Sister act

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | MARCH 2, 2016

Sister act Boisterous, boundary-breaking pop-punk duo Skating Polly readies new album

BY BEN LUSCHEN P.35

G ARETT FISBECK

BALLOT INSIDE SEE P.37

2 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

contents 28

35

20

10

ON THE COVER

NEWS

Food & Drink

ARTS & CULTURE

Rock ’n’ roll wunderkinds Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo took us to the places they take all their visitors (including Guestroom Records, pictured on the cover). Only this time they were the out-of-towners. The pair enjoyed a hometown visit and talked about their pop-punk sister act Skating Polly, their upcoming album release and growing up. By Ben Luschen, P. 35.

Photography by Garett Fisbeck.

Cover photo illustration by Oklahoma Gazette.

4

Education: charter schools

31

Film: Gods of Egypt

6

Election: ballot access

17 Nonesuch, COOP party, Omelette Party, Mt. Everest Cuisines, food briefs, OKG eat: fun bars

32

Arts & Culture calendar

8

City: TIF districts

10

Business: ModernBlox

ARTS & CULTURE

12

Chicken-Fried News

24

OKG Shop: spring

14

Commentary

25

Shop Local

14

Letters

27

Shopping: Jaxx + Hall

28

Culture: huge hat

29

Health: The Sandwich Generation

30

Performing Arts: 37 Postcards

Music 35

Cover: Skating Polly

38

Everything Is Not OK II, Travis Traps, Ron Pope, calendar

41

Sudoku / Crossword

42

Astrology

42

Classifieds

Congratulations Lindy Devine

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I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 3

news education

m a rk ha n coc k / fi le

Greatest conversation OKCPS wants community feedback on charter school expansion, and talks could include the future of education.

Students get into books during a Boys & Girls Club after-school program at Santa Fe South charter elementary.

by Laura Eastes

Oklahoma City parent Ryan Marshall gets it.

“I understand parents want the best for their kids,” Marshall said, “and they are going to do what they can to make sure their kids receive the best education.”

For the Marshalls, the best education for their children was at Cleveland Elementary. The kindergarten through fifth grade school offers a specialty fine arts and science program. About six years ago, the family moved from Edmond to the Cleveland neighborhood, located in the northwest quadrant of OKC. A year after the move, Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) backed away from the magnet school approach offered at the campus.

It upset Cleveland parents, like the Marshalls, but the community agreed to work with the district to continue the school’s emphasis on the arts. With community support, the school maintained an arts enrichment program and provided a unique approach to its science curriculum.

Marshall appreciates parents working with school leaders to create education opportunities. He hopes the collaboration continues as the district launches a public conversation about the future of its schools and predominantly features talks of charter school expansion.

Marshall, among others present at the Feb. 22 OKCPS school board meeting, wants the conversation to include curriculum, unique opportunities, partnerships and other aspects to strengthen education for all district students.

“I think we need to sit down with parents and ask what it will take

4 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

to put their kids in OKCPS from prekindergarten through 12th grade,” Marshall said. “I believe the district would have an overwhelming response of parents wanting to participate in that process by doing everything they can for the neighborhood schools.”

Interest

The state’s largest school district is entering a critical time for parent and community involvement. The district with ties to 12 OKC charter schools is considering expanding the charter sector to serve students in neighborhood schools.

It’s a conversation that parents of children in charter schools saw coming, but it blindsided many public school parents who crowded into the district’s February board meeting.

Charters are publicly funded and independently operated schools that opened across the state following changes in state law around the millennium. Often viewed as private schools with state funds, charters offer parents an alternative to public schools and give teachers more freedom in their classrooms. Despite state accreditation for academics, charters are free from some regulations that are mandatory in public schools.

The value and role of charter schools is debated across the nation.

However, Oklahoma is home to a number of nationally recognized charters, including KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Reach College Preparatory in northeast Oklahoma City. In 2012, it received one of the highest honors a school can achieve from the U.S. Department of Education when it was named a

National Blue Ribbon School. Last fall, fellow charter Harding Fine Arts Academy received the same honor.

Last month, KIPP leaders joined representatives of Santa Fe South Schools and John Rex Charter Elementary School and approached the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education about a concept called Quality Seats Program. The three charter schools want to expand their models into the district.

All three charters are limited on the number of students they serve.

Currently, John Rex operates as an elementary school downtown, but parents hope it expands into a middle and high school. KIPP serves middleschool-aged students but would like to offer an elementary component to more northeast OKC families.

Located in the city’s south side, Santa Fe South serves 2,100 students in prekindergarten through 12th grades and desires to ease overcrowding of the district’s southside schools.

Rob Neu, OKCPS superintendent, described the Quality Seats program as “starting an important conversation.”

Charter interest comes as the district feels the effects of a state revenue failure.

OKCPS estimates a loss of $30 million in state aid and other state funds for fiscal year 2016-17. With less revenue, Neu expects classroom sizes to grow and district leaders to cut services, including possible school site consolidation.

“These are public schools serving the neighborhoods they reside in, and they are doing it well,” Neu said of KIPP, John Rex and Santa Fe South.

“They deserve this conversation in this community. The community deserves this conversation.”

Conversation starter

The eight board of education members will review a resolution to authorize further conversation and study charter school expansion during the March 21 meeting.

If approved, the public can expect opportunities to participate in community meetings conducted by local nonprofit Possibilities Inc. and funded by the Inasmuch Foundation, a local organization that supports education, health and human services and community enhancement initiatives.

Inasmuch is tied to all three charter schools and the district because it grants funds to KIPP, Santa Fe South and OKCPS. Additionally, foundation president and CEO Bob Ross is a member of the John Rex board of directors and the Oklahoma State Board of Education.

Any charter school expansion pitch would come before the school board in May or June. Each charter submits separate expansion plans, which the board could approve or deny.

If denied, a charter could still continue expansion plans but wouldn’t do so through a direct partnership with OKCPS. District approval is not needed for the schools to grow their programs.

The three charter leaders expressed interest after watching new education initiatives placed in OKCPS over the past two years. Neu joined the district in 2014.

“In the 24 years I’ve spent in and around this district, I have never been as hopeful as I am now,” said Chris Brewster, Santa Fe South superintendent. “I think we have good minds, good hearts and good spirits working together for the well-being

l aur a e ast e s

Kindergarten student Trinity Davis concentrates on a vocabulary lesson on an iPad in Wes Dicken’s classroom at John Rex Charter Elementary School. of our city’s students and our schools throughout the district.”

Mixed information

The topic of charters often is greeted with mixed emotions. If the district’s board decides to move forward with the Quality Seats program, the public can expect intense debate about charters and reshaping the district.

The charter school concept is to create an improved learning environment for traditionally underserved populations. Through increased resources from outside companies, tailored curriculum and state funds, charters strive to close

UNI_16-RP-43_Quarter_Horse_Opener_Gazette.indd 1

achievement gaps.

Across the country, education leaders and policy experts have closely studied and monitored how charters impact students and families. Some studies support charters that live up to their founding concept.

In studies conducted in 2009 and 2013, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, a widely cited group studying charters, found the schools positively impacted students in poverty and increased reading and math scores for English language learners.

Other studies have found little difference between charters and public schools.

The nonpartisan Spencer Foundation and Public Agenda concluded, “There is very little evidence that charter and transitional public schools differ meaningfully in their average impact on students’ standardized test performance.”

Data First, with ties to the Center for Public Education and the National School Boards Association, found that “the majority of charter schools do no better or worse than traditional public schools.”

Critics of charter schools question their ability to work with students with behavior problems and those with moderate to severe needs. Traditionally,

charters have strict conduct policies.

When a student is found in violation, they are asked to leave the school permanently.

Another concern is application processes or lottery systems used for enrollment.

Neu addressed such concerns to the public during the February meeting.

Voting on charter expansion is for the board, but as district leader, he will make a recommendation.

“My recommendation will demand these be neighborhood schools, serving neighborhood kids first, no matter what challenges they bring to the schoolhouse,” Neu said. “They live in those neighborhoods, and they will be served by those schools.”

Charter presence

There are 32 accredited charter schools and 45 charter school sites in Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma State Department of Education data.

By law, charters must maintain state accreditation. Additionally, sponsors and governing boards hold them accountable.

Charters that fail to maintain accreditation are reviewed by the Oklahoma State Board of Education, which revoked the accreditation of Alexis Rainbow Arts Academy in July.

The OKC charter was sponsored by

Langston University and failed to meet state academic, financial and safety requirements.

Staying informed

Parents and school leaders agree the district is embarking on an important community dialogue with much at stake. Decisions could influence schools for generations.

Marshall hopes the district rises to meet expectations and keeps the community involved. He wants parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders participating in community meetings at multiple locations.

“They need to get the word out,” Marshall said. “They need to send out the robocalls and texts to get everyone involved and aware. Right now, I think there are still a lot of people not aware of what’s going on.”

Visit the district’s website, www.okcps.org, to find a direct link to “proposed charter school expansion information” and sign up for updates from Possibilities Inc. All voices are welcome.

“The decision will not be made,” said Ruth Veales, board member, “until we have heard the voices of what the community wants to do.”

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 5 2/29/16 10:17 AM

Ga r e t t fi s b e c k

news election

Better ballot Green and Libertarian parties push for election reform.

by laura Eastes

When Tina Kelly registered to vote, she didn’t feel civic pride or a rush of exhilaration for political participation.

Instead, she felt deprived.

“When you sign up to vote, you can register as a Republican [or] Democrat or check the ‘no party’ box,” said Kelly, Libertarian Party of Oklahoma vice-chairwoman. “That is beyond insulting.”

Like thousands of other Oklahomans, Kelly is affiliated with a party; however, the state hasn’t recognized parties other than Democrat or Republican for more than a decade, leaving the Libertarian and Green parties and their supporters in a constant battle for ballot spots.

Under Oklahoma’s restrictive ballot access laws, alternative parties are effectively disenfranchised and their members are left frustrated at voting booths.

Following last year’s passage of House Bill 2181, Libertarians and Greens began signature-gathering efforts for recognizing their parties on the ballot. In late February, both groups handed boxes and stacks of petition sheets to the Oklahoma State Election Board. Between the two, around 43,000 Oklahomans support efforts to see alternative parties on the ballot.

While one likely will be awarded ballot access following a signature verification process, both groups — the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma and the Green Party of Oklahoma — have called for additional reform.

Libertarian requirement

Come November, Oklahomans could view a Libertarian option for president and will likely see the party name attached to candidates for state and local offices. Feb. 22, state and national party members rolled four boxes filled with petition sheets to the state Capitol.

Before turning them over to election officials, politician Dax Ewbank eyed box labels. Bright blue bumper stickers read: “More Freedom, Less Government.” The Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in the United States.

“This stack of signatures is opening a new era of politics in the state of Oklahoma,” said Ewbank, who ran as a Republican candidate for Oklahoma

6 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

ballot access laws are a problem for our democracy in our state.”

Additional reform

Tina Kelly delivers petitions to Paul Ziriax, secretary of the State Election Board, Feb. 22 at the Oklahoma State Capitol governor in 2014. “I believe this really gives the people of Oklahoma a clear voice and a choice — a rational choice for liberty.”

Ewbank said he intends to run for a U.S. Senate seat as a Libertarian candidate. U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, is up for re-election this year.

Libertarians received support from more than 42,000 Oklahomans in 76 counties. The petition efforts cost the national party around $104,000.

The group surpassed the 24,745 signatures required to form a “new” political party and access the 2016 ballot. Legislation authored by House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, significantly reduced the previous requirement of signatures needed for ballot access. The new law requires parties to collect signatures of registered voters equal to 3 percent of the last gubernatorial or presidential election.

Despite past efforts by alternative parties and some lawmakers to alter the state’s ballot access laws, the statue remained unchanged for more than 40 years.

Since 1974, parties seeking ballot access needed to collect signatures of registered voters equal to 5 percent of the votes cast for governor or president.

Before 1974, state law called for collecting 5,000 signatures.

Green protest

The Green Party of Oklahoma advocates for reverting to the original party recognition law of 5,000 signatures. As a small, grassroots political organization, it is improbable for the group to collect 24,745 signatures, which is equal to 3 percent of the total number of votes cast during the 2014 gubernatorial elections, said Rachel Jackson, an organization representative.

Party members delivered petition sheets with between 500 and 600 signatures to election officials Feb. 29. The group purposely collected a low amount to highlight the need for further reform.

Like 2012, Green Party members cannot vote for their party’s presidential candidate on the Oklahoma ballot.

Recently, the party endorsed candidate Bernie Sanders for the Oklahoma Democratic primary.

The state’s Democratic Party opened its primary to Independent voters this year. The party used the endorsement as an opportunity to highlight the state’s stringent ballot access laws.

“It is a social justice issue,” Jackson said. “It is at the heart of a representative democracy to have ballot access. The problem is that ballot access is not sexy.

It is not like other social justice issues that get more play in Oklahoma.

“We are gaining ground by having conversations around the petition drive about why we can’t collect the more than 24,000 signatures. It gives us an opportunity to explain why our

Since 2004, individuals representing Green and Libertarian parties have worked together under a coalition called Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform (OBAR) to rally for more action on ballot access laws.

According to current law, political parties that gain access to the ballot must receive at least 10 percent of the popular vote in the presidential race to remain on the ballot past 2016. If a party fails, it must begin another signature drive to access the ballot again.

Achieving 10 percent of the popular vote is a difficult task for parties in a state traditionally represented by Democrats and Republicans alone.

The last time Oklahoma voters had an alternative party option for president was when Harry Browne ran as the Libertarian candidate in 2000. That same year, Oklahoma Greens rallied to collect signatures for candidate Ralph Nader to appear on the ballot. Party members fell short.

Both Greens and Libertarians are encouraged by legislation filed this session by Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City. Senate Bill 896 amends the party retention law from 10 percent to 2.5 percent.

The bill passed committee and awaits the Senate floor for a vote.

Additionally, both parties support Senate Bill 1108, which removes straight-ticket voting.

Alternative parties add another realm to state politics, which Libertarian leadership said would be helpful for the political process. In 2014, eight state Senate and 50 state House candidates ran unopposed.

Alternative parties give voters more options, widen opportunities for political discussions and increase voter interest in a state with dismal voter turnout, Kelly said.

“The lack of political competition placed by the two parties in power has had devastating effects on the morale of Oklahoma voters,” Kelly said. “When you consider the voting trends and the election statistics … I believe we are looking to what amounts to real legitimacy issues.”

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Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 7 2/24/16 9:20 AM

news city

TIF for tat Ga rett fi s bec k

Oklahoma City Council approves the growing TIF tab and schools benefit through revenue sharing.

by laura eastes

There is always strong interest in the business and development community for talking tax-increment financing, better known as TIF. If not for TIF, the transformation of downtown Oklahoma City’s Skirvin Hilton Hotel or the renovations of once-vacant Century Center wouldn’t be possible. TIF made the medical clinic at Oklahoma City Public School’s Emerson Alternative School a reality and transformed the closed Fred Jones Assembly Plant into the posh 21c Museum Hotel.

Some city leaders said that without TIF financing, which is viewed as an incentive for potential business and development, those real estate projects would never move past the drawing board.

Big-name projects are touted by city staffers each time the Oklahoma City Council views changes to TIF districts or discusses adding more districts.

Before last month, the city maintained nine TIF districts.

Now, OKC is home to a 10th TIF district with the goal of renovating troubled First National Center. Over the next decade, the council could approve six more TIF districts, which were outlined in the Core to Shore Reinvestment Area Project Plan.

The council approved the plan and ordinance for the newest TIF district in an 8-1 vote during its Feb. 23 meeting. Council member Ed Shadid, representing Ward 2, cast the “no” votes on TIF agenda items.

What’s a TIF?

TIFs became a topic of conversation among state municipalities following the 1992 passage of the Oklahoma Local Development Act. Viewed as an urban renewal financing tool, cities identified blighted or depressed areas that required economic incentives to bring specific development.

After city leaders approve the formation of a TIF district, property taxes within its boundaries are frozen

8 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

at the existing level. Future growth, over a period of time, goes to the TIF fund for project financing. An expiration date is named for each TIF district.

