photos, video interviews and discussion guides. The page, which is accessible at the Center’s website, was unveiled during the John Hope Franklin National Symposium in May. “We [want to be] the resource page for scholars, for educators, for community members to fi nd a lot of information and then create whatever story they are trying to tell,” said Dewayne Dickens, chair of the Center’s National Symposium, who helped in the creation of the portal.

During the portal’s launch, Dickens noted that the story of Greenwood is not only for North Tulsa. “It is a shared story: Tulsa.

Oklahoma. The United States,” he said.

The resource portal includes information about the people and places of Greenwood, before and after the Massacre. “We’re constantly contending with the … interpretation of what the facts are,” Dickens said. “If we can get a common agreement that these are the basic facts, we want to share those stories.”

Vanessa Komara created the Center’s website and helped design and implement the curriculum resource portal. She said there were several educators on the curriculum committee, which met during two workshops lasting

14 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Dr. Dewayne Dickens helped create an online resource portal to help people understand Greenwood’s past and present. | GREG BOLLINGER

eight to nine hours, giving them a chance to dive deep into the resources and information available. “I’m really excited about it,” she said.

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission has also developed curriculum for students. The Center’s resource portal is separate from that, Dickens noted.

The Center’s portal will include pictures and video, along-

side information about what it was like to grow up in Greenwood after the Massacre. This, Dickens believes, will help share more insight into the resilience of the neighborhood. “People will consistently say that it’s terrible that Greenwood disappeared in 1921 without recognizing that— yes, it was destroyed—however, within a year or two, it was back and larger than it was. So they are missing that rebuilding, that

sense of resilience that goes with the story,” he said. “If we don’t share also the stories of the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, then they are missing a major chunk of the Greenwood story.”

The curriculum includes discussion guides about how to discuss tough community topics in a way that includes multiple voices. “It becomes a difficult conversation for anyone visiting the park when they become part of the story,” Dickens said. The portal also includes links to other workshops and materials, including templates of lesson plans.

“It’s a start,” he said. “That’s really a big difference between ours and some of the others. We’re not trying to provide one curriculum that you teach every year and that’s all you have to worry about … what we are providing are different lesson plans that have worked for different ages.”

The all-volunteer committee worked for about a year to create the page, which will be continually updated. The project started with a grant from Tulsa Community College.

There is a link for individuals to make comments that will be reviewed on a regular basis. Contributors can also submit photos, lesson plans, survivor stories and significant people of Greenwood.

There is also a virtual tour of the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park.

“What this offers is more of the story,” he said. “As educators, our concern is the person who writes the history—that’s the only version you have. But in order for a student to own the history, they have to question things.” a June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 15

citybites

Los Tres Fronteras’ signature dish features perfectly-fried chicken, plantains, pickled cabbage and onions. | GREG BOLLINGER

Final frontier

Scaling “Chicken Mountain” at Los Tres Fronteras

by MITCH GILLIAM

R

aphael Flores ducks into the kitchen to whip up a batch of fresh salsa as the Los Tres Fronteras lunch rush settles into a dull roar. Servers’ friendly rapport gives way to chopping sounds, as waiters and cooks are often the same, with the clatter of silverware and the chatter of happy diners fi lling the intimate space. “This is a slow day,” he says with a smile.

Even on this “slow day,” every table is full. This is par for the course at Los Tres Fronteras.

Known for its killer service and south-of-the-border specialties, the restaurant is located at the southeast corner of 21st Street and Memorial Drive, forming an unbeatable culinary triad with neighbors Viet Huong and Tacos Don Francisco. Serving Honduran cuisine in a cozy dining room with an open kitchen, the place has the energy of a bustling family dinner.

That’s because food is a family affair in the Frontera-verse.

Flores’ mom, Blanca Alfaro, owns the restaurant, and his brother Victor owns Sin Fronteras on Brookside, which is earning a

16 // FOOD & DRINK

name for itself with Tex-Mex offerings alongside traditional Honduran dishes. Although Sin Fronteras is excellent and has introduced the Riverside area to Honduran cuisine, Los Tres was my and many Tulsans’ introduction to the game.

And just look up there at that photo.

Look at it.

That is the signature dish at Tres Fronteras: pollo y tajadas, or “chicken and bananas.”

This coyly named Honduran staple is far from humble. Offered simply as “chicken leg,” or “chicken breast” on the English menu, the dish is a giant piece of perfectly-fried chicken atop plantains, covered in pickled cabbage and onions, and drenched in mayonnaise and chili sauce.

A more apt name would be Chicken Mountain. But it’s not just a Herculean mass of Honduran cuisine; each component is exceptional. If this chicken was offered in a fast food bucket, you’d order a family size, forgo the fi xins, and drive back through for another in an hour.

The onions are as perfectly-pickled as the chicken is fried, neon purple in hue with a floral fragrance and flavor, blending seamlessly into the shredded and lightly-seasoned cabbage.

The mayonnaise and chili sauce become one and seep through the entire meal down to the plantains, which is the bedrock of Chicken Mountain.

These ingredients forfeit their own identity and become one perfect bite in every forkful—a savory chicken cake of sorts.

In addition to this poultry powerhouse, Tres Fronteras also serves incredible pupusas. These heavenly cornmeal flatbreads come stuffed with your choice of meat and cheese, and garnished with the purple pickled onions that herald Chicken Mountain’s summit.

For a variation on the theme, try the baleadas, which is similar but encased in Tres Fronteras’ house-made tortillas. The Tres Fronteras crew also makes their own chips, whose slight puffiness distinguishes them from the offerings at your usual south-

of-the-border joint. Those puffy chips are accompanied by a savory, rich and spicier-than-usual table salsa. Even their traditional Mexican food has an added degree of flavor. (You’ll find the best shrimp taco in town here.)

But let’s not bury the lede.

Look at that photo again.

Put this paper down, toss your phone in the Riverside sinkhole, log off your work computer—no, quit your job immediately—and get your ass to Los Tres Fronteras.

Chicken Mountain is your god now. You live for it, and to eat it is your Everest.

You will scale Chicken Mountain—your fork as trekking pole—with every expertly balanced bite of Honduran excellence. At its summit, you will greet the rising sun and stake your flag in a pile of chicken bones, knowing your legacy is secured. Anthony Bourdain’s ghost will cry a single tear, and Guy Fieri will suddenly wake from a fitful sleep, unsure why.

Then you will take a nap.

Because Chicken Mountain is as heavy as it is delicious. a June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

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FOOD & DRINK // 17

foodfile

Paletas to the people La Tropical is a summertime institution

by TERRIE SHIPLEY

I

n search of a warm-weather treat off the beaten path? Look no further than La Tropical.

With its flagship store in East Tulsa and a new one in Broken Arrow, this summertime institution will not only get you out of the midtown/downtown bubble, but also provide an immersive, richly cultural experience. In particular, La Tropical showcases Mexico’s mastery of paletas, or freezer pops, conjuring the image of the old, hunchbacked paletero with his tiny pushcart.

Inside La Tropical’s cheerful, bright green and orange interior, you’ll find about 35 Mexican ice pop flavors and 30 ice cream flavors—all family recipes. The sheer sight of their kaleidoscopic freezer case will have you humming “De Colores.”

Run by owner Yesenia Marín and three generations of her family, La Tropical is more than a paletería or nevería. It’s also a snack shop, serving sweet and savory treats such as fresas con crema (fresh strawberries and a cream made with condensed milk and sour cream) and elotes (corn on the cob with butter, mayonnaise and chili powder).

There is a full spectrum of options. The less adventurous might opt for milkshakes or nachos (but … why?) whereas daredevils might select locos—a bag of chips such as Cheetos or Doritos fi lled with shredded cabbage, roma tomato, chicharrones (pork rinds), sour cream, cheese and hot sauce. A popular Mexican street food, locos take the name for whatever brand you select. Dori loco, for example, would be “crazy Doritos,” or a bag of chips dialed all the way up.

Marín recommends the chips.

“I absolutely love the Mix, which is the chips with the fruit and 18 // FOOD & DRINK

features huge chunks of fruit—to the extent that some bites are pure mango—and is speckled with a confetti of chili. Don’t miss this one, as it’s typically sold out on busy days.

ARROZ CON LECHE Creamy and rich, like your abuela’s rice pudding. Marín hopes her many Latinx customers will recall their childhood when eating it. Featuring soft grains of sweet rice, cinnamon throughout, and a couple of raisins here and there, it hits the spot when you want something more substantial.

La Tropical’s mango con chile features chunks of fresh mango and a confetti of chili. | GREG BOLLINGER

chamoy and tajín, and the peanuts, and, oh, that’s my favorite!”

Chamoy and tajín are, respectively, a Mexican sauce and seasoning that puts American condiments to shame. Chamoy, a liquid blend of chili, lime and a fruit such as plum or apricot, enhances fruit to taste at once sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Tajín, a spice blend of chili, lime and salt, is often sprinkled on fruits and veggies.

This powder will hook you; as a kid, I would eat a candy version of this—basically tajín mixed with sugar—by sprinkling it on my hand and raising that hand up to my mouth, all in a fluid motion.

Nowadays, my husband and I love tajín on watermelon.

It’s also fantastic with mangoes, as regulars at La Tropical will attest. The top seller is the mangonada, Marín’s muse. Chunks of fresh mango are married with lime juice, generous squirts of

chamoy, and swirls of tajín. It’s served with a fun straw wrapped in spicy-sweet seasoned tamarind.

Prior to opening the first store in 2015, Marín would crave mangonadas from her upbringing in Chicago. “That was the big thing,” Marín said. “It was a big hit.”

Though we love the mangonada’s flavor combo, the biggest hit for my family and me are the paletas, or freezer pops. We get them on weekend afternoons when our sweet tooth wants something amplified, zingier, fresher.

Each pop is homemade. “The commercialized ones are basically water and flavor,” Marín said.

Hers have natural fruit.

Though we usually get different paletas each time, two of our favorites are: MANGO CON CHILE This paleta de agua, or water-based pop, is positively refrescante. It

Marín and her husband have combined ingredients from the two bordering coastal states in Mexico where their families are from. Her parents are from Guerrero, and her husband was born in Michoacán, coming to the U.S. as a teenager. Paletas, then, are in their blood; in Michoacán, the treat is so popular that the city of Tocumbo erected a giant statue of one.

The duo takes pride in concocting each of the recipes, to such a degree that Marín takes one for the team when it’s time to devise a new flavor. “Believe it or not, I’m lactose intolerant,” she said.

It’s evident that the community appreciates Marín’s dedication. Swing by on a summer Sunday afternoon and you may have to wait in line just to take a ticket. “That’s where my family comes in, because everyone wants the store to thrive,” Marín said. a

Nevería y Paletería La Tropical Open every day 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

3151 S. 129th E. Ave., Tulsa 1181 S. Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

AY

GIVING BACK WHAT STORMS

TOOK AWAY THURS • JUNE 6 More than 25 district businesses are donating 10% of their sales for the day to the American Red Cross of Oklahoma.

Albert G’s BBQ (both locations) American Parking Andolini’s Sliced Arnies Boomtown Tees Dilly Diner Dust Bowl El Guapo’s Fassler Hall The First Ward Studio Fleet Feet Yokozuna (both locations) will be selling Red Cross Rolls in June. $10 from each roll will go towards the American Red Cross of Oklahoma.

The Fur Shop Juniper McNellie’s New Era Fine Fermentations Peacemaker Prospect Local Bar & Kitchen The Rabbit Hole Rib Crib Riley’s Wine & Spirits (in the Boxyard)

Rose Gold (in the Boxyard) The Max Retropub Sweet Boutique (in the Boxyard) The Tulsan Bar Tulsa Artery Vintage Wine Bar Whiskey 918 (Friday night sales) Yokozuna (both Tulsa locations)

Hurts Donuts will donate 100% of their $3 Travis Meyer Wicked Donuts sales to the American Red Cross of Oklahoma on Tuesday, June 4.

Welcome Tulsa Tough Fans!

Friday Night’s Blue Dome Crit runs right past our front door!

Stop in for a $7 Sangria. Proceeds benefit Bike Club.

324 E . 1S T S T. | 918.76 4.9255 | W I N EBA R T U L SA .CO M

JUNE 8-9, 2019 | CHAPMAN MUSIC HALL TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT 918-596-7111

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

FOOD & DRINK // 19

Everyone is Welcome.

Everyone is Creative.

Hardesty Center Tulsa Arts District

Not just an ordinary bar

Join us for the tastiest Chicken & Waffles in Tulsa!

18 East M. B. Brady St. 918-588-2469 cazschowhouse.com

21 E M.B. Brady St 918-585-8587

Open Tues. - Sat. 11am - 7pm 217 E. Archer Historic tulsa Arts District (918) 619-6353

Arrive Early. Stay Late.

The Tulsa Arts District is home to retail and service shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, galleries, museums,

OPEN NOW

parks, private businesses, residences and historic music venues. Plan to arrive early and stay late in the Tulsa Arts District!

