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INSIDE COVER P.4 In 2008, Oklahoma City residents

approved a MAPS 3 package that included a 70-acre downtown park. More than a decade later, those residents can attend a three-day celebration to commemorate the opening of its 30-acre upper park. Food trucks, free concerts, boat rentals, plenty of activities and nightly fireworks ring in the new attraction in downtown OKC.

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$ 35

By Miguel Rios Cover by Ingvard Ashby

NEWS COVER Scissortail Park grand opening 8 METRO Norman nondiscrimination ordinance 4

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CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS

EAT & DRINK 10 REVIEW

Restaurante Los Artesanos

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NEWS

COV E R

Boat rentals during the park’s grand opening weekend will be free. | Photo provided

For everyone

The upper section of Scissortail Park opens late this month with a major concert and plenty of family-friendly activities. By Miguel Rios

After more than a decade, part of the MAPS 3 Scissortail Park is nearly ready to open. Construction crews continue working around the clock, getting the park ready for its three-day grand opening celebration.

Festivities kick off Sept. 27 with a ribbon-cutting immediately followed by a free Kings of Leon concert. The park offers several activities throughout Sept.

28 and 29.

Maureen Heffernan, CEO and president of Myriad Gardens Foundation and Scissortail Park Foundation, said the park’s grand opening has been 12 years in the making.

“Come to the grand opening. It’s going to be wonderful. Come to one day; come to all three. There’s going to be a lot to do,” she said. “But just discover the park and use it and make it your own. Partly, parks are brought to life by the people who use them, and so I would hope that people really get out and use the park so that the park is vibrant and alive and fun.”

Besides food from various food trucks, boat rentals, live music, game zone activities and more will be free.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time. We wanted to have everything free, so everything for the grand opening is free, free, free — even the boats are going to be free,” she said.

“We’ve raised a lot of money; the mayor has raised a lot of money for the Kings of Leon concert, so that’s why we wanted to make everything free.”

Due to Oklahoma’s rainy spring, some construction delays did occur, but Heffernan said most of park will be ready.

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However, the cafe and boathouse will not offer food and the roller rink will be a sponsor area during the grand opening.

“There’s just going to be a number of areas which will be fenced off in terms of planting areas. The sidewalks won’t be fenced off, but we just don’t want people walking in flower beds or planted areas when they’re so new,” she said.

“To be honest, it won’t look 100 percent, fully completed; it just won’t. Things look very new. There may be a few areas that are unfinished for sure, but enough is done that you really feel like the park is finished.”

Kickoff concert

Sponsored by The Chickasaw Nation, Broncho and Republican Hair open for Kings of Leon at 6:30 p.m. Friday on the Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn.

Friday’s setup will be largely different from the rest of the weekend.

Heffernan said almost half of the south part of the park will be fenced off with no public access that day. The area behind the stage will also be fenced in for band setup. Attendees are not allowed to bring their dogs, coolers, large backpacks or lawn chairs, but that only applies to the Friday concert.

The great lawn will also be fenced in and have metal detectors to enter through due to security concerns. Per state law, guns are allowed in the park, but Heffernan said they are working with Oklahoma City Police Department, Crews are working around the clock to prepare Scissortail Park for the grand opening weekend Sept. 27-29. | Photo provided

Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) and the fire department to make sure there is enough security.

“I’m so impressed with their thoroughness and detail, and they are planning this with extreme care and thought,” she said. “I feel very confident with them in charge of security.”

After The Oklahoman reported guns would be allowed in the park, many people took to social media to express their discomfort. While some people defended the state law and asserted they would still attend, several people said they would not go because they felt unsafe.

“Whatever people are comfortable with. Obviously, I’m not going to argue with them, but I certainly wouldn’t miss it for anything … even if I wasn’t working here,” Heffernan said.

She said the event is not much different from other big gatherings in terms of allowing guns because of the state’s laws. However, if they had the option, Heffernan said they would consider restrictions.

“I would like to see for our organiza-

tion to have the ability to restrict open carry at times where we feel that’s in the best interest of the public and the park, just for general safety,” she said.

The fire marshal will tell officials how many people will be allowed in the fenced-in great lawn. Heffernan said it could be around 25,000 or 30,000 on a first come, first served basis.

“Once we feel we’ve reached that limit, that’s all we can take,” she said, “but that’s where people can still come downtown.

They’ll certainly be able to hear it. … Even if they can’t get into the actual lawn area, I think there’s still a lot to see and experience right around it.”

Scissortail Park crews will work late Friday to remove most of the fencing, so the park will be fully open Saturday and Sunday.

Events at the park kick off 8 a.m.

Saturday with yoga and Zumba presented by Gold’s Gym. Boat rentals are available 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and food trucks arrive at 11 a.m. along Robinson Avenue. Sunday begins with boat rentals and food trucks available at 11 a.m. Various events are planned throughout the park both days, and fireworks close out all three nights.

Making plans

The park opens Friday at 5 p.m. with the ribbon-cutting and dedication starting at 6 p.m. on the great lawn stage.

“Mayor [David] Holt is going to lead that,” Heffernan said. “They’re not going to have tons of speakers and all that kind of thing. It’s going to be briefer, but there will be an official ribboncutting at that point.”

After Friday, people are welcome to bring their own food to the park, but a variety of food trucks will be on-site as well. The streets that border the upper park — Hudson Avenue, Oklahoma City Boulevard and Robinson Avenue — will be closed, so there will not be parking around the park perimeter. However, the OKC Streetcar, which has a stop in continued on page 6

Central Perks.

A “big-league� city makes big-league investments in artistic and cultural opportunities for the community. Since 1979, OKG has been on the scene as OKC has recovered from its past to celebrate a true sense of urban renewal.

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NEWS continued from page 4

COV E R

front of the park, will still be running and Skydance Bridge will also be open to allow people to walk across.

“We tell people to think about when the Thunder has a big game.

Where do people park? It’s those places,” Heffernan said. “All three days, those roads are going to be closed, but after that goes away — there’s a lot of parking actually around the perimeter — so on an average day, you should be able to find a spot fairly close. But for the grand opening, take the Streetcar, there are buses, walk, bike.”

Officials are still considering a designated drop-off/pick-up site for rideshare services. It will be posted on the park’s website and social media platforms once finalized.

“But folks might want to think about if you are going to do that, maybe just walk a couple of blocks away from the park and then call since there will be a lot of people and the streets will be closed,” she said.

“But it’ll be kind of fun having the streets closed. That adds to that sense of something special happening.”

Park place

Scissortail Park is part of the MAPS 3 package OKC residents approved in 2008. The project budget is $132 million for the entire 70-acre park, which was designed by Hargreaves Associates. The grand opening is only for the 30-acre upper park, which is bordered by Hudson Avenue, Oklahoma City Boulevard, Robinson Avenue and the Interstate 40 corridor.

“This park has been almost 12 years in the making from when it was first thought of and going through the MAPS process and all of the design time and clearing all the old buildings,” Heffernan said. “So big project and tons of people involved with it. … With Myriad Gardens, we’re 15 acres, so this is double the size of that. So it’s really big. I mean, when you’re over there, the scale is really large; it’s really cool.”

The upper park has three main features: the great lawn; a tall, sloped hill area; and the lake.

“You can’t see over the hill when

you’re in the [Great Lawn] area of the park. … So it’s kind of neat; when you walk around it or up it, the rest of it comes into view, so it’s a really neat view and ‘Oh, wow!’ moment,” Heffernan said. “The lake has these two fingers coming around with a bridge that connects to the boathouse area. So those are the three big things that kind of set the tone here — the lawn, this promontory and the lake.”

You can plan things and do things in a beautiful place, but you need the people to really activate it and make it their own.

Maureen Heffernan Union Station is also located in the southwest corner of the upper park. The Scissortail Park Foundation staff will rent about 2,000 square feet of office area in the building. It will also serve as a place to store equipment and golf carts.

“It won’t be open to the public. I mean, we might do some tours here and there for people to see it because it’s really neat when you go in there; it’s like a time capsule,” Heffernan said. “It’s got the floors and the big light features

and a lot of the woodwork and where you’d buy your ticket through the counter windows — it’s all there. It’s really well-preserved. … In a few more years, hopefully that is all renovated.”

There is a lot of interest in renovating Union Station, Heffernan said, but that won’t happen for a few years. The ultimate vision is for it to serve as a visitor center with a gift shop, a cafe, office space, meeting areas and several rooms for events and programs.

“We are hopeful and confident that the city has some pockets of money of different funds that could be made available towards that purpose,” she said. “Everyone involved with the park sees Union Station as a really important anchor for … the long-term success of it. It’s such a beautiful old building and historic that, like the Skirvin Hotel, it really needs to be preserved and renovated so it’s in use again.”

Skydance Bridge connects the upper park to the lower park. The 40-acre lower park is expected to open in 2021 or 2022.

“The lower park is going to have soccer fields and a basketball court and pickle ball. It’ll have a little athletic building here with a little cafe as well,” she said. “We’re going to have kind of a community garden type thing — sort of urban farm. [The lower park] is going to be more naturalistic. It’s not as built up with all the different buildings and features. It’s going to be a real oasis and retreat for people.”

Foundation goals

Because MAPS 3 only provided money for capital improvements and not operations, Scissortail Park Foundation, like Myriad Gardens Foundation, is tasked with the operations of the park, which includes finding ways to fund it. Heffernan said the planning and design phase of the park intentionally built in things that could generate revenue for operations.

“Things like boat rentals or roller rinks or cafe commissions — all of that is earned revenue. Then [we also rely on] donations and sponsorships and While ready to be open, much of Scissortail Park’s landscaping will need time to grow. | Photo provided 6

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Next spring, Scissortail Park’s boathouse, cafe and roller rink will open. | Photo Alexa Ace

grants,” she said. “Over time, we want to start to earn a significant amount to offset the city’s cost. So one of our missions is to do that, so hopefully we reduce the city’s cost of maintaining this at a high level.

“There’s a pavilion and there’s large roofed areas; the sides are open. We’re going to use that as the roller rink area. … We’ll use it for dinners or farmers markets or people can rent it for dinners.

We’ll have all kinds of hopefully interesting stuff, so it’s kind of a multi-use pavilion. And next spring, the boathouse will be open. It will serve some light foods and drinks there. That’s going to be a really popular place to hang out in the porch there.”

Despite the park’s amenities and the upcoming lower park, Heffernan emphasized that officials want the community to make as much use of the park as they can.

“The more people in the park, the more fun it’s going to be. Whether you’re just sitting on a park bench, watching people, or people are there and you get together a badminton game or whatever it may be,” she said. “People make the park as well. You can plan things and do things in a beautiful place, but you need the people to really activate it and make it their own.”

While mostly complete, Heffernan said the park will hold almost a second grand opening in the spring once the art sculpture is installed and the boathouse and Spark, the cafe that will be operated by The Social Order Dining Collective, opens.

Volunteers are still being sought for the grand opening weekend. Visit scissortailpark.org.