Approval of TIF legislation by state lawmakers came at the right time for Oklahoma City. A year after passage, Oklahoma City voters approved the first Metropolitan Area Projects Plan, known as MAPS. The $350 million sales tax-funded initiative was created to revitalize a struggling city following the oil bust of the 1980s.

Like MAPS, TIF legislation appeared promising to cities during hard times with troubled areas and a desire to spur economic activity.

TIF was seen as a chance to bring reinvestment, redevelopment and jobs to communities.

Oklahoma City’s first TIF, known as Medical Research Park, was created Jan. 5, 1993, with a $47 million project plan budget. It expires in 2022.

Last year, the area generated $2.8 million in taxes with $1.1 million coming from the University of Oklahoma, according to city documents. TIF No. 1 and TIF No. 7, known as Bioscience, created 2,000 jobs between 2002-2011.

Seven years after the first TIF came into play, TIF No. 2, known as Downtown/MAPS, was created with a projected plan budget of $121 million.

That TIF has generated around $800 million in new market value over the past 15 years.

Other TIF districts include the Oklahoma Riverfront, Las Rosas, Devon World Headquarters and Northeast Renaissance, created last year for prompting redevelopment in a select portion of northeast Oklahoma City.

“TIF assistance is used to generate new employment opportunities, creation of new enterprises, economic activity and new investment,” said Cathy O’Connor, president of the Alliance for Economic Development

A tax increment funding, or TIF, district was approved to help foster development of First National Center in Oklahoma City. of Oklahoma City, during a Feb. 9 council meeting.

One of the alliance’s main responsibilities is to oversee city TIF districts.

“It is used to attract investment to areas of need throughout the city, particularly in distressed areas, and to generate new residential and commercial investment that enhances the quality of life and economic vitality,” O’Connor said.

Core to Shore

Two committees played important roles in creating the Core to Shore TIF area, bounded by the new Oklahoma City Boulevard, Oklahoma River and parts of Western Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard.

The council-created Central Business Review Committee studied the possibility of additional TIF districts and their role in development south of the central business area. The group included representatives from city, planning, the public and other taxing jurisdictions, such as Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Committee reviews are part of the TIF allocation process; however, city staff and the TIF Advisory Panel — comprised of city leaders — vet economic projects for TIF funds first.

The review committee and the council only consider projects that already have the blessing of the advisory board, which determines if the projects require TIF. Despite the various committees, the main question that must be answered is, “Would the project not go forward ‘but for’ the TIF?” While TIFs have helped produce impressive projects in OKC, not everyone cheers when they come up for discussion at city hall.

Recently, Councilman Pete White, representing Ward 4, suggested

additional review of TIF districts. He said further review could eventually lead to terminating successful TIF districts early. In that case, the property and economic activity taxes that had been captured for the TIF fund flow back into all taxing jurisdictions.

“We’ve got to have this constant review and look at it because it is millions and millions of dollars,” White said.

Under state law, the alliance creates annual reports on all TIF districts. In recent years, the organization strived to create more “user-friendly” reports, O’Connor said.

Future TIFs

Council members have worked to better understand the impact of TIF districts on other taxing jurisdictions, such as counties, library systems, school districts and the health department.

Recent strides to include those groups led to revenue sharing with the new First National Center TIF and potential Core to Shore TIFs. Over the next 10 years, the council is expected to review plans for each of the proposed TIF districts. Some, such as South Central Business District/ Central Park, will undergo scrutiny.

Council members James Greiner and White said the MAPS 3 Downtown Public Park, convention center and streetcar line will spur development without TIF offerings.

Shadid shared similar concerns about the city impeding on the free market.

He questioned the alliance’s rush to bring the Core to Shore plan before the council; he suspected the pressure stemmed from a lack of available funding for a new convention center parking garage and the desire to attract a hotel to serve the convention center.

A TIF district could secure a financing source for both projects.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 9

news business

Building Blox A building company in Stillwater converts shipping containers into homes and businesses.

By Oraynab Jwayyed

MO DERNBLOX / P ROVID ED

ModernBlox is working to change the way you live and do business. The secret lies in metal shipping containers. At least that’s what Lee Easton and his three co-founders are working to accomplish.

Lee Easton is an Oklahoma State University (OSU) alumnus who lives in Stillwater, which is where his building ambitions are accomplished.

He and co-founders Askari Addison, Swapneel Deshpande and Ben Loh convert metal shipping containers into homes and business units that can be delivered anywhere around the world.

The inspiration

ModernBlox was launched after one of the co-founders entered a business plan into a contest. It won, but it wasn’t until years later that the business idea was revisited. On the ModernBlox website, the founders take pride in being men who love to build things. Add to that a cofounder with a background in real estate and property, and the business plan materialized into a business venture.

“I think it’s just a mixture of all our passions, experiences and entrepreneurship to build things into this business,” Easton said.

The group is working with a subcontractor who is allowing the men to use his land to build prototypes that will be used as touring demo units.

The converted shipping containers are mobile and can be ordered over the Internet in a standard size.

“The long-term goal is to buy more land in Stillwater, get a crane and a high-end front loader and build coffee shops, restaurants, and then set it up to where anyone can visit the website and purchase their order, a home or pop-up business storefront,” Easton said.

The containers adhere to building codes and housing standards and have basic amenities such as electricity and heat. The co-founders invited architects, professors and Gov. Mary Fallin to examine their prototype.

“As soon as you step into the container, you don’t feel like you’re in a metal box,” Easton said.

Modern influence

The founders focus on a modern architectural style since the containers are metal and have sharp edges. They believe a modern look enhances their natural atmosphere. The goal is to

10 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Clockwise from lower left Ben Loh, Swapneel Deshpande and Lee Easton with their ModernBlox container home prototype repurpose the containers by sticking to their natural shape.

“On the inside, from the bathroom to the sink to the windowsill to the lighting fixtures,” Easton said, “they’re all a very straight-edged and straightlined design so it fits the interpretation of the modern art.”

High-quality material is used inside the units that are purchased at a standard size of 45-by-8.5-by-9 feet.

“You’re looking at 360 square feet when it’s all said and done,” Easton said.

Right now, the men are working with individual units. They’re also experimenting with constructing additional pieces that can be attached to each other to expand the containers horizontally and vertically.

“You can take a single floor plan, and let’s say you want to expand on it or add another container to that,” Easton said. “We’ll ship the containers together so you’ll have more square footage and more floor space by joining these containers together.”

Target market

The original intent for the containers was to follow the trend of building small living spaces. While the first prototypes comply with that consumer demand, ModernBlox’s long-term goals will change. Those changes include selling containers to American Red Cross to house victims of natural disasters or to NASA for space exploration efforts.

“A lot of influence was never centered

around the idea of a tiny home,” Easton said. “It’s more centered around the idea that you could ship houses that were rugged enough, strong enough, durable enough that you can ship it anywhere in the world.”

The containers are built to weather strong winds and turbulent weather, such as tornadoes.

“Our target market is essentially anyone who needs a house, but we’re starting to see developers that order products in high quantities that need to extend houses, apartments or small communities,” Easton said.

He is working toward economies of scale, where he is able to build more units at half the cost. That will enable organizations that need large orders of living spaces to buy more for less.

ModernBlox’s founders have plans to expand, but for now, they’re concentrating building efforts in Stillwater until there are enough resources to move beyond that space.

In the future, expansion will depend on the company’s ability to get access to the material and capital it needs.

The first completed prototype is expected to go on tour in two months. Its first stops are Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

ModernBlox has an active website and Instagram account that keep followers updated on its work. Photos of small homes built in different neighborhoods and throughout history are also available. Visit modernblox. com and instagram.com/modernblox to learn more.

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Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 11 2/18/16 11:24 AM

Chicken

Fried news

Rights on-target

An Oklahoma man went looking for a fight at a gun range in Oktaha and found it.

Raja’ee Fatihah, who is both Muslim and a U.S. Army reservist, joined the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Council on American-Islamic Relations to file a lawsuit against Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gun Range in Oktaha after he was asked to leave, according to NewsOK.com.

Fatihah said it was because he is Muslim; a sign in the store said the business is a “Muslim free establishment.”

Owners Chad and Nicole Neal said Fatihah was asked to leave because he became belligerent.

Fatihah visited the range after being told about the sign. He said the owners were nice to him until he told them he was a Muslim.

“At that point, they started treating me with suspicion,” FoxNews.com quoted Fatihah.

Then they asked if he was there to

murder them or “commit an act of violence,” according to NewsOK.com.

A lawyer for the range said the sign is protected speech under the First Amendment.

That might call for some patriotic citizen to head to Oktaha with a Sharpie to make some minor edits.

After all, a “Muslim, free establishment” might be good for business.

Taxi problem

Cabbies have it rough. There is not much more we can say.

Business Insider recently ranked taxi driving and chauffeuring as the No. 11 most dangerous job in America.

While we know that and choose to use the Uber app, we don’t like hearing about Oklahoma City’s own taxi drivers being assaulted.

June 4th

Wines of the West

Sample some of Oklahoma’s finest wines in stores throughout our district.

Get your wine passport stamped!

405.235.7267 12 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

TV station KOKH reported Thunder Cab driver MD Reza was attacked inside his vehicle by a 28-yearold passenger last month.

The passenger eventually ended the assault, and Reza called police. The passenger later traded the cab car for the squad car. No fare was collected for the ride to the Oklahoma County Jail.

About 10 days after the KOKH report, the TV station caught up with Reza. This time, he said a co-worker was “brutally attacked in his cab” by four men wanting to travel from Norman to OKC. What is going on?

Jaffar Najam, CEO of Thunder Cab, said the company is working with the police and is improving its tracking system.

Millennial movement

The headline is breathless and excited: “Millennials flocking to smaller cities!” And that’s good news for places just like

September 24th

Stockyard Stampede

All Day Live Music • Kid’s Zone Local Craft Vendors Little Mr. & Ms. Stockyards City Pageant

Oklahoma City and Tulsa, our state’s two largest “smaller cities.”

The number of millennials moving here rose 0.5 percent between 2000 and 2014, making the age group 22.7 percent of the city’s population, according to ConsumerAffairs, a for-profit consumer advocacy group based in Nevada. Tulsa lost 0.1 percent of its millennials, making them just 20.2 percent of that city’s population.

For comparison, Corvalis, Oregon’s metropolitan area expanded 2.4 percent to make the age group 29.4 percent of its population. Iowa City, Iowa, fell 5.20 percent to make the group 28.2 percent of its population.

That’s a whole lot of numbers without a whole lot to say, except “droves” of millennials — approximately 20 to 30 percent of any “smaller city” population — are moving around the nation — sorta like a bunch of wayward college backpackers on summer break. Get off our lawn.

Or stay awhile. Whatever.

December 3rd

Cowboy Christmas Parade

Watch the parade of longhorns march down Exchange Avenue followed by antique cars, tractors, groups and clubs of all sorts, and take pictures with the famous Cowboy Santa!

office@stockyardscity.org

Working women

Personal finance website WalletHub ranked the best and worst cities for women-owned businesses. The site “compared the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 10 key metrics indicating friendliness” toward women’s businesses.

Oklahoma City ranked No. 11, right behind Honolulu, Hawaii, and before Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana.

While OKC didn’t beat out metropolises like Nashville-DavidsonMurfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee; Memphis; or Spokane, Washington, our fair city did rank higher than many regional metro areas like San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas; Tulsa; Albuquerque, New Mexico; New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana; DenverAurora-Lakewood, Colorado; and DallasFort Worth-Arlington, Texas.

While our overall ranking was pretty impressive, our Business Climate for Women ranking was lacking at No. 86 (out of 100). We also ranked 14 in New Business Friendliness and No. 5 in Female Entrepreneurship.

So, while we can be proud of the fact that we treat entrepreneurial

women pretty well compared to other asphalt jungles, we could still use some improvement.

Hard hit

Sometimes, earning a decent dollar feels like hitting a brick wall over and over again.

Other times, you crash through that wall, hook a chain around an ATM and use a skid loader to haul it away. Then, like Oklahoma City man Aaron Peterson, cops find you fleeing the scene as you drive the front loader to your getaway car.

Surveillance video also showed Peterson as he spent over half an hour wrestling the money machine from the gas station located at Broadway Extension and W. Hefner Road, according to KFOR.com.

“[He] didn’t have its lights on; wasn’t sure what it was doing,” Mark Opgrande, with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, told KFOR. “The skid load driver looked at him, drove the skid loader into the ditch and took off running.”

Deputies also allege the skid loader Peterson used was stolen. He was captured after a foot chase and faces charges for possession of stolen property and destruction of property, among others.

Pro-life skills

Oklahoma might soon be adding a fourth R to education’s foundational Three R’s: reading, writing, arithmetic and now respect for the humanity of a child in utero.

Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton, has filed a bill that would require the state to incorporate an antiabortion program into its high school curriculum.

That bill cleared an education subcommittee and budgetary

committee and now awaits a hearing on the House floor.

At a time when state school budgets face deep cuts, the bill includes a provision that would only enact the legislation in times it could be properly funded, which would not be in this fiscal year.

Still, Coody said before a recent committee vote that passing the bill this year would send a message that the state Legislature backs pro-life efforts. She added that any parent could choose to opt their child out of such a program.

Some of the bill’s opponents question why no mention of sexual education is made in the language. Isn’t that an effective way of avoiding unwanted pregnancies?

As quoted in Tulsa World, Coody thinks those types of measures would ultimately be ineffective in curtailing abortion.

“There is only one sure prevention of pregnancy, and that’s not to cause it in the first place,” she said. “The killing of a human being is murder, plain and simple.”

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p r ovi de d

commentary

Who’s the bully?

By Cynthia Archiniaco

Not too long ago, many Oklahomans basked in the warmth of the Oklahoma Standard, a sound bite meant to describe the wholehearted and usually immediate generosity of residents who responded to those caught in disaster’s way. Oklahomans do give strongly and spontaneously to those in need at home and elsewhere. Oklahomans respond.

The whole nation recognizes us for this.

But so do others. How many times have we had power restored after teams came in from other states to help? How many responders, often funded by outof-state organizations, from around the region came to help in the aftermaths of the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing or multiple Moore tornadoes?

How many Oklahoma dollars sent to national organizations helped provide medicine, treatments and resources that have saved Oklahoma lives?

But state Reps. Brian Renegar,

Scott Biggs and John Enns aggressively shepherd House Bill 2250 through their agricultural committees.

Bill language sent to the House floor Feb. 16 shows that HB 2250 would prohibit animal rights charitable organizations, advocacy groups, individuals and others from soliciting donations “intended to be used on program services or functional expenses outside of the state or for political purposes inside or outside the state.”

They are, however, fine with an outof-state charitable organization soliciting and using funding for the political machine to support their proposed State Question 777, which is coming up for a vote in November. But allowing solicitation of funds for charitable organizations they view as opposition?

Not so much.

In 2013, the IRS revealed that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for intensive scrutiny

based on their names or political themes. This led to wide condemnation of the agency and triggered several investigations, including an FBI criminal probe ordered by the U.S. attorney general. It was generally recognized that such activity was unconstitutional at worst and a dangerously improper use of public aegis at best.

Yet here we are, with our own version of personal hubris using the legislative process to suppress opposing views. When faced with strong condemnation, they cry “bullies.”

We fought to secure our rights for freedom to espouse opposing views in 1776. We further sought to forever secure that concept in our national constitution.

We elect representatives to government at any level to represent our collective views and needs, not their personal views or vendettas. But maybe I’m wrong about all that.

There are several types of charitable

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

purpose organizations as recognized by law. The majority are 501(c)(3) organizations, which include most health, religious and social purpose groups that we all understand and support with gifts, bequests and volunteer efforts as we choose.

It absolutely should be a matter of conscience and personal freedom to respond to solicitations as we see fit, not as a matter of legislative directive. If this bill is allowed to progress, it threatens every charitable organization in a very fundamental way.

Renegar, Biggs and Enns, you fail to meet the Oklahoma Standard. You fail to represent the American freedom to choose.

Cynthia Archiniaco is a member of the 2015-16 class of Leadership Oklahoma City’s Signature Program and vice president of Kirkpatrick Bank. She is former director of the Oklahoma Office of Historic Trust and studied environmental law at Colorado State University.

LETTERS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section.

The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette. com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

Capitol drone

Gov. Mary Fallin’s state of the state speech said there would be more cuts and suggested increasing the cigarette tax as a solution to our upcoming catastrophe.