*Best Place For A Night On The Town Top 3 Best Free Entertainment – First Friday Art Crawl

facebook.com/TulsaArtsDistrict @TulArtsDist

#TulArtsDist

KING OF THE BOOGIE

TheTulsaArtsDistrict.org

20 // TULSA ARTS DISTRICT GUIDE

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

LISTEN UP! TULSA TALKS is TulsaPeople’s podcast on Tulsa’s community and culture.

Morris DAY

Subscribe for FREE on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify!

Episodes are released the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.

Sponsored by:

YOUR PARTNER IN PROSPERITY

tulsachamber.com

FIRST

Tulsa Talks Pod Cast Tulsa Voice- 4.375 x 1.5.indd 1

3/4/19 1:21 PM

A Tribute

TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP

FRIDAY FIRST FRIDAY HOURS /// 6-9PM

ARCHER STUDIOS

109 N. MLK, JR. BLVD. E.

CAMERON STUDIOS 303 N. MAIN ST.

Join us at both our Archer and Cameron Studio locations for open studios, group exhibitions, pop up performances and more.

Free and open to all.

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

@TulsaArtistFellowship #TulsaArtistFellowship

Sheila E. JUNE 13-16 tulsajuneteenth.org FOOD & DRINK // 21

URGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMM

DUST BOWL • A vintage-inspired bowling alley located in downtown Tulsa. Come enjoy our lounge, patio, full bar, and food menu full of retro classics with a modern twist. We have many juicy burgers to choose from like our delicious Spicy Bacon Cheeseburger! The Dust Bowl isn’t just about bowling. It’s a unique entertainment destination that can accommodate a variety of parties, corporate events, birthday parties ( kids & adults), reunions, game watches, holiday parties and group outings.

DILLY DINER • Downtown Tulsa’s favorite diner serves up breakfast favorites and dinner classics all day.

The Dilly Burger will make you say ‘woah’ with double meat, double cheese, shaved red onion, house sweet pickles and fancy sauce on a potato bun.

DILLYDINER.COM

w o W r O r N a n e k Bro

DUSTBOWLTULSA.COM

OPEN

PICK YOUR PROTEIN

BE E F // T UR K E Y // BISON (+2.4 9) // G A R L IC QUINO A V E G A N PAT T Y // GR IL L E D CHICK E N (+1 ) EATATTHEGARAGE.COM

TULSA

7104 S SHERIDAN RD. 22 // SUMMER BURGER GUIDE

9718 RIVERSIDE PKWY

BROKEN ARROW

801 E. HILLSIDE DR.

OWASSO

13303 E 96TH STREET N. June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

ELGIN PARK • We may be known for our pizza and wings but did you know we have some great burgers as well? Come by and try our tasty Triple Double Burger! We are a sports inspired brewery located just across the street from ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. With over 50 televisions, we’re you’re sports destination. Don’t forget, $2 pints of house brewed beer every Thursday & 50 Cent Wings every Wednesday Night after 5pm!

ELGINPARKBREWERY.COM

MCNELLIE’S • Sure, our beer selection is immense, but the food is pretty good, too! Try the original McNellie’s charburger - it’s a 1/2 pound patty served with bib lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, on a brioche bun. Enjoy it for only $3.99 every Wednesday 5PM-Close.

MCNELLIES.COM • MCNELLIESSOUTHCITY.COM THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

FASSLER HALL • This German gem, located in the heart of downtown Tulsa, is known for it’s German beer selection and housemade sausages. But, don’t pass on the burger! It’s topped with Gouda, house sauerkraut and mustard, and comes with a side of duck fat fries.

FASSLERHALL.COM

THE TAVERN • The Tavern is a modern interpretation of the classic neighborhood pub, located in the Tulsa Arts District. Enjoy The Tavern burger with a crafted cocktail, artisanal beer, or a world class glass of wine. And, don’t forget it’s half price after 9pm!

TAVERNTULSA.COM SUMMER BURGER GUIDE // 23

SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS • SUMMER BURGERS

FASSLER HALL • This German gem, located in the heart of downtown Tulsa, is known for it’s German beer selection and housemade sausages. But, don’t pass on the burger! It’s topped with Gouda, house sauerkraut and mustard, and comes with a side of duck fat fries.

FASSLERHALL.COM

OUT AND ABOUT Photos from Tulsa Pride 2019

BY TTV STAFF PHOTOS BY MAKAILA MCGONIGAL

Last weekend, a happy legion of rainbow flag-waving, glittercovered, out-and-proud LGBTQ+ people and their allies convened for Tulsa Pride 2019, the longestrunning Pride festival in Oklahoma. Local photographer and TTV contributor Makaila McGonigal documented the festivities with photographs that capture the true spirit of Pride: people of all ages, gender identities and sexual orientations coming together to show support, build community, and end the stigma. a FOR MORE, CHECK OUT THE EXTENDED PHOTO GALLERY ONLINE AT THETULSAVOICE.COM.

24 // FEATURED

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

FEATURED // 25

BUILT FOR WHAT? FIXING TULSA’S INFRASTRUCTURE INEQUITY

BY JEZY J. GRAY 26 // FEATURED

KOLBY WEBSTER WAS A SOPHOMORE at Union High School the first time he got hit by a driver. He was on his bike, commuting to work at a restaurant near 71st Street and Memorial Drive, riding on the sidewalk to avoid the heavy flow of traffic. A car swiped him as the driver turned onto the street, sending Webster’s bike sputtering across two lanes of traffic as his body hurled forward through the air.

An older couple pulled over to call 911. They checked on the teenager, dazed in the grass but without serious injuries, and waited with him for the police to arrive.

“I’ll be at the QuikTrip if you need me,” the driver said.

Webster never saw him again.

When the cops showed up, they chastised Webster for riding on the sidewalk. “Because it’s against city ordinance—it’s for pedestrians only,” he remembers an officer explaining. “And I’m like, ‘Well, it’s 71st Street.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we wouldn’t ride there either. It’s just what the law says.’”

Webster, and the couple who stopped to help, were perplexed by the seemingly impossible scenario laid out before them. “We’re all just kind of silently nodding,” he says with a puzzled laugh. “I mean, what do you say to that? I’m sitting there with these random people and we’re are all in agreement that this is kind of—dumb. And you just have to shrug and limp home.”

This lit a spark for Webster, who’s been biking as his primary mode of transport since he was eight years old. The incident drew a fundamental question into sharp relief: How can people live their lives safely on bikes and on their feet, in a city built for cars?

“That really pushed me into advocating for the built environment,” Webster says. In the years since, he has become one of the most visible and vocal champions of bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Tulsa.

That wasn’t Webster’s last contact with a driver, nor his last with law enforcement. As a young black man, the latter causes a unique anxiety. “There’s just not any extra interaction I wanna have with the police,” he says. But in a city lacking robust cycling infrastructure, coupled with the implicit bias of police departments across the country, that unwanted interaction is all but guaranteed.

“I’ve had cops tell me to get over to the right. I’m like, ‘Yeah, but the street is shit on the right!’ It’s the gutter.

There’s rocks. There’s sand. There’s gravel,” Webster says.

“So I chill over on the right ‘til they’re gone, then get back in the street. Because I need to take this lane. Cause all I’m gonna end up doing is swerving in and out of the trash on the side of the road.”

Other interactions have been more fraught. “Do you really want to argue with me?” one officer challenged, after Webster questioned his order to ride on the sidewalk instead of the street—the opposite instruction from what he was given by officers at 71st Street and Memorial Drive.

The challenges faced by communities of color are unique, but the infrastructure of our city is something we all share.

Here Webster and other bike and pedestrian advocates see a profound inequality. “Every aspect of it doesn’t make sense,” the now-25-year-old activist says. “It seems antagonistic to me—the built environment, and the authorities that uphold the laws of the built environment.”

WHOSE STREETS? Webster recently made waves when he interrupted a speech by Mayor G.T. Bynum to advocate for equitable infrastructure spending during a town hall forum concerning the second phase of the Improve Our Tulsa (IOT) plan.

His grievance? The proposed $597 million project would include $417 million for transportation and streets, but only $5 million for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

This portion of the funding continues an initial investment of $7 million established as part of the city’s GO Plan June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Councilor Lakin says the city’s patchwork of sidewalk ordinances is not a concern he’s heard from the community. “I don’t think [it’s confusing],” he says. “Those to whom I have talked—especially those in the biking community, the BPAC [Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee] world and things like that—they have not brought anything to us saying the ordinances installed are difficult to interpret and understand.”

But Webster remembers the cop who wagged his finger after the driver collided with his bike on a sidewalk, and the other who ordered him to get his bike off the road. “It feels like a weird kind of gaslighting,” he says.

“I don’t want anybody getting hit,” Lakin stresses.

“It just gets more complex when you get around business areas. And it doesn’t matter if you’re at 71st and Mingo near the mall, or you’re downtown on Cherry Street— wherever you have sidewalks going across small roads, or entrance ramps to businesses, there’s just an inherent conflict between cars and bikes or cars and pedestrians.”

KOLBY WEBSTER IS ONE OF TULSA’S MOST VOCAL AND VISIBLE ADVOCATES FOR CYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE | GARY MASON

to increase active transportation. According to Nick Doctor, chief of community development and policy for the City of Tulsa, the goal is to make our built environment a more hospitable place for people to get from point A to point B on bikes and on their feet.

“The way we’ve been thinking about our bike lane infrastructure, particularly on the streets, is: ‘How are we connecting the key destination places in the city?’ From an employment perspective, or from a recreation and entertainment perspective,” Doctor says. “And thinking about how our on-street infrastructure for bike lanes connects to our trail system to really create a stronger and fuller network for cyclists and pedestrians.”

Webster agrees on the need for this connective infrastructure, but says the preliminary breakdown of IOT’s funding doesn’t establish active transportation as a priority. “I would really like to see 10 percent of the whole damn thing go to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure,” he says.

“But it’s 0.8 percent for [that] infrastructure, even though it has the best return for everybody in the city.”

Another area of concern is the planned $64 million allocation for street widening projects. Critics like Webster point to studies that argue wider streets mean faster traffic and environments that are less safe for people walking or riding bikes.

City Councilor Phil Lakin points to his own District 8 as an example of an area where he says auto traffic congestion has created a need for wider roads. He stresses that none of these projects are set in stone, especially the areas that will receive attention as part of the spending package, but says many of his constituents would benefit from more and wider lanes.

“I’ve lived on two-lane streets in South Tulsa since my family moved here when I was nine,” Lakin says. “And since that time the City of Tulsa has progressively developed to the south—and the town to the south, Bixby, has grown THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

demonstrably as well. Its population growth is highest in the region and second-highest in the state. And a lot of those residents want to come to Tulsa, and we want them to come to Tulsa as well, and they’re utilizing these twolane streets … [where] you may have these huge stacks of cars and you just sit in one of these neighborhoods, and you wait for the opportunity just to get to where you’re going.”

While Lakin says wider streets are needed to ease congestion in areas like District 8, he touts the many sidewalk projects that have been completed—and those that will accompany future widening initiatives—as an example of growth that caters to both cars and those using active transportation. “There has been no stronger advocate for widening,” Lakin says of himself. “But there has been no stronger advocate for sidewalks, either. I’m very intently focused on giving constituents all across the city of Tulsa to walk and to bike from their neighborhoods to businesses, schools, and other neighborhoods.”

Councilor Lakin’s advice for people on bikes in District 8? Take those sidewalks. “If you can find one,” he laughs.

“We still have a long way to go.”

To address confusion about the legality of riding on sidewalks, Lakin points to Chapter 10, Section 1009 of the Tulsa Code of Ordinances, which reads: “No person shall operate a bicycle, rickshaw or motorized scooter upon a sidewalk within a business district.” While the language doesn’t explicitly outline where someone on a bike may use the sidewalk, the implication is that areas of town without a high density of businesses and pedestrians are fair game.

“It sounds like a recipe to get people hit,” Webster says.

“I mean, the ordinances change in various parts of the city, and we consider 71st and Memorial a ‘business district,’ but we consider 81st, 91st and Yale not, when they’re designed more or less the same way, and present the same sort of possibilities for anyone who’s walking or biking or driving.”

BUILDING FOR PEOPLE That “inherent conflict” is part of the problem for cycling advocates like Webster who see active transportation as a way to enhance their connection to the city. Ordinances aside, the fundamental question for Webster is how our spending priorities reflect the kind of city we want to be.

“What we’re turning into is not a city. It’s just a place to drive through,” Webster says. “We’re just conforming to the stereotype of a flyover place … even with congestion, at worst you’re looking at 20 to 40 minutes to get from one point of Tulsa to another [by car]—which is fantastic. If these people lived anywhere else, they would know this is ideal: waiting 20 minutes in traffic to get where everybody wants to go.