Scissortail Park Grand Opening Sept. 27-29 Scissortail Park 300 SW Seventh St. scissortailpark.org Free

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NEWS Norman now has the most inclusive civil rights ordinance in the state. | Photo City of Norman / provided

METRO

Setting the tone

Extending rights

The City of Norman became the first in the state to extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ+ individuals. By Miguel Rios

Norman City Council voted 8-1 to amend its civil rights ordinance to add protections on the basis of sexuality, gender identity or expression and same-sex marriage. The protections are now in place and affect employment, housing and public accommodations.

Norman United, an interfaith group formed to support the LGBTQ+ community, spearheaded the efforts and played a big part in extending protections. However, Tom Kovach, one of its founding members and a former Norman councilman, said the efforts have been ongoing for decades.

“Back in the ’70s, they tried to do this change,” he said. “When Harvey Milk in San Francisco started this movement of trying to include LGBT protections — to codify them — Norman tried to do that. They came within one vote of passing it back in the ’70s, but it failed and kind of laid dormant all those years.”

When Kovach was elected Ward 2 councilman in 2008, he was the first openly gay member of any city council in the entire state. That year, he said the Human Rights Commission of Norman approached him about making the ordinance change.

“There was some pushback from some people on council. They thought that that was too bold of a step,” Kovach said.

Instead, in 2010, the council debated proclaiming October LGBTQ+ History Month. Kovach said the council meeting turned ugly.

“A bunch of people came out to the city council meeting to protest the proclamation of Gay History Month,” he said. “There 8

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was a lot of ugliness said that night.”

The proclamation eventually passed, but a week after attending the hostile meeting, 19-year-old Zach Harrington took his own life. His family said he struggled with his identity and the “toxic” council meeting might have pushed him over the edge.

Renewed efforts

Following the 2010 proclamation, nothing else was introduced to protect LGBTQ+ individuals until Norman United formed in 2014. Kovach said there was resistance from councilmembers who said an ordinance would cause backlash and instead suggested a resolution, which is not legally enforceable.

I’m very interested in working with the fellow council people to see where we can provide dignity for people who live and work in Oklahoma City.

James Cooper In 2015, five years after Harrington’s death, Norman city council passed a resolution affirming that sexual discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity or expression and sexual orientation.

Fast-forward four more years, and

Norman city council finally passed the ordinance, making it the first city in the state to approve comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents. The ordinance also clarifies duties of its Human Rights Commission, provides additional definitions and extends age discriminations to adults age 40 or older.

Kovach said that by and large, the ordinance accomplished much of what Norman United set out to do.

“It feels very good and just goes to show that when you have even a relatively small group of people who are determined to work together, they can get something done. It’s also bittersweet,” he said. “It’s great that this council stepped forward and made the change and set the tone for the whole state of Oklahoma, but it’s also a lesson. … In all this time that we’ve been trying this, this really could’ve been done 11 years ago. It could’ve been done back in 2014. Sometimes well-meaning people, they don’t want to rock the boat too much, but those are often the people who aren’t ... suffering this inequality.”

Kovach hopes people understand that the measure does not create any special rights for the community, which have been the prominent arguments against it; it simply includes them in an existing ordinance.

“What’s important for people to recognize is that when you’re in a minority and you’re being discriminated against and you’re being treated unfairly, then it takes the weight of government to reverse that,” he said. “People are still being beat up; people are still being discriminated against. In most places, they’ll be fired just for being gay even though you can be married legally. … This is just trying to balance the playing field so every citizen has equal rights and equal protections under the law. That’s the whole point of it. This is not to elevate any group, but to protect everyone.”

In an email statement from Freedom Oklahoma, executive director Allie Shinn said the ordinance serves as a model “for what’s possible in a conservative state like Oklahoma.”

“This is a first for Oklahoma, but we know that there are many cities that will follow suit. Norman’s leadership on this issue places them at the forefront of the movement for LGBTQ equality in our state,” Shinn wrote. “We’re thrilled for their support and eager to work with cities across Oklahoma who are ready to adopt this model for equality.”

Oklahoma City Ward 2 councilman James Cooper, who became the city’s first openly gay councilmember when he took office in April, said he has already had some conversations about OKC’s protections.

“Congratulations to the people of Norman and their city council and their mayor for believing that all people means all people. It’s just such a nobrainer for me,” Cooper said. “I’m very interested in working with the fellow council people to see where we can provide dignity for people who live and work in Oklahoma City. … I haven’t spoken with everybody yet. That’s going to come. A lot of this is going to require educating my fellow councilmembers on those laws and that history.”

Despite receiving overwhelmingly positive responses to his election, Cooper said he was disheartened at some people’s reactions when he would bring up anti-LGBTQ+ laws. He said people either did not believe, did not want to believe or just didn’t know how recent they were.

“I would remind everybody that until 2015, people weren’t able to marry the person they were in love with if they were of the same sex. That’s four years ago,” he said. “I’d also remind people that until 2003, it was federally a crime for someone to be in any form of same-sex interaction.

Being gay was illegal. That was literally until Lawrence v. Texas. So this is very recent history. … We have a ways to go.”

Since he has taken his place on the council horseshoe, Cooper has used the platform to discuss the history of antiLGBTQ+ laws, particularly during Pride Month. He said educating the community and other councilmembers is an important step toward better protections.

“I don’t think a lot of people know what I just said. I don’t think they know that in half the states, you can be fired from your job — not based on merit, but based on whom you loved or whom you went on a date with last night,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people recognize that, and we’re one of those states. … What Norman’s done sends a message to its K-12 students that they are loved, they are welcome there, they want them to live there, they want them to raise families there, they want them to shop there — that’s the message Norman just sent.”

chicken

friedNEWS

Cupcake caper

Catholic lapse

A Cleveland County man really “nailed it” during a road rage incident that led to an assault charge that involved a cupcake.

According to the Pauls Valley Democrat, Trevor Pearson has been charged with a misdemeanor at the end of August stemming from an alleged road rage incident that ended with Pearson throwing a cupcake and hitting the driver of another vehicle in the face.

The incident took place in May, according to an affidavit, on Interstate 35 near a construction site that slowed northbound traffic to one lane.

Pearson was the passenger in the car when it was passed on the shoulder of the highway and a person in the car “flipped them off.”

Pearson is alleged to have thrown the cupcake from inside one vehicle and hit the driver of the other vehicle in the face. That is some accuracy that Lincoln Riley can appreciate.

Though the driver was uninjured, they decided to press an assault charge. It should be noted that under the state statute, a misdemeanor assault charge does not require physical contact between victim and assailant. According to Newsweek, the charge could carry a sentence of up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 fine.

We here at Chicken-Fried News are never going to condone violence of any kind, but the driver did allegedly pass on the shoulder and start the incident by getting the proverbial bird involved. If it were us, we would’ve just taken the icing off the cupcake and thrown it because 95 percent of cupcake frosting is unnecessary and would be better served performing justice on the pavement.

Epic ails

Despite the many controversies surrounding Epic Charter Schools, its advertising campaign, like a runaway train, continues full steam ahead.

Tulsa World reported that Epic spent $2.5 million for an advertising campaign that covers television, radio and online ads. It also pays to sponsor play areas inside two malls, adding up to $105,000 in annual costs. That’s totally normal and appropriate for a virtual school under several investigations, right?

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into claims of embezzlement, “ghost student” enrollment, racketeering and forgery. Teachers have also come forward saying they were encouraged to withdraw low-performing students to boost overall school performance. Two of those teachers are now suing for wrongful termination for, you know, not being shitty people. Epic’s response? Not exactly classy.

“These are disgruntled former employees hoping to profit from what they perceive to be the issue of the day," a spokes-

woman said in a statement, as reported by The Oklahoman.

Honestly, there’s so much blatantly unethical — if not completely illegal — stuff going on with Epic that it’s difficult to keep track of it all. But school leaders maintain that Epic has done nothing wrong and said they hope the truth comes out soon. We’re confident the entire state is ready for the truth to set us free from the endless “I’m so glad we chose Epic” ads.

The state is probably also ready for the $112.9 million in state aid funding Epic received in fiscal year 2019 to be put to better use than ads.

In August of 2018, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced that it would be investigating its clergy for claims of sexual abuse and misconduct, but following multiple postponements of the promised report, a local victims advocacy group is decrying a conflict of interest.

“While numerous other dioceses across the nation called on law enforcement to lead similar investigations, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City turned its investigation over to McAfee and Taft, an Oklahoma City-based law firm that has worked with the church for nearly 15 years,” The Oklahoman reported.

Archdiocese chancellor Michael Scaperlanda’s son Christopher Scaperlanda, coincidentally, is a partner at McAfee and Taft.

A statement issued by Nick Yascavage, the Oklahoma City coordinator of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called the relationship between the law firm and the archdiocese “the definition of conflict of interest.”

"The public is relying on an organization that has harbored and enabled sexual predators to investigate crimes they themselves have purposely hidden for decades,” Yascavage said.

The archdiocese announced in June that the report — first scheduled for release in November of 2018, then postponed to February and then to March — now has no set release date. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter seven, Jesus asks, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” To be fair, though, Jesus doesn’t specify whether you have to remove the two-by-four from your eye socket immediately or if you can just leave it hanging there indefinitely while everyone cringes. What’s the worst that could happen?

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REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Capitol comfort

Restaurante Los Artesanos might be humble, but it packs great care and flavor into a small space.

By Jacob Threadgill

Restaurante Los Artesanos 2701 S. Walker Ave. facebook.com/losartesanosokc | 405-635-9550 WHAT WORKS: The cactus and pork gorditas are crispy and flavorful.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The batter on the chile relleno is a little soggy.

TIP: Mexican Cokes are served in frozen, frosted mugs.

A common good review for a restaurant often says, “It’s so good that it tastes like grandma made it.” What if you were able to sit down in an intimate dining room where a pair of mothers painstakingly prepared your order from scratch?

You’re in luck at Restaurante Los Artesanos, 2701 S. Walker Ave., which is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, just south of the intersection at SW 25th Street. Driving south on Walker, you’ll see a small parking lot with about five or six spots, which is how many tabletops are available in the restaurant. Park on the side and walk to the entrance along Walker because the door next to the parking lot takes you to the kitchen.

Open the front door, and the chime alerts a friendly waitress to get you seated at one of the restaurant’s six tables. It’s close quarters, but the enviRestaurante Los Artesanos is located at 2701 S. Walker Ave. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

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ronment is colorful and clean.

According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, the owners are from Guadalajara in the west-coast Mexican state of Jalisco, and the menu reflects those ties to the ocean with a healthy amount of seafood options mixed in with staples like quesadillas, tacos, burritos and enchiladas.

Los Artesanos offers spicy shrimp in chile sauce, a fish and shrimp soup, shrimp in garlic sauce, fried fish filet, ceviche and fried whole trout, the latter of which is served with the head on so the eye can judge you as your tear into its tasty flesh. All of the seafood options are a reasonable $11.99.