This will be too little too late.

She also said she wants a $120 million bond to fix the capitol.

We the people of Oklahoma are sick and tired of hearing about your damn capitol. It was just fine before you and your cronies put that huge dome on top.

I mean, it’s got it’s own weather system.

Our houses are crumbling from earthquakes, the inequality of rich and poor is greater than ever, our primary education system needs help, etc., and your focus is the capitol.

Why don’t you all meet in one of

14 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

the abandoned strip malls on 23rd Street? We don’t care. It’s your fault it’s crumbling from the weight of the dome; it should have been left alone. (I do like the Indian on top!)

— Nancy Roche Edmond Kook-ade’

Newton and Lepo are sipping Karl Rove’s kook-ade that smells like gasoline (Commentary, Letters, “Blame Obama,” Andy Newton, and “Surprise, surprise,” Pete Lepo, Jan. 6, Oklahoma Gazette).

Obama didn’t cause the change in governorships; Republican gerrymandering — paid for by the richniks — did.

The recovery was slowed at every turn by manipulations by those same richniks and Repubs who didn’t want a black president to succeed. And any talk of ineptness should focus on the George W. Bush failures, FEMA under Joe Allbaugh, now our interim director of Oklahoma Department of Corrections, who bailed out at the exact right time and left Brownie to take the rap.

Then there is the W. war, costing billions. W. couldn’t find Osama, and remember Iraq’s WMDs? What

a joke. If it hadn’t given up the Bush Depression, worse than ’29.

Enron kept going since its execs gave huge contributions and got slow walk or file 13 investigations. We never hear of the deficit until a Democrat raises it a dollar, yet Reagan, Bush Sr. and W. vastly increased it, making our military bigger than the next 10 countries and, like the USSR, nearly bankrupting the USA. Remember the credit rating lowering?

We need to cut the military by a third while giving our warriors big raises and taking care of wounded warriors and 9/11 responders. We remember Reagan, Bush and W.,

and that is why the Republican base is hugely for Trump and why Bernie Sanders is nearly as popular with his base as President Barack Obama was with his.

— Larry Stem Oklahoma City Legislative cuts

Why doesn’t the Legislature take a pay cut during this financial crisis? They are the ones who created it.

— Hank Martin Midwest City

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food & drink

A heart, liver and yogurt tart A salad made from fresh, fermented and pickled vegetables

Jeremy Wolfe plates food during a Nonesuch dinner at Waffle Champion.

Detailed dining Nonesuch hopes Oklahoma is ready for a tasting menu restaurant.

Tickets to Nonesuch can be purchased at nonesuchokc.com.

By Greg Elwell

As 6:30 p.m. nears, Colin Stringer’s long, loose limbs tighten. He’s rearranging a pecan wood fire again. He’s bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. It has been a week since his last dinner.

Name game

Nonesuch was born via phone while Stringer was working outside Oklahoma following the close of Nani. His heralded collaboration with Andon Whitehorn and Jeremy Wolfe, preparing multicourse, intensely local, foraged haute cuisine, ran afoul of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, which successfully shut down Nani for not submitting to a restaurant inspection.

Nani’s chefs maintained their creation wasn’t a restaurant, but a private chefs-forhire business hosted in their home. After closing the doors of their labor of love, Stringer and Whitehorn were honored by Eater.com as “young guns” to watch in the food world.

Stringer left OKC to stage in different kitchens, which is when Waffle Champion owner Todd Woodruff called.

He wanted to know what was next, and he wanted to be a part of it.

“If Nani proved one thing, it’s that Oklahoma City is ready for a tasting menu restaurant,” Stringer said.

They bandied about names like Alchemy and Ceremony, but then Stringer said, “nonetheless” and Woodruff thought of Nonesuch.

“It’s a word that means it’s unlike

anything else,” Woodruff said.

Building demand

In the kitchen, Wolfe and Stringer oversee the construction of 14 identical plates of food. It was only supposed to be 12, but they made a mistake and overbooked the night’s dinner.

Guests started arriving a little before 6:30 p.m. — two tables of two, one table of eight. Woodruff said it’s a nice change from their first few dinners.

After a few dismal showings, business picked up. On. Feb. 15, they had sold out five nights in a row.

The menu is constantly evolving, Stringer said. That night’s ninth course was “mushrooms, peanut chocolate.” A few weeks prior, it was in the form of a soufflé. That evening, it was a candy bar.

“It starts off tasting like a Snickers.

Then the earthiness of the mushrooms comes through,” he said.

Taking their cues from the season, Wolfe and Stringer spend Saturdays searching farmers markets for what’s fresh, local and will taste best. It can be limiting, but limits inspire creativity.

“Been using a lot of roots,” Stringer said. “But with all the snownadoquakes, we got a little surprise: wild onions in February.”

That was what Nate Gaston was blanching. Helping out every other week at Nonesuch in addition to his role as kitchen manager at Waffle Champion, Gaston said he’s receiving an incredible

education in taste — more than he learned in culinary school.

“I’m taking Colin’s advice and slowing down when I eat, trying to break down the flavors in each meal,” he said.

As he examined the onions, Gaston called out for “Chef Colin” to inspect his work and make sure he was meant to remove the brown tips at the end of the long, green onion sprouts.

It was a near-constant conversation as the crew checked with one another again and again. Wolfe said that’s the dynamic of their cooking — if you don’t say something, nothing gets done.

“We are hypercritical of each other,” he said. “We taste everything, and we don’t hold back.”

They screw up a lot, Stringer said.

But repetition hones their techniques and unfiltered feedback keeps them cooking food that tastes better each week.

Next steps

Great food takes time — not just time cooking, but plenty of hours spent shopping, tasting and preparing ingredients. Starting Saturday and finishing up Monday night, each of them will spend about 60 hours working over the course of three days.

The next few days are spent taking care of the other niggling little details, like how much wine they have and what they can get for the next dinner or food costs and labor costs — the nuts and bolts of the restaurant.

And make no mistake — Nonesuch will be a restaurant, albeit one with a singular concept for OKC. Open only a few days a week, the tasting menu concept brings the current experience to a different environment, offering diners staggered seatings of the same chef’s choice dishes.

They’re happy with the food right now, but Stringer said it will improve as they get to cook more often and for more people.

Long, loose

Above the staging area, there’s a crossstitch sign that reads, “Make it nice.”

That’s what Gaston and John Dame strive to do as they artfully prepare 14 plates of pecan cheese, hoshigaki (dried persimmons) and greens, spritzing each with vinegar dressing before they head out to the tables.

Stringer and Wolfe are busy grilling scrap bread over the smoldering pecan wood and clarifying goose fat butter.

Despite the menu changing each week, the team works like a well-oiled machine.

And in those moments, when the work is all that’s in front of them and the conversation in the kitchen is matched by the sounds of guests eating farmers cheese tortellini and bison with rutabaga, all that tension is gone. Stringer’s limbs are long and loose again. Wolfe serenely presses out rounds of bread.

Then the dinner is over and the clock begins again — another week until dinner.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 17

food & drink

Tues-Thurs 5PM-10PM | Fri & Sat 5PM-11PM Sun 5PM-9PM

Spare Rib Pale Ale cans on the assembly line before filling at COOP Ale Works

1 block from Civic Center & OKC Museum of Art

Gift Cards now Available 305 N. Walker

patroNookc.com

405.702.7660

ph otos by MAR K HA NCOCK

RUSTIC ITALIAN FOOD AND ITALIAN WINE

Tapped in Coop Ale Works celebrates seven years of beers with a massive anniversary party.

By Greg Elwell

COOP Ale Works 7th Anniversary Party

Blake Jarolim

11 a.m.-8 p.m. March 5 COOP Ale Works 4745 Council Heights Road coopaleworks.com 842-2667 $15-$20

lunch & dinner

6014 n. May 947.7788 | zorbasokc.coM 18 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Throwing an anniversary party for COOP Ale Works is hard, expensive work, but it’s worth every minute and penny.

“We give away beer,” said head brewer Blake Jarolim. “We give up 12 hours before the party to prepare and 12 hours after the party to clean up.”

COOP Ale Works 7th Anniversary Party will be held in two sessions 11 a.m.-8 p.m. March 5 at the brewery, 4745 Council Heights Road. Why two sessions?

“At some point, we had responsibility questions about a 12-hour free-for-all,” he said.

There will be a lot of beer poured that day. Every 30 minutes at the party, COOP releases another beer. Some are vintages of past years’ releases, Jarolim said. A few are one-off, special beers just for the party.

Even as the brewery has expanded its reach, with COOP beer sold in Kansas, Nebraska and Arkansas, Jarolim said it is still a small craft operation.

Each can of F5 IPA should taste like the last, but the crew still finds plenty of time to play around with new flavors. Using a pilot system — a souped-up version of what home brewers use — COOP is always turning out small batches of beer to find new recipes.

Creating big-taste, lower-point

beers is a particular point of pride for Jarolim. Debuting Briefcase Brown, Negative Split and Spare Rib Pale Ale helped grow the business by introducing local beers to people who might never go to bars or liquor stores.

“It’s a real challenge to make flavorful beers at that alcohol range,” he said.

Lower-point beers also open up options in the taproom, where customers can pick up crowlers (COOP’s version of growlers) of beers infused with peppermint, habanero, mango, cacao and other flavors on a rotating basis.

Food trucks La Gumbo Ya Ya, Kaiteki Ramen and Twist Gourmet Pretzels will be onsite for those who prefer not to drink on empty stomachs.

The brewery is lucky to have come along when it did in Oklahoma City’s renaissance, Jarolim said.

“I’m very grateful,” he said.

“Support from the community means 12 people get to make beer for a living.

For me, that’s pretty cool.”

Event proceeds benefit Central Oklahoma Humane Society.

food & drink

Rockin’ eggs OKCMOA’s 2016 Omelette Party promises inventive egg dishes and a rockin’ good time.

By Christine Eddington

7 p.m. Friday Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com 236-3100 $100-$125 21+

Over its 32-year history, Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s (OKCMOA) annual Omelette Party fundraiser has cracked around 85,000 eggs, entertained thousands of people and raised a lot of money. This year’s fundraising goal is lofty: $108,000 for the museum’s operations, exhibitions and programs. The event is 7 p.m. to midnight Friday at Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave. “We’re excited about this year’s theme,” said Becky Weintz, OKCMOA marketing and communications manager. “Rock ’n’ roll transcends the generations. We encourage people to dress up in their favorite rock ’n’ roll style. Of course, you don’t have to dress up to enjoy the party.”

The event has humble beginnings and was initially held in the home of famed OKC architect and arts patron George Seminoff. Year after year, the event expanded. Its venues grew with it.

“Over the years, it’s been held multiple places, including the First National Building and Leadership Square, and now, it’s found a home at the Chevy Bricktown Events Center,” said Kimberley Worrell, OKCMOA associate development director.

Suzanne Thomas and Matt Tipton are co-chairmen of this year’s event.

They have worked with a committee of about 40 volunteers since October and assembled 55 artists and 17 chefs and restaurants that will bring their creations to partygoers.

The artists donated works that guests may win in a raffle throughout the evening. Raffle ticket prices are modest; one is $5, five cost $20 and 30 cost $100. Glass artists Rick and Tracey Bewley, fiber artist and textile designer Diane Coady, sculptor Joe Slack and many more donated their works.

Tipton has volunteered at the event for three years.

“Everyone on the committee has

Henry Boudreaux prepares an omelette at 2014’s Omelette Party

A. GILI LL AN D / P ROVI DED

Omelette Party — Eggs, Drinks & Rock ’n’ Roll

worked especially hard this year to bring this theme alive, and I believe we’ve done it,” he said. “We’re on our way to meeting our fundraising goals.

I really can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be that night.”

Thomas is a nine-year Omelette Party veteran and shared Tipton’s enthusiasm.

“It’s a great event that features some of the top talent in Oklahoma all in one place. This event never disappoints,” she said. “Each year, I look forward to working with the museum and getting the committee together to plan this spectacular event.”

A $125 general admission ticket ($100 for museum members) includes an open bar and egg-ceptional culinary creations from the likes of Picasso Cafe, Fassler Hall/Dust Bowl OKC, Empire Slice House and others. Crowd-pleasing party legends Frank Newcomb, Tom Lienke and Ken Bradford will hold court at their customary location next to the dance floor.

Live music from The Stars and DJ Brian Smith with Chameleon Entertainment will get guests onto the dance floor.

Although the event sells out each year, there are still sponsorships and a limited number of individual tickets available.

“We generally have 400-500 general admission tickets available for purchase, but we tend to sell out the week beforehand,” Worrell said.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 19 UNI_15-IN-271_2.2x12.25_StrengthAndHope.indd 1

1/14/16 5:00 PM

food & drink

Peak flavor Mt. Everest Cuisines brings Nepali dishes from on high.

By Greg Elwell

20 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Samosas

Mt. Everest Cuisines 1169 E. Second St., Edmond | 696-5494 mteverestcuisines.com What works: MoMos and Nepali thalis.

What needs work: The chicken tikka masala had some bitterness.

Tip: Ask your server for guidance if it’s your first time.

Steamed MoMos at Mt. Everest Cuisines

Aloo papri chat

onto my plate and taking bites, acting like they were full and then eating more.

There was also a dal, which is a lentil stew, vegetable papad (kind of a creamy mix of different veggies) and some vinegary pickled bits called achar. It comes with a bunch of rice, which is fine, but the dessert is this amazing sweet cake ball sitting in a bowl of yogurt.

For Indian food lovers, I’m happy to

report that Mt. Everest does have chicken tikka masala ($12.95). It’s that creamy orange chicken dish that you can get at every Indian restaurant because it’s delicious. It’s the California roll of Indian food.

This version was OK, but not my favorite. There was a smoky, slightly charred flavor to the chicken, which is probably because it’s actual grilled

chicken, but it imparted a little bitterness to the dish. Your mileage might vary, though.

I was happier with the chicken madras ($12.95). Despite a reputation for being fiery, this version — with a smooth sweetness from coconut milk — had plenty of flavor without being painful to the lips and tongue.

You can ask for it spicier, of course.

Mt. Everest is receptive to people asking for low or even no spice. But don’t be like that. Go medium at least. You will learn to tame the fire or at least get some of that yogurt to do the job.

Like many Indian restaurants, Mt. Everest has a full spread of meatless options. My pick is the chana saag ($10.95), which is deeply satisfying with plenty of chickpeas. If you worry that vegetarian food will leave you hungry, this dish is for you.

Last, but certainly not least, is the naan: Indian flatbread cooked in the tandoor oven. There are several varieties, including butter ($1.95), garlic ($2.95) and aaloo ($2.95), which is stuffed with potato.

But let’s be honest; you need all of these breads in your life, so your best bet is the bread basket ($7.95). It showed up at the table and we nearly cheered. The garlic naan was especially delightful, covered in greenery and quite flavorful without being too pungent.

Maybe you won’t get the same rush and feeling of accomplishment as climbing Mt. Everest, but eating Nepali cuisine is a lot easier and a lot tastier, even if you find the journey through Edmond’s traffic to be exhausting. It’s a trek you should make soon.

ph otos by Ga r ett fisbe ck

You will need a Sherpa. Many have tried and failed to summit Mt. Everest, but those who do almost always need a guide.

It is too difficult a trek to make without preparation and someone who knows the way.

That is not to say that you would die inside Edmond’s Mt. Everest Cuisines, 1169 E. Second St. But to find the best Nepali and Indian food on the menu, it’s best to talk to your server.

I was ready to gloss past MoMos ($6.95) when the owner helped guide me back, and thank goodness he did. These perfect steamed chicken and vegetable dumplings were the high point of a stellar meal.

I love dumplings, but they’re often very similar from restaurant to restaurant, so I tend to seek out different appetizers.

These were not the same old dumplings. Inside the beautifully crimped wrapper was a tender mix of minced chicken and vegetables that had a mild sweetness that was even better when dipped into the accompanying spicy sauce.

They come fried or covered in Nepali “chilly,” but the simple steamed ones are too good to miss. Warning: Properly steaming the MoMos takes 15 minutes.

Your patience will be rewarded.

The vegetable samosas (two for $2.95) are the size of your fist and hide a substantial kick of heat under their buttery, flaky fried crust. If they were not fresh out of the oil, I would have eaten them like apples.