“I know Phil Lakin thinks he’s doing right by his district,” Webster says of the councilor’s street-widening advocacy. “But at the end of the day, this [will be] a loss for the entire city. It’s a loss for the residents out there, and the whole social fabric of what it is to have neighbors, to communicate with them, to see them, to understand all the different people that live around you—the different incomes and backgrounds and lifestyles. Just for the sake of the idea of convenience.”

Instead of wider streets, advocates like Webster want to see more “road diets” throughout the city. One such project is planned for 11th Street from Peoria to Utica Avenue where protected bike lanes will reduce the width of the road through a key corridor. “With those bike lanes also comes thinking about how that street is made safer for all users,” Nick Doctor says. “So that will include a road diet for 11th Street to make that safer for pedestrians as well.”

Here Webster and the mayor’s office agree. “If you do a road diet, congestion tends to stay exactly the same, but all those other methods move through quicker,” Webster says. “And people start to move toward those alternative methods, because they have options.”

The Improve Our Tulsa II funding package will be put before voters in a special election on Nov. 12. In the meantime, for those who want to get involved in creating more equitable spaces for people on bikes and on their feet, Webster says to consider your own lifestyle and see what you sacrifice for convenience. “There are three words I use to check my own lifestyle: sustainability, equity, and access. Do I have it? Am I practicing it?”

Groups like BPAC and Tulsa Hub are organizations where citizens can put those questions into action. Networks like these speak to a fundamental piece of advice Webster has for the citizens of Tulsa. “Think about advocating for people,” he says. “What does it mean, and what does it look like in your city?” a FEATURED // 27

WHEELS OF FORTUNE TULSA HUB, MAKING CHANGE ONE BIKE AT A TIME

BY MATT CARNEY • PHOTOS BY NATHAN POPPE REN BARGER HAS A PERMANENT TITANIUM matrix in her spine and similarly fixed convictions about the benefits of bicycling for transportation.

Barger’s neck and seven other bones broke more than a decade ago when she was hit by a car in Chicago. She was 21 at the time. “I was riding my bike home on a Friday night, then woke up in Cook County Hospital,” Barger said.

The incident left her in a halo for weeks, dependent on others for care and support. But Barger recuperated, her belief in bikes intact. She returned to her native Tulsa in 2008 to find a downtown district twittering with new construction projects and redevelopment. The city’s streets weren’t exactly safe for riding bikes, but Barger, saddled with student and medical debt, didn’t have much choice in the matter.

“I couldn’t afford a car, so I rode my bike everywhere,” she said.

Ground broke downtown for the BOK Center, an arena built to hold nearly 20,000. Staples like McNellie’s and Dwelling Spaces both opened that year. Amid a nationwide recession, the district was nonetheless teeming with signs of life.

“Listening to all the language about all this new development around downtown made it seem very exciting and interesting,” Barger recalled. “But the folks taking advantage of the social services and reliant on bicycles for transportation—the powers that be discussed them as a problem to be moved out of the way.

28 // FEATURED

“They were talking about this problem of poor people hanging out in downtown. There wasn’t a lot of empowering language. … I wanted to create a facility that would help with transportation, normalize bike culture and look at the root causes of people’s poverty.”

In October 2008, Barger founded Tulsa Hub as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Its mission? To change lives through cycling. But what does success look like for such an organization? A few weeks spent riding my own bike around downtown to interview Hub staff and clients might provide some answers.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Dozens of wheels dangle above Rob Franklin’s head as he fastens a water bottle cage to a child’s sturdy, skyblue bike frame inside the Hub’s garage. Work benches, filing cabinets and shelves line the walls, every inch of available surface occupied either by a tool or a spare part. Bikes hang from racks affixed to the ceiling in various stages of completion: Huffy, Raleigh, Roadmaster, Schwinn, Mongoose, Diamondback. It’s messy, but not disorganized. Little goes to waste.

Franklin and the rest of Hub’s mix of full-time, part-time and volunteer staff affectionately call this cheery space “The Boneyard.” You can enter off the street if the garage door’s open, or through a break room that connects to the Hub’s one-room office via a short hallway. Hub rents the building on a

sweetheart deal with a local landlord. It’s a block west from the BOK Center, on the south side, a short walk from the Denver Avenue Bus Station, Central Library and the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.

“The location is pretty ideal,” Franklin says. “We’re not far from a great deal of our clientele.”

Barger estimates that Hub takes anywhere from 10–20 bicycle donations per week. In the garage, Franklin and his colleagues break each donated bike down for parts or refurbish it, depending on the make and quality of the bike, as well as current demand.

Garage space is limited, so they have to move bikes through quickly.

Once refurbished, bikes are delivered to a nearby warehouse where they wait to be sold, donated or used in Hub programming. Hub’s social entrepreneurship model enables it to distribute road-ready bikes based on community need, but they also sell fancier bikes for revenue. Payroll and rent are their two biggest expenses, according to Stephen Place, Hub operations and programs co-director.

Hub boasts the only adult earn-a-bike education program in the state. The Adult Cycling Education program costs participants $35, a fee often waived in exchange for three-and-a-half hours of volunteer work, and covers how to ride safely, legally and responsibly.

Program graduates also learn how to do repairs when their bikes break down. Barger says the A.C.E. program has opened access to transportation for more than 1,400 people struggling to make ends meet.

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

NORMAN WATERS WORKS IN “THE BONEYARD” AT TULSA HUB, WHICH DISTRIBUTES ROAD-READY BIKES BASED ON COMMUNITY NEED.

“Generally, we’re looking for mountain bikes, something rugged,” Franklin says when I ask what makes a good bike for an A.C.E. program graduate.

“You can carry your groceries on it, your laundry. It’s not for show, it’s for go.”

ON THE MEND Chains and gears click together in perfect timing as I speak with another mechanic, Norman Waters. He’s a big man with weathered hands, a handlebar mustache and long hair pulled together by an American flag bandana. It’s much easier to imagine him tag-teaming with Hulk Hogan in a wrestling league for retirees than balanced on top of a bicycle. Waters works in the Boneyard now but when he first came to Hub four years ago he was new in town, working construction and living on the street without transportation.

Waters threads an old brake cable through a new casing as we talk. The bike he earned through the A.C.E. program got him to and from work in Berryhill, about six miles from downtown Tulsa. “Not all construction sites are on the bus route,” he points out.

Waters gained and nearly lost housing after the company that employed him went out of business. He sold plasma to survive. But all the while he exchanged work for upgrades and repairs to his commuter bike at Hub and eventually it turned into a mechanic job.

He likes the work itself, the repetition of it and the friendly people who come in and out of the garage.

I rode over to Hub one Tuesday evening during their open garage hours to see that friendliness in action. Waters was there at his workstation, mending battered bicycles and cracking jokes.

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

Franklin gives instructions to a new volunteer and to another man, Edward Martins, a Nigerian immigrant working in exchange for upgrades to his bike. Place is there, too, rehabbing a high-end carbon fiber donation with the help of a long-time volunteer. A man with a pickup truck stops by to donate used bikes, which his sons ride around the parking lot next door. The garage doors open to the sunset.

“I didn’t start this organization so I could lobby elected officials. I started this organization because I wanted to love people with bikes,” Barger says. “And hopefully I can love those people enough that they can get healthier and then they can say, ‘What would it take to do systemic change?’”

Systemic change in Tulsa seems a long ways off.

A local transportation system that’s friendlier to bicyclists of all socioeconomic status will require massive public buy-in and a significant civic planning effort, not to mention decades of implementation.

Until then, Hub’s at the ground level making change one bike at a time. a

(ABOVE) TULSA HUB IS LOCATED AT 601 W 3RD STREET. (BELOW) TULSA HUB’S A.C.E. PROGRAM HAS OPENED ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION FOR MORE THAN 1,400 PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

This article originally appeared in Issue 40 of The Curbside Chronicle, where it won first place for magazine feature writing at the 2019 Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalist awards. Curbside is a publication created for and sold by people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City. This street paper’s model provides the homeless with an amplified voice and a means of income, empowering them to rise out of poverty. For more info, visit thecurbsidechronicle.org.

FEATURED // 29

TOUGHER THAN EVER

THE 14TH ANNUAL SAINT FRANCIS TULSA TOUGH BEGINS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 7. | VALERIE WEI-HAAS (INSET) MCNELLIE’S GROUP BLUE DOME CRITERIUM | CHRIS BARNES

YOUR GUIDE TO TULSA TOUGH 2019

O

ur baby’s growing up. Now in its 14th year, Tulsa Tough has become one of the most anticipated cycling events in the country and one of Tulsans’ favorite times of year.

Including some planned changes (yes, Cry Baby Hill will have barricades; yes, this is the end of an era; yes, this is a good thing) organizers are scrambling to reroute several races where parts of courses are unsafe after last month’s disastrous weather. As of publication, criterium races on Friday and Saturday are unchanged, Cry Baby Hill’s course has been rerouted away from Riverside Drive, new courses for the Gran Fondos have been announced, and the Townie Ride course is still TBD. An exciting new addition to this year’s races is Red Bull Last Stand, which originated in San Antonio and will now follow The Tulsa Arts District Criterium Pro races on Saturday night. Riders on fixed-gear bikes will race in an “eliminator” format; the rider who crosses the finish line last in each lap is eliminated until only one remains.

In these pages, you’ll find the weekend’s full schedule of races and more.

Have fun and stay hydrated! —TTV STAFF 30 // FEATURED

FRIDAY, JUNE 7

MCNELLIE’S GROUP BLUE DOME CRITERIUM Third Street & Elgin Avenue 4 P.M. 6:15 P.M. 7 P.M. 7:55 P.M.

LAST STAND QUALIFYING MEN’S CAT III MEN’S CAT I/II WOMEN’S PRO I/II

Fireworks begin with five laps to go during Men’s Pro I race. Women’s Pro I/II awards ceremony begins after fireworks, followed by Men’s Pro I awards ceremony.

Friday evening’s races through Blue Dome are like a Tulsa Tough apéritif (apéri-Tough?). The cooler temps and relatively-smaller crowds make it the best day for families to spectate.

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

13 COMMANDMENTS … FOR DATING MY TEENAGE CRY BABY Thou shalt adhere to Cry Baby Hill’s oh-so-awkward official theme: Puberty.

Thou shalt also consider Soundpony’s annual alternate theme: Guy Baby Hill (with apologies and thanks to Signor Fieri.)

Referees are faculty chaperones.

Obey them or get detention.

GKFF TULSA ARTS DISTRICT CRITERIUM | CHRIS BARNES

RIVER PARKS CRITERIUM | CHRIS BARNES

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

GRAN FONDOS John Hope Franklin Boulevard & Elgin Avenue 7 A.M. 7:30 A.M. 7:40 A.M.

FONDO RIDER STAGING ACE CHALLENGE PELOTON START GRAN, MEDIO, AND PICCOLO FONDO RIDERS START

GEORGE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION TULSA ARTS DISTRICT CRITERIUM Brady Street & Boston Avenue 9:30 A.M. 10:15 A.M. 10:50 A.M. 11:25 A.M. NOON

MEN’S MASTERS B (CAT III, IV) MEN’S CAT V 35+ MEN’S CAT V UNDER 35 WOMEN’S CAT IV/V WOMEN’S CAT III, WOMEN’S MASTERS 12:45 P.M. MEN’S CAT IV 1:30 P.M. JUNIORS 2:05 P.M. KIDS (9 AND UNDER) 2:25 P.M. MEN’S MASTERS A (CAT I, II, III) 3:30 P.M. MEN’S CAT III 4:35 P.M. MEN’S CAT I, III 5:50 P.M. WOMEN’S PRO I/II 6:55 P.M. MEN’S PRO I 8:30 P.M. RED BULL LAST STAND WOMEN’S FIXIE 9:15 P.M. RED BULL LAST STAND MEN’S FIXIE Awards ceremonies for Women’s Pro I/II and Men’s Pro I will begin at conclusion of Men’s races.

With a course that goes by Soundpony, the headquarters of Tulsa Tough’s official/unofficial home team, Saturday’s races feel like the weekend’s homecoming game. And as the longest day of races (made even longer with the addition of Red Bull Last Stand) all-day spectating is a marathon. Don’t forget to hydrate!

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

GRAN FONDO See tulsatough.com for updates.

7 A.M. 7:30 A.M.

FONDO RIDER STAGING ALL RIDERS START

TOWNIE RIDE See tulsatough.com for updates.

A free, all-ages 5.8-mile ride. This is not a race— you can go your own pace, so it’s perfect for kids and families.

RIVER PARKS CRITERIUM See tulsatough.com for updates.

8 A.M. 8:35 A.M. 9:10 A.M. 9:45 A.M. 10:20 A.M.

MEN’S MASTERS B (CAT III, IV) MEN’S CAT V 35+ MEN’S CAT V UNDER 35 WOMEN’S CAT IV/V WOMEN’S CAT III, WOMEN’S MASTERS 11 A.M. MEN’S CAT IV 11:45 A.M. JUNIORS 12:20 P.M. MEN’S MASTER’S A (CAT I, II, III) 1:10 P.M. KIDS (AGES 9 AND UNDER) 1:25 P.M. MEN’S CAT III 2:25 P.M. MEN’S CAT I/II 3:30 P.M. WOMEN’S PRO I/II 4:35 P.M. MEN’S PRO I

Thou must be at least 21 years of age. If you’re actually going through puberty, the Hill is not ready for you.