Another staple of Guadalajaran cuisine on the menu is the torta ahogada, which is a sandwich that is dunked or “drowned” in a red sauce that is typically made with chile de árbol. It’s filled with the meat of choice and served with a crispy taco as a side item. The regular torta on the menu comes with fries.

The restaurant opens at 9 a.m. daily, except Tuesday when it is closed.

Customers can order eggs in any dish or get them as huevos rancheros, scrambled with chorizo or ham or as you like.

It’s not listed on the menu, but I’m sure it wouldn’t too much trouble to get eggs in a taco or burrito.

The full menu is offered all day, even if you drop in for a morning service, which surprised me when I stopped by for a cup of coffee and another one of the restaurant’s specialties: gorditas.

Nothing like the item with which you might be familiar from Tacos Bell, gorditas are offered from corn ($2) or flour ($2.50) dough. The pockets of masa are cooked on a flattop until they puff and then are cut open and stuffed with a choice of filling.

Traditionally, a lot of gorditas are fried, but I like the fact that Los Artesanos grills them and keeps the caloric intake down. It offers a variety of fillings, including bean and cheese, chicharrón, cactus with pork, potatoes with chorizo, asada with cilantro and onion, chicken, barbacoa, shredded chicharrón minced meat with potatoes, green peppers with cheese and pork cooked in red sauce.

I tried both the corn and flour varieties of gor-

Chilaquiles with eggs and red sauce | Photo Jacob Threadgill

ditas. My favorite was the cactus with pork in a corn shell. The corn gordita is noticeably thinner than the flour and almost fully crispy. The flour one got a nice browned edge from the flattop but still had plenty of give to showcase a filling of almost creamy potatoes with chorizo. I tried the nopales (cactus) in the corn variety and loved the browned elements of the cactus that came from cooking it on the flattop. It was served in a red sauce with pork, and the consistency fondly reminded me of stewed tomatoes and okra, but with a lot more flavor and less of the slimy texture from the okra.

A meal at Los Artesanos begins with complementary chips and salsas. The red and green salsas are served warm.

The green is heavy on jalapeño and the red has nice depth of flavor with tomato and chile de árbol taking turns with a solo in the opera’s opening act.

The chilaquiles had a chunkier red sauce than what was served with the chips to open the meal, and it had some heat with a little natural sweetness from tomatoes. The eggs were cooked to medium with a runny yolk, and the fried tortillas still had plenty of crisp under the sauce.

Another fun element at Los Artesanos is that it serves bottles of Mexican Coke in a frozen, frosted mug and water comes with fresh fruit floating on top to infuse with more flavor. The restaurant operated as cash-only for quite some time, but it does take cards and is very amenable to English-only speakers. It’s the little things like fresh fruit and potato slices that elevate Restaurante Los Artesanos from its peers in Capitol Hill to being one of the best family-run restaurants in the city.

Traditionally, a lot of gorditas are fried, but I like the fact that Los Artesanos grills them and keeps the caloric intake down.

On a full meal dining in, I tried the chile relleno with chicken, and my wife ordered the chilaquiles topped with eggs. I liked that the entrees are served with delicately thin fried potatoes along the edge of the plate; I can’t say I’ve seen them in the city. The chicken stuffed inside the fried poblano was tender and juicy, but the batter was a little soggy. It seemed like the egg wash used to adhere the batter got scrambled as it cooked. I pulled aside the batter and added a few splashes of the salsa roja from the chips and was happy as a clam with the rest of the meal. It was served with four fresh flour tortillas, and I had a lot of fun taking the poblano and stuffing it with rice, beans and guacamole inside the tortilla.

A corn gordita with pork and cactus | Photo Jacob Threadgill

F E AT U R E

To the plate

Enis Mullaliu’s new restaurant, Piatto Italian Kitchen, brings in-house pasta and elevated Italian to OKC. By Jo Light

The plates come out steaming, piled with homemade pasta under generous dustings of Parmigiano-Reggiano. A portion of ricotta- and fontina-filled ravioli is served with a walnut pesto on a dark, rustic plate, which provides a striking visual. On another dish, crispy salmon rests on a garlicky bed of risotto.

These are just a few selections available from the menu at Piatto Italian Kitchen, 2920 NW 63rd St. The new restaurant opened in August as the most recent venture from Enis Mullaliu, former general manager of Vast, 333 W. Sheridan Ave. Mullaliu, who is originally from Kosovo and fled wartime violence in the late 1990s, has made a home in Oklahoma City and worked his way up through the local restaurant scene.

After he and his family moved to Edmond, Mullaliu attended University of Central Oklahoma and found a job at The Black-Eyed Pea, followed by a stint at the former Edmond location of Pepperoni Grill. When that location closed, he quickly became head server at the Penn Square Mall location.

He went on to work at The Coach House, formerly of Nichols Hills Plaza, with chef Kurt Fleischfresser, whom he followed to Vast after several years of working together.

Mullaliu said pleasing customers and giving them the best dining experience possible is what has kept him in the restaurant business all these years. He has wanted to open his own place for roughly a decade.

The pieces for Piatto fell together fairly fortuitously, with the space opening up in May this year. After some brainstorming with Fleischfresser,

Roasted gnocchi | Photo Alexa Ace

Mullaliu decided to do Italian cuisine.

He left Vast on July 1, and Piatto had its soft opening Aug. 2 and 3.

The menu keeps pasta front and center. Mullaliu said one of its most popular dishes so far is the Bolognese, an Italian staple with thick pappardelle pasta and braised short ribs. It’s another dish that’s quite impressive on the plate.

“Bolognese is something that people are familiar with, and when they have it, there’s something different in what we do,” he said. “We don’t grind our meat to make the Bolognese sauce. We pull it; we braise the meat.”

The cacio e pepe is another essential Italian dish, featuring a rich, peppery bucatini pasta. Other standouts on the menu include lamb osso buco, veal and steak Florentine.

The dessert menu features familiar selections like panna cotta and a sweet, delicate tiramisu. The by-the-glass wine list features Italian wine exclusively.

The restaurant hosts happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Mullaliu believes the freshness of Piatto’s menu is what sets it apart from other Italian restaurants in the metro.

“We make our fresh pasta in-house,” he said. “We make all our fresh sauces in-house. All our desserts are made fresh in-house.”

Bill Forster serves as the restaurant’s head chef, bringing years of his own experience in various kitchens to Piatto.

Forster started cooking in 1981 at an Oklahoma City pizzeria and later attended culinary school at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

He then worked at La Luna Blu in Enid and, following that, had a restaurant of

his own called Rooster and Wine. Most recently, he served as chef at Royal Bavaria in Moore.

“It’s been great, actually,” Forster said. “When [Mullaliu and I] first met was at the interview. That was in late June, and since then, I’ve felt like I’ve made a really great friend. Things are going really well.”

Mullaliu has now seen the restaurant business from almost every side and has adapted quickly to his new role as owner and maître d’. And as a longtime resident of the Oklahoma City area and a fixture of the dining scene, he has amassed something of a following.

“I met a lot of people through the years, and they’ve been nothing but supportive through the whole time,” Mullaliu said. “It doesn’t matter what I did — Coach House or Vast. They are very supportive. They have been showing a lot of support. And I’m very thankful that I invested my time in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma is returning the favor to me with the new adventure.”

Mullaliu has also had the unique opportunity to see the city grow and change, both in cuisine and culture.

“It’s a lot different,” he said. “Lots of new places opening up. I think it’s good for Oklahoma. It’s definitely good. A lot of local restaurants open up, and it’s weeding out the big chain restaurants.”

His parents arrived in 1998, and Mullaliu followed in 2000 after living in London. He initially experienced some culture shock in Oklahoma, especially with the lack of public transportation at the time.

I’m very thankful that I invested my time in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma is returning the favor to me with the new adventure.

Enis Mullaliu Despite this, he has never considered moving away.

“Imagine now, I’m 20-some years here,” he said. “I can’t complain. I love it.”

Forster, who has lived around the country and moved away briefly in 1994, agreed that Oklahoma City is thriving.

He said around the time he left for culinary school, The Coach House and The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, 6418 N. Western Ave., were among the few elevated dining experiences customers could find. (Chef Fleischfresser was involved in both endeavors.)

“They’d barely got Bricktown started back then,” Forster said. “The best restaurant down in Bricktown was Spaghetti Warehouse.”

Mullaliu said the process for renovating his new space was fairly straightforward.

Piatto features chic décor, which Mullaliu has updated with accents that reflect his personal taste. Pendant lights

Chef Bill Forster and Enis Mullaliu opened Piatto Italian Kitchen in August. | Photo Alexa Ace

Cacio e pepe | Photo Alexa Ace

above the low-top tables are from New York and hand-blown. Colorful abstract artwork by local painter Jennifer Whorton Husmann adorns the walls.

Mullaliu also has plans to replace the chandelier above the U-shaped bar, wanting something a bit more classic and true to his style.

Several rooms in the restaurant can accommodate party sizes up to 50 people. The spaces are already being booked for private events.

“So far, it’s been good,” Mullaliu said.

“Just the word of mouth has been good for us. People have been liking the food.”

Mullaliu said Piatto will celebrate the upcoming holiday season and will likely be open for holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, probably offering a prix-fixe menu.

“New Year’s is really big in Europe, so we celebrate a lot,” he said.

Mullaliu, who is married with a 21-month-old daughter, said he considers Piatto to be a family-run business. “[I’m] looking to grow, looking to get this restaurant where it needs to be and hopefully be successful,” Mullaliu said, “have my daughter come here and play around and experience this restaurant and this business.”

Piatto is open for dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Visit piattookc.com.

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F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Pork dreams

The new brick-and-mortar location of Big O’s Pork & Dreams dishes a family history of barbecue while helping the kids who need it. By Jacob Threadgill

The smell of burning Oklahoma hickory wood has been in Owen Wilson’s life for so long that he hardly notices its distinct smell anymore.

The grandson of O.C. Blackwell, longtime pitmaster for Oklahoma City’s Tom’s Barbecue, Wilson got an early start on continuing the family tradition.

“Growing up as a kid, everybody has a little bicycle or something they had,” Wilson said. “I didn’t get a bicycle; [my grandfather] bought me a smoker. At the age of 12, I was doing catering jobs in the neighborhood. It was crazy.”

The family barbecue tradition is showcased at Big O’s Pork & Dreams, 285 S. Santa Fe Ave., in Edmond, which opened at the beginning of the year. The brick-and-mortar location is a continuation of Wilson’s successful food truck that invests in programs that help children in need.

Giving back

It has been a winding road for Wilson and family to open Big O’s Pork & Dreams. Wilson’s barbecue life went on the backburner for life on the gridiron. He played on the defensive line for Millwood High School and continued his playing career at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.

After the end of his playing days, Wilson started a career in another field in which he always had interest: helping those who are less fortunate. He started working with juvenile delinquents at the Betty Chase Center. Wilson and his wife Tanaka have a long-standing passion to help children.

They’ve been certified host parents in the state’s foster care system for years.