How are samosas not the most popular food in Oklahoma City? They’re fried, they’re full of potatoes and other starchy vegetables, they’re great alone or dipped in sauces — get on this goodness, people!

To cool your scorched mouth, I suggest you try the aaloo papri chat ($4.95). It’s a mix of crispy fried chunks of bread, chilled vegetables and Indian sauces, including a soothing yogurt that extinguishs any residual samosa flames.

Fact: I am always drawn to the sampler on the menu. Mexican appetizer sampler? It’s not like I don’t know what nachos, flautas and quesadillas taste like, but there’s a great joy in getting some of everything.

That makes the thali option at Mt. Everest so appealing. Thali translates to “plate” in Nepali and is a meal made up of various other foods. Unlike nachos, I had no idea what the lamb gravy in the lamb thali ($15.95) would taste like. It was amazing. My friends kept reaching over

Lamb thali sampler

food briefs

by Greg Elwell

Breakfast burgers In advance of the opening of the new Sunnyside Diner at NW Sixth Street and Classen Boulevard, owners Shannon Roper and Aly Branstetter brought breakfast service to another of their restaurants, the original S&B’s Burger Joint, 5929 N. May Ave. At 9 a.m. daily, the bar serves grilled breakfast burritos and breakfast burgers in some interesting new combinations. The Sugar Ray burger ($8) includes blue cheese, a choice of bacon or ham, a soft fried egg and grape jelly on top of either a sausage patty or a beef burger and is served with tater tots.

“If you’ve been in the area in the morning, you know the whole building and outside around us smells like bacon,” Branstetter said. “It would draw people in and they’d ask if we served breakfast. ... Shannon got started on creating and we had ourselves a rocking breakfast menu.”

More than 15 local teams vie for the best chili in the city at Edmond Mobile Meals’ 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off. Pro spice hounds from food trucks including Smokin’ Okies and Flying Pig BBQ will face off against chili enthusiasts from local organizations including AC Owen Construction, Bank SNB, Citizens Bank, Midcon, Innovative Health Care Systems and University of Central Oklahoma, 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Downtown Community Center, 28 E. Main St., in Edmond.

Tickets are $5, and attendees can sample as much chili as they want, plus sides and drinks from Organic Squeeze. Proceeds benefit Edmond Mobile Meals.

“The support from the community is what enables Edmond Mobile Meals to serve nearly 200 meals each day to the homebound in Edmond,” said executive director Piper Riggs in a press release.

The event draws attention to the needs of many residents in the city who cannot leave their homes.

Find more information about the organization and the chili cook-off at edmondmobilemeals.org.

Philippine party There are two ways to get the kind of food the Philippine-American Civic Organization of Oklahoma is serving at Spring Taste of Philippines: buy a ticket or make it yourself.

“Some of those foods in the menu are not available in restaurants,” said Ira S. Burrough, vice president of the Asia Society of Oklahoma Inc., of which PACO is a member.

Spring Taste starts with a bake sale and arts and crafts 1-5 p.m. March 12 at Nick Harroz Community Center, 200 N. Midwest Blvd., in Midwest City. Food, including chicken afritada, pancit noodles and cassava cake, is served 6-7:30 p.m. during the pageants for Miss PACO, Junior Miss PACO, Little Miss PACO and Mr. PACO. The fundraiser helps the nonprofit societies pay for future events. Tickets are $15 for ages 11 and older, $7.50 for children age 4 to 10 and free for those younger than 3.

Tickets are available by calling Burroughs at 819-3652 or PACO president Esther Moore at 525-2882.

pr ovided

provided

Chili cook-off

Caffeine Crawl Oklahoma is in for a jittery weekend as Caffeine Crawl returns to the state March 25 and 26.

It’s Oklahoma City’s fourth year to host the crawl, organized by The LAB, a beverage marketing and creative firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

Six routes will take coffee and tea fans all over Oklahoma City, Norman and Edmond Saturday, trying different beverages and learning about brew methods from locally owned shops.

It’s also the first year Tulsa, which will have four different crawl routes on Friday, is included.

“It’s a great way to get plugged into your local coffee scene,” said The LAB event coordinator Sadie Renee. “There’s a presentation and sample at each shop.

It gives you a real behind-the-scenes look at the cafe you might not get just ordering coffee there on a regular day.”

Participating shops are Coffee Slingers Roasters, Mariposa Coffee Roastery, Clarity Coffee, Elemental Coffee Roasters, Cafe Evoke, Compass Coffeehouse, Cuppies & Joe, Gray Owl Coffee, Junction Coffee, Second Wind Coffeehouse, syrup., Urban Teahouse and White Bison Coffee.

Tickets for the OKC routes are $26-$30, available at caffeinecrawl.com.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 21

Munch madness It’s munch madness, baby!

Everyone shouts all the time and watches basketball games nonstop on TV, baby!

Everyone in your office filled out a bracket and put $5 in the pool, only to lose to Melvin in the mailroom, who chose winners based on which colors he likes, baby!

Also, everything has to end in baby, baby! Grab some chow and watch hoops here, baby!

— by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock and Garett Fisbeck

Half Time Sports Grill

Lumpy’s Sports Grill

Republic Gastropub

6812 SW 55th St. halftimesportsgrill.net | 745-2795

12325 N. May Ave. 286-3300

5830 N. Classen Blvd. republicgastropub.com | 286-4577

If there’s one thing Half Time Sports Grill has, it’s TVs — lots and lots of TVs. But there isn’t just one thing at Half Time Sports Grill. That would be a pretty boring place to go. So, in addition to a lot of TVs showing every kind of sport, the restaurant also serves beer and some excellent fresh fried chicken. It might not look like much from the outside, but you’re not there to look at the exterior.

You’re there to eat a bird and root for Butler or some other unknown school.

Some people will tell you that Buffalo chicken comes from Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York (editor’s note: This is a fact.), but real connoisseurs know the legend of 1870s railroad baron Charles “Chick” Buffalo (editor’s note: This is not true.), who drank a quart of butter and hot sauce every day until his death at age 26. His memory lives on at Lumpy’s, where the Buffalo chicken nachos are pretty awesome.

Have you considered getting a third eye installed? Not one of those mystical ones where you see auras, but a real eyeball, but on the side or back of your head. Maybe you should consider having the operation, because the TVs are so big and all-encompassing at Republic that you’ll need at least three eyes to see all the games. And a fourth eye wouldn’t be bad to dedicate to the expansive beer menu, while you’re at it.

Cast your ballot on page 37 Feeling like an extrovert?

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Translated literally, chupacabra means “goat sucker.” And while goat is actually extremely tasty, it’s nowhere to be found in Pub W’s The Chupacabra sandwich.

But you can find pulled chicken and grilled jalapeños and onions with melted Muenster cheese on grilled jalapeño bread. So even if Villanova vs. East-West Kentucky Mechanical College of Maine is a snoozefest, your lunch will keep you wide-awake.

Urban Johnnie Bar & Grille 121 NE Second St. urbanjohnnie.com | 208-4477

Hummus worked hard. After watching its cousin, bean dip, team up with French onion dip to get all the glory, hummus went to work. As a single player, it’s a solid, creamy option. But at Urban Johnnie, hummus has found a perfect partner in a veggie patty, creating the unstoppable Hummus A Tune burger. Hummus even lured away onions from the dip to get fried and put on top.

Real team players.

Tailgate Grill 1800 N. MacArthur Blvd.

942-0532

Food math is hard, but delicious.

Take the geniuses at Tailgate Grill, for instance. They worked out these theorems.

Fries are good. Cheese is good.

Fries + cheese = cheese fries.

Chili is good. Cheese (see above) is good.

Chili + cheese = chili cheese.

Fries + cheese + chili = Chili cheese fries.

Add in sports and beer and you’ve got Saturday handled.

Park Harvey Sushi & Sports Lounge 200 N. Harvey Ave. 600-7575

Where did we get the idea that sushi was fancy? Sushi is finger food. Just because it’s healthier for you than a cheeseburger doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious and laidback. Park Harvey Sushi figured it out long ago. Sushi and sports are a natural fit.

Bite-sized rolls full of fresh fish, avocado and crunchy vegetables are so good for you, sushi might count as exercise. Better have another roll, just in case.

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SMASHBURGER.COM Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 23

Spring outside March 20 marks the first day of spring. It’s also called the vernal equinox, meaning the day is as long as the night. That bit of good news also means the sunsets get later and later as we move into the new season, meaning there’s more time to spend outside and enjoy the weather. Get ready. — By Gazette staff | Photos by Mark Hancock

IT’S TIME FOR A HEALTHIER YOU! BRING IN A PACK OF CIGARETTES TO ONE OF OUR THREE METRO LO C AT I O N S A N D R E C E I V E A F R E E S TA RT E R K I T !

COUPON CODE: NOSMOKE EXPIRES: MAR.9, 2016

F O L L O W U S

www.vapor world.biz THREE GREAT METRO LOCATIONS

M O O R E : 2311 S I  35 S E R V I C E R OA D M I D W E S T C I T Y: 8 911 S E 29 T H ST SOUTH OKC: 9101 S W ESTERN, STE. 10 6

S O M E R E ST R I C T I O N S M AY A P P LY 24 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

V A P O R W O R L D

Boathouse District 725 S. Lincoln Blvd. boathousedistrict.org 552-4040

A RIVERSPORT membership to the Boathouse District along the Oklahoma River in downtown OKC gives you access to fitness facilities, classes, rowing, kayaking, cycling and stand-up paddle boarding activities. You also can play on the SandRidge Sky Trail and Sky Slide, Air Express Zip Line and more. Singleday passes are $15, three-visit passes are $30, single monthly passes are $50 and a monthly family pass is $125.

The Bleu Garten 301 NW 10th St.

Bike One 159 24th Ave. NW, Norman

bleugarten.com

bikeone.us

info@bleugarten.com

573-7433

This is where springtime culminates.

The Bleu Garten celebrates its seasonal opening this week, so you’re welcome to roam the food truck park, play games like cornhole, sip any one of a multitude of craft beers and watch the sun set. Partners feature Vintage Canned Ham Photo Booth of Central Oklahoma, Jaxx + Hill Wandering Boutique (see our story on P. 27), Back Door Barbecue, The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen, Ciao Wagon, Big Truck Tacos and many others. Check its website often for a rotating schedule of featured food trucks and mobile retailers.

If you’re outside, you’ll be sweating. You’ll also be squinting unless you’re wearing proper eyewear to protect your vision and your safety. Find cool, custom-fitted sunglasses that stay put while you’re out and about and just about any other accessory you might need for a bike ride by yourself, with friends or family. Bike One offers the state’s largest selection of Trek and Giant Bicycles and all the gear you might need to go with ’em.

Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park of Oklahoma City 1700 S. Robinson Ave. okc.gov/parks/skatepark 297-2211

Core Extreme Sports 10467 N. May Ave. corextremesports.com 286-5100

Skateboarding star Mat Hoffman was featured in ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, and Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville

featured him in their film The Birth of Big Air. The park named after him was named one of the Top 10 skate parks in the U.S. by National Geographic Travel Guide. Protective gear is required. Find boards, helmets, pads and more at Core Extreme Sports.

Pops 660 OK-66, Arcadia pops66.com 928-7677

Pops includes possibly the largest pop bottle anywhere and the largest variety of sodas in the state. Pick up a six-pack of mix-and-match sodas to-go and some Route 66 memorabilia. While out that way, catch a scenic view of Lake Arcadia, located just 1.5 miles west, while sipping some soda and enjoying a golden-hued Oklahoma sunset.

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White Water Bay 3908 W. Reno Ave. whitewaterbay.com 943-9687

Double-park season passes to Frontier City and White Water Bay start at $69.99 plus tax. A pass gets you into both parks during their 2016 seasons and offers benefits like early entry to concerts, free concerts, entry to Divein Movies events and more. Frontier City opens weekends beginning April 9 and daily May 30, and White Water Bay opens weekends beginning May 21 and daily May 30.

LA Sun & Sport 14201 N. May Ave., Suite 205 shoplasunandsport.com 752-2627

A new spring also means dumping that swimwear you bought three years ago and buying new, on-trend swimwear with confidence. LA Sun & Sport is OKC’s only year-round swimwear retailer. It offers more than 20 lines of women’s swimwear in sizes 32A-40G. It also carries men’s swim trunks and t-shirts.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 25

26 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

arts & culture shop

p hotos by Ga re tt fi s be c k

Trendy truck Two local entrepreneurs fill their mobile business with fashion instead of food.

Jaxx + Hill Wandering Boutique

BY ALISSA LINDSEY

Two Oklahoma women are running Oklahoma City’s first full-service fashion truck. Alysia Jackson and Christin Hill originally started Jaxx + Hill as an online boutique because they wanted to dabble in selling jewelry.

They had no idea they would be able to expand into selling clothing and accessories in their Wandering Boutique.

Inspired by the food and boutique truck life in Austin, the two women launched their own fashion truck in June.

“We traveled around and did a lot of shows, but all of our customers wanted to be able to try things on,” Hill said. “We [thought], ‘How can we combine it and make it easier, and why not sell everything out of the truck?’”

The fashion truck is a 1990 27-foot Frito Lay truck that the business owners spent two months refurbishing and learning how to drive, and now it brings in more revenue than the website.

“Every girl wants to try something on, and a lot of our clothes are so soft,” Hill said. “But no one can tell how soft it is online. Sizing is another big reason the truck is so popular, and people think it’s so fun to get in because it’s a novelty.”

Inside the truck, there are dressing rooms and a sitting area with a princess chair so kids can hang out while their parents shop.

“I had 14 women inside shopping at the same time one night,” Hill said.

The fashion truck makes frequent stops at The Bleu Garten, a luxury food truck venue located at 301 NW 10th St. in Midtown, and Jaxx + Hill posts a weekly location schedule and updates on all of its social media accounts.

This season’s main trends are crop tops, maxi dresses and miniskirts in mint, florals and other patterns. Jackson and Hill try to stay on top of current crazes and let their personalities shine through their merchandise.

“The two of us have completely opposite style,” Hill said. “I tend to be more girly, and Alysia is more edgy. I think that it helps us in our business because we’re able to carry a little bit of everything.”

Their opposite styles feed off each other and make their way into business decisions.

“We’ve started turning into each other,” Jackson said. “She’s merging into the world of floral, and I’m merging into

Alysia Jackson and Christin Hill in their Jaxx + Hill Wandering Boutique the world of solids.”

The business partners shop at Dallas Market Center for a lot of their merchandise.

“When we go to Market, we try to use code words,” Hill said. “I’ll pick out something, and she’ll be like, ‘Yeah, maybe,’ and I can tell immediately that it’s too far into girly world or is cheesy. Because we have such opposite styles, we’re able to carry something for everybody.”

Local partnership

Recently, Jackson and Hill have been looking for local vendors whose merchandise they can promote in their truck, and they have been able to carry about 25 percent of their stock from local businesses like Local Lather, a mobile homemade soap shop.

There are cubbies in the Jaxx + Hill fashion truck, and the pair are talking about renting them out to local businesses

in order to carry more local merchandise.

The business partners try to make sure that everything they carry is available in the fashion truck and online because online shopping is so popular right now, but there are more jewelry and accessories on the truck.

Jackson and Hill met when Hill was working at Coles Garden as a wedding planner and Jackson was the bride. Later, Jackson also started working at Coles.

“We hit it off immediately once we started working together, and we’ve been friends for two and a half years,” Hill said.

Booking the fashion truck for parties or events is free as long as there are at least 10 guests, and the party’s host receives 10 percent of the profits in shopping credit at Jaxx + Hill.

If the party’s total sales are $1,000 or more, the host receives a 15 percent credit to shop the Wandering Boutique.

Jackson and Hill can set up their merchandise in the venue, or the guests

can shop inside the truck.

The Wandering Boutique plans to be at Heard on Hurd, a celebration of downtown Edmond with live music and food trucks that takes place 6-10 p.m. every third Saturday from March to October.

In the future, Jackson and Hill might expand the business into multiple fashion trucks or even a brick-and-mortar location.

“Everyone always asks if we have a store,” Hill said. “We’d love to start pushing online more since that’s where we’ve started, and we plan to do more events. We want people to know about the fashion truck because so many people don’t know about it, and we’re excited to be a part of the Oklahoma community.”