No glass, dogs, or kids. These are bicycle races, not some kind of canine and kid-run recycling plant.

Barricades are our friends and make this shindig sustainable.

Don’t be a doofus.

It might be overcast, but that’s no reason not to hydrate! Drink lots of water and your growing body will thank you.

Going through changes can be tough. Locate medical services if things get too real.

You’re old enough to find the proper facilities to relieve yourself.

Don’t use someone’s lawn.

Your hormones may be going haywire, but that’s no excuse for acting like a creep! Don’t touch any riders or anyone else without their consent or you will be removed by chaperones.

Your Hill is my Hill.

Pick up after yourself.

Awards ceremonies for Women’s Pro I/II and Men’s Pro I will begin at conclusion of Men’s races. a

Cry Baby Hill is a fun-loving institution. Don’t ruin it for yourself and others by being a douche.

FOR ROUTE INFORMATION, VISIT TULSATOUGH.COM

Who are we? Today we are all Soundpony.

FEATURED // 31

artspot

The Larry Clark Photo exhibit at the downtown Philbrook on Thursday, May 30, 2019. | TOM GILBERT/TULSA WORLD

Life and death in ‘Tulsa’ Larry Clark’s photographs show a city at war with itself

by MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

W

hat do the photographs in Larry Clark’s 1971 book Tulsa say about his hometown?

On one hand, it’s all there on the surface: 50 scenes from Clark’s life among his friends, engaging in amphetamine use, sex, and violence. Claustrophobic interiors are the suburban backdrop of boredom and freedom; lanky teenage boys harbor destructive energy and young women with blank eyes casually gaze off into nothing.

These photos are of real people at the fringes of society. They are intimate and often beautiful, capturing the emotional landscape of a specific—if hidden—time and place.

On the other hand, Clark’s work is timeless. The Tulsa photographs document a subtle change of hairstyles and clothing from 1963–1971, but with post-war American drug use and youth counterculture now engrained in 32 // ARTS & CULTURE

Western art and fi lm, the images transcend the cultural moment in which they were produced.

This timeless quality makes the disjointedness between the youthful beauty of these Tulsans—with needles in their arms as Jesus hangs in the background above mantle place—all the more jarring.

“That’s what I think is really shocking about these photographs,” said Sienna Brown, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Philbrook Museum.

“They feel like they could’ve been taken at any time.”

Last year, the Philbrook acquired Clark’s Tulsa portfolio at auction, and Brown began planning an exhibit. In the Philbrook library, Brown presented the portfolio, a large clothbound box containing the same 50 gelatin silver prints that constitute Clark’s book, released in an edition of 100 in 1980. The first Tulsa exhibit was

held in 1971 at the San Francisco Art Institute and Tulsa-specific shows have popped up consistently ever since across the States and Europe. The show at Philbrook Downtown, running from June 1 to November 10, will mark the first museum gallery exhibition of Clark’s Tulsa photos in the city bearing its name.

While this milestone is significant in terms of institutional support, it’s the work itself that Brown hopes will get the city talking.

“It’s because of the same issues of alienation, drug abuse, violence, but also the way he photographs feels so contemporary because he has that ‘part of the inner circle’ but also a cool detachment that he’s constantly playing against, which after his portfolio became a really important art movement,” Brown said. “There are so many artists that can’t exist without Larry Clark’s start. Someone like Nan Goldin, Robert Mappletho-

rpe, Catherine Opie, all of them photographed subcultures which they were a part of and did it in this way that is raw and intimate at the same time.”

Controversial art asks us that we look past ourselves and find how we relate to the emotions it expresses. The Tulsa photographs render us passive victims to traumas, making the act of looking a kind of catharsis—distanced by history and the artistic process— but it is also a disruptive action that can be hard on those who are close to this sort of reality.

Clark’s photographs make no judgement of their subjects. His role is merely to expose. Even if one regards these images as beautiful, the self-destruction coursing throughout is undeniable. Tulsa tells a nightmarish and poetic story, long before Clark would transition to fi lmmaking and present the same tendencies in long narrative form in fi lms like Kids June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

(1995). Life is depicted truthfully, as it was lived, with little context.

Tulsa begins with this epigraph from Clark: i was born in tulsa oklahoma in 1943. when i was sixteen i started shooting amphetamine. i shot with my friends everyday for three years and then left town but i’ve gone back through the years. once the needle goes in it never comes out.

L.C. Several of the photos in the book have brief captions: “dead” under a photo of a woman; “death is more perfect than life” / “dead 1970” under the same photo of Billy Mann holding a revolver on the cover; “accidental gunshot wound” below a man wincing in pain; and “police informer” / “everytime i see you punk you’re gonna get the same,” accompanying strips of fi lm that cinematically show a beating. This commentary only darkens the images, suggesting a mood of hopelessness and quiet chaos.

In a page-long essay titled “TULSA” from April 1971, Clark describes the Valo nasal inhalers they extracted amphetamine from in high school—how his friends participated in armed robbery and were in and out of jail, and how the girls they later ran with became sex workers.

Clark left Tulsa for Milwaukee at 18 to study photography, was drafted for the Vietnam War, and then bounced around the U.S. for some time, finalizing his book in New York City and “skuffeling to write something to go with the pictures.”

The images that make up Tulsa convey a world where you either belong or you don’t, organically preserved within the leaves of a book. Reprints by Grove Press make this world more accessible now than ever. (It was hard to find a copy for less than $200 just 5 years ago, now it can be purchased for $25.)

Previously, for Tulsans, Tulsa was an experience reveled in or THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

despised behind closed doors—an explosive document shared with friends in private debates about its artistic merit. To further remove these images from the minimal context of Clark’s book, to display them on the walls of an institution like Philbrook, is to ask the community to have these conversations out in the open.

Philbrook’s Larry Clark: Tulsa is significant because it took 48 years for a Tulsa arts institution to present Clark as a part of the local landscape—but it’s not the first time these images have been presented to the public in Tulsa.

The late Lee Roy Chapman, local journalist and “History Recovery Specialist,” worked to address the fact that Clark had been ostracized in Tulsa. In 2014, Chapman and friends printed out 3 feet by 5 feet Xeroxed images from Tulsa and wheat pasted them around the interior walls of the abandoned Big Ten Ballroom in North Tulsa. Part guerilla art installation, part documentary fi lm—which can still be found on YouTube—Chapman took it upon himself to represent Clark in his natural habitat. In a one-night event, ahha showed Chapman’s fi lm and his collection of Clark ephemera.

Before his passing in 2015, Chapman told local photographer Western Doughty about the attitude surrounding Clark in Tulsa: “Tulsa tries to represent itself as this myriad of things, the first of which was the ‘Oil Capital of the World,’ but working to represent to the world wealth, class, prestige and culture, there is a price; the working class has paid a price for that. And this book shows that price, all the drugs and violence, and all those excesses that come with being a part of the working class society. You’re at war with main stream society, you’re at war with the cops, and sometimes you’re at war with yourself.”

Culturally, the Tulsa of 1971 is not much different that the Tulsa of 2019. We’re still at war with ourselves, and only now are we confronting the repressed aspects of our past and present. With Philbrook’s Larry Clark: Tulsa, the city—as both an artifact and a living, breathing place of destruction and desire—will reveal itself in a new way. a

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onstage

Shelter from the storm The Tempest is the free theater experience Tulsa needs now

by ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN

L

ast summer, Jeremy Stevens, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s education and development director, went to New York City to talk with the staff of the Public Theater, whose revolutionary Public Works program would be the basis for the Orbit Initiative, a new project from the PAC and the Tulsa PAC Trust. The Public Theater’s legendary director, Oskar Eustis, said to Stevens: “I don’t know a lot about Tulsa, but I know you’ve been in the news for the wrong reasons. You need to do The Tempest.”

After living under tornado threats and flood waters for way too much of the past month, this is a community that understands a tempest. But the link for us goes further back than this. There are storms that last for days, and storms that last for generations.

From the Tulsa Race Massacre to the slow grind of gentrification, the harm wreaked on communities of color and other marginalized groups throughout this city’s history is finally being acknowledged by a few more folks with power and privilege. The chronic effect of centuries-long devastation demands a new kind of thinking about access, opportunity, and what community looks like as lived reality rather than a buzzword in a grant proposal.

We won’t be the last to ask how to change our ways. And we certainly aren’t the first. It was 1611 when Shakespeare wrote his play about chaos, revenge, betrayal, love and shipwreck. It’s about the fear and isolation of the Other, about transformation and forgiveness and repair.

On June 8 and 9, 200 Tulsans—from veteran performers to absolute newcomers from all the city’s compass points, aged five to 92—will come together onstage at

34 // ARTS & CULTURE

Theater novices and veterans rehearse for an upcoming performance of a musical version of The Tempest. | GREG BOLLINGER

the city’s most prestigious theater to perform a musical version of The Tempest, adapted from Shakespeare by Public Theater’s Lear deBessonet, with live music (Jamaican, Mexican, country and more) played by an onstage band conducted by Stevens, under the direction of Theatre Tulsa’s Sara Phoenix, with Tony Award-winner Faith Prince as guest director.

Bringing all of Tulsa, tempest-tossed, to see that it has a home at the PAC is the dream of the Orbit Initiative, one of a handful of national affi liates of the Public Works program.

Putting on a show like this—by and for all the city’s people, many of whom have never set foot in the PAC—is an impressive achievement. But it’s not remotely as impressive as the adventure of getting there together.

Starting last fall, seven organizations—Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, Eastside Senior Center, Ellen Ochoa Elementary, Greenwood Cultural Center, Hicks Park Community Center,

Tulsa School of Arts & Sciences, and Solid Foundation Preparatory Academy/Latimer-Cooksey Cultural Arts Foundation—became satellite sites for Orbit Adventures, twice-monthly classes in everything from acting to bucket drumming, open to everyone free of charge. Led by some of Tulsa’s most accomplished artists, these adventures asked what people wanted and gave them the chance to build on that.

“We teach our classes with three words in mind: kind, generous, and brave,” Stevens said. “All three of those words require some sort of sacrifice. Those words reflect how we should be living every day. If we can model those values in this process, what we’re really saying is: Welcome to our family, number one; and number two, you belong. That’s what this is designed to do—wake up the community and say, ‘This is what you can be doing, and here’s how we can do this together.

“At no point is this ‘Let us come into your community and

help you,’” he emphasized. “We want none of that. Instead we’re saying, ‘If you’re willing to tell us what you want, we’ll work together to help you achieve it.’

The idea is to remove obstacles that have limited participation in the creation of art. Then extend those rights and opportunities to anyone who wants it.”

For Phoenix, the power of this project is partnering with “cameo groups” like the Wise Moves Dance Academy with its majorette dancers from far North Tulsa, whose director told her that downtown doesn’t even seem like part of her city. It’s getting some scooters up onstage for a group of kids who had a ton of energy they weren’t sure what to do with in a performance. It’s bringing in food during rehearsals and organizing shuttles to and from the PAC. It’s that 92-year-old woman who told Stevens she’d never done anything like this before, and now she doesn’t ever want to stop.

“I don’t know where else in the community this happens,” Phoenix said. “This multigenerational project, from all over the city, all different backgrounds and beliefs.

It’s like a traditional pageant. This is community theater, not in its most basic form, but in its most sophisticated form.”

The Tempest is free to attend, though tickets must be reserved in advance. (The PAC has waived all fees for online purchase.) And this is only the beginning: Orbit Adventures resume in August. a

The Tempest June 8 at 7 p.m., June 9 at 2 p.m.

Orbit Initiative Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa Performing Arts Center Tickets at tulsapac.com/events/2019/tempest June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

inthestudio

Tulsa Artist Fellow Olivia Stephens | DESTINY JADE GREEN

Meet the Fellows: Olivia Stephens MEET THE FELLOWS TAKES YOU INSIDE the studios of the 2019 Tulsa Artist Fellowship recipients for a look at their life and work. Since 2015, Tulsa Artist Fellowship has recruited artists and arts workers to Tulsa, where they “have the freedom to pursue their craft while contributing to a thriving arts community.” For more information, visit tulsaartistfellowship.org.

THE TULSA VOICE: Can you tell us a little about your background and work?

OLIVIA STEPHENS: I’m an illustrator and cartoonist originally from the Seattle area, and I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2017 with a BFA in Illustration. I’ve always been interested in telling stories but it wasn’t until I discovered comics that I found a medium that felt utterly comfortable for me to use. There are certain things I can only properly communicate in an image and other things that need words behind it to drive the point home.

I find comics to be a perfect marriage of both.

My comics reflect the things I’m passionate about dissecting: emotional hang ups, interpersonal conflicts, and how the past affects the present. I’m fascinated by the influences of generations within a family, both good and bad. Music is another recurring theme in my work. I enjoy the challenge of depicting an auditory experience in a visual language.