“It’s second-nature to us,” Wilson said. “You get a kiddo whose mom and dad are in court and they say they don’t want him, and they’re just 6 years old.

That’s got to be devastating.”

Wilson found a way to help kids and use his knowledge of the game he loves by coaching football. He started by working with little league and quickly gained notice from area coaches, first working with Sequoyah Middle School and then moving to coach defensive line for Edmond Santa Fe High School the next year.

He coached defensive line for the Wolves while also working for the school district, eventually making his way into Project HOPE — a credit recovery program for at-risk students who are in danger of dropping out.

At the age of 12, I was doing catering jobs in the neighborhood.

Owen Wilson Reaching out to children in need is one of Wilson’s passions, and it has continued to his barbecue business. He rekindled the family tradition — first by going across the metro with a smoker attached to a 16-foot trailer, hawking smoked turkey legs and hot links about eight or nine years ago.

“Before you know it, the fire marshal pulls me over and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god! I’m in trouble. I’ve got an open fire,’” Wilson said. “He asks if I’m the turkey leg man. I said yeah, and

he said, ‘Can you go to precinct 3,4 and 5 to drop off turkey legs to those guys?’”

He upgraded to a food truck and launched Big O’s DreamCAST Development Program, which works with local schools to identify students in need to enter Big O’s apprenticeship program that works with them to identify short-term and long-term goals and sign a personal contract of integrity.

The first year of the food truck, $2 of each lemonade sold went to fund a college scholarship for a student who wanted to attend college but otherwise couldn’t afford it.

“We raised about $2,000 that first year, were able to pick a kid and presented it for him to go to school,” Wilson said.

“We’ve helped between four and six kids over the years. It’s been a blessing.”

Some of the kids in the DreamCAST program are employed at Big O’s, and others participate in community events such as a Thanksgiving turkey drive that Big O’s sponsors with former NBA player and Edmond native Ekpe Udoh.

Full-time focus

After five years of burning the candle at both ends — operating the food truck and coaching at Santa Fe — Wilson made the full-time leap to Big O’s in September 2018.

The food truck remains operational for large events and private catering, but Wilson knew it was the right decision to make when he saw the brick-andmortar location near the corner of Santa Fe Avenue and Edmond Road.

“It’s been going wonderfully,” he said.

“Having been an asset in the public schools for 20-something years, the clientele was already there with the food truck. When I found this spot, I thought it was perfect because it’s down from the street from two schools [Santa Fe High School and Washington Irving Elementary].”

The smoker is located outside of the restaurant because Wilson said he doesn’t want people to worry about smelling like Tanaka and Owen Wilson first opened Big O’s Pork & Dreams as a food truck. | Photo Alexa Ace

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Big O baked potato with pulled pork, baked beans, cheese and sour cream and a half order of barbecue nachos | Photo Jacob Threadgill

hickory smoke if they leave the restaurant for another event. He gets hickory brought from throughout the state from farms in Meeker and near Shawnee.

“A lot of people have gotten away from regular stick wood,” Wilson said.

“They’re using propane, convection ovens. I’m old-school and make kindling with newspaper and do it every day.”

Everyday offerings at Big O’s include pork ribs, pulled pork, house-smoked brisket and Schwab’s hot links and Polish sausage. Smoked chicken and turkey legs are offered on the weekends.

The Rollie Ollie is a sandwich piled high with a choice of pulled pork or brisket, potato salad, baked beans and either a hot link or Polish sausage. Its name is from a time in high school when Wilson made a tackle despite falling down by rolling into the ball carrier.

He added barbecue pizzas to the menu at the brick-and-mortar with a fried shell topped with a choice of meat and melted cheese. Big O’s also offers barbecue nachos, loaded thick-cut fries and huge baked potatoes. The Fat Butt potato checks in a 6-8 pounds and is topped with butter cheese, a hot link, choice of pulled pork or brisket, grilled onions and jalapeños with two thick-cut pork ribs, baked beans and sour cream.

Wilson misses game days as a coach, but not the Monday-Sunday commitment that comes with a 6A program.

“I think I cried that first day because I was able to meet my daughter at the bus stop,” he said. “This is my baby daughter. My oldest daughter, I never did that because I was always coaching.

When I met her at the bus stop, she was like, ‘Dad, what are you doing home?

Don’t you have practice?’ I told her I wasn’t coaching anymore, and she started crying too. I missed out on a lot of little stuff like that. A lot of coaches don’t realize there is life after coaching, and I had to figure it out that way.”

Visit porkanddreams.com.

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Chicken craze

These seven locally owned restaurants will keep your hard-earned dollars in the community, and you’ll be able to get a tasty chicken sandwich on Sundays and not have to worry about whether the supply is going to run out.

By Jacob Threadgill with photos provided

Bricktown Brewery

Nashbird

The Press

Bricktown has the largest selection of chicken sandwiches in the city by offering a pair of grilled and fried options. The Hatch green chile sandwich includes queso, green chile relish and tortilla chips. The spicy fried sandwich features spicy mayonnaise and coleslaw. The buttermilk fried chicken sandwich from its seasonal Bricktwisted comfort food menu features caramelized pineapple slices with salt-and-pepper honey on a brioche bun.

Nashbird has been such a success that it’s already spawning two locations from its original Automobile Alley eatery. Its Edmond spot is set to open this fall, and one in Norman is slated for the first half of 2020. Its classic chicken sandwich with choice of heat level topped with slaw and lemon mayo is a time-honored classic, but if you feel like stepping up a level, check out the Nashvillian. It’s a sandwich with hot chicken, onion rings, bacon, mac and cheese and ranch.

Since opening in 2017 and quickly becoming one of 16th Street Plaza District’s most popular restaurants, The Press has created buzz with its unique option for fried chicken: the honey Buffalo dunk.

You’ve got the option for freshly fried chicken to be finished in a sweet and spicy glaze. The option extends to its sandwich, which is a fried breast on a Hawaiian bun, provolone, lettuce, tomato, pickle and honey barbecue sauce.

1 N. Oklahoma Ave. bricktownbrewery.com | 405-232-2739

1 NW Ninth St. nashbirdchicken.com | 405-600-9718

1610 N. Gatewood Ave. thepressokc.com | 405-208-7739

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Off the Hook Seafood & More

The Drum Room

1920 S. Meridian Ave. offthehookokc.com | 405-606-6040

In response to the national craze, Off the Hook has added its own elevated take on the Popeye’s sandwich to the menu at its south location. (It is not available at Britton Road location.) The sandwich features a crispy chicken thigh that has been brined for 48 hours before hitting the fryer and is available in regular or spicy versions.

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4309 N. Western Ave. drumroomokc.com | 405-604-0990

Popeye’s innovation in the chicken sandwich market begins with the use of a buttery brioche bun, but that seems small compared to what The Drum Room is offering. Get grilled or fried chicken served on a waffle sandwich topped with melted cheese and bacon with a side of chipotle aioli. The restaurant also offers a barbecue chicken sandwich with Swiss cheese, bacon, fried pickle chips and ranch dressing.

Chuck House

4430 NW 10th St. chuckhouseok.com | 405-942-0852

900 W. Main St. maryeddysokc.com | 405-982-6960

This local chain is famous for its chicken-fried steak, but don’t sleep on its chicken-fried chicken sandwich. At first glance, you might not be able to tell the two apart because, like the steak, the chicken is tenderized by being pounded thin and covered in its house breading.

The chicken-fried chicken sandwich is treated like the classic that it is with mayo, lettuce and tomato.

Chef Jason Campbell has put a local spin on the Nashville hot chicken craze. The Oklahoma City version that includes ranch, housemade pickle and cilantro on a potato bun has been so popular that is has gone from being a monthly feature to a full-time lunch menu item.

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Boathouse District Oklahoma City

September 21 2019 • 9am–5pm

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Follow us at okbookfest 16

S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

The whole family is invited to Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District for a fun-filled day celebrating books for all ages!

The day will feature more than 100 authors from around the nation.

Angela Cervantes Experience panel discussions, presentations, crafts, poetry readings, book signings, food trucks, and more!

The 2019 Oklahoma Book Festival is completely free to attend.

ARTS & CULTURE

T H E AT E R

Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble begins its 20192020 season with Melodic Masters 7:30 p.m. Sept.

24 at Saint Paul’s Cathedral. | Photo performingartsphotos.com / provided

Rebellious melodists

Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble highlights the work of female composers in its 2019-2020 season.

By Jeremy Martin

French composer Germaine Tailleferre’s outraged father compared studying music to prostitution, but her mother helped her practice piano in secret and attend Conservatoire de Paris in 1904.

Tailleferre, who changed her name from Taillefesse to spite her father, continued to compose and play until her death in 1983. Her “Piano Trio” is included on the program for Melodic Masters, Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble’s 20192020 season opening concert, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, 127 NW Seventh St. Brightmusic co-artistic director and pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng said each concert for the 2019-2020 season includes a work composed by a woman.

“Due to societal reasons — no career path, tradition in previous centuries — there simply aren’t as many women composers that became canonized, and so I think this is a way to make sure that we encourage the listeners and also the performers to become more well informed and to help promote compositions by lesser known composers,” Cheng said. “Brightmusic has always had the tradition, anyway, of featuring works that are lesser known, and so, basically, we are not doing anything that’s outrageously new, but we do want to bring this extra dimension to our programming.”

While women have traditionally been discouraged from seriously pursuing music and the arts in general, some — such as Tailleferre, the only female member of Les Six, a group of influential

20th-century French neoclassical composers — refused to listen.

“In general, it was not deemed an appropriate career for women, but that doesn’t mean women were not involved in music,” Cheng said. “In fact, lots of women studied music, practiced music and had a serious interest in music. They just didn’t make it public or they were discouraged. In the case of Tailleferre, she was actually a bit rebellious.”

Cheng said Brightmusic’s method of programming concerts by theme rather than historical periods made including women in every concert easier.

Reading the biographies of Libby Larsen or Joan Tower, they really were trendsetters and, therefore, had great careers, but they also had to fight pretty hard.

Amy I-Lin Cheng “If you look in the 20th century and 21st century, there are plenty of choices,” Cheng said. “I will say that if you are looking for more 19th-century and romantic and classical compositions, it would, in fact, be more difficult.”

In 1983, the year Tailleferre died, Libby Larsen — whose “Barn Dances”

for flute, clarinet and piano is included in Brightmusic’s Jan. 21 concert — became the first female composer-inresidence with a major orchestra, Minneapolis Orchestra. Cheng said Larsen’s story exemplifies how far women composers have come since the early 20th century and how long and difficult the battle for equality has been.

“Now in the music world, I think, we’re doing a better job of being aware of biases, and also in schools, definitely, we’re striving to be inclusive of female composers,” Cheng said. “A lot of schools will actually give equal opportunities to all composers to have their pieces performed, so they have venues, and there are more competitions also and grants that composers can apply for to do recordings or to premiere their works, so things are a little better. But I would say by and large, it was very difficult. Reading the biographies of Libby Larsen or Joan Tower [whose “Island Prelude” for oboe and string quartet is included in Brightmusic’s April 14 concert], they really were trendsetters and, therefore, had great careers, but they also had to fight pretty hard.”