For more information, visit jaxxandhill.com.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016| 27

Ga r e t t fi s b e c k

arts & culture

Top hat Aaron Miller and his 800-foot knitted hat

Aaron Miller’s 800-foot-long, hand-knitted ski hat could possibly be the world’s longest.

By Ben Luschen

Aaron Miller’s creation is over 800 feet long, weighs about 85 pounds and lives on the bedroom floor. It has no mind of its own but could swallow your whole head.

A technicality keeps Guinness World Records from calling it the largest hat in the world, but most people will likely never see one as long as the multicolored ski hat tangled in a semi-knot on Miller’s floor.

Miller said he worked three to four hours a day on the project — sometimes more on the weekends — for six months.

“There were a lot of big night trips to Wal-Mart for more yarn,” he said.

He estimates 160 balls of yarn were used to create his entirely hand-stitched effort; he spent about $140 total. Some of the yarn was collected at garage and estate sales Miller would find online.

He sometimes walked away with trash bags full of fiber on the cheap.

“For six months, I don’t think we ever made a trip to any store without getting yarn,” said Broc Simon, Miller’s fiancé.

Miller did a lot of his work after he came home at night, as a way to relax and unwind. The hat is actually made of 90- to 100-foot lengths stitched together. Any bigger and the project would become unmanageable.

28 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

An artist who also paints and takes on other craftwork, Miller titled his work “A Long Winter,” taken literally.

At the end of the hat, should one manage to find it, sits a large green pompom.

Guinness won’t count his hat as one of the world’s largest, Miller said, because a “world’s largest” object has to be a model “to scale” of the original object to qualify. His hat is long, but in width, it is no different than an average ski hat.

The largest knitted hat, according to the record keeper, resides in Peru and is 66 feet 3.2 inches in circumference. In height alone, however, Miller’s hat beats the recordholder, which only stands at 56 feet 10.6 inches.

Miller said a similarly long hat he read about in Sandpoint, Idaho, helped inspire his efforts. The Sandpoint hat, 700 feet in length, is paraded around the town as part of its annual winter carnival.

Measurement

When Miller completed his six-month project, he estimated his hat might be about 700 feet long, but he needed an official measurement. It was impossible to lay out and measure the hat at home, so Miller had to find a way to get the

giant into his car and transport it to a local school gymnasium.

He painstakingly folded the garment into the kind of large, plastic tub in which one might store an artificial Christmas tree. Miller hauled the tub, weighing about the same as an average 12-year-old boy, to his car only to discover there was no way he could get it to fit inside his red, 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier. He removed the hat from the tub and unceremoniously pounded it into his trunk.

“I was just punching it into my car,” he said. “I kicked it a few times.

And then I had to get it out again — twice.”

With the headwear zigzagging across the gym floor, Miller found that the length actually exceeded 800 feet.

It would nearly extend across three football fields. He said he spent much time comparing the length of his hat to the world’s most notable landmarks.

It is more than two times taller than the Statue of Liberty and is just 44 feet short of matching Devon Energy Center’s tower.

Purpose

Miller said a big question he gets is, “Why?” The hat, he said, has no especially deep meaning or social message tied to it. It served merely

as a project to keep him busy and something he hoped might entertain others.

“I don’t want to change anything; I don’t like to get political or anything,” he said. “If I can get someone to smile or something, that’s enough for me.”

Miller has been knitting heavily for the last couple of years. While making his epically long hat, he was simultaneously completing and selling other, standard sized hats and scarves.

As for the future of his trademark piece, the artist said he is trying to figure out if he should sell it whole or do something else with it.

“I know I want to do something that involves charity,” he said. “I want to try and find a way to snip it off into lengths and make it into actual hats people can wear, possibly, or I just want to find the end and just unravel the whole thing and do something with that yarn.”

Whatever he decides to do, Miller said one of the biggest payoffs for him is the sense of accomplishment that goes along with finishing something on this scale.

“I think this is my first step in believing I can do something that won’t just take an hour,” he said.

arts & culture Health

Caregiving in multigenerational households can be vexing and exhausting. UCO offers resources and support. from left Ann Barnes, Fran Petties and Ryan Kolb

By Alissa Lindsey

The Sandwich Generation: Multigenerational Caregiving 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 Nigh University Center University of Central Oklahoma 100 N. University Drive uco.edu/sandwichgeneration 974-3670 Free (registration required)

Next week, the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) hosts The Sandwich Generation: Multigenerational Caregiving conference and resource fair.

Adults are considered members of the sandwich generation if they are caregivers of their children, grandchildren and parents simultaneously.

“I’ve noticed here on campus that we have quite a few faculty and staff who struggle with this situation,” said

Ann Barnes, UCO director of human resources. “They get their parent off to day care and their children off to day care.

When they get to work, they’re exhausted and not as productive as they could be, which is understandable.”

Typically, sandwich generation caregivers are between 45 and 60 years old and are still raising children in some capacity, Barnes said.

In Oklahoma County, almost 50 percent of grandparents were raising grandchildren from 2008 to 2012, compared to almost 40 percent of grandparents nationally, according to the U.S. Census bureau.

Fran Petties, manager of training and development for UCO’s professional development department, belongs to the sandwich generation. She has four generations — her mother, daughter,

grandson and herself — in her home.

“I’m the main caregiver for all of them,” she said. “At times it’s great, and at times it’s very tiring and frustrating.”

For Petties, the greatest reward and difficulty of living in a multigenerational household are the same thing.

“We’re able to support each other and help each other without having to go outside [the home],” she said. “But knowing that we’re there all the time, you’re limited as far as privacy, and the finances have to stretch farther.”

Petties has been a member of a multigenerational household for about seven years.

“The key is trying to find resources that can help you manage and balance work, life and family and still take care of yourself to avoid burning out,” Petties said.

The conference offers resources

through speakers, breakout sessions, panels and information from state agencies and companies. The keynote speaker is Paul Taylor, former executive vice present of the Pew Research Center, who has done extensive research on the sandwich generation.

Guests can choose three of 18 breakout sessions. Forty-one state agencies and companies are participating in the resource expo.

“The stories I’ve heard [from the agencies] have comforted me,” Barnes said. “You hardly hear good, uplifting stories. There are so many good people behind the scenes that are trying so hard to help people.”

The event is free, but advance registration is required. To register and for more information, visit uco.edu/ sandwichgeneration.

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www.loonybincomedy.com Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016| 29

m a rk ha n coc k

Hard-pressed

P R OVI DE D

ARTS & CULTURE performing arts

Comedic chaos Carpenter Square Theatre presents 37 Postcards, a darkly funny story about family and discovery.

By Christine Eddington

37 Postcards 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m.

Sunday, 7:30 March 10, 8 p.m. March 11-12 Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com 232-6500 $5-$20

Carpenter Square Theatre has done something bold and possibly educational for the more millennial among us.

It’s staging a play set in modern times, yet before the proliferation of cell phones and the Internet — the early 1990s.

“There’s a landline phone in the kitchen that one aunt uses to run her crazy phone sex business, which she fell into by happenstance and which she describes as improving the lives of elderly men,” said Rhonda Clark,

30 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Carpenter Square artistic director.

37 Postcards, a play by Michael McKeever, is a character-driven comedy with a heart.

Its characters are, beneath their eccentricities, trying to sort out tough situations life has thrown their way. It runs through March 12 at the troupe’s 90-seat theater, 800 W. Main St., in downtown Oklahoma City.

The production centers on an affluent, kooky family, the Suttons, and the return of one of its members, Avery, who brings his fiancée with him to the family’s Connecticut compound.

“Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that the characters are acting crazy, but they’re dealing with a death and a cancer diagnosis and resultant decision about whether or not to pursue treatment,” Clark said.

Described as taking place in a wellappointed madhouse, Clark said what

spoke to her about producing the play is the pathos and that the audience gradually begins to understand what makes the characters tick as the play progresses.

“We know that Oklahomans love a good comedy,” Clark said. “And we produce eight shows each season, which gives us the latitude to offer a variety of genres.”

She wanted to be clear that this particular play is PG-13. There are no F-bombs, but the grandmother does call that phone-sex aunt a whore and a slut.

Clark has been Carpenter Square Theatre’s artistic director since 1999 and was a cast member in its first season in 1985.

She’s committed to community theater and wants to make sure people know it’s not at all lofty or intimidating.

The Sutton family raises a toast to an engagement, but the couple is not so happy in 37 Postcards.

“Local theater is casual, open and welcoming,” she said. “You don’t have to dress up; you can come as you are.

There is nothing stuffy about it at all.”

Carpenter Square’s performance space is intimate, which makes for a great audience experience, but also means it’s not a bad idea to reserve your tickets ahead of time.

“It is a small house,” Clark said.

“So while you can often walk up and buy tickets, we suggest making a reservation, even if it’s just a couple of hours before the performance, to make sure you get a seat.”

37 Postcards is made possible in part

by Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts and Allied Arts.

arts & culture film

Building creators

LI ON S G ATE E N TERTAI NME N T / PROVI DE D

Gods of Egypt

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum® invites you to

A film about Egyptian gods lacks directions and misuses CGI technology.

See them now through May 8, 2016

BY JACOB OLLER

There’s a myth written by an ancient Greek and passed down through a legacy of Hollywood filmmaking that the Egyptian pyramids were built by slaves when they were actually built by respected craftsmen. Those who worked on Gods of Egypt, although I’m sure they are all respected professionals, would likely rather claim that they were forced into its creation.

Ancient Egypt, apparently “before history began” — whatever that means — serves as the setting for this fable.

Gods are very real and very white and lord over the Egyptians with their great height and power. They also bleed gold, which I bet many of us suspected about the ruling class. All of this is told by voice-over while we lurch through an indiscernible museum of artifacts.

We’re led to believe this voice belongs to an older version of the thick-browed and thick-witted thief Bek (a wooden Brenton Thwaites). I’m guessing they got an older actor to read the voiceover because Thwaites doesn’t seem particularly adept at speaking, though he has mastered the art of looking like a heartthrob while jumping and rolling.

Bek steals to provide a better life for his wife/girlfriend/love Zaya (Courtney Eaton in her second feature, doing her best with nothing) until their lives are interrupted by the coronation of new god-king Horus (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau getting a paycheck). Things don’t go smoothly, and Horus’ uncle Set (a wild-eyed Gerard Butler, who is only one year older than Coster-Waldau) violently usurps the throne and plucks out Horus’ eyes, which come out like Lego pieces rather than having bloody optic nerve tails. What follows are about 12 different plotlines that all serve to bring us closer to the credits.

At its core, the film serves as

an unplayable video game. Lines of dialogue thrust us from one stagnant venue to the next, devising situations for the camera to swivel around.

If well-done CGI can help create amazing vistas and blend reality and magic, like in Mad Max: Fury Road, then Gods of Egypt-level CGI looks like the demo animations playing on an arcade machine before you put your quarters in. It’s blurry and rubbery, tired of the ballooning spectacles required to attract its audience.

The poor actors, half of whom are giant gods trying to interact with the Lilliputian Egyptians, try their best to get anything out of their roles.

Why, you might ask, are they all giant? It seems like an unnecessary attribute separating them from mortals, considering the gods can morph into metallic action figures (many complete with battle-ready expanding wings) at any moment. Bek can’t do that, although he succeeds at everything else without effort, including fighting many gods. Is he a demi-god? No; he’s just a protagonist.

The effort it takes to sit through this movie strains the eyes, the intellect and the attention span. The film will flop, even in countries that won’t recognize the kaleidoscope of accents on display by the family of gods. But what does “flop” mean in the world of film? Though the film’s budget was $140 million, the studio’s financial exposure was under $10 million because the Australian government’s tax credit covered 46 percent, with the rest made up by selling the film speculatively to foreign markets. Will it recoup the $10 million? Probably. Was it worth the jobs it created in Australia? The pyramids created lots of jobs, but they also had better management.

The Cowboy Returns: Photographs

by Bank and John Langmore A nationally traveling exhibition organized by the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

John Langmore, Ken Saucier, Diamond A Ranch – Seligman, Arizona, 2013.

Gelatin silver print, Collection of the artist.

Native American Bolo Ties: Vintage and Contemporary Artistry Organized by the Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, and made possible by the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation.

Bolo by Julius Keyonnie (2009), silver, gold and turquoise, collection of Norman Sandfield. Photograph courtesy of the Heard Museum.

Riding the Whirlwind: Weather in the West Organized by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Photograph by Piotr Krzeslak/Shutterstock.com.

Philip R. Goodwin: America’s Sporting & Wildlife Artist A Private Collection

Organized by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas.

Moose Hunting (detail) by Philip R.Goodwin (1882-1935), oil on canvas, c. 1930. Private collection.

1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Open daily 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. www.nationalcowboymuseum.org

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 31

are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

Silent Film Festival, a variety of silent comedy films with live organ accompaniment and lectures, 8 p.m., Mar. 4; 2, 4 & 8 p.m., Mar. 5. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd Street, Norman, ou.edu. FRI -SAT

BOOKS

In the Shadow of Women, (FR, 2015, dir. Philippe Garrel) features a 30-something Parisian couple, Pierre and Manon, as they struggle to earn a living as documentary filmmakers, 8 p.m., Mar. 5; 5:30 p.m., Mar. 6. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com.

SAT-SUN

Ted Sanders Book Signing, author of children’s fantasy adventure The Keepers, will sign and talk about the second in the series, The Harp and the Revenine, 6-7:30 p.m., Mar. 2.

Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. WED Emily Kuriloff Book Signing, author will discuss the topic The Transmission of Trauma as a Shoah Survivor and Its Ethical Implications and sign her book, Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Legacy of the Third Reich, 2 p.m., Mar. 4. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. FRI

The Sandlot, (US, 1993, dir.

David Evans) the classic film telling the story of the new kid in town and the baseball team that become his friends, 7 p.m., Mar. 8. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. TUE

Deceptive Orchids: Survival of the Trickiest, one-of-a-kind show of orchids displayed in a number of clever and whimsical ways that help illustrate their deceptive nature, Feb. 17-24. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com. SUN

FILM

Social Media Boot Camp, Plaza District Association teams up with Charm House to offer a free social media workshop focused on social media marketing for small businesses, 9-11 a.m., Mar. 2. District House, 1755 NW 16th St., 633-1775, districthouseokc.com. WED

Anesthesia, (US, 2015, dir.

Tim Blake Nelson) Columbia philosophy professor Walter Zarrow is violently mugged after purchasing flowers for his wife, Marcia; then flashes back to explore the complicated lives of those who will be brought together by this tragic act of violence, 5:30 & 8 p.m., Mar. 4; 5:30 p.m., Mar. 5; 2 p.m., Mar. 6.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI -SUN

Red Tie Night and After Party Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund’s annual Red Tie Night fundraiser is back! The 24-year-old event is 6 p.m. Saturday in Cox Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom, 1 Myriad Gardens, with a cocktail hour followed by dinner, an auction and music from Dr. Larry “T-Byrd” Gordon and the Music People Luv Orchestra. This year’s Red Tie Night includes a separate after-party at Angles Nightclub, 2117 NW 39th St., where celebrity Cher impersonator Chad Michaels performs.

Tickets to Red Tie Night are $350-$1000 and include complementary after-party tickets, and general admission after-party tickets are $35-$45.

Visit okaidscarefund.com.

HAPPENINGS

Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma, the book discussion series will close the season with, Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin, 7 p.m., Mar. 8. Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 208-5000, okcu.edu. TUE

The Man Who Fell to Earth, (NL, 1976, dir. Nicolas Roeg) staring David Bowie, tells the story of a space traveler Thomas Jerome Newton as he comes to earth in search of water where he then contacts attorney Oliver Farnsworth with a series of inventions that will make him wealthy, 5:30 & 8:30 p.m., Mar. 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa. com. THU

Cha d M i c ha e l s / P rovi de d

Arts & CultURE

SATURday

An Ancient Approach to Modern Day Health: Is Acupuncture Right for You?, addressing a wide variety of modern-day concerns, such as headaches, allergies, joint pain, chronic pain, digestive and sleeping disorders, asthma, addictions and stress; learn how acupuncture may offer a way to regain and maintain health; with Karen Wilson, 2-3 p.m., Mar. 5. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SAT

as comics, books, movies, toys and apparel, 1-9 p.m., Mar. 5.

Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 948-6700, okstatefair.com. SAT Downtown Home Tour, self-guided home tour showcasing new and newly renovated properties in the downtown area, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Mar. 6. Marion, 110 NW 10th St., 488-6262. SUN Deep Deuce Jazz Night, score special deals at local restaurants and boutiques throughout the district; finish off the night with live jazz at various restaurants and bars, 7-10 p.m., Feb. 23. Deep Deuce, NE Second St. TUE

Underground Monster Carnival, carnival-themed convention with prizes, costume contest with vendors, fun workshops, music and more; filled with vendors selling sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anima, steampunk, and lowbrow arts and crafts, as well

BIGSTOCK.COM

FOOD

Spring Break Pop-Ins Myriad Botanical Gardens knows it’s tough to keep kids occupied while they’re out of school for spring break.

Spring Break Pop-Ins at the gardens features rotating activities like garden crafts, planting seeds or going on a scavenger hunt. Walk-up activities are 10 a.m.-noon Tuesday, March 10, March 15 and March 17. A $2 donation per child is suggested. Groups of 10 or more should contact Lily Christman at 445-5162. Visit myriadgardens.com. Tuesday, ongoing

32 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Simple Flavor Packed Recipes, join chef Chuck Richardson as he prepares simple, flavor-packed recipes including spring salad, adobo marinated chicken with elotes, balsamic marinated flank steak and homemade vanilla bean ice cream with caramelized peaches, 6:30 p.m., Mar. 2.

The International Pantry, 1618 W. Lindsey St., Norman, 3600765, intlpantry.com. WED Mustang Chocolate Festival, community event to raise money for the library for programs featuring various chocolate treats including chocolate covered bacon, peppers, tortes, brownies and more, 6 p.m., Mar. 4. Mustang Town Center, 1201 N. Mustang Road, Mustang, 376-3411. FRI Omelette Party: Eggs, Drinks & Rock ‘n’ Roll, event feature gourmet egg dishes and, of course, omelettes prepared

calendar by local favorites such as chef Ryan Parrott from Picasso Cafe along with live music, an art raffle and works from more than 50 local artists, 7 p.m., Mar. 4. Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave. FRI Gelatin: A Rediscovered Superfood Cooking Demo, a few quick cooking tips and you will be an expert at incorporating this nutrientrich food into your and your family’s diet; make and sample homemade gummies, 3-4 p.m., Mar. 6. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN

Winter-Spring Pizza, join Ahmad Farnia as he prepares roasted butternut squash, Gorgonzola and walnuts pizza; bacon, Brussels sprouts, sweet mustard pizza; chicken and arugula pizza; a quinoa crust pizza with fire roasted eggplant, tomatoes, grilled halloumi cheese and a salad, 6:30 p.m., Mar. 8 & 9. The International Pantry, 1618 W. Lindsey St., Norman, 3600765, intlpantry.com. TUE

YOUTH Bringing Books to Life, storytime based off nature and the season; includes small craft; ages 2-5, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Mar. 2. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com. WED Saturdays for Kids Silhouette Collage, pay respect to the important women who have helped shape children’s lives, by doing a photographic silhouette collage in their honor; bring copies of photographs of the women who are important to you to create a personal piece of art, 10 a.m., Mar. 5.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org. SAT Drop-In Art: Art Cut Paper Patterns, join guest artists every Saturday as they interact with families to create extraordinary works of art inspired by the collection, exhibitions and special occasions, 1-4 p.m., Mar. 5.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Story Time With Julie, kidfriendly storytime with the latest children’s books, 10:15 -11 a.m., Dec. 27. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Tape & Tunnels, get psyched for recyclables at the newest exhibit at SMO, where kids can experience an interactive wonderland with packing tape tunnels, bungee cord mazes, and cardboard clubhouses where they can climb, build, and explore.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

P rovi ded

Edmond Mobile Meals 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off, all the chili, toppings & sides you can eat; all funds raised will support Edmond Mobile Meals, 6-8 p.m., Mar. 7. Downtown Edmond Community Center, 28 E. Main Street, Edmond. MON

Natural Impressions — Evolved Mixed media and printmaking artist Stacey Dianne Miller’s Natural Impressions — Evolved exhibition includes works created using embossment, drawing, lithography, etching and collage techniques and incorporating natural plant materials. It opens Monday at The Depot Gallery, 200 S. Jones Ave., in Norman and runs through April 29. An opening reception is 6-9 p.m. March 11 during Norman’s 2nd Friday Art Walk. The gallery is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. MondayFriday and by appointment. Admission is free. Monday, ongoing

PERFORMING ARTS Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, performance of the largest music institution in northern Poland who have recorded under the baton of world-renown conductors Sir Neville Marriner and Maxim Vengerov, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 3. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400-B S. Bryant Road, Edmond, 285-1010, armstrongauditorium.org. THU On Golden Pond, a love story about Ethel and Norman Thayer as they return to their summer home for their fortyfourth year on Golden Pond; a beautiful reminder that life is good at summer home on the pond, 8 p.m., Mar. 3-5; 2:30 p.m., Mar. 6. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org. THU -SUN Serse, an 18th-century opera written by George Frideric Handel in 1738 and one of the first operas to mix comedy and tragedy and set a new standard for operas of the time; tells the story of King Serse of Persia and the love triangle between his brother Arsamene and Romilda, the daughter of Serse’s general, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 3-5; 2 p.m., Mar. 6. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 974-2000, uco. edu. THU -SUN Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky’s world-renowned opera; the love story of a young girl who grows into an accomplished woman and restless romantic anti-hero Onegin, a Russian aristocrat caught between convention and boredom, 8 p.m., Mar. 3-5; 3 p.m., Mar. 6.

Reynolds Performing Arts Center, 560 Parrington Oval, Norman, ou.edu. THU -SUN

37 Postcards, a zany family comedy by Michael McKeever; comedy centers on the well-to-do, but daffy, Sutton family; after years of traveling abroad Avery Sutton returns home with his fiancee but his home has turned into a madhouse, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 3; 8 p.m., Mar. 4-5; 2 p.m., Mar. 6. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 232-6500, carpentersquare.com. THU SUN

Jackie O, opera production

by Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty; 8 p.m., Mar. 4-5; 3 p.m., Mar. 6. Petree Recital Hall, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., okcu.edu/ tickets. FRI -SUN Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club, 50-voice Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club, directed by National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) president Mary Hopper, will be presenting a concert of great sacred men’s choral music from Renaissance to 21st Century, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 5. First Presbyterian Church, 1001 S. Rankin St., Edmond, 341-3602, fpcedmond.org. SAT The Rhythm of the World: Dance Music from Around the Globe 2016, local performers will represent many global traditions including Hawaiian Hula from the Halau Hula ‘O Nani dancers, Bellydancing

by Marjan and her Mystical Hips Dance Troupe, Mexican folkloric dances by Norahua Folklorico Mexicano and many more, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 5. Main Auditorium-Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College, 3701 I-35 South Service Road, Moore, 912-9000, hc.edu. SAT

continued on next page

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 33

arts & Culture calendar

Leviathan Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan closes out Oklahoma City University (OCU) Film Institute’s screening series themed for the Viktor Frankl book Man’s Search for Meaning. Leviathan won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014. The screening is 2 p.m. Sunday in OCU’s Kerr McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Admission is free. Call 208-5472 or visit okcufilmlit.org. Sunday

ACTIVE Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, watch Big 12 teams battle it out for the championship, 6 p.m., Mar. 4; 11 a.m., Mar. 5; 1:30 p.m., Mar. 6; 8 p.m., Mar. 7. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. FRI - MON Oklahoma Hall of Fame Land Run, 5K or 10K run starting at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Midtown benefiting the educational programs of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 8 a.m., Mar. 5. GaylordPickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 2354458, oklahomaheritage.com. SAT Zonta Says NO 5K, 5K run in support of Zonta International which envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential, 7:30 a.m., Mar. 5. Regional Park, SE 15th St., Midwest City. SAT Yoga in the Gardens, all-levels Vinyasa-style class, 5:45-6:45 p.m., Mar. 8. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com. TUE OKC Thunder vs Los Angeles Clippers, NBA basketball game, 8:30 p.m., Mar. 9. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. WED

VISUAL ARTS Affinity Works: Home Lands, exhibit of paintings by Michael Nicholson who uses a technique combining on-site plein air painting with tradional studio painting.

Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-3356.

34 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Dame to Blame, group art show with the theme of women, ladies and pinups featuring over 27 local artists, 7 p.m., Mar. 5. Mind Bender Tattoo and Fine Art Gallery, 4012 N. Tulsa Ave, 600-6201, mbtattooart. com. FRI Estamos Aquí (We Are Here), a collection of contemporary serigraphs by more than three dozen artists Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 682-1611, occc.edu.

FANCLUB, Oklahoma City-based art collective consisting of emerging and expanding artists who have joined creative forces and divergent interests to shape art events that are fantastic and engrossing; February show consists primarily of printmaking, including screenprinting, serigraphy, monotype and woodcut. The Barn, 1601 N. Blackwelder Ave. First Friday Gallery Walk, an opportunity to view the galleries in the Paseo featuring over 60 artists in more than 17 galleries, 6-10 p.m., Mar. 4. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI Full Circle, artist Mary Nickell utilizes an array of media, including oil stick, acrylic paint, and found and discarded objects. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd, 521-3356.

Honey Badgers by Blair Thurman, exhibit featuring one of the most popular contemporary artists using his broad range of media with neon being one of his main materials.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Introspection Manifested, art exhibit featuring artwork by Alexandra Engelman Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Beloved, a student-curated exhibit that attempts to shine a spotlight on the horror of human trafficking and give a voice to its victims. The Lightwell Gallery, 520 Parrington Oval, Room 202, Norman, 325-2691, art.ou.edu.

Momentum OKC, art event featuring Oklahoma artists ages 30 and younger; film, performances, new media, installation, music and more, 8-11 p.m., Mar. 4-5. The Plow, 29 E. Reno Ave., 570-2330, plowokc.com.

FRI -SAT

Ceramic Sculpture, Jean Keil, resident artist at In Your Eye Gallery, unveils her latest collection of ceramic pottery; an exploration of surface using texture highlighted with color on forms made with hand-building techniques. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo #A, 5252161, inyoureyegallery.com.

Native American Bolo Ties: Vintage and Contemporary Artistry, exhibition exploring the bolo ties unique Western sartorial adornment’s history and revival.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org.

Crossroads of Commerce, Oklahoma history buffs won’t want to miss this exhibit showcasing the growth and development of Oklahoma’s economy from 1716 to statehood, the Dust Bowl, the depression, and all the way to present day. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. MON

New Blooms, debuting works

by Brook Rowlands; display of aggressive expressive strokes, in often lush juxtaposition of vivid color, which creates the initial perspective plane of her compositions and transforms into floral forms. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 6046602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Philip R. Goodwin: America’s Sporting & Wildlife Artist, A Private Collection, a showcase Philip R. Goodwin’s art; Goodwin illustrated Jack London’s Call of the Wild and, later, Theodore Roosevelt’s African Game Trails as well as posters, calendars and other advertisements. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Posed & Composed: Portraits of Women from the Permanent Collection, exhibition of twelve portraits by eleven American artists covers the period from just before World War I through the early 1980s. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Pry the Lid Off, exhibition of artist Summer Wheat, explores history, revealing “the world behind the white kitchen wall” of Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid; depicting the four rooms of the maid’s personal chambers and includes a variety of 2-D and 3-D media, from faux stainedglass panels made of mylar and mesh to silhouetted dishes and a peek inside imagined dresser drawers. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., OK, 951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Public Narrative: Story of Self, Us & Now, three-part exhibit that focuses on the idea of public narrative and its movement from our internal psyche, to the collective group, to the present and future of our communities. Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 360-1162, mainsite-art. com.

Riding The Whirlwind: Weather In The West, a highly interactive exhibit focusing on the way the rugged weather conditions of the Western United States have influenced and shaped Western culture. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

The Banjo World of Steve Martin, exhibit features a look at the musical side of one of America’s favorite entertainers and features his private collection. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 604-2793, americanbanjomuseum. com.

Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo and Microscopy, the second of two Galileo’s World exhibitions; the Academy of the Lynx, or Accademia dei Lincei, were responsible for the first published report of observations made with a microscope (Apiarium, 1625), as well as with the telescope; at the same time Galileo was making his telescopic discoveries, he was also experimenting with lenses to magnify the small. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.

Undertones, textile vignettes capturing the changing landscape of Oklahoma City, and the unexpected beauty that accompanies the destruction of buildings and places. IAO Art Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 2326060, iaogallery.org.

Untitled (Pink Dot) and Untitled (Silver), Takeshi Murata’s Untitled (Pink Dot) and Untitled (Silver) employ precise digital processing to create astonishing hallucinatory visions; the two works on display feature transformed footage from Rambo: First Blood and 1960’s , Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. 9510000. oklahomacontemporary.org Western Skies, exhibit of artist Gene Dougherty; watercolors of cattle, horses, Indians and all that typify Oklahoma and the American West, painted in his unique, realistic style. Paseo Gallery One, 2927 Paseo St., 524-4544, facebook. com/paseogalleryone.

Willard Stone Centennial: A Legacy of Art Through Family, multimedia exhibit showcases artwork by the late Willard Stone and his family. Oklahoma Country Western Museum Hall of Fame, 3929 SE 29th St. 677-3174, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Skip Hill: Works on Paper, an exhibition demonstrating contemporary drawing and mixed media practices spotlighting the work and creative process of local artist Skip Hill. Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 329-4523, normanfirehouse.com.

For music calendar see page 40

Provided

P rovi de d

Pat Edwards and Beth Hammack, featured artists showcasing artwork from various mediums and subjects.

The Studio Gallery, 2642 W. Britton Road, 752-2642, thestudiogallery. org.

Be a Dinosaur Name a kid — or an adult for that matter — who hasn’t wished he or she could be a dinosaur. Through innovative new video game stations, this dream is now a possibility. Do you have what it takes to survive the Cretaceous Period? The exhibit opens Saturday in Norman’s Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. Tickets are $5 for ages 4 and up and may be purchased at the front desk. Younger children get in free. For more information, visit samnoblemuseum. ou.edu. SaturdaY, ongoing

Home grown

Sisters and Skating Polly bandmates Peyton Bighorse left and Kelli Mayo talked music and inspiration during a recent visit to Guestroom Records in Oklahoma City.

Returning to Oklahoma from their new home in the Pacific Northwest, Skating Polly reconnects with the spots that made them who they are today.

By Ben Luschen

Punk rock wunderkinds Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo took us to the place they take all their visitors — only this time they were the out-of-towners.

They sat at a table next to a wall honoring David Bowie at S&B’s Burger Joint, 20 NW Ninth St., where they were joined by a reporter and a photographer from Oklahoma Gazette.

This unseasonably warm Saturday, the pair enjoyed a hometown visit and talked about their pop-punk sister act Skating Polly, their upcoming album release and growing up.

The band is “former” in both the sense that they are currently based out of another state — Washington — and that Peyton, 20, and Kelli, 15, are no longer children navigating their way through the indie music world. Together, they’re a car-driving, boy-chasing force to be reckoned with.

This was Skating Polly’s first trip to Oklahoma since their family moved to Tacoma, Washington, in October. They release their fourth studio album, The Big Fit, March 25.

On their return trip, Skating Polly had no plans to play a show. Instead, their goal was to reunite with family and friends. It’s the people, Bighorse said, that they miss the most.

It seems appropriate that a band varying tonally from personable eloquence to bursting angst would have grown up in Oklahoma. Skating Polly has long frustrated those insisting on putting the band into one restrictive genre. The Big Fit offers similar range to Skating Polly’s past work, but in a way that suggests mature artistic vision.

The sisters said they have not yet made too many friends in Washington.

Musically and socially, it’s a little like starting all over again, though it helps to be in a location where so many of their musician friends are likely to stop in.

“It’s awesome because whenever I offer them a place to stay this time, it’s a legitimate offer because they’re going to come through,” Mayo said.

Peyton said her family first considered

moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2013, when Skating Polly recorded Fuzz Steilacoom in Olympia, Washington.