TTV: Can you tell us a little about your debut graphic novel, Artie?

STEPHENS: It’s the story of Artemis “Artie” Irvin, an eighth grader living alone with her widowed mother in rural Oregon. Her life is fairly quiet until she uncovers a big secret: She comes from a family of werewolves.

Artie finds herself juggling new friends and new powers as she works to find out how her human father died—and learns she isn’t the scariest thing in the woods. At its heart, THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

Artie is a story about finding community and family in unexpected places, with a healthy dose of supernatural antics on the side.

TTV: How do you approach storytelling in a longform format like a novel, as opposed to the web comic format?

STEPHENS: With something like a graphic novel that’s intended for print, there’s a lot more planning in advance. I have to write out the entire story as a script first, go through revisions and back-and-forth with my editor, and then repeat that process once I start sketching the book. Everything has to be a lot more concrete from the start because you are working with a set amount of physical pages.

Webcomics, by contrast, are spontaneous. You are free to make and post whatever your heart desires, when you desire it. … So, there’s a freedom from not being limited by the physical constraints of a book, but there’s also dangers that come with that. You don’t have to know how the story ends when you start posting a webcomic to the internet, which means you can very easily write yourself into a corner, or meander on for years without figuring out a clear direction from the beginning.

TTV: Your artist statement describes your work as “focused on tenderness.” Will you unpack that idea a little?

STEPHENS: Tenderness is important to me.

I’m a very sensitive and emotional person in a world that doesn’t often see me as that. Being a Black woman, it feels like our general narrative in media is one of a strong, independent, resilient being that never has to rely on anyone else. We never crack under pressure or have moments of weakness. It’s dehumanizing, and I wholeheartedly reject it. When everyone is led to believe that you are fierce and strong every minute of every day, they don’t think you ever need their help. But we do. We’re human beings. — TTV STAFF ARTS & CULTURE // 35

SCIENCE

The Martian: Science Fiction/Science Fact | NASA Director of Planetary Science Jim Green will discuss his role providing guidance for the The Martian, and the science behind the film. June 5, 6:30 p.m., Central Library, tulsalibrary.org STORM RELIEF

Raise funds for storm relief on Thursday, June 6 by hanging out in the Blue Dome District, where more than 25 businesses will donate 10% of all sales to the American Red Cross of Oklahoma.

MOTORCYCLE PARTY

AN EVENING WITH RALPH CISSNE

During Brookside Rumble and Roll, thousands of motorcycles will parade through town, ending at a street party on Brookside to raise funds for MakeA-Wish Oklahoma. June 6, rumbleandroll.com

Saturday, June 8, 3 p.m.

Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com

A love junkie meets his match; a stand-up comedian faces her fears; an Elvis impersonator crashes his class reunion. These are just a few of the stories captured in Ralph Cissne’s new collection, Prudence in Hollywood. The award-winning poet and OU graduate will celebrate the release of his new book at Magic City Books.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

See downtown Tulsa from new heights at the Community Service Council’s Top of the Town, which features rooftop cocktail parties at several iconic skyscrapers. June 6, $100–$150, csctulsa.org

FLOWER POWER

Gathering Place will host the inaugural Bloom Flower Festival, featuring floral art installations, crafts, food and drink, and live music. June 8, gatheringplace.org.

ON STAGE

Students enrolled in the PAC’s Orbit Initiative will perform a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Read more on pg. 34. June 8–9, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, tulsapac.com

FESTIVAL

MAYO MOTO STREET CLASSIC Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m. to midnight, $35 East Village District, facebook.com/mayomotoclassic

Tulsa Tough won’t be the only bike festival this month. This inaugural day of motorcycle races, art, and music (including a headlining performance by JJ Grey & Mofro) comes to Tulsa through a collaboration with California custom bike builders Roland Sands Design.

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

Tulsa Juneteenth will feature celebrations throughout Greenwood, June 13–16, including performances by Sheila E. on Friday and Morris Day and the Time and Charlie Redd and Full Flava Kings on Saturday. tulsajuneteenth.org HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH COMES TO TOWN

Cox Business Center will host a conversation with John Cusack following a 30th anniversary screening of “Say Anything.” Read an interview with Cusack on pg. 42. June 15, 7:30 p.m., $46–$250, coxcentertulsa.com June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Conviction | Denver Nicks & John Nicks // 6/5, This book is the story of W.D. Lyons v. Oklahoma, the oft-forgotten case that set Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP on the path that led ultimateley to victory in Brown v.

Board of Education. Tulsa County Bar Association, magiccitybooks.com Tiki Market // 6/7, Shop vintage tiki gear and mid century collectibles from local and regional collectors and artists. Saturn Room, saturnroom.com Tulsa Tough // 6/7–9, Find all the deets on pg. 30.

First Friday Art Crawl // 6/7, will include Back Gallery’s annual Portrait Show (at Cameron Studios) and “Turnaround,” which features large scale and site-specific works by Tulsa Artist Fellows. thetulsaartsdistrict.org Green Book on Greenwood Walking Tour // 6/8, Mabel B. Little Historic Home, eventbrite.com/e/green-bookon-greenwood-walking-tour-tickets57640225466?aff=ebdssbdestsearch Love Can Be: Book Signing and Adoption Event // 6/9, Teresa Miller will sign copies of her book “Love Can Be: A Literary Collection About Our Animals,” and Tulsa SPCA will have dogs available for adoption. Magic City Books, magiccitybooks.com Royal Hotel Juneteenth Block Party // 6/13, Steph Simon will host an evening of art installations, spoken word, dance, and music performances, and more. Black Wall Street Gallery, bwsarts.org Movie in the Park: Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse // 6/13, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com Film on the Lawn: Field of Dreams // 6/14, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org “The Ordinance Project” Screening // 6/15, This documentary follows the fight for the passage of nondiscrimination legislation for LGBTQ communitites and people with HIV/AIDS in Kansas City in the early ‘90s. Living Arts, livingarts.org Bloomsday Tulsa // 6/16, Celebrate the life of James Joyce with readings, drinks, Irish music, and giveaways.

Downtown Tulsa, facebook.com/ okcenterforthehumanities

PERFORMING ARTS Godspell // 6/7-6/15, Jesus and his disciples teach the Gospel through a classic rock score.

Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, bacptheatre.com Ok, So Story Slam: Famous // 6/13, True stories based on a given theme.

IDL Ballroom, oksotulsa.com La Semesienta // 6/15, This irreverent and risque take on Cinderella is performed entirely in Spanish.

El Coyote Manco, facebook.com/ coyotemancook

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof // 6/18-6/23, The classic musical about maintaining cultural identity against encroaching influences features several Broadway hits, including “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.” Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com

COMEDY Gary Owen & Friends // 6/4-6/5, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com John Wessling // 6/6-6/8, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com Whose Line Rip Off Show // 6/7, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Summertime Fine Poetry & Comedy Show // 6/7, Retro Grill & Bar, facebook.com/retrobg30 Blue Dome Social Club // 6/8, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Open Mic Comedy Hosted by Andrew Deacon // 6/11, Reds Bar, facebook.com/redsbartulsa BT // 6/12-6/16, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com Whose Line Rip Off Show // 6/14, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com

ERIN RAE

SATURDAY, JUNE 29 TULSA, OK . BOK CENTER .7:30PM

GET TICKETS AT TICKETMASTER.COM, BOKCENTER.COM AND AT THE BOK CENTER BOX OFFICE

Eddie Izzard: Wunderbar // 6/15, Brady Theater, bradytheater.com Off Beat: Hilarious True Stories // 6/15, Duet, duetjazz.com Improv Vacation // 6/15, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Open Mic Comedy Hosted by Andrew Deacon // 6/18, Reds Bar, facebook.com/redsbartulsa

SPORTS Tulsa Drillers vs Springfield Cardinals // 6/5, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 6/6, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 6/7, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 6/8, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 6/9, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Compound Pro Wrestling Presents: Showdown in Tulsa // 6/14, Compound Pro Wrestling, compoundprowrestling.com Relay for Life // 6/14, University of Tulsa - Dietler Commons, acsevents.org Roughnecks FC vs El Paso // 6/15, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com Trail Nut 5K // 6/15, Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area, fleetfeettulsa.com Oklahoma Footy Club vs Houston Lonestars // 6/15, Veterans Park, tulsabuffaloes.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco RoughRiders // 6/17, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco RoughRiders // 6/18, ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com

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ARTS & CULTURE // 37

musicnotes

Fansons from across the globe pack downtown Tulsa during Hop Jam 2019. | TREVOR NEIMANN

The wind cries ‘MMMBop’ Tulsa newcomer examines Hanson fan culture

by KATIE MOULTON

O

n May 17, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit northwest Oklahoma, and aftershocks rippled through Tulsa all weekend. The following Monday, a severe weather system barreled through, complete with flash flooding and tornado warnings. In between, lightning and thunder flashed over the Arts District. But it was another force of nature that drove neighborhood residents to take cover in the basement: Hanson Day 2019.

Tulsans are familiar with Hop Jam, the free annual music-andcraft-beer festival thrown by locally based pop band Hanson.

Tulsans also likely know about Hanson Day, the multi-day, multi-venue, activity-packed festival exclusively for members of Hanson’s international fan club.

Tulsans are comfortable in the amiable shadow cast by the home38 // MUSIC

town boys who not only made good but made “MMMBop,” the 1997 hit that went No. 1 in 27 countries and catapulted them to mega-stardom before Taylor’s and Zac’s voices dropped.

But for those of us new to Tulsa, Hanson’s power is mysterious. Even if we can hum the tune of “MMMBop,” even if we’ve spotted them outside their 3CG label headquarters and confirmed they’re still cute (if you’re into that), the fervor of Hanson Day revelers is flat-out dumbfounding.

As early as May 15, lines—mostly women in their early 30s—gathered on the sidewalk and in the alley around Hanson’s studio.

How good could the merch be?

What’s at the heart of this singular fandom? What keeps the Fansons coming back?

On the morning of May 18, rainclouds draped low over downtown. I walked past Mayfest booths, where artists wrapped up their canvases and pottery, giving up on foot traffic during the imminent storm. On the sidewalk near Cain’s Ballroom, people sat quietly in ponchos and camp chairs or crouched under tents and awnings. I approached three women cross-legged on the concrete, each with an umbrella pitched over her head like a one-person tent. They had driven in from Wisconsin and camped outside of Cain’s all night—since Taylor Hanson’s DJ set ended at 1:30 a.m.

They pointed to their car parked nearby, packed with sleeping bags and supplies; this wasn’t their fi rst rodeo. They said “most people” are cool about respecting your place in line if you need

to go to the bathroom or buy food. I asked if they were planning to buy tickets at the door.

In response they held up their arms, displaying pre-registered wristbands. This camp-out was not about getting in; it was about getting the front row.

A., in her late twenties, said, “If I can get up right against the stage and watch them like this”— she rested her chin on her fist, her eyes turned up to the sky—“then I’m in heaven.”

“It’s so worth it,” each of the women repeated, referring to the distance traveled, the sleep lost, the waiting, the cost. Fan club membership costs $40 a year, which includes access to online forums and early sales for Hanson shows. But each of the many Hanson Day events carries a separate price, from $15 for karaoke or the dance party to $50 June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

for bowling or a more intimate concert. The Wisconsinites attend Hanson concerts when the band is on tour, but also make the trip to Hanson’s annual “Back to the Island” concert weekend at a Jamaican all-inclusive resort.

Packages start at $1,775.

“We joke that we’re putting their kids through college,” E. said.

“They do have a lot of kids,” I said.

D., bright-eyed and dressed in yoga pants and tank top, showed me some of her Hanson tattoos.

I asked what she hears when Hanson starts playing.

“Oh, I go right back to the beginning, to 1997,” D. said. “I saw them on TV, performing on the Today show. There was that boy with the rat tail, and I was done.”

D. and I are both 32, which was arguably the perfect age for the Hanson juggernaut. When “MMMBop” dropped in April 1997, I was 10, about to turn 11: what should have been the sweet spot from which to pour my burgeoning, amorphous sexuality into the wholesome vessel of Hanson.

The androgynous boys were cute; they could sing. They were soulful yet innocent, and the single was an undeniable earworm. But when I heard the chipper, retro strains of “MMMBop”—from a classmate singing in the cafeteria and then all over the radio that whole year—my first reaction was: Meh? Soon enough I was making fun of the song’s neutered doo-wop for being cheesy. (I didn’t like Billy Joel or Huey Lewis either.) Even without my prepubescent ears, “MMMBop” went on to sell 10 million copies, cementing the song as an international cultural touchstone and ushering in the Boy Band Era. “Was 1997 that good of a year?” I asked.

“The songs remind me of other good times,” A. said. “As soon as I hear ‘Gimmie Some Lovin’’ [Spencer Davis Group cover] or ‘Where’s the Love?’ I think of the live album or seeing them at Summerfest.”