Cheng said. “When we think of melody, we immediately connect it to singing … so melodically driven work, inevitably, is also vocally inspired. … It’s the number of people, but also, it’s one part per person per instrument that allows that intricate conversation to be heard, and you can definitely hear that in Brahms.”

The works Brightmusic performs are, above all, selected for their quality, Cheng said.

“We choose music because these are outstanding compositions, whether they were by a woman or a man composer,” Cheng said. “There’s an incredible depth and wealth of compositions out there for chamber music. … We stand on the shoulders of the great composers of the past. … We bond through the common language that is music and help each other, male and female, to just promote great compositions and performers.”

Melodic Masters

Sept. 24’s concert also includes Czech composer Josef Suk’s “Piano Quartet in A minor, Opus 1” and German composer Johannes Brahms’ “String Sextet in B-flat Major, Opus 18.”

“All the compositions that we have chosen for the first concert, they all have really easy to recognize, long, beautiful, melodic lines,” Cheng said. “Listen for the really rich and intricate melodic conversations between instruments. … What we do at Brightmusic is very small ensemble chamber music, in general between two and eight people. … Unlike an orchestra or larger string or wind ensemble, this kind of music making really allows each person to take on an individual part. … You really hear the intimate dialogue between instruments.”

Suk studied under Antonín Dvořák, whose admiration for “Opus 1” inspired its name.

“He had already written other compositions before, but he considered that his first mature piece,” Cheng said. “‘Opus 1’ does not necessarily mean that was the very first piece that he created, but rather he considered it successful because he received a stamp of approval from Dvořák.”

Brahms’ “String Sextet” for two violas, two cellos and two violins was among the first works composed for those instruments without a piano, but its composer’s influence ensured that it would not be the last.

“It’s a work for string players, so as you can imagine, that is going to absolutely showcase the singing ability of the stringed instruments, and that is really what Melodic Masters is referring to,”

Every Brightmusic concert this season includes a work composed by a woman, beginning with Germaine Tailleferre’s “Piano Trio.” | Photo Wikimedia Commons

In a 1982 interview with biographer Laura Mitgang, Tailleferre said her music transcends gender.

“What difference does it make?”

Tailleferre said. “The essential thing is that it be music. I do not see a reason why I shouldn’t write what I feel. If it gives the impression of being feminine, that is fine.

I was never tormented by explanations.

I tried to do the best I could, but I never asked myself if it was feminine or not. You can say that my music is neither masculine nor feminine. It is just plain music.

This is what I try to do: I do what I want.”

Tickets are free-$20. Visit brightmusic.org.

Melodic Masters 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 Saint Paul’s Cathedral 127 NW Seventh St. brightmusic.org Free-$20

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9

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BOOKS

Donate to our Fall Pledge Drive today by calling 855-808-5678 or visit KOSU.org if the last thing you want to do is talk to another person on the phone.

ARTS & CULTURE

Reading culture

The second Oklahoma Book Festival welcomes over 100 writers who cover a wide array of genres and topics. By Jeremy Martin

When earth’s rising oceans finally overtook Nebraska, Myra and her daughter Pearl fled to the mountaintop colonies, an archipelago where the resourceful can trade fish for supplies scavenged from submerged houses. So begins Kassandra Montag’s After the Flood, a science-fiction novel set in 2130 when climate change has drowned most of the world.

Montag — a featured author at Oklahoma Book Festival Sept. 21 at OKC Boathouse District, 800 Riversport Drive — said she was inspired to write After the Flood by anxiety about earth’s future.

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S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Kassandra Montag is one of more than 100 authors featured at Oklahoma Book Festival Sept.

21. | Photo Nancy Kohler / provided

“I have two young boys, and something I think about a lot is, ‘How am I going to raise them for the future and this new landscape that we might have?’” Montag said. “They may be battling different things in the environment — heat waves, storms — that I haven’t really had to experience, and it really makes me scared for them. Even though there’s a lot of fear around the unknown and what will happen, I also wanted the book to have a lot of hope.”

Writing After the Flood, currently in development as a TV series for Apple, required native Nebraskan Montag to research seafaring cultures in order to

give the book a “gritty realism.” She described her protagonist Myra, who struggles to keep herself and Pearl alive while searching for her missing daughter Row, as “forthright and confident and kind of aggressive.”

“She naturally came to me flawed, and I knew that she wasn’t going to be some lovely Mary Poppins character,” Montag said. “She was going to be a tough badass. I do remember having moments of wondering, ‘Is she too flawed? Are people going to be bothered by her?’ But I knew I had to just be honest with her character. She does do some terrible things in the book. She’s manipulative. She’s deceitful. However, I also wanted to be true to the fact that in a survival story, people are making really hard choices. No one’s going to survive by being this perfect, sunshine, moral person every second of the day.”

Mariana Llanos, another featured author at Oklahoma Book Festival, also drew inspiration from maternal empathy. Her bilingual children’s book Luca’s Bridge / El puente de Luca tells the story of a young boy’s struggle to adjust to life in Mexico after his parents are deported from the United States. As a Peruvian immigrant with children who were born American citizens, Llanos wanted to write a book that honestly addressed the complicated and difficult realities immigrants face while making the story “simple and relatable” for young readers to understand.

“There’s not a green card fairy,” Llanos said. “It’s sad, and no one wants to think about this … but this happens more than we want to think it happens. Maybe it happened in your neighborhood and you just never found out. … My goal with the book is not to make people sad. … There is a lot of hope, and there is laughter, and the family is able to dance together … but that doesn’t mean that they’re not suffering because of what’s happening to them.”

from left After the Flood is currently in development as a TV series for Apple; Luca’s Bridge/El puente de Luca is a bilingual children’s book; and Heartland, Volume II is a collection of essays written by Oklahoma women. | Images provided

Llanos said the book is not a political statement but an attempt to show the human lives at the heart of a highly charged debate.

“I’m not trying to tell people what to think or how they should act or what they should say,” Llanos said, “but just to give them a perspective, just to show them another story that they probably wouldn’t hear and to have people draw their own conclusions.”

Featured author and Tulsa Artist Fellow Quraysh Ali Lansana recently published the skin of dreams: new and collected poems 1995-2018, his ninth book of poetry and 20th book overall. Lansana said his work — which also includes Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy & Social Justice in Classroom & Community and They Shall Run: Harriet Tubman Poems, a book he spent three years researching — examines “how the current moment is connected to a previous moment and how that previous moment shapes this current moment and how it might inform a future moment.”

Like Llanos, Lansana said he is also more interested in motivating readers to make up their own minds, a philosophy shared by mentor Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize.

“Art should move us to think and not so much tell us what to think,” Lansana said. “We have enough preachers and politicians and pundits to tell us what to think, but art should move us to think and sometimes to act. … Historically and globally, poetry has been one of the leading art forms of social change.”

Local voices

Sara N. Beam, director of the University of Tulsa’s writing program, said she was motivated to edit Voices from the Heartland, Volume II, a collection of essays written by Oklahoma women about their lives, after she saw the reaction the original volume had in one of her writing classes.

“The students responded so much more genuinely and powerfully than I’d really seen them engage with a text before,” Beam said. “A lot of the things that we have students read in an academic environment are written by people that they would never meet or people

who are not even alive anymore, and this was group that they potentially could be in the same community as or literally from the same hometown or one nearby, and these were all living writers. … That helped them realize that the stories from their lives are valuable. … This is sort of a special experience to get to read something written by someone who’s from where you’re from and who maybe shares something about an experience in their life that people don’t normally talk about, like having a relative who’s incarcerated or dealing with addiction yourself or trying to navigate the small, private corners of parenthood.”

She co-edited the collection with University of Oklahoma creative writing teacher Rilla Askew and Rogers State University professors Emily Dial-Driver and Juliet Evusa, who all worked to cultivate a diverse list of contributors “who would have an interesting story to tell and might be willing to tell it,” regardless of whether they considered themselves writers.

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Quraysh Ali Lansana recently published his ninth book of poetry and 20th book overall. | Photo Two Sisters Photography / provided

“We didn’t tell them what to say,” Beam said. “We said, ‘Please, share a story that has been valuable in your life, that you think is worth sharing and worth handing down. … This is about your actual voice, your heart language, not some sort of idea of academically formal writing.’”

In her first time as the lead editor on a book, Beam said she received valuable guidance from her co-editors.

“Out of this project, we produced this book, but we also produced a community,” Beam said.

In addition to more than 100 featured authors, the festival includes panel discussions and presentations, live entertainment, children’s activities and food trucks. Admission is free. For a full schedule, visit okbookfest.org.

Oklahoma Book Festival 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 21 OKC Boathouse District 800 Riversport Drive okbookfest.org Free

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CO M M U N I T Y

ARTS & CULTURE

No hate

A social community action group has ramped up its efforts to bridge gaps that make people feel detached from one another. By Miguel Rios

After the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, two friends wanted to overwrite hatred with love and positivity.

They hosted a photoshoot during which they encouraged strangers to get to know each other and take pictures together.

The #YesLove Photoshoot became an annual tradition, and almost four years later, YesLove OKC has become a state-recognized nonprofit organization that “focuses on bridging the intersectionality gap in society.”

“It was just born out of wanting to spread love and positivity and light to people no matter the race, what you believe in, your political affiliation, no matter what,” board secretary Jaely DeLeon-Wright said. “Our biggest goal is just to be in every community because everything is so diverse now, and our board is so diverse too.”

YesLove OKC hosts its 4th Annual Love Photoshoot 2-4:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave. It is free and open to people of all ages.

Andrew Frederick, YesLove OKC board treasurer, helped organize the group’s first event. He said the photoshoot, which is now the group’s premiere event, really took off last year, outgrowing its venue because of so much interest.

“We weren’t expecting that big of a turnout, but it was huge compared to previous years. We had no room in the building — standing room only,” he said. “We have you sign in and everything, and we’ll put everybody’s names together. We’ll draw two names and … those are the people that are going to have their photoshoot done together.

And we have some events so people can understand each other better.”

The event has been a success for the organization. Last year, Mike Allen attended the photoshoot alone, and by the end of it, he wanted to be involved 20

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with YesLove OKC. He is now the organization’s president.

Bridging gaps

DeLeon-Wright began working with Albert Rios, the organization’s cofounder and executive director, last fall and quickly became involved with YesLove OKC. “I met Albert, and this beautiful friendship just grew with him. He’s literally like my brother; you’d be surprised,” she said. “I remember we were at Stella Nova, and I didn’t know what I was really getting into. But I was listening, and then he was like, ‘So what do you want to be?’ … Then we started having meetings every month, and we work together so we would talk at work.

And even though it’s been around for a few years now, this past year has been when we’ve done the most.”