The duo ticked off other ways in which Tacoma and Oklahoma City differ. The weather in Tacoma is cooler and rainier. They can hike. The city is right on crystal-clear Puget Sound, a far cry from the murky, red dirt-tinted lakes they’re used to.

“I think every single one of us and our siblings have cut our foot on some old beer can in a lake,” Peyton said.

Even so, Kelli said she misses Oklahoma’s many lakes. A muddy swim in one is a rite of passage.

“It’s like once you do that, you can conquer anything,” she said.

Once at their new home, the sisters claimed the basement for themselves.

“That’s kind of like an apartment in itself; it’s totally our own,” Peyton said.

“The whole space is ours. It’s great. There are days when we don’t leave that space except to use the bathroom.”

Their room, they said, is a work-inprogress. Polaroids hang from cement walls painted green. The open ceiling reveals fiberglass and piping. When they first moved in, water leaked onto the bed below when anyone took a shower.

It was ugly, but Kelli said they made it their own. Down there, it’s easy to get wrapped up in writing music or painting and lose track of where the day has gone.

“We forget to eat sometimes, we get so caught up with what’s going on down in our room,” Kelli said.

Guestroom Records

Peyton drives now, but in Oklahoma, she has no car. Still, she much prefers driving on our gridded streets.

In Washington, a higher number of pedestrians means more competition on the roads.

After Peyton and Kelli finished their meals, they headed outside. Next, they headed to Guestroom Records, 3701 N. Western Ave. The sisters said they especially miss Guestroom, one of their favorite record stores. Shop staff certainly missed them.

A round of high-fives were exchanged as Peyton and Kelli entered. Kelli asked if she could hang a neon-green flier in the storefront to promote an upcoming show

by JBFC, her brother Kurtis Mayo’s band.

“They make the coolest posters,” she said. “I always try to make posters like this in Photoshop, but I just give up.”

Kelli especially looks up to Kurtis, 18, whom she calls the “real music mastermind” in the family. He is perhaps the biggest supporter and musical influence in her life.

Skating Polly formed in 2009, when Peyton was 15 years old and Kelli was 9. continued on next page

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 35

Ga r e t t fi s b e c k

cover music

Ga re tt fi s be c k

cover music

They have since played with touring acts such as Babes in Toyland, The Flaming Lips and Band of Horses.

Be it a byproduct of who she was raised by or the unique experience of joining a band at such a young age, Kelli is well ahead of the curve in music knowledge for a 15-year-old.

She said her favorite 2015 releases were Brace the Wave by Lou Barlow and Rose Mountain by Screaming Females.

She couldn’t pick an all-time favorite record but did say she’s always in the mood for Fiona Apple’s The Idler Wheel.

While flipping through vinyl, Peyton said she was a big fan of Sufjan Stevens’ 2015 release Carrie & Lowell. She also admitted she enjoys acts people might not expect from her, like Lorde and Jimmy Eat World.

The influence of Rose Mountain shows up on The Big Fit, as do softer moments more akin to Stevens. Any artist could be defined as a piecemeal assembly of his or her influences, and certainly the same applies to Skating Polly, a band that has been introduced to a wide range of music and made friends with heavily influential musicians.

Right before they moved to Washington, the sisters received a gift from punk act Babes in Toyland: VIP tickets to the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans. Also, the drummer for The Flaming Lips wore a Skating Polly shirt in a 2013 Hyundai Super Bowl commercial.

Even a passing mention of unorthodox, noise-hop band Death Grips registered with Kelli, who immediately identified their drummer as Zach Hill.

Don’t let her age fool you. Mayo thinks and speaks like an industry vet.

“I just don’t like it whenever people don’t make art and they have an ulterior

little and I really liked them, but I always liked Throwing Muses’ Limbo more,” Kelli said. “The other day, I was just totally worn-out and I put on Star by Belly. It’s genius.”

The pair headed to their next hangout for more treasure hunting.

Bad Granny’s

In the Plaza District, the sisters dug through eclectic collectibles inside Bad Granny’s Bazaar, 1759 NW 16th St. Kelli rummaged through jackets and dresses older than she is. Perhaps she was born in the wrong decade.

In many ways, they are no different from other young women having fun and following their passions. But being recording artists undoubtedly influenced their upbringing.

In 2009, Peyton practically begged Kelli to join Skating Polly. The 9-yearold was too small to play bass guitar, so she played tambourine. But once Kelli joined, she was serious and persistent.

She kept writing songs. Skating Polly’s popularity expanded beyond the walls of the girls’ home and the boundaries of state lines.

Kelli noticed more and more eyes were on her.

“I felt like we were a novelty band, so I just went through this phase where I wouldn’t tell people my age, or lie,” she said. “It was a pretty short phase, but it was just because I didn’t want people to like my music just because, ‘Oh, you have braces; you must be really young.’”

(She is now orthodontics-free, by the way.) She said she hopes their new project — easily the band’s most mature and complete project to date — finally helps them shed remaining notions that Skating Polly is anything other than a talented and hardworking band like those

The other day, I was just totally worn-out and I put on Star by Belly. It’s genius.

— Kelli Mayo

motive,” she said. “That drives me insane.”

Peyton left the shop with two CDs: 1994’s Whip-Smart by Liz Phair and 1993’s Star by Belly.

“I found [Belly’s] records when I was

36 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

they perform with.

Peyton and Kelli said they can’t wait for Skating Polly’s first show back in Oklahoma: April 23 at Norman Music Festival, a chance to put their musically mature sound on the event’s main stage.

Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo goof around in the Plaza District.

Peyton graduated high school and said she has no immediate plans for college.

“There have been times where I’ve felt really insecure about not going to college, but ultimately, it’s not for me,” she said.

Kelli is homeschooled in Tacoma.

Formerly a student at Oklahoma City’s Classen School of Advanced Studies, she said she enjoyed going there but public schooling wasn’t compatible with working in a touring band. In seventh grade, she missed around 64 days of school.

Peyton and Kelli try their best to shrug off those who think they’re anything more or less than they are: two

sisters making art together.

“I feel like we’re the least interesting people in our family,” Peyton said.

Not lost in that humility is self-awareness and respect for their accomplishments. There are musicians in their 30s who can’t claim multiple studio albums, a United Kingdom tour or the opportunity to meet and befriend their music idols.

If it was necessary to trade a “normal” childhood — whatever that means — for those successes and experiences, Kelli said it’s well worth it.

“I wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” she said.

11. Best Red Dirt / Rockabilly 12. Best Rock 13. Best Cover 14. Best Overall

Music created in Oklahoma has circled the globe — setting records, reaping awards and climbing the charts — continuing to prove that Sooner State bands and musicians are a presence to which attention is worth paying.

The world knows that Okies rock, so it’s once again time for Oklahoma Gazette readers to vote for their favorite bands and industry businesses in the Gazette Music Awards.

Winners of the Gazette Music Awards will receive a coveted “Woody Award” honoring the late Oklahoma music legend, Woody Guthrie. The “Woodys” will be announced in our April 6, 2016 Soundcheck issue as well as the Gazette Music Awards event.

Stay tuned for the event information.

1. Best Acoustic

15. Best Other Genre. Name Genre and Band

2. Best Americana / Folk

16. Best Singer-Songwriter

3. Best Country

17. Best Underage Band (Members under 21)

4. Best Electronic / DJ

18. Best Record Store

5. Best Jazz

19. best music gear store

6. Best Latin

20. Best Place to Dance

7. Best Metal

21. Best Place for Karaoke

8. Best Punk

22. Best Music Festival in Oklahoma

9. Best R&B

23. Best Live Music Venue (Small)

10. Best Rap / Hip-Hop

24. Best Live Music Venue (Large)

For your ballot to be counted:

Fill out at least 12 categories. Oklahoma Gazette must receive your ballot (one per envelope) by mail no later than March 15, 2016.

Ballot may not be typewritten, photocopied or hand-delivered.

There cannot be multiple handwritings on the ballot. Make sure your selections are local and that your choices do not appear on the ballot more than three times. All contact information must be completed.

Vote online march 2 – 15 • okgazette.com/GMA2016 Contact information * (required for your votes to be counted) NAME:

Email:

phone:

Mail your ballot to: Oklahoma Gazette’s Gazette Music awards P.O. Box 54649 • Oklahoma City, OK 73154

* We use this information for verification and keep it confidential.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 37

Ga r e t t fi s b e c k

music

Trash days Everything Is Not OK organizer Roz Adams hopes the city is ready for another round of the DIY punk event.

By Ben Luschen

Everything Is Not OK II: How Do You Put A Price On Garbage?

7 p.m. March 10-13 89th Street Collective 8911 N. Western Ave. noon March 11 and 13 Snug Lounge 2321 S. Robinson Ave. 3 p.m. March 11 and 13, 4 p.m. March 12 District House 1755 NW 16th St. 10 a.m. March 12 The Red Cup 3122 N. Classen Blvd. noon March 12 Tree and Leaf Clothing 1705B NW 16th St. Free-$20

When putting together Everything Is Not OK, last year’s DIY punk haven in Oklahoma City, organizer Roz Adams was surprised by how large it would ultimately grow. But that festival was small compared to its ambitious, fourday sequel.

A swarm of more than 50 bands, in addition to a number of showcasing visual artists, will descend upon the metro from Thursday, March 10, to Sunday, March 13 for Everything Is Not OK II: How Do You Put A Price On Garbage?

Adams said the definition of garbage is up to interpretation. He came across the idea for the tagline during last year’s event while speaking with friend and artist Cherene Dijital.

“We were discussing how one goes about pricing their own original artwork, and she said, ‘How do you put a price on garbage?’” he said. “We laughed, and I said, ‘If I do this again next year, that’s what I’m going to call it.’ I did it again, so that’s what I called it.”

The fest begins with a 7 p.m. show March 10 at 89th Street Collective, 8911 N. Western Ave. Through Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 13 more shows will take place across six different

38 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

Austin Roberts of St. Louis-based band Q performs at The Shop during last year’s Everything is Not OK festival. venues, including 89th Street; Snug Lounge, 2321 S. Robinson Ave.; District House, 1755 NW 16th St.; The Red Cup, 3122 N. Classen Blvd.; and Tree and Leaf Clothing, 1705B NW 16th St. Philadelphia’s soulful Sheer Mag, Rhode Island’s Downtown Boys, Mystic Inane from New Orleans and Texans Sin Motivo are among the bigger touring bands participating.

Free visual art showcases will also be held throughout the weekend at Tree and Leaf; District House; The Nursery, 1618 NW 16th St.; DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St.; and Dig It! Boutique, 1739 NW 16th St. Adams originally came up with Everything Is Not OK as a way to give a more visible platform to DIY punk artists who often are not displayed in a way or with a reverence that other types of art are. The DIY (do it yourself) ethic is important to punk culture because it extols the ideas of selfexpression and anti-consumerism.

Adams said the event is not just for those in the know or people wellestablished in the scene.

“Be yourself,” he said. “If you want to see some cool bands and some cool art, come check out this event.”

He also hopes the event shows those from outside the state or community that there’s a lot of special work being done here.

“There is a vast pool of creative individuals making beautiful visual art, making music that hits you so hard, making their own world a better place,” he said. “In turn, [they’re] making life more enjoyable for all of us. I feel lucky to be surrounded by so many outstanding individuals. It feels really good to be a part of something bigger than one person, bigger than one band.”

Read the full Q&A with Roz Adams at okgazette.com.

TRAVIS TRAP S / P ROVID ED

DJ premiere EDM producer Travis Traps readies his first EP release.

Travis Traps

By Ben Luschen

7 p.m. March 10 Farmers Public Market 311 S. Klein Ave. facebook.com/SubsoniXatm 232-6506 $25-$55

Before teenage Travis Tester became local DJ Travis Traps, he was sneaking down to raves in Dallas without his parents’ knowledge. In those days, he couldn’t imagine actually being the DJ other people would sneak out to see.

Traps has seen his career snowball since his days visiting Dallas’ Lizard Lounge, one of the premier electronic music venues and dancehalls in the nation. He opens for electronic dance music (EDM) producer Oliver Heldens 6 p.m. March 10 at OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave.

A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM@UCO), Traps has opened for famous acts like Nile Rodgers and Moby in the last few years. He has played for large crowds at Norman Music Festival in Norman and South by Southwest in Austin. In 2015, he performed 55 gigs while managing himself and doing his own booking.

He even fulfilled his dream of playing at Lizard Lounge, the same venue that inspired him to seek a future in EDM. Somehow, Traps developed himself into a festival DJ within two years without releasing a proper album. It’s a fact he’s trying to turn into a footnote in a long music career. His debut EP, Trap Sensei, is done. He could put it out, but he has a greater ambition: becoming a signed artist.

“It’s one thing to drop your material on Soundcloud, but I really want someone to put my stuff out under their label,” he said.

Traps knew he wanted to take the time to develop his craft before he put out his first release. When he started to make a career in EDM work, he read a lot of books and sat in on a lot of practices. He also never turned down a gig.

Through connections he made at shows and through ACM@UCO, Traps booked larger and larger shows. Soon, he was warming up a crowd for Moby.

“Some people say the harder you work, the luckier you get,” he said. “I gained a lot of attention and people really started turning toward me.”

Once he accumulated a decent fan following, he started touring. But there was still an album-sized monkey on his back. He felt like it was time to give his audience something more.

“I just think the artistry is all there now, and I’m confident in my abilities to put out another record,” he said.

Traps has long been a fan of Eastern culture; he loves the art, craftsmanship

and video games. He felt it was natural to bring that aesthetic to his first release.

“Just the whole Eastern culture, they’re really committed to excellence and perfection,” he said. “That’s kind of what the EP was about; just showcasing my talent as a producer. That’s why there’s no vocals on it.”

Trap Sensei’s tracks are named for Japanese food: “Saki Bomb,” “Hibachi” and “Wasabi.” “Vegas Roll” is named for his favorite Sushi Neko roll. The EP combines Southern, hip-hop style beats with Japanese keys to create recognizable, yet modern, relevant sounds like those produced by Diplo for Justin Bieber.

“You get something that sounds familiar to the average dance music listener, but it’s also really exotic at the same time,” Traps said.

An EP release date will not be set until he has secured a label or found a way to release the EP in an appropriate manner.

Learn more at travistraps.com.

PROVIDED

Oliver Heldens with Throttle, Zonderling, Dropshop, Travis Traps and Gurt

Band man

With help from The Nighthawks, singer-songwriter Ron Pope reaches for the skies.

Ron Pope

By Ben Luschen

Ron Pope & The Nighthawks with Jonathan Tyler 9 p.m. March 10 ACM@UCO Performance Lab 329 E. Sheridan Ave. acm.uco.edu 974-4711 $15

There’s no way Ron Pope could be happier with the way his new band is playing right now.

“Not only have I not ever been in a band this good, I’ve never seen a band this good,” he said. “If I could quit the band and just watch them be a band without me, it would be my favorite band.”

Pope, a Georgia native, has been a solo artist for most of his career, garnering increasing levels of respect and fandom for his songwriting skills and silky voice.

In forming The Nighthawks, he takes what he has established on his own and surrounded himself with a unit he thinks

can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Ron Pope & The Nighthawks will bring its airtight stage show to Oklahoma City 9 p.m. March 10 at the ACM@ UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave. The band released its self-titled folk debut Jan. 8 and toured Europe before embarking on an American tour Feb. 18.

The band’s vocalist, in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette, said it’s still amazing for him to look out during a show and see that so many people know all the words. Not only has the fan support been there, but Pope called the critical reception unbelievable as well. He said it’s always somewhat unnerving to put out an album because there’s no way of knowing if it will be received as intended.

“If I painted a picture and I think it’s a dog and you look at it and it’s a house, well then, it’s a house. It doesn’t matter what I think,” he said.

Pope considers the band’s debut his

greatest artistic achievement to date, but there was once a time for him when imagining this level of success in music would have been laughable.

“When you start the transition from the end of childhood into becoming an adult, the idea ‘I want to be a rock star’ sounds almost as crazy as ‘I want to be a fire truck,’” he said.

The artist attributes his ascension to joining a songwriters circle in college that included current friends Zach Berkman and Paul Hammer and vocal coaching from Don Lawrence, who has worked with performers like Bono and Whitney Houston.

Another thing he said demands him to be great is the immense talent of his fellow bandmates. By surrounding yourself with great people, no matter what art or field, Pope said, you elevate yourself.