Her friends agreed, and I realized that hearing the songs live, surrounded by fellow Hanson fans, reminds them of THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

fond memories—of hearing the songs live, surrounded by fellow Hanson fans. The fandom is self-contained and self-feeding, generating its own energy. The music’s nostalgia doesn’t invoke memories of reciprocal heartache or background zeitgeist like a prom song, because by the time most of these fans went to prom, Hanson was nowhere near the airwaves. Instead, Fansons recall lining up in gray Chicago snow, cops gently kicking them off corner after corner.

A user on Hanson.net described Hanson Day as “Comic Con for Hanson fans,” where “everyone gets it” and you won’t be belittled for your devotion to a band that most people consider a one-hit wonder. It’s the sensation of the fandom itself the Fansons seem to want to recapture. The music is the scaffolding for the safe, insular space Hanson has created.

Hanson formed this community in earnest in 2005, when the band left a frustrating relationship with Island Def Jam, starting its 3CG label and basing operations in the family’s hometown—industry and mainstream market be damned.

This move proved to be ahead of the curve of major artists seizing control of their music’s distribution. Instead of trying to gain larger or more diverse audiences, Hanson dug into the fanbase that had followed them since the start—a sort of restorative-nostalgia revolution.

“Hanson has never been driven by trends or fame,” the band/fan club’s website reads.

A cynical view is that the band has capitalized on the niche obsession it inspired, and its approach is fan service at the expense of art. Possessing total creative control and developing such a personal connection with fans protects Hanson from failure. “Hanson.net gives us a place…to throw the musical gloves off and know that those who hear what we’re up to will understand where we are coming from or at very least enjoy it,” the website reads. “In other words…

We trust you.” How are you going to say Meh to musicians who treat you as though you’re part of an extended Hanson— Fanson—family?

The more generous take, however, and Hanson’s claimed ethos, is that the group’s music career is inextricable from its bond with its diehard fan community. In this trusting relationship, the band asks for continued listener investment, and the Fansons ask that the band keep delivering music that reminds them of that first rush. Sure, the brothers are in their thirties, their blonde hair has darkened, and they could field a soccer team (plus an alternate) with their brood, but the band can’t change too much.

For example, Taylor—the one who people always said “looked like a girl,” a beautiful one—has recently grown a beard, and it’s a source of debate among the Wisconsin women.

Asked whether they’ve met the Hansons, the Wisconsinites replied, “Of course,” and showed me a few photo-ops on their phones, as rain started to spit.

“See? No beard,” D. said. “[The Hansons] remember everything about us except our names,” E. said. But her tone was casual, as though contact with the embodied idols was almost beside the point. After all, in just one weekend, these three would come in close contact with a Hanson at least five times. After a while, I imagine, the Hanson brothers are merely the fixed point around which the larger Fanson family reunion revolves.

There’s another criteria for preserving Fansondom, and any fandom of the sort seeded in adolescence, especially for female-identified people: It must be a space where the fan can experience and release extreme or excessive feeling, where one can scream for passion, for no reason.

Where one can fly to Tulsa from Switzerland or Japan, can wait in line or in an alley, through wind and lightning, for a hug from a band member—and not be misperceived, taken advantage of, or threatened. Fandom is a space where one must be allowed to be too much.

On Sunday, I watched Hanson’s Hop Jam set from a vantage overlooking the modest crowd.

Folks pressed to the front and waved their hands in the air, back and forth in the golden-hour light. On a Main Street sidewalk, a young Fanson twerked along to “MMMBop,” bumping against anyone in her path. Meanwhile on stage, Hanson delivered consistently polished, upbeat and mostly generic pop-rock. They sounded good, professional, and I wished I could better make out the tight sheen of their harmonies. I realized I could sing along enthusiastically to the Mmm bop ba duba dop portion of Hanson’s world-changing hit single. The other lyrics had been a mystery, but after so many performances Taylor has sharpened his enunciation, and I heard the words for the fi rst time.

“So hold onto the ones who really care,” Hanson sang. “In the end they’ll be the only ones there.”

Oh shit, I thought. They’re holding onto the fans who really care. All this time, Hanson had a master plan!

“In an mmmbop they’re gone,” Taylor kept singing. “In an mmmbop they’re not there.”

“Oh, it’s about death!” I said.

My friends, also new to Tulsa, did not look comforted by this pronouncement.

I don’t know why exactly Hanson continues to mean so much to its Fansons. I do know that when we’re performing the fragile construction of a self, it’s important to have a thing that’s yours. Usually, that thing is fleeting: the band breaks up, the moment loses its urgency. The miracle for Fansons is that their chosen boy band did not insist that they abandon the songs and sweet silliness of youth in order to grow up. It may be cheesy, and it may be lucrative business. And Fansons, like Tulsa weather, are recognizable by their extremes.

But in turning towards its audience, Hanson has indeed made a tangible and lasting community— and for one weekend a year, they hold their family reunion in our neighborhood. a MUSIC // 39

musiclistings Wed // June 5 Cellar Dweller – Grazzhopper Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Duet – Collective Improv w/ Mason Remel Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – 2 Steppin w/ Bill and Bonnie Heirloom Rustic Ales – Adrienne Gilley Juicemaker Lounge – Open Jam w/ Tori Ruffin Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Weston orn Los Cabos - Jenks – Wesley Michael Hayes Mercury Lounge – Senora May & Friends – ($10) Mother Road Market – Lainey Shasteen Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday w/ Joe Wilkinson – ($10) Slo Ride – Kevin Jameson Soul City – The Marriotts Soundpony – Queennie Birthday Bash The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project w/ Steve Liddell Westbound Club – Jam Night

Thurs // June 6 Blackbird on Pearl – Brian Parton, Soapbox Okies, And Then There Were Two – ($5) Brookside Rumble and Roll – Usual Suspects Cain’s Ballroom – John Fullbright - Making Moments Fundraiser – ($50) Duet – John Petrucelli – ($10) Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – FM Pilots, The Nightly Dues, DJ Mib Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Corey Cox Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – The Hi-Fidelics Los Cabos - Jenks – Rockwell Duo Los Cabos - Owasso – Caleb Fellenstein Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Toga Party w/ Kudos, Midday Static, Doctor Junior – ($5-$10) Slo Ride – Laron Simpson Society Burger – Jason Swanson Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – DJ A Dre The Colony – Jacob Tovar The Colony – David Hernandez - Happy Hour The Run – The Zinners Jam The Venue Shrine – Jelly Roll – (SOLD OUT) Utica Square – Mid-Life Crisis

Fri // June 7 Blackbird on Pearl – Chucky Waggs – ($7) Blue Rose Café – Alice April Bull & Bear Tavern – Weston Horn Cabin Boys Brewery – Dane Arnold Cain’s Ballroom – The Steel Woods, Tennessee Jet – ($15) Cameron Studios – The Dull Drums @ Back Gallery Portrait Show Cimmaron Bar – Imzadi Crystal Skull – The 29th Street Band Duet – Dean DeMerritt’s Jazz Tribe – ($10) Dusty Dog Pub – Barry Seal Elwood’s – Open Jam w/ Kenny Gates, Chris Ault, Brian May, Michael B. Hanson II, Mathiew Richardson Grumpy’s Tavern – Dave Kay Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Jacob Dement, The Accidental Moguls, DJ 2Legit Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Colton Chapman IDL Ballroom – The Crystal Method, Drumaddic, Ballistix – ($20) Juicemaker Lounge – DJ Biggrich Lefty’s On Greenwood – Grazzhopper Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Radio Nation Los Cabos - Jenks – The Agenda Los Cabos - Owasso – Nick Whitaker Duo Max Retropub – TULSA Tough w/ Jeffee fresh Mercury Lounge – Carter Sampson – ($5) Scotty’s Lounge – Asphalt Prairie Society Burger – Jacob Dement Soul City – Kalo – ($10) Soundpony – Afistaface!

The Colony – Free Association, Cucumber and the Suntans – ($5) The Gardens at LaFortune Park – James Groves Band The Hunt Club – Jack Waters and the Unemployed The Run – Full Flava Kings The Starlite – DJ Xylo Sesame spins Prince The Stumbling Monkey Bar & Grill – Potluck The Tulsan Bar – DJ Skibblez 40 // MUSIC

The Vanguard – Cloven Hoof – ($15) Westbound Club – Mike Barham & The Honky Tonk Prophets

Whittier Bar – Honduh Daze, Doaker, Bandkinfe

Sat // June 8

Cameron Studios – Not Enough! w/ Plack Blague, Bustié, GayCay, Astrophoria Cellar Dweller – Grazzhopper Chimera – Mallory Run, Goodfella, Team Chino, Speedo Torpedo Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Duet – George Markert – ($5) Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – 2 Steppin w/ Bill and Bonnie Inner Circle Vodka Bar – Luke Hendrickson Juicemaker Lounge – Open Jam w/ Tori Ruffin Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Rockwell Los Cabos - Jenks – Scott Pendergrass Mercury Lounge – Beau Roberson & Friends Mother Road Market – Velvet Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday – ($10) Soul City – The Marriotts Soundpony – Barghest The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project

473 – DJ Elliot Poston 727 Club – Shauna Knapp, ThaRealEquation 918 Coffee – Ryan Courtney Bad Ass Renee’s – Brass Knuckle Riot, The Neighbors, Spotless Mind, Andrew Live, DJ Mo Blackbird on Pearl – Brad James Band – ($5) Blue Rose Café – Laron Simpson Duet – Siembra Salsa Dance Party – ($13) El Coyote Manco – Polo Urías, Los Marineros Del Norte, Grupo Garañon’s – ($30) Fair Fellow Coffee Roasters – Adrienne Gilley, Matt Magerkurth Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, DJ Mib Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Asphalt Cowboys IDL Ballroom – Lynch Mob, Poster Child, Severmind – ($25-$30) Lefty’s On Greenwood – Robert Hoefling & Josh Westbrook Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Banana Seat Los Cabos - Jenks – Zodiac Los Cabos - Owasso – Ronnie Pyle Trio Max Retropub – DJ AB Mercury Lounge – Cody Barnett, Isaac McClung – ($5) Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Alan Doyle, Kudos, Mainframe Trax Family Scotty’s Lounge – Odd Man Out, Craig Gill Soul City – Dwight Twilley Birthday Bash – ($10) Soundpony – Pleasuredome The Bounty Lounge – Blake Turner The Colony – Dirtbox Wailers – ($5) The Hunt Club – Swimsuit Edition The Run – Imzadi The Vanguard – Elliott Poston, Beta Betamax, The Runaway – ($10) Uncle Bentley’s Pub & Grill – The Unprofessionals

Sun // June 9 East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Brady Theater – Brit Floyd – ($32.50-$152.50) Cain’s Ballroom – Burn Co Brunch w/ Whirligig Duo – ($15) Guthrie Green – The Mules Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – John Conlee Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Daniel Jordan Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Skanka Soundpony – DJ Why Not?!

The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer Songwriter Open Mic Matinee w/ Cody Clinton The Vanguard – The Technicolors, Moontower, Florence Rose – ($12) Whittier Bar – Celebrity Sex Tape, Plans, Forges Woody Guthrie Center – Malcolm Holcombe – ($25)

Mon // June 10 Blackbird on Pearl – Open Mic w/ Zac Wenzel East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Juicemaker Lounge – Open Mic w/ DJ MikeMike, DJ Stylez Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster Soundpony – Accursed Creator, Labadie House, Enslaved By Fear The Colony – Seth Lee Jones

Tues // June 11 473 – Singer/Songwriter Night w/ Mike Gilliland Blackbird on Pearl – Community Sound Cameron Studios – Justice Yeldham, Paradot, Video Nasty, Natty Gray, Tick Suck Guthrie Green – Starlight Concert Band - American Revue Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Lefty’s On Greenwood – Edwin Garcia & Friends Mercury Lounge – Brujoroots The Colony – Dane Arnold & The Soup The Colony – Deerpaw - Happy Hour

Wed // June 12

Thurs // June 13 Black Wall Street Gallery – Royal Hotel Juneteenth Block Party w/ Steph Simon Blackbird on Pearl – Sprout The Anti-Hero EP release w/ Dusty Grant Cain’s Ballroom – Citizen Cope – ($25-$40) Crow Creek Tavern – Dan Martin Duet – Pat Bianchi and Clark Gibson – ($20) Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Eastman, Electric 5, DJ Mib Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Trace Adkins – ($39.50$59.50) Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Johnny Cochran Lefty’s On Greenwood – Zoey Horner Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Local Spin Trio Los Cabos - Jenks – Caleb Fellenstein Los Cabos - Owasso – Steve Liddell Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Sisserou’s Restaurant – The Sarah Maud Trio Soul City – Don, White, Steve White & Casey VanBeek Soul City – Casii Stephan - Happy Hour Soundpony – North by North, The Fabulous Minx, The New Time Zones The Colony – Jacob Tovar The Colony – David Hernandez - Happy Hour The Run – The Zinners Jam The Venue Shrine – Haystak, Statik G – ($15-$20) Utica Square – Zodiac