YesLove OKC has had a particularly active year, hosting more events and forging more partnerships than it has previously. The group hosts various events including panels on topics like empowering people of color and toxic masculinity, volunteers with local charities and speaks to high school students.

The organization participated in various events for Oklahoma City Pride and continues creating LGBTQ+ events. In partnership with Free Mom Hugs, YesLove hosts trans empowerment resource fairs to help connect individuals with affirming doctors, therapists and lawyers. The group also partners with several local drag performers and hosts drag shows at bars that don’t typically have them.

“Our mission statement is just we’re here to spread love and celebrate diversity and, especially in marginalized communities, provide support and acceptance because acceptance is a huge deal for every community,” DeLeon-

Andrew Frederick and Jaely DeLeon-Wright said YesLove OKC has made them much more aware and sensitive of societal issues. | Photo Miguel Rios

Wright said. “We’ve had speed-friending events. We’ve had several of those.

Those are kind of like speed dating, but instead of dating, you’re meeting friends and talking. The point of it is to have difficult conversations in a safe space, so kind of going back to that acceptance. … That’s what the purpose and goal of all of our events are: We can all still come together and have fun and talk and just be ourselves.”

Most people focus on how everybody’s different, but we’re all the same in very many different ways too, and that’s where we come in.

Andrew Frederick

Spreading love

YesLove OKC members hope to eventually carry out their mission on a national level. One of the co-founders lives in New York and is interested in organizing a similar photoshoot event there. The group also plans to meet with Deanna Muñoz, president and CEO of Latino Arts Foundation in Missouri who was recently featured on Netflix’s Queer Eye. “We’re meeting with her to see if we can do something up there too,” DeLeonWright said. “Everything this past year, I think, has happened so quickly. It is a lot of work sometimes because we do have to do certain things, but it is so worth it.

It doesn’t feel like work because you’re just spreading love and you know you’re providing a safe space and acceptance.”

Eventually, the group also wants to have an office space of its own.

“I think that’s the biggest thing we’ve talked about is hopefully having a physical location … because a lot of times we get asked, ‘Where’s your office?’” DeLeon-Wright said. “Our Albert Rios, YesLove OKC executive director, poses with two attendees at a previous #YesLove Photoshoot. | Photo provided

biggest goal is having that place, having an area where people of all different walks of life can come in and know they’re accepted, they are loved, we’re going to embrace you, we’re going to empower you.”

While not necessarily looking for additional board members, YesLove OKC is looking to expand its team to help with events. It also accepts monetary donations to help fund its events. The group is already organizing a convention-style event set for next spring that will need volunteers to run smoothly.

“All of our funds go toward bigger events like the Diversicon. It’s going to be a combination of Comic-Con, Beautycon and DragCon, so it’s going to be pretty big,” DeLeon-Wright said.

“We’re going to be needing a lot of funds for that and just for the little events we have like the drag shows and speed friending and stuff.”

YesLove OKC focuses on encouraging “necessary conversation in a respectful manner” to bring people of different beliefs and backgrounds together. Frederick, who considers himself the most conservative board member, said the group helped him understand things he wouldn’t otherwise even be exposed to.

“I came from the background that the law says this. You know, there’s people fighting for their rights out there, but it’s like the law says you have these rights already. But in practice, you really don’t,” he said. “Working with this group, I learned a lot about that. I always heard, you know, white privilege. But [I would be] like, ‘What privilege? What are you talking about?’ But then I started seeing the other side more. …

The big thing is most people focus on how everybody’s different, but we’re all the same in very many different ways too, and that’s where we come in.”

Visit yesloveokc.com.

List your event in 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.

Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

4th Annual Love Photoshoot 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday Dunlap Codding 609 W. Sheridan Ave. yesloveokc.com | 405-753-0885 Free

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In 2004, Oklahomans overwhelmingly approved a gaming compact that has far exceeded estimates of its benefits to the state.

Together, the state and tribes worked diligently to forge an agreement that has provided new revenues for education, helped preserve the Oklahoma horse industry and contributed billions of dollars to the state economy.

Tribal contributions of $1.3 billion to education under the compact have almost doubled original estimates.

In the agreement, the state acknowledged that the compact will generally beneďŹ t all of Oklahoma, which can be seen in advances in education, health care, infrastructure and economic stability.

Committed to mutual respect, shared strength and productive partnerships that beneďŹ t every Oklahoman.

Learn More at

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9/6/19 1:17 PM

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The Oklahoma City University Martha Jean Lemon Distinguished Speaker Series Presents

Fabien Cousteau “One Ocean, One People” Free to the public Register to attend at okcu.edu/cousteau

Sept. 24, 2019 • 7 p.m.

Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center at Oklahoma City University 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73106

12886 Distinguished Speaker Fabien Cousteau Gazette Ad.indd 1

8/28/19 2:27 PM

OCTOBER 23-27, 2019 One of only a few venues to perform the new script by Aaron Sorkin.

A CO-PRODUCTION BETWEEN OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY AND OKLAHOMA CHILDREN'S THEATRE.

Wed at 10am | Thurs at 10am & 7:30pm Fri at 10am & 7:30pm Sat at 7:30pm | Sun at 2pm Showing in the Burg Theatre at Oklahoma City University Tickets available at oklahomachildrenstheatre.org or 405-208-6200 With additional support from Allied Arts, Inasmuch Foundation, and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.

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OKG Lifestyle

Around OKC EAT Bahama Buck’s WATCH

Ready Player One

LISTEN Metro Library Podcast READ The Boy Who Dreamed Big by Alton Carter LOVE Sonic’s sweet tea EXPERIENCE The Escape OKC

Outside OKC Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago EAT Neo Yokio (Netflix) WATCH Tryhard by The Band Camino LISTEN Exit West by Mohsin Hamid READ Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel LOVE (especially Claire Saffitz’s Gourmet Makes videos) hot air balloon rides EXPERIENCE

Lacey Lett’s Picks EAT strawberry cake from Cafe 501 WATCH

Dead to Me (Netflix)

LISTEN “Fine Mess” by Interpol READ

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

LOVE modern architecture EXPERIENCE iFLY Indoor Skydiving Lacey Lett is a multimedia broadcaster at KFOR with a background in print, radio, television and advertising who lives in OKC with her husband Josh and dog Debbie Hairy.

READY PLAYER ONE | IMAGE WARNER BROS. / PROVIDED• METRO LIBRARY PODCAST | IMAGE METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM / PROVIDED TRYHARD BY THE BAND CAMINO | IMAGE ELEKTRA / PROVIDED • EXIT WEST BY MOHSIN HAMID | IMAGE RIVERHEAD BOOKS / PROVIDED DEAD TO ME (NETFLIX) | IMAGE NETFLIX / PROVIDED • LACEY LETT | PHOTO PROVIDED O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9

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CALENDAR These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT What Lies Between Us activist and journalist Ayanna Najuma leads a discussion of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race

by Reni Eddo-Lodge, 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 17. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Young Adult Book Club Meet-Up discuss Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman with other young readers, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 11. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED

Governor’s Club Toastmasters lose your fear of public speaking and gain leadership skills by practicing in a fun and low-stakes environment, noon-1 p.m.

Wednesdays. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Building, 2501 N. Stiles Ave., 405-523-2300, okfarmbureau.org. WED Jackbox.tv Game Night play interactive party games with host Alex Sanchez, 8-10 p.m. Sept. 9. Oak & Ore, 1732 NW. 16th St., 405-606-2030, oakandore.com. MON John F. Kennedy Community Service Awards an evening honoring award winners Nick Collison, Jenny Love Meyer and Frank and Cathy Keating and benefitting Santa Fe Family Life Center, 6:30-9 p.m.

Sept. 17. Skirvin Hilton Hotel, 1 Park Ave., 405-2723040, skirvinhilton.com. TUE LIVE! on the Plaza join the Plaza District every second Friday for an art walk featuring artists, live music, shopping and more, 6-10 p.m. second Friday of every month. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-426-7812, plazadistrict.org. FRI Moore Chess Club play in tournaments and learn about the popular board game at this weekly event where all ages and skill levels are welcome, 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Moore Library, 225 S. Howard Ave., Moore. SUN

FILM

Pooches on the Patio bring your best friend to this dog-friendly happy hour with drink specials, appetizers and free pet treats, 4-7 p.m. Saturdays.

Café 501 Classen Curve, 5825 NW Grand Blvd., 405844-1501, cafe501.com. SAT

Agnes of God (1985, USA, Norman Jewison) Jane Fonda stars in this drama about a nun discovered with a dead newborn in her room; presented on OETA as part of their weekly Movie Club, 9 p.m. Sept. 14. SAT

Renegade Poker compete in a 2-3 hour tournament with cash prizes, 3 p.m. Sundays. Bison Witches Bar & Deli, 211 E Main St., Norman, 405-3647555, bisonwitchesok.com. SUN

New Media & Video Showcase a screening of Thorsten Fleisch’s Flesh City followed by animated shorts and new media, 5-11 p.m. Sept. 14. Resonator Institute, 325 E. Main St., Norman, resonator.space. SAT

Self-Summit a panel discussion about self-care, selflove, self-advocacy and self-awareness followed by live music from Lincka, 2-6 p.m. Sept. 15. Allied Arts, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405-278-8944, alliedartsokc.com. SUN

The Producers (1967, USA, Mel Brooks) after discovering a way to make money on a Broadway flop, an accountant and a producer stage Springtime for Hitler in this comedy classic, 7 p.m. Sept. 12.

Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. THU

Sister Bingo an evening of bingo benefiting The Bella Foundation and hosted by Sister Mary FallinFrom Grace and Renee Hilton, 8-10 p.m. Sept. 13.

Apothecary 39, 2125 NW 39th St., 405-605-4100. FRI

Subterranean Film Club: Death and Rebirth an experimental horror film screening, 7-10 p.m.

Sept. 11. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. WED

HAPPENINGS Afro Beats a dance party with soca, hip-hop, Caribbean, dancehall and other genres of music provided

by DJ Sinz, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays. Glass Lounge, 5929 N. May Ave., 405-835-8077, glasshouseokc.com. FRI Anime Oklahoma 2019 a convention celebrating animation, video games, board games with workshops, costume contests, celebrity guests and more, Sept. 13-15. Reed Conference Center, Sheraton Hotel, 5750 Will Rogers Road, 405-455-1800, starwoodhotels.com/sheraton.

FRI-SUN

Batman Day celebrate the 80 years of Batman comics with a tattoo contest, a comic book coloring station and the release of Holey Toledo, Black IPA, 1-6 p.m. Sept. 15. Vanessa House Beer Co., 118 NW 8th St., 405-517-0511, vanessahousebeerco.com. SUN Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Cocktail Cruise see the Boathouse District, the Wheeler Ferris wheel and more on this sunset cruise with a full cash bar, Fridays and Saturdays through September, Fridays, Saturdays. through Sept. 28.