Pope has to be on top of his game because he knows there’s someone in the

group capable of doing the job just as well, and that includes singing. He said he has never been around a band that included so many great singers.

“It’s like being in a choir, but everyone has a beard and wears a lot of denim,” he said.

When putting an album together, Pope is very conscious of the fact that this is music he will have to live with for a long time. He said he expects to play material from their debut for the remainder of 2016 and maybe part of next year.

In that case, it’s a good thing he put together a project he’s proud to have his name on.

“On some levels, it doesn’t seem like work because I love the record, I love the band and I’m excited to come to Oklahoma City and share this with people,” he said.

Tickets for the show are $15. To order tickets, visit acm.uco.edu.

Oklahoma Gazette | march 2, 2016 | 39

m i c ha e l w i l s on / pr ov i de d

music calendar WEDNESDAY, 3.2 G Jones, Kamps 1310 Lounge.

VARIOUS

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER BrokeNCYDE/Justina Valentine/Challenger, The Vanguard, Tulsa. VARIOUS Experience Hendrix, Brady Theater, Tulsa. TRIBUTE

THURSDAY 3.3 Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club.

ROCK

David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Pouya/The Buffet Boys/ Suicide Boys, 89th Street Collective. HIP-HOP Shawn James and The Shapeshifters/Pilgrim/ Electric Rag Band, The Vanguard, Tulsa. ROCK Jon Pardi/Justin Adams, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa.

COUNTRY

The Cleverlys, USAO Te Ata Memorial Auditorium, Chickasha. BLUEGRASS Tim Menzies, The Pickin’ Parlor, Tishomingo. COUNTRY

FRIDAY 3.4 Applied Music Program/ Calabar/Glashiers/Labrys, Opolis, Norman. POP Blue Water Highway Band, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

PIANO

Christophe Murdock, Gallagher’s Pub, El Reno. ROCK Crueligans, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC Darlington/Normal C/ Otisburg/, Your Mom’s Place.

ROCK

Don’t Make Ghosts/Los Caminos/Caught Stealing, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Kali Ra, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK Monte Montgomery, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Slick Rooster, Remington Park. VARIOUS Steve Crossley Solo, Bellini’s Ristorante and Grill. VARIOUS Tallows/Helen Kelter Skelter/ GUM, The Vanguard, Tulsa.

Wednesday, March 9

Casey & Minna, Bedlam BarB-Q. FOLK

Jacob Metcalf, Blue Note Lounge. SINGER/SONGWRITER

DJ SIX, Russell’s, Tower Hotel.

Kyle Reid and the Low Swinging Chariots/Hayden Jones, Opolis, Norman.

VARIOUS

Electric Avenue, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. POP Grant Stevens, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

SINGER/SONGWRITER

OU Jazz Department, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. JAZZ

Great Good Fine Okay/ Handsome Ghost, Opolis, Norman. POP

Tyler Lee/OKC Limits Sunday Jam, Oklahoma City Limits.

I See Stars/Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, 89th Street Collective. Rock

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Joe Nichols, Sugar Creek Casino, Hinton. COUNTRY

Yellow Claw/Moksi/Falkirk/ DJ Diverse, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. VARIOUS

Marcos Tello and Jeff Nokes, Puebla Tacos y Tequileria, Norman. ACOUSTIC

SINGER/SONGWRITER

MONDAY 3.7

Melissa Jo Croy, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman.

COUNTRY

Carly Rae Jepsen/Cardiknox/ Fairground saints, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. POP

Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. VARIOUS

TUESDAY 3.8

Midas 13, Remington Park.

LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER

Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ

School of Music: Concert Band Festival, UCO Mitchell Hall Theater. CLASSICAL

ROCK

Monte Montgomery, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER Replay, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER Sam Riggs, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Shut UP Matt Jewett/Lotta Tuff/Tyler Hopkins & The Rebellion/Turbo Wizard, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Voodoo, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK All About a Bubble, The Vanguard, Tulsa. ROCK The Texas Playboys/Leon Rausch/Tommy Allsup, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa.

COUNTRY

SUNDAY 3.6

ROCK

Aaron Vasquez, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC

SATURDAY 3.5

Chamomile and Whiskey, Red Brick Bar, Norman. COUNTRY

2AM, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK

Eldredge Jackson, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

Bowlsey/Kirk Thurmond/Em & The Mothersuperiors, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

VARIOUS

40 | march 2, 2016 | Oklahoma Gazette

An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen With more than a dozen albums to his name, Lyle Lovett (pictured) brings his patented Americana and swing storytelling to Oklahoma City. The singer, composer and actor has become a Texas legend and music icon. He joins Robert Earl Keen for a concert 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9, at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $35-$73. Call 297-2264 or visit okcciviccenter.com.

Ellis Paul, The Depot, Norman.

WEDNESDAY 3.9 Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen, Civic Center Music Hall.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER Titus Andronicus/Craig Finn, Opolis, Norman. ROCK Papadosio/Earphunk, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ROCK

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@ okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

sudoku/crossword 1

1 Harmful aspects 6 Go long 13 Surveillance equipment 20 Balloon 21 Shakespeare character who says, “Good night, ladies; good

night, sweet ladies; good night, good night”

22 “Wet look” product 23 Burlesque theater?

25 Make amends for 26 Bathed in the sun 27 Toothy turner 29 Exceeded a limit 30 Group engagement 31 Moviegoers who can’t afford concession-stand snacks?

37 Killers at sea 40 Prepared for takeoff 41 Class with derivatives, briefly 42 Bad kid’s Christmas tree?

44 Loses 49 Old Testament prophet 50 Page views?

51 “Eldorado” poet 52 Political opponent of Ike 53 Guy Fawkes Day mo.

54 Brother, in Brittany 55 Like many food-drive offerings 58 Showing signs of age 59 Utilized 61 Sealant used by NASA? 63 Viscount’s inferior 65 “Quit talking!”

66 Centurion weapon 67 B-roll from Splendor in the Grass?

70 Formal 73 It’s divided into nine circles 74 Shutterbugs’ settings 75 2014 Cooperstown inductee Joe 78 Certain H&R Block worker 79 DuPont creation of 1941 81 Creator of plot holes?

82 Ardent lover 83 Can of worms?

84 Broke up 87 Owners of large enthusiastic dogs?

89 Cooler unit 90 Kicks off 91 Sustains 92 Writing implement from Planters?

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ACROSS

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Dracula 3 The Bridges of Madison County setting 4 Her fans are called Little Monsters 5 Smart 6 Drubbing 7 Longtime employer of Helen

Thomas, in brief 8 Rangers’ org.

9 Was in charge 10 Fight of the Century loser 11 Egocentric tyrant 12 Fired up 13 Ones helping people up?

14 “____ vobiscum” (Mass salutation) 15 Toy dog’s bark 16 Like iceberg lettuce 17 Visibly amazed 18 Word with parking or postage 19 What the Olympic sport of skeleton involves

24 Highly successful 28 Like the Mesopotamian people 31 Writing assignment 32 Ethylene ____ 33 Tailor’s supply 34 Community leader?

35 Bernina, for one 36 One of the so-called “Public Ivies” 37 Nonstop 38 Shower accessory 39 Trick questions, e.g.

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Advertising Director Christy Duane, cduane@okgazette.com

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47 Viscount’s superior 48 Deteriorate 51 Comma, to an orator 54 Food sticker 55 Finishes all at once, in a way 56 Some people movers 57 One on the web at daybreak?

60 Strong punch 61 Figure 62 Geological sample 64 Inclusions in safer passwords: Abbr.

65 Rose 67 Like Derby entrants 68 Garr of Tootsie

Accounts receivable Sue Auld

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Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

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Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers. The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

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106 Supporting actors in a Bea Arthur sitcom?

112 Up on deck 113 Legendary lover of Abelard 114 Blake who composed “I’m Just

Wild About Harry” 115 Crossed the sill 116 Border disputer with Ethiopia 117 Works as a trader

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Account Executive / Advertising assistant Leah Roberts 0228

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Awesome!

100 Impression 101 Bass instrument 102 Set ____ (embark) 104 ISS forerunner 105 Pindaric composition 107 New Haven student 108 Vocabulaire entry 109 Intangible quality 110 Expend 111 ____ Peres (St. Louis suburb)

Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Sarah Brigance Nathan Ward EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Christine Eddington, Oraynab Jwayyed, Alissa Lindsey, Jacob Oller Photographers Mark Hancock, Chief Garett Fisbeck Marketing & Editorial Intern Kylie Kallsen Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).

ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer

Sudoku Puzzle hard

Art Director Chris Street

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers

Fill inn°1935534146 the grid so that every Grid hard row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9.

7 8 9 2 5 8

2

5 2

8 9

LOVE M E D O

B A R I U N A P G E T S

8 9 1 3 9 7 5

3 7

1

8

A N Z A C

www.print mysudoku.co m

4 7

Print Production Coordinator Ashley Parks

Puzzle No. 0221, which appeared in the February 24 issue.

B O O L A

A M O U N T R E S I S T N E O

S A M M Y C A H N

LOVE T A K

S O N G S

I N I E R

L E E L X E I

S C T T O A R O V A L E D S C B R L A O U F M T N D I S LOVE A T A C E S T N T U I R A G E L M A L A M Y

H A G U E M I D E A R

U P E N N D E L E T E S

N S E A E I D D T I N O N O

P E L E E

LOVE

C A R E E N S

F E L T T I P

L E O I M E I N C R R A O G N E

T O U G H

D E H O R N S

LOVE

L E I L A

T E A S E R

H O T M E S S

A R I A S

R B O A A B L W I D A Y C A A B R R E D T E S LOVE T O N R S I S A G LOVE L E S T A R O R S I R W A R A N A V G T E L E T E D O

E D I T

M I N H

Y O G I

LOVE

R E P L I C A T E

E U L O G I S T S

E N O C H

R E P O T

S E T

S I E R A T

Advertising/Marketing Design Coordinator Erin DeMoss Graphic Designer Anna Shilling www.okgazette.com Order mounted or ready-to-frame prints of Oklahoma Gazette covers, articles and photos at okgazette.yourheadline.com 3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 Copyright © 2016 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

I T H LOVE B I A N A R R E A B S D O T E R S

Okl ahoma Gaz ette | March 2 , 2016 | 41

Make your own free printable sudoku at www.PrintMySudoku.com

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

by ROB BREZNY

Homework: Imagine gazing into the eyes of the person you were ten years ago. What do you want to say to the Old You? Freewillastrology.com ARIES (March 21-April 19) Actress Blythe Baird writes about the problem that arises when her dog sees her eating a peanut butter and chocolate chip bagel. Her beloved pet begs for a piece and becomes miserable when it’s not forthcoming. Baird is merely demonstrating her love, of course, because she knows that eating chocolate can make canines ill. I suspect that life is bestowing a comparable blessing on you. You may feel mad and sad about being deprived of something you want. But the likely truth is that you will be lucky not to get it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) “I do not literally paint that table, but rather the emotion it produces upon me,” French artist Henri Matisse told an interviewer. “But what if you don’t always have emotion?” she asked him. This is how Matisse replied: “Then I do not paint. This morning, when I came to work, I had no emotion.

So I took a horseback ride. When I returned, I felt like painting, and had all the emotion I wanted.”

This is excellent advice for you to keep in mind, Taurus. Even more than usual, it’s crucial that you imbue every important thing you do with pure, strong emotions. If they’re not immediately available, go in quest of them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Some night soon, I predict you’ll dream of being an enlightened sovereign who presides over an ecologically sustainable paradise. You’re a visionary leader who is committed to peace and high culture, so you’ve never gone to war. You share your wealth with the people in your kingdom. You revere scientists and shamans alike, providing them with what they need to do their good work for the enhancement of the realm. Have fun imagining further details of this dream, Gemini, or else make up your own. Now is an excellent time to visualize a fairy tale version of yourself at the height of your powers, living your dreams and sharing your gifts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) It’s not always necessary to have an expansive view of where you have been and where you are going, but it’s crucial right now. So I suggest that you take an inventory of the big picture. For guidance, study this advice from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “What have you truly loved? What has uplifted your soul, what has dominated and delighted it at the same time? Assemble these revered objects in a row before you and they may reveal a law by their nature and their order: the fundamental law of your very self.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Sportswear manufacturer Adidas is looking for ways to repurpose trash that humans dump in the oceans.

One of its creations is a type of shoe made from illegal deep-sea nets that have been confiscated from poachers. I invite you to get inspired by Adidas’s work. From an astrological perspective, now is a good time to expand and refine your personal approach to recycling. Brainstorm about how you could convert waste and refuse into useful, beautiful resources -- not just literally, but also metaphorically. For example, is there a ruined or used-up dream that could be transformed into raw material for a shiny new dream?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “There isn’t enough of anything as long as we live,” wrote Raymond Carver. “But at intervals a sweetness appears and, given a chance, prevails.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Virgo, you’ll soon be gliding through one of these intervals. Now and then you may even experience the strange sensation of being completely satisfied with the quality and amount of sweetness that arrives. To ensure optimal results, be as free from greed as you can possibly be.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “For a wound to heal, you have to clean it out,” says author Yasmin Mogahed. “Again, and again, and again. And this cleaning process stings. The cleaning of a wound hurts. Yes. Healing takes so much work. So much persistence. And so much patience.”

According to my analysis, Libra, you should be attending to this tough but glorious task. Although the work might be hard, it won’t be anywhere near as

hard as it usually is. And you are likely to make more progress than you would be able to at other times.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “The other day, lying in bed,” writes poet Rodger Kamenetz, “I felt my heart beating for the first time in a long while. I realized how little I live in my body, how much in my mind.” He speaks for the majority of us. We spend much of our lives entranced by the relentless jabber that unfolds between our ears. But I want to let you know, Scorpio, that the moment is ripe to rebel against this tendency in yourself. In the coming weeks, you will have a natural talent for celebrating your body. You’ll be able to commune deeply with its sensations, to learn more abut how it works, and to exult in the pleasure it gives you and the wisdom it provides.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) In his “Dream Song 67,” poet John Berryman confesses, “I am obliged to perform in complete darkness operations of great delicacy on my self.” I hope you will consider embarking on similar heroics, Sagittarius. It’s not an especially favorable time to overhaul your environment or try to get people to change in accordance with your wishes. But it’s a perfect moment to spruce up your inner world — to tinker with and refine it so that everything in there works with more grace. And unlike Berryman, you won’t have to proceed in darkness. The light might not be bright, but there’ll be enough of a glow to see what you’re doing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Here’s the dictionary’s definition of the word “indelible”: “having the quality of being difficult to remove, wash away, blot out, or efface; incapable of being canceled, lost, or forgotten.” The word is often used in reference to unpleasant matters: stains on clothes, biases that distort the truth, superstitions held with unshakable conviction, or painful memories of romantic break-ups. I am happy to let you know that you now have more power than usual to dissolve seemingly indelible stuff like that. Here’s a trick that might help you: Find a new teacher or teaching that uplifts you with indelible epiphanies.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) According to poet Tony Hoagland, most of us rarely “manage to finish a thought or a feeling; we usually get lazy or distracted and quit halfway through.”

Why? Hoagland theorizes that we “don’t have the time to complete the process, and we dislike the difficulty and discomfort of the task.” There’s a cost for this negligence: “We walk around full of halffinished experiences.” That’s why Hoagland became a poet. He says that “poems model the possibility of feeling all the way through an emotional process” and “thinking all the way through a thought.” The coming weeks will be a favorable time to get more in the habit of finishing your own feelings and thoughts, Aquarius. It will also be more important than usual that you do so! (Hoagland’s comments appeared in Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Unless you work at night and sleep by day, you experience the morning on a regular basis. You may have a love-hate relationship with it, because on the one hand you don’t like to leave your comfortable bed so early, and on the other hand you enjoy anticipating the interesting events ahead of you.

But aside from your personal associations with the morning, this time of day has always been a potent symbol of awakenings and beginnings. Throughout history, poets have invoked it to signify purity and promise. In myth and legend, it often represents the chance to see things afresh, to be free of the past’s burdens, to love life unconditionally. Dream interpreters might suggest that a dream of morning indicates a renewed capacity to trust oneself. All of these meanings are especially apropos for you right now, Pisces.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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