Fri // June 14 Blackbird on Pearl – Josh Sallee, Saganomics, Jay Mizz, Game Warden, Jay Locke, DJ Trillary Bankz – ($10) BOK Center – Kidz Bop – ($26.50-$62.50) Cabin Boys Brewery – Grazzhopper Crystal Skull – Glam R Us Duet – Swunky Face Big Band – ($15) Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Dante Schmitz, Empire, DJ 2Legit Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Blake Turner Heirloom Rustic Ales – Ralph E. White, Daniel Riffe Juicemaker Lounge – DJ Biggrich Lefty’s On Greenwood – The Stylees Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Stereo Type Los Cabos - Jenks – DJ & The Band Los Cabos - Owasso – Bria & Joey Max Retropub – DJ Kylie Mercury Lounge – Seth Lee Jones OSU-Tulsa – Juneteenth Celebration w/ Sheila E Pippin’s Taproom – Open Mic Scotty’s Lounge – Craig Gill Soul City – Golden Ones – $10) Soundpony – Soft Leather The Colony – The Canvas People, Acid Carousel, The Dull Drums – ($5) The Hunt Club – Hosty The Penthouse Bar at The Mayo Hotel – Sunset Bossa Nova w/ Ana Berry Edwin Canito, Michael Bremo, Randy Wimer The Vanguard – The Classless, A Mixtape Catastrophe, My Heart & Liver Are The Best of Friends, Cicadia – ($10) The Venue Shrine – Shamarr Allen – ($12-$15)

Sat // June 15 Bad Ass Renee’s – Fist of Rage, Dirty Molly, Arjuna Broken Arrow Brewing Company – Red Dirt Craft Beer Music Festival w/ American Aquarium, Jackson Tillman, Miles Williams, Jackson Taylor & The Sinners, Caleb Caudle, Shaker Hymns, The Black Valley Band, Ghost Dance Band Cameron Studios – Tulsa Noise Improv BBQ w/ Shawn Hansen & Nathan Pape, Dave Broome, Improvise Life, Alms East Village District – Mayo Moto Street Classic w/ JJ Grey & Mofro, Paul Benjaman Band, Seth Lee Jones Band, Golden Ones, The Dustin Pittsley Band, Electric Rag Band Fuel 66 – Turbo Kick Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Caleb Fellenstein, Time Machine, DJ Mib Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Aces Wild Band IDL Ballroom – Arius, Decadon, 2fac3d,Trixx – ($15-$20) Juicemaker Lounge – Charlie Redd and Full Flava Kings Lefty’s On Greenwood – Miss Val & The Wall Street Band Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Str8ght Shot Los Cabos - Jenks – Brandi Reloaded Los Cabos - Owasso – Scott Pendergrass Max Retropub – DJ AB Mercury Lounge – Dope Patrol, Danner Party, Oddfellas – ($5) Osage Casino Tulsa - Skyline Event Center – Kenny Loggins – ($55) OSU-Tulsa – Juneteenth Celebration w/ Morris Day and the Time, Charlie Redd and Full Flava Kings Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – The Beaten Daylights, Hummin’ Bird Scotty’s Lounge – Melissa Hembree Soul City – Mark Gibson Band – ($10) Soundpony – Pony Disco Club The Colony – Justin Paul Bloss, Maria Elena, Knipple – ($5) The Hunt Club – Electric Billy Club The Vanguard – Bravo Delta, Ironglide, Harnish, Spook.

– ($10) Uncle Bentley’s Pub & Grill – Chicken Pot Pie Utica Square – Jambalaya Jass Band Whittier Bar – Hot Ranch, Space Horse Whitty Books – TulsaBA Vinyl Record Club

Sun // June 16 Arnie’s Bar – Cairde na Gael CD release Guthrie Green – Brick Fields Blues Therapy Group Hard Rock Casino - Track 5. – Garrett Speer Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Myron Oliver Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band Mercury Lounge – Kyle Shutt of The Sword, The Dull Drums, Acid Queen – ($5) Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Skanka Soundpony – The Street Corner The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Colony – Singer Songwriter Open Mic Matinee w/ Cody Clinton

Mon // June 17 Blackbird on Pearl – Open Mic w/ Zac Wenzel Cain’s Ballroom – Jim James, Anderson East – ($31$46) Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Juicemaker Lounge – Open Mic w/ DJ MikeMike, DJ Stylez Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster Soundpony – Deer Creek The Colony – Seth Lee Jones

Tues // June 18 473 – Singer/Songwriter Night w/ Mike Gilliland Blackbird on Pearl – Community Sound Guthrie Green – Starlight Concert Band - Broadway Highlights Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Peter Frampton – (SOLD OUT) Lefty’s On Greenwood – David Moore’s Nocturne Sextet Mercury Lounge – Brujoroots The Colony – Dane Arnold & The Soup The Colony – Deerpaw - Happy Hour

June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Edgar Fabián Frías | DESTINY JADE GREEN

LEATHER AND LIBERATION

all ages to be proud of themselves and know they aren’t alone in today’s political environment that isn’t always that accepting,” founding member Raws Schlesinger said.

Not Enough’s mission is to create a space for experimentation and collaboration within the LGBTQIA+ community, which is not always given that chance.

“Just seeing the magic that can happen when people are given that platform—especially queer, transgender and non-conforming folks— because a lot of us aren’t given that

platform. It gives people hope and that feeling like, ‘People do care about my creativity,’” Frías said.

“We enjoy knowing that Plack Blague may empower people to be themselves or even discover new things about themselves,” Schlesinger said.

To this end, attendees can expect “a visual and aural experience that grabs the audience in total control. With flashing lights, throbbing beats and the stench of leather that fills the room full of sweat soaked homoeroticism.”

In addition to locals Astrophoria and

the L.A.-based Bustié, Frías and Pedisich will also perform as GayCay, their “frenzied mutant synth punk” project that spreads the gospel of queer liberation.

“This is a way to really celebrate the beauty, the magic, the power, the strength and the sacredness of queer and trans people,” they said. a

Not Enough! LGBTQIA+ Music and Art Festival Showcase Cameron Studios, 303 N. Main St. June 12, 9 p.m., free

Queer and trans music showcase comes to Tulsa

by KYRA BRUCE

THE NOT ENOUGH! QUEER & TRANS Music and Art Festival has been providing a space for experimental LGBTQIA+ musical acts since 2010. The community-oriented festival launched in Portland, but has since traveled to Detroit, New Orleans, Winnipeg and other cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“It started as a desire for different queer, trans and gender non-conforming people to get together and build community around creativity and create a space for people to meet and collaborate,” said Edgar Fabián Frías, a Tulsa Artist Fellow and one the event’s original organizers.

Tulsa is the next in line to host the festival thanks to Frías and their partner, Thaddeus Pedisich. The two are hosting the Not Enough! Showcase on June 12 at Cameron Studios to give locals a taste of the festival before bringing the full event to town in 2020.

“We’re excited to bring it to Tulsa,” Frías said. “Thaddeus and I had been going around to different punk shows and music events here and seeing that there are tons of queer and trans folks who are definitely wanting more of that type of space.”

Omaha “leather daddy dance freaks” Plack Blague will headline the showcase, bringing their sludgy brand of industrial noise to Tulsa for the second time this year. “It makes us feel proud that cities like Tulsa are creating queer events and festivals like this to help educate and encourage people of THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

MUSIC // 41

popradar

John Cusack will be in Tulsa on June 15 for a screening of Say Anything, along with a live Q&A. | COURTESY

Say everything

John Cusack talks Say Anything ahead of its 30-year celebration

by ANGELA EVANS

I

n the 1980s, cinematic fare was awash in high school tales of tomfoolery, elusive romantic encounters, and teens yearning for the supposed freedom of adulthood. But one movie elevated the teenage drama and etched itself into our collective Gen X psyches—Say Anything. It’s been 30 years since it was fi rst released, and the fi lm shines as one fl ick that has withstood the test of time, while other movies of that era have mostly been banished to the realm of problematic, cringe-inducing guilty pleasures.

Say Anything may be a quirky love story on its face, but it is also a dissection of both the angst of the era and the uncertainty that every young person faces. John Cusack plays the indefatigable Lloyd Dobler, the charming protagonist, who both embraces optimism in love and skepticism in life. Cusack will be in Tulsa on June 15 for a screening of the fi lm, along with a live Q&A. He

42 // FILM & TV

took some time to chat about what the fi lm meant at the time and why its popularity endures.

ANGELA EVANS: Have you been to Tulsa before?

JOHN CUSACK: I’ve been through on a motorcycle trip. I thought it looked really cool. I love the Midwest. I’m a Midwest guy.

EVANS: In your early films, we often catch your characters during milestone rites of passage, like graduation or first loves. What do you think is so special about that transition between “childhood” into “adulthood?”

CUSACK: Any transition points are obviously good for drama.

Because you’re entering a time when something is dying or something is being born. Ending one phase, entering another phase. It’s like drama begins when someone enters a new city. They’re afraid,

but they’re excited and anticipating things. So, obviously high school graduation, weddings, funerals, these kinds of events are good places to find drama.

EVANS: Say Anything does a great job of depicting that young-love relationship, including the sexual aspects. It seems to be handled with a genuine sweetness and innocence. Like the scene in the backseat of the car or how Diane tells her dad gleefully that she “pounced Lloyd.” It still holds up today as a positive relationship between a boyfriend/girlfriend, and father/daughter. Was that controversial or edgy at the time?

CUSACK: Um, no. It wasn’t a film that was playing by genre rules. It wasn’t just a love story, it was also about a father and daughter—a favorite daughter, a scholar and obviously very bright—who had a relationship with a father she idealized. And her father turned out to be all-too human. That part

of the drama was very interesting, and it gets very underrated as to why the film works. Terrific performances from Ione Skye (Diana Court) and John Mahoney (James Court), the father, create a very interesting and complex father-daughter relationship. And the father ends up not being such a good guy, and not the idealized person she thought he was.

EVENS: Definitely different from the films of that era, with that sort of glorified frat bro-ness.

CUSACK: This was the counter-opposite of all that. I think it was—I suppose you could say it had a proto-feminist spirit.

EVANS: Yeah, you have your proto-feminist besties that are girls.

Diane is this young articulate woman. Was that more of a deliberate approach from the writing and directing?

CUSACK: That was Cameron June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

[Crowe’s] sensibility, mixed with the script and my own political sensibility. Because everything is about politics, even if you don’t know it. That frat house bro thing isn’t innocent, either. And we see what all that leads to. Of course, in some ways, it’s innocent; but in other ways, it’s not.

EVANS: And that leads me to my next question. A lot of films from that era, if you watch them now, they are a little bit cringe-worthy with their plotlines and punchlines. Why do you think Say Anything is so different? Would you say it was “woke” before its time?

CUSACK: As I said before, the underbelly of the script had a lot of uncertainty and fear in that transition. And the father-daughter relationship had darker undertones, darker hues. And that was more than just, “Am I going to get my dream job, or my dream woman?” It was fear of the future in uncertain times. Even when I was growing up, it was Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan saying, “Hey, we’re going to nuke Russia.”

It’s just like it is today. It’s a very

frightening time to be a young person. I think there was honesty about that. We didn’t sugarcoat anything.

And then the collaboration to create this Lloyd character brought these politics out even more. I said to the producer at the time that I didn’t want this character to have an agenda. I want him to have a complete agenda. And we laughed, but that’s what it was.

You asked me to play a character a year or two removed from myself, and so this is what it was like for me. I wanted to know about the world. I was interested in The Clash. I didn’t want to be part of this consumer culture. I fucking hated malls. I felt like a pirate or something. I had to create my own space that I could breathe in and function in. So we put all that in the movie. So it had a good mixture of sensibilities that I feel that were authentic.

But I also think it was just a sweet movie—it’s funny and it’s got jokes—but there is some other stuff going on that I think people responded to. It’s like, not to be silly about it, but when you listen to a Beatles song, it’s both Lennon

and McCartney, right? McCartney saying “You have to admit it’s getting better / getting better all the time;” and then Lennon says “It can’t get no worse.” And that’s the paradox. There’s a sense of real sweetness in the movie of a real genuine innocence, but it also had a dark underbelly to it, which made the choice to be optimistic more heroic rather than oblivious.

It made that choice more heroic as opposed to sentimental.

I think those are the things that made the movie, but I don’t know. I mean, what do I know?

EVANS: There are so many elements of the movie that are iconic, but you know the one scene everyone remembers—the boombox, Peter Gabriel. In fact, I know a couple of people here in Tulsa who have tattoos of that iconic image on their bodies.

CUSACK: I’ve seen some of those!

It’s pretty trippy.

EVANS: When you were filming that at the time, did you realize it was going to be this romantic gesture that really resonated?

CUSACK: When I was filming, I thought, if you don’t earn it— if the movie doesn’t have real feelings up to that point—then it would be really cheesy and hackneyed. I was worried that the rest of the movie had to be up to it. I was kind of a little nervous, but it turned out well.

EVANS: I’ve got one more question, and I often ask this in interviews.

What is something you wish people knew about you or your career?

CUSACK: Well. I don’t know. You don’t have to know anything about me. There are some films that are cool films that didn’t get a lot of huge public exposure when they first came out. I also don’t worry about that because people can find things, discover them on their own. Time does its work. You can’t really make someone love a film five or 10 years after you made it, but you also can’t stop people from discovering films five or 10 years after you made them. I would just say look at some of the smaller, more obscure films, and you might enjoy them. a

11TH AN N UAL

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2019 5:30 p m COCKTAIL RECEPTION WITH THE GRAND LAKE JAZZ COMBO TULSA PAC , NORMAN THEATRE 7:00 p m CEREMONY • WILLIAMS THEATRE TICKETS AVAIL ABLE AT TULSAPAC .COM

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

FILM & TV // 43

Pursue RIGHTEOUSNESS, godliness, faith, LOVE, endurance, gentleness… guard what has been ENTRUSTED TO YOU.

onscreen

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 924 S. Boulder Church & Sunday School • 10:30am Wednesday Meeting • 6:00pm Reading Room • Mon. & Wed. • 11am-1pm

Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart | COURTESY

CHAOTIC GOOD Booksmart is a hilarious and thoughtful look at kids these days

L IG HT UP T H E F I GH T H O NOR A LOVE D ON E .

D EDI CATE A LUMI NA R IA.

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44 // FILM & TV

SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT GEN Z— mock their YouTube channels, their technological fluency, and the fact that they’ve never experienced dial-up internet. (Check your privilege, Gen Z.) But what Olivia Wilde does best in her directorial debut is offer real hope for the future the youths are building—no small feat, considering the times.

Booksmart is the latest entry into the American teen pop culture cannon, standing on the shoulders of high school coming-of-age comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ten Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls—but seeing far beyond them.

The premise is a familiar one: Two rule-following, academically ruthless best friends are rewarded for four years spent focused on their academics (and only their academics) by acceptance to Ivy League colleges; however, they find their focus was wasted when it’s revealed that their partying peers are granted acceptance to the same exact universities.

The two embark on a journey from lawful good to chaotic good in one night by way of pre-graduation party hopping.

Headstrong valedictorian and class president Molly (Beanie Feldstein) coaxes the autoharp-wielding, bolo tie-wearing Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) along on a quest to make up for four lost years of partying in one night, learning important lessons about friendship and trust along the way.

Feldstein and Dever have incredible chemistry, an on-screen dynamic that never plays into tired stereotypes. In fact, the most striking thing about Booksmart is the absence of any Hollywood high school

tropes. These are girls who yell supportive hyperbole at one another (“WHO ALLOWED YOU TO BE THIS BEAUTIFUL? WHO ALLOWED YOU TO TAKE MY BREATH AWAY?”), idolize their teacher, Ms. Fine (Jessica Williams) and are proudly well-informed on the insand-outs of international politics.

Molly and Amy are absolutely nerdy, but in 2019, nerdy is not synonymous with a low place in the social hierarchy. It’s a relief to see characters cut from a real cloth; kids these days might love Instagram, but they also love intersectional feminism, Alanis Morissette, and building up their friends.

Wilde’s debut is full of charm that won’t quit, offering characters with dimension, jokes that are smart and an endearing look at the evolution of an intense friendship between two young women. The future is female, yes, but most importantly, the future is female and funny.

Critics have called Booksmart a “female Superbad” (and I’ll hear you out if you want to make that case—Beanie Feldstein is Jonah Hill’s younger sister) but to this reviewer, the movie walks a much smarter and sweeter line. True, there are many dirty, uncomfortable moments and a celebration of the deep and borderline-romantic friendship between the girls, but Booksmart is genuinely hilarious and endlessly relatable without ever sacrificing a baseline of respect and kindness for all involved.

Older generations bemoan the “selfabsorption” of the new guard, but Booksmart gives us a glimpse into the lives of young people who love each other fiercely and who see beyond their own little world. Teen comedies are woke now. Finally.

— ALEXANDRA ROBINSON June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA

OPENING JUNE 7 ALL IS TRUE Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this poignant drama about the final years of William Shakespeare’s life. Judi Dench co-stars as Shakespeare’s wife Anne. Rated PG-13

THE 73RD ANNUAL TONY AWARDS Free event: James Corden hosts Broadway’s biggest night, honoring the best in New York theatre, live from Radio City Music Hall. Cash bar for 21+.

(Sun. June 9, 7 p.m.)

THE TOMORROW MAN John Lithgow and Blythe Danner star as two aging people with unusual quirks who fall in love in a small town. Rated PG-13

CINE DE ORO Free presentation of classic film from Mexico’s cinematic golden age. Presented by Casa de la Cultura of Tulsa. (Tues. June 11, 7 p.m.)

OPENING JUNE 14 LATE NIGHT Emma Thompson stars as a late night talk show legend at risk of being fired. Mindy Kaling, who wrote the screenplay, co-stars as the host’s new staff writer. Rated R

ROLLING THUNDER REVUE A special debut of this Netflix original Bob Dylan documentary from director Martin Scorsese. Presented by the Bob Dylan Center. Q&A with Rolling Thunder veteran Larry “Ratso” Sloman. Tickets $20. (Tues. June 11, 8 p.m.)

THE DEAD DON’T DIE The new zombie comedy from legendary indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, starring Bill Murray and Adam Driver. Rated R THE SOUVENIR Honor Swinton Byrne stars as a young woman in the 1980s who becomes romantically involved with an untrustworthy man. Byrne’s real-life mom Tilda Swinton co-stars as the woman’s mother. Rated R CARMINE STREET GUITARS This documentary looks at the famed Greenwich Village guitar shop now in danger of closing due to gentrification. Famous artists are interviewed. Not Rated

SPECIAL EVENTS D-DAY REMEMBERED A special documentary presentation, including interviews with Oklahoma veterans, on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. D-Day memorabilia courtesy of Keith Myers Traveling Military Museum.

(Thurs. June 6, 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.)

THE BIG PARADE (1925) Second Saturday Silents presents this WWI drama from director King Vidor, about the love between an American soldier and French woman that’s torn apart by war. Accompanied by Bill Rowland on Circle’s 90-year-old pipe organ. Adults $5; Children $2. (Sat. June 8, 11 a.m.)

THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

CUBAN FOOD STORIES In this documentary, a Cuban expat returns to his home to rediscover the food, society and culture of his youth. 5 p.m. pre-show debut of Douglas Henderson Cuban photography exhibit, and appetizers from Mangos Cuban Café.

(Thurs. June 13, 7 p.m.)

JOSEPH PULITZER: VOICE OF THE PEOPLE Documentary about Joseph Pulitzer’s legacy to fight for a free press. Adam Driver narrates, Live Schreiber is the voice of Pulitizer, and Tulsa’s Tim Blake Nelson is the voice of Teddy Roosevelt. Movie ticket grants free admission to Gilcrease exhibit “Pulitzer Prize Photographs” through July 14. (Fri. June 14, 7 p.m. Preshow reception begins at 6 p.m.)

EDGE OF THE KNIFE Native Spotlight presents this 2018 Canadian film of a Native American story set in the 19th century, spoken in the dialects of the Haida language. Sterlin Harjo moderates Q&A with co-director Helen Haig-Brown. (Sat. June 15, 7 p.m.

Q&A at 8:40 p.m.)

SUMMER SILENT SHORTS Free: A special night of silent film shorts include ones starring Buster Keaton and The Little Rascals, with accompaniment on the Circle’s 90-year-old pipe organ.

(Mon. June 17, 7 p.m.)

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FILM & TV // 45

The best of Tulsa: music, arts, dining, news, things to do, and more.

JUNE 15 | MOHAWK PARK | 6 - 11 P.M. EVENT INCLUDES A POLO MATCH, SEATED DINNER, LIVE MUSIC BY BANANA SEAT, COMPLIMENTARY BAR AND CHAMPAGNE, AND VALET PARKING. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW AT HTTP://WWW.TULSACENTER.ORG/POLOCELEBRATION/POLO-CELEBRATIONSUPPORT/

Come find out what ’s happening.

RECYCLE THIS Plastic Jugs and Bottles

NOT THAT Plastic Toys

Donate toys or throw them away in the gray trash cart.

Plastic jugs and bottles are perfect for recycling, but plastic toys are NOT acceptable for the blue recycling cart.

LEARN MORE AT 46 // ETC.

tulsarecycles.com June 5 – 18, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

NOVICE

ACROSS 1 “___ Shrugged” 6 Jamie of “M*A*S*H” 10 Greyhound safety org.

15 Notices 19 Like well water 20 Former Cub Moises 21 He wrote about Matilda and James 22 Island of Napoleon’s exile 23 Making a big bet in Ireland?

25 Readied a ukulele 26 Boatloads 27 Summer sign 28 Sappho, for one 30 Korean comfort cuisine?

32 Drop the ball 33 Loop transports 34 The hare, in a fabled race 36 Core strengtheners 37 Sellout sign initials 38 Garlicky sauce 40 Fur tycoon 42 Fish-filled North African lunch?

47 Sit to be photographed by 51 J. Lo’s fiance 52 Lip-___ (mouth the words) 53 Big Island coffee 55 Caribbean cruise stop 56 Horses’ hair 58 Like a perfect game 61 ___ chops and applesauce 63 Turn on a winding path 64 Puts in office 66 Kelly Clarkson, for one 68 Takes advantage of

71 Taiwanese go-getter?

75 Leaving a mark 77 Hollywood sidewalk sight 78 Small band size 81 Asian pan 82 Helen’s destination 84 Forever ___ 87 Bird that’s also a yoga pose 88 States with conviction 91 401(k) relatives 93 Give a fig 95 “___ girl!”

96 Type of testing done by 23andMe 98 Assemble quickly in Afghanistan?

102 Genius Bar workers, e.g.

104 Stratagems 105 M.A. seeker’s hurdle 106 Skiing variety 109 Wavy fabric 111 Telluride or Sedona 112 End of the CIA’s address?

115 Low-carb Ecuadorian food trend?

117 Green and Tea 120 Keats work 121 Shrinking Asian sea 122 Let happen 124 Speed off in Switzerland?

126 The “b” of n.b.

127 Certain track athlete 128 Potato ___ soup 129 Churns up 130 Ruckuses 131 Smart-alecky 132 Lodge group 133 Bird that’s also a yoga pose DOWN 1 Mix up

2 Closer to reality 3 Fruits of one’s ___ 4 Cobbler’s tool 5 Some members of a SWAT team 6 Gradually vanishes 7 “That’s saying ___” 8 Investment firm T. ___ Price 9 Is almost out 10 Cake decorating, e.g.

11 Lush 12 Bakery-cafe chain 13 Antony’s love, briefly 14 Total 15 Pirate or sailor 16 “Crocodile Rock” singer John 17 Kindle material 18 Former Las Vegas casino 24 “It won’t be missed” 29 Pavarotti performances 31 Author Mario Vargas 35 Tired’s partner 37 Cognac cocktail 38 ___ Domini 39 Dog tag?

41 Helen’s homeland 42 Far from edgy 43 Risk territory in Asia 44 Response to “No offense” 45 Author Rand 46 Hip follower 48 Numbers that don’t compute 49 Theater award 50 From ___ to riches 54 Puzzle, at times 57 Mix up 59 3/15, notably 60 Course for a future J.D.

MASTER

62 Unit in a bust 65 BBQ skewer 67 Exam for a future J.D. 69 “Mod Squad” member 70 Do over and over 72 Add vitamins to 73 Frankenstein’s assistant 74 Diviner at Delphi 75 Gala giveaway 76 Protected bay 79 Feed the kitty?

80 In the vicinity 83 Chatter 85 Some say “Welcome” 86 Maven 89 Names anew 90 One found in a pool 92 Delhi dress 94 More custardy 97 Winter roof blockages 99 Pat on the back, maybe 100 In service (var.)

101 Solver’s smudge 103 Appreciates the roses 106 Jordan’s seaport 107 Enticed 108 It has 88 keys 110 Nebraska natives 111 “Lola” band, with “The” 112 Shoot for the moon 113 The Browns’ Beckham Jr. 114 28-Across output 116 Pelvic bones 118 Spool of film 119 Long journey 123 Ironically humorous 125 Neckwear for Miss Piggy

UNIVERSAL SUNDAY CROSSWORD CAPITALISM

By Sheryl Bartol and Debbie Ellerin, edited by David Steinberg

© 2019 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // June 5 – 18, 2019

6/9 ETC. // 47

THURSDAY

06.27

WEDNESDAY

07.03

FRIDAY

07.05

TOM SEGURA

DON MCLEAN

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND

8PM

8PM

8PM

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP SCAN TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Schedule subject to change.

CNENT_66288_HR_Jun_TulsaVoice_PrintAd_9x12-25_1926960.indd 1

Pleas e re cycle this issue.

5/30/19 2:02 PM