Regatta Park Landing, 701 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-7027755, okrivercruises.com. FRI-SAT Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Disney Trivia show off your knowledge of all things Mickey Mouse for a chance to win gift cards, 7-9 p.m. Sept. 18. Nashbird, 1 NW Ninth St., 405-6009718, nashbirdchicken.com. WED Downtown Recyclers Toastmasters practice your public speaking skills at this ongoing weekly meeting, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Department of Environmental Quality, 707 N. Robinson Ave., 405702-0100, deq.state.ok.us. WED Drag Me to Bingo bingo night hosted by Teabaggin Betsy, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Partners, 2805 NW 36th St., 405-942-2199, partners4club.com. TUE Fall Gardening learn what vegetables can be grown in Oklahoma through autumn at this informational lecture, 6 p.m. Sept. 11. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405-943-0827, okc.gov. WED Fun for All Fall Festival enjoy games, prizes, an interactive pumpkin patch and free health and dental screenings, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 14. Britton Health Center, 721 West Britton Road, 405-632-6688, varietycare.org. SAT

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The Taste On 36th sample local foods and shop local vendors at this monthly event, noon-6 p.m. Sept.

14. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-2084240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. SAT Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, 623-810-0295. THU Trivia Night at Black Mesa Brewing test your knowledge at this weekly competition hosted by BanjoBug Trivia, 6:30 p.m. June 18. Black Mesa Brewing Company, 1354 W Sheridan Ave., 405-778-1865, blackmesabrewing.com. TUE Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens.com. TUE

FOOD Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.noon Saturdays, through Oct. 19. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT The Taste on 36th a monthly gathering of food trucks from throughout the state featuring live music, noon-6 p.m. second Saturday of every month. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. SAT Veggie Dinner a monthly vegetarian dinner with a wine pairing, 6:30 p.m. third Thursday of every month. Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo St., 405-602-2002, picassosonpaseo.com. TUE

YOUTH Art Adventures children can enjoy story time and related activities, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE Beth Ferry the author will autograph copies of her children’s book, The Scarecrow, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept.

16. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. MON Disney on Ice: Mickey’s Search Party several of Disney’s most popular characters, including Moana, Tinker Bell, Elsa, Aladdin and more, team up to follow Captain Hook’s treasure map in this figure skating performance, Sept. 12-16, Sept. 12-16. Oklahoma State Fair Arena, 333 Gordon Cooper St., 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com. THU Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma Storytime children can hear stories and meet therapy dogs while their parents enjoy coffee, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Sept. 18. Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma, 600 NW 23rd St., (405) 600-9981, dsaco.org. WED Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU

Oklahoma Stories: Kilpatrick and Beethoven Has it been too long since you’ve heard the world’s most famous symphony? Wait no more! Join Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s opening concert featuring Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 as well as selections by Native American composers Jack Kilpatrick and Tim Nevaquaya, Alexander Grigori Arutiunian and drummer and singer John Hamilton 8 p.m. Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $19-$84. Call 405-842-5387 or visit okcphil.org. parks.

SATURDAY Photo bigstockphoto.com

OKC Drag Queen Story Hour children and their families are invited to a story and craft time lead by Ms. Shantel and followed by a dance party, 4 p.m. second Saturday of every month. Sunnyside Diner, 916 NW Sixth St., 405-778-8861. SAT

Elvis Extravaganza Elvis Presley impersonators compete to see who can best capture the essence of the King, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3220 Great Plains Walk, 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com. WED

Reading Wednesdays a weekly storytime with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED

Every Brilliant Thing when a young boy’s mother attempts suicide he begins keeping a list of the things that make life worth living in this experimental play

by Duncan Macmillan and Johnny Donahoe, through Sept. 22. CitySpace Theatre, Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker Ave, 405-594-8300. FRI-SUN

Signing Time Sign Language Class children can learn American Sign Language at this class taught by Mrs. Stacy, 4-5 p.m. Sept. 12. We Rock the Spectrum, 64 E 33rd St., 405-657-1108, werockthespectrumoklahomacity.com. THU Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS Cameron Buchholtz album release the standup comic celebrates the release of his debut EP Model Citizen – Zero Discipline with a live comedy show also featuring performances by James Nghiem, Spencer Hicks, Alex Sanchez and Aaron Wilder, 10-11:30 p.m. Sept. 13. Drunken Fry, 1201 N. Western Ave., facebook.com/ drunkenfryokc. FRI Category Is a monthly variety show hosted by Tilly Screams and Robin Banks, 10 p.m.-midnight second Saturday of every month. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted

by CJ Lance and Josh Lathe and featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and beyond, 9 p.m.

Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Don Quixote Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N. Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

The Four Italian Tenors the opera singers perform tenor arias in unique arrangements on their U.S debut tour, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 12. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400 S. Bryant Ave., Edmond, 405-2851010, armstrongauditorium.org. THU Frost/Nixon a play based on David Frost’s historic interview of President Richard Nixon and the lead up to it, through Sept. 22. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9310, lyrictheatreokc.com. WED-SUN Iron Horse Open Mic and Showcase perform music on stage at this show open to all experience levels, 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 9501 S. Shields Blvd., 405-735-1801. WED Joel Forlenza: The Piano Man the pianist performs variety of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and, of course, Billy Joel, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE-FRI Kendell’s Open Mic play up to four songs at this weekly music open mic, 8-11 p.m. Tuesdays. Kendell’s, 110 S. May Ave., kendellsbar.com. TUE Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m.

Wednesdays. Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED Medicine Stone a red dirt music festival featuring performances by Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Robert Earl Keen, Parker McCollum, Todd Snider and more, Sept 16-21, Sept. 16-21. Diamondhead Resort, 12081 Highway 10, Tahlequah, 918-456-4545, diamondheadresort.us. MON-SAT

Monday Night Blues Jam Session bring your own instrument to this open-stage jam hosted by Wess McMichael, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. MON

Weekly Jams bring an instrument and play along with others at this open-invitation weekly jam session, 9:30 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. TUE

OKC Comedy Open Mic Night get some stage time or just go to listen and laugh at this open mic hosted by Travis Phillips, 7 p.m. Mondays. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-887-3327, theparamountroom.com. MON

ACTIVE

OKC Improv performers create original scenes in the moment based on suggestions from the audience, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-4569858, okcimprov.com. FRI Triple’s Open Mic a music and comedy open mic hosted by Amanda Howle, 7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday. Triple’s, 8023 NW 23rd St., 405-7893031. WED Open Mic at The P share your musical talent or just come to listen at this weekly open mic, 7 p.m.

Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. WED Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic hosted

by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Rhyme in Reasons share your talent or just watch other artists perform at this weekly open mic, 7:30-10 p.m. Thursdays. Reasons Lounge, 1140 N. MacArthur Boulevard, 405-774-9991. THU RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World see live performances by Michelle Visage, Aquaria, Kameron Michaels, Asia O’Hara, Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls, 8-11 p.m. Sept. 12. Rose State College, 6420 SE 15th St., 405-733-7673, rose.edu. THU Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/sanctuarybarokc. WED The Trailer-Hood Hootenanny join Rayna Over and friends for a night of comedy, music and drag performances, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. the second Friday of every month. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. FRI VZD’s Open Mic Night a weekly music mic hosted by Joe Hopkins, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., 405-6023006, vzds.com. WED

Adult New Modern Square Dance Lessons learn the basics of square dancing at these classes led by Jeff Holley; no partner required, 7-9 p.m.

Mondays and Thursdays, Sept. 9-Oct. 3. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-359-4630, edmondok.com/parks. MON-THU Bocce Ball Tournament 16 teams will compete for top honors in this four-week tournament, 5:306:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 24. Kerr Park, 102 Robert S. Kerr Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownokc. com/kerr-park. TUE Botanical Balance an all-levels yoga class in a natural environment; bring your own mat and water, 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT-TUE Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. WED Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through east Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Road, 405-603-7655. MON OKC Brain Tumor Walk/5K Run a walk and run to raise funds and awareness hosted by the National Brain Tumor Society, 7 a.m.-noon Sept. 14. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/ parks. SAT Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. SAT Run the Alley a three-mile social run for athletes of all abilities ending with beers at The Yard, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. OK Runner, 708 N Broadway Ave., 405-702-9291, myokrunner.com. THU Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m.

Wednesdays. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. WED Twisted Coyote Brew Crew a weekly 3-mile group run for all ability levels with a beer tasting to follow; bring your own safety lights, 6 p.m. Mondays.

Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. MON

Art House Theater Day Screening of Putney Swope In Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 satirical comedy Putney Swope, the executive board of an advertising firm “accidentally” elects its only black executive to replace its chairman and must endure the radical changes he makes. Celebrate Art House Theater Day, honoring art house and indie theaters, which support niche and largely unknown filmmakers, by attending a screening of the film 7:30–9 p.m. Sept. 18 at Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave. Tickets are $7.50-$9.50. Visit rodeocinema.org. SEPT. 18 Photo provided Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, wheelerdistrict.com. TUE Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE Yoga with Art workout in an art-filled environment followed by a mimosa, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays.

21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT

VISUAL ARTS 12×12 Preview Exhibition view works that will be included in Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s 12x12 Art Fundraiser, through Sept. 15. The Art Hall, 519 NW 23rd St., 405-231-5700, arthallokc.com. MON-SUN Advancing the Pencil Portrait, Part II learn how to create better pencil portraits at this class for all experience levels, 6 p.m. through Sept. 19. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. THU

Other Options 30th Anniversary Celebration Other Options, Inc. has been providing Oklahomans living with HIV and AIDs and those at risk with food, resources, services and education for 30 years. The organization honors its volunteers and friends it has lost with a program and celebration 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at CHK|Central Boathouse, 732 Riversport Drive, in the Boathouse District.

Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Call 405-605-8020 or visit otheroptionsokc.org. TUESDAY Photo bigstockphoto.com

Batik Printing on Fabric Workshop make a one of a kind scarf at this hands-on class taught

by Quiquia Calhoun, 1-4 p.m. Sept. 14. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. SAT Building on the Body: Identity, Materials, Jewelry an exhibition of jewelry created from corrugated cardboard, cement, steel and other building materials, through Sept. 22. 108 Contemporary, 108 E. Mathew Brady St., 918-895-6302, 108contemporary.org. FRI-SUN

Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-TUE Figures & Landscapes: The Art of Carol Armstrong an exhibition of works by the Oklahoma Governor’s Art Award winning painter, Sept. 13-Nov. 2. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-3079320, pasnorman.org. FRI-SAT From the Golden Age to the Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection view portraits painted by Kehinde Wiley, Anthony van Dyck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and George Bellows, through Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

FRI-SUN

Group Show view works by Dylan Bradway, Aaron Cahill, Brad Hill and Tawyna Corrente at this exhibition benefitting Tony Thunder, 6-9 p.m. Sept.

12. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU How to See to Draw learn to improve your drawing skills at this workshop taught by Brad Price, through Sept. 13. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405307-9320, Norman, pasnorman.org. MON-FRI Leviathan I: The Aesthetics of Capital an experimental exhibition created by artist Pete Froslie exploring climate change, moral and political philosophy through electro-mechanics and game engine-based digital projection, hrough Dec. 31. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. WED-TUE Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata see examples of mechanical proto-robots from 1850 to the modern day, through Sept. 29.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SUN

Colors of Clay an exhibition of clay pots, bowls, pitchers and jars created by Native American artists, through May 10, 2021. National Cowboy & Western

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

continued on page 28

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9

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CALENDAR

LOCAL TAP

09.14.19

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

10.03.19

JUDAH & THE LION

10.04.19

COLD WAR KIDS

10.11.19

X AMBASSADORS

10.13.19

ANDY GRAMMER

10.15.19

LUCERO

10.24.19

COIN

10.25.19

GREGORY ALAN ISKOV

11.08.19

ROBERT EARL KEEN’s COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

12.26.19

BEER TASTING + LIVE MUSIC

WINTER 2019 TICKETS & INFORMATION AT

THEJONESASSEMBLY.COM

CHRIS KNIGHT September 11 RAY WYLIE HUBBARD September 13

Seeing Now an exhibit of multimedia art works

by Hank Willis Thomas, Ken Gonzales-Day, Travis Somerville, Paul Rucker, Graciela Sacco, Terence Hammonds and Michael Waugh, through Dec. 31.

21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU-TUE

KEB’ MO’ SOLO September 22 HAYES CARLL September 26

Simply Put an exhibition of paintings by Lynden Wilcoxson, through Sept. 29.

Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405-601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

LOVELYTHEBAND September 28

FRI-SUN

Stories of Love and Longing/Encircled an exhibition of works by painter Marjorie Atwood and sculptor Tim Cooper, through Sept. 30. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-MON

TICKETS & INFO AT TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM

Thoughts on Africa an exhibition of Don Nevard’s photographs of native African wildlife, through Oct. 31. Inasmuch Foundation Gallery at Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 4056827579.

405-70-TOWER 425 NW 23rd Street OKC

SAT-THU

Transfixion an exhibition of new works by artist Rachel Stout, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13. Resonator Institute, 325 E. Main St., Norman, resonator.space. FRI

901 W. SHERIDAN, OKC

Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts a traveling exhibition of a collection of works by influential European painters including Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Picasso, Rousseau and many more, through Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

THE SIMPLE STEPS TO

MEAL PREP for simple ingredients — ones that can be used in a variety of meals, like onions, peppers and brown rice.

Pick Chicken. Buy a pre-cooked rotisserie

AND NEVER MISS A POST

Prep on Weekends. Or any time. Spend

some time at the store, and then the kitchen.

Get your kids involved too!

GROCERY LIST

SHOP HEALTHY.

EAT HEALTHY.

LIVE HEALTHY.

WHOLE GRAINS (Breads, Pastas,

Rice, Cereal)

PROTEINS

DAILY MEAL PLANNER (Meat, Seafood,

SHOP HEALTHY. EAT

SUN

VEGGIES

MON

LOW FAT DAIRY (Yogurt, Milk, Cheese)

TUE

Beans and Peas,

Nuts, Eggs)

HEALTHY. LIVE HEALTHY.

FRI

THU

WED

OTHER

(Toiletries, Household

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etc.)

SAT

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HEALTHY MEXICAN CASSEROLE | CAULIFLOWER CHICKEN FRIED RICE CHICKEN SALAD SALAD

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chicken and add it to sandwiches, tacos, salads and more.

FRUITS

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S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Public Art Bootcamp informational panels, discussions and presentations for artists interested in the process of applying, designing and installing public art, 1-4:30 p.m. Sept. 14. Norman Public Library East, 3051 Alameda St., Norman, 405-217-0770, pioneerlibrarysystem.org. SAT

Seeds of Being an exhibition examining the evolution of art created by Indigenous groups in North America, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. WED-MON

THE MIDNIGHT September 20

Simpler Is Better. Choose recipes that call

Nature Photography Workshop learn to better capture wildlife on camera at this class taught by Doug Hoke, director of photography for The Oklahoman, 1-2:30 p.m. Sept. 14. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT

Second Friday Art Walk tour shops studios, venues and galleries to view visual art exhibits, hear live music and more, 6 p.m. second Friday of every month. Downtown Norman, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405-637-6225, downtownnorman.com. FRI

GLEN HANSARD September 16

Save time, energy and money by planning and preparing a week’s worth of meals at once. Get started with these simple meal prep steps below.

C A L E N DA R

FALL 2019

WE’RE SOCIAL.

continued from page 27

@OKGAZETTE

Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnamese families relocated to Oklahoma, through Nov. 6.

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-WED With Intent an exhibition of works by artists Bee Doublehue, Gayle Curry, Marissa Raglin and Josh Vaughn, through Sept. 29. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. FRI-SUN

Submissions must be received

by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OKG live music

see page 32

F E AT U R E

MUSIC

Blonde evolution

Shoulda Been Blonde releases its first full-length album and ponders its next steps. By Jeremy Martin

Shawnee’s Shoulda Been Blonde was named after a joke lead singer Peyton Wilson’s cousin used to make at her expense.

“We were doing a local talent show, and we needed a name,” said Wilson, a brunette often seen with her hair dyed neon blue. “We just came up with it, and it stuck. I wrote a song to go with it later.”

Wilson and sisters Mirran Grein (drums) and Brenna Furstenwerth (née Grein; bass), formed the band as a threepiece in 2012. Wilson and Furstenwerth were 13 at the time; Grein was 11. They switched instruments and roles and added guitarists Madelyn Idleman and Lauren Grein (Mirran and Brenna’s cousin) to the lineup.

“You always said that my hair didn’t match my brain, and I always said that your face was a shame,” Wilson sings on

the title track from the band’s self-titled 2016 EP. “But now we get along, even though everything you said was wrong.”

Shoulda Been Blonde celebrates the release of full-length debut Worth Sept.

20 at Celebration of Life Park, 301 E. Main St., in Shawnee. Wilson said her approach to songwriting has evolved since the band began.

We were writing music that kind of sounded too much alike, and we didn’t want to be stagnant.

Peyton Wilson “I don’t think the subjects have changed, but my outlook has, definitely,” Wilson said. “I write a lot about mental health and accepting yourself or trying to fit in, and my viewpoint on those things when I was 16 whereas now when I’m 20 are different, and I write about those differences.”

On the title track for 2018 EP More, Wilson seems to have moved past merely trading insults.

“Your words won’t change me,” she sings. “Your words don’t phase me. You won’t be my dictator.”

Worth follows 2018’s More and 2016’s Shoulda Been Blonde. | Image provided

While previous releases felt more like collections of disparate songs, Wilson said Worth has a unifying concept.

“It’s the first body of work that we’ve done based on one idea,” Wilson said.

“Worth is pretty much the common theme — finding worth in yourself, not using external factors like your peers and things to find worth, accepting yourself. I use a lot of personal experience for the songs that I write.”

The album also represents the band’s expanding sonic palette.

“We experimented a little bit more with sound,” Wilson said. “Before, we were trying to stick more to just guitars and bass, and that was pretty much it.

We were trying not to use a whole lot of synths and electronics, and we definitely used a lot more in this album, which was a lot of fun to be more creative that way. We were writing music that kind of sounded too much alike, and we didn’t want to be stagnant. We wanted to grow and branch out into other music. I’m also a big Paramore fan, and their last album After Laughter was really different, and it kind of got me listening to other things out of alternative rock, and I used a lot of that to write the album.”

Next steps

Shoulda Been Blonde began life as a talent show act, but the amount of attention it has received in recent years has caused the band to consider what its next steps could be and where they might end up leading.

“For a long time, it was more just that we liked playing live and we liked making music, so that was really what we focused on,” Wilson said. “We did a lot of things in the community like playing at local restaurants, and every third Friday, they’ve got a music thing downtown that

Shoulda Been Blonde celebrates the release of full-length debut Worth Sept. 20 at Celebration of Life Park. | Photo provided

we would do just because we liked to do it. So for a while, we just wanted to do music, and I think we just kept growing. … Recently, we’re at a point where we need to decide if we want to go further or if we’re happy where we are and how we want to handle that.”

Balancing the responsibilities of young adulthood with the possibilities of a buzzworthy band is a challenge.

“It’s difficult with Lauren in school in Norman, and I’m working full-time and going to school full-time,” Wilson said. “[Idleman] is in high school.

Brenna has a full-time job. It’s hard.”

Idleman said headlining 2018’s AMP Festival was the moment she began to realize the band might be moving beyond local talent shows and restaurant gigs.

“It was a way bigger stage than we’d had, and we had a really good sound system and a lot of people showed up,” Idleman said. “That was the moment where we really showed our stage presence, and we did really well. Then after the gig, we were like, ‘OK, we’re ready to do more,’ and that’s when I was like, ‘I think this could be way bigger than we are planning for it to be.’”

The conflicted lyrics of More’s “Remedies” seem to describe a similarly daunting crossroads.

“We see two different worlds, and one may be a curse,” Wilson sings. “No room for fantasies inside my small, gray earth.

Hold on to your dreams, tied to the melodies. Dreams are the best remedies.”

Admission is free. Shoulda Been Blonde also plays Tulsa’s MisFEST on Saturday and Mesta Festa Sept. 22 at Perle Mesta Park, 1900 N. Shartel Ave. Visit shouldabeenblonde.com.

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F E AT U R E

MUSIC

Electronic OKC

A local record label fosters OKC’s electronic music scene. By Jeremy Martin

Taylor McKenzie started a record label to feed a habit he acquired overseas.

“I lived and worked in Berlin for a couple years, and techno is just so not an underground thing there, so I got really addicted to the music,” McKenzie said.

When he returned to Oklahoma City, McKenzie founded Fixed Rhythms with fellow electronic music fan Stewart Whitmarsh because he had trouble getting the good stuff at home.

“It kind of started out as, like, a techno party series, and then it morphed into a record label because, basically, there’s nobody selling this type of music here,” McKenzie said. “It’s crazy. There’s so much good electronic music coming out — not EDM, but techno house, jungle, whatever — new dance music, and nobody’s paying attention to it because you literally cannot touch it. It’s not at any record stores here, not just in Oklahoma City, but in Tulsa and down in Texas, it’s hard to find. You have to be in, like, one store in Chicago, a couple stores in New York and a couple stores in LA. … Techno was born in Detroit, so it’s actually a domestic thing, but U.S. techno is crazyhard for people to wrap their heads around. There’s, like, a cultural difference. One thing is the 2 a.m. cut-off. It’s nighttime music, and people here are just so used to going out and immediately getting blitz drunk and just going home and passing out. It’s kind of a different culture where you’re going out and you might not even drink but you’re staying out until like eight in the morning. … I guess that’s much more of a thing in places like Berlin.”

Berlin’s nightlife culture and club scene, where sunrise often comes before last call, might give its electronic dance music an edge, but Fixed Rhythms’ compilation Unexpected Destinations Vol. 1, released Thursday digitally and on casTaylor McKenzie and Stewart Whitmarsh founded Fixed Rhythms record label after discovering the lack of techno and other electronic dance music available at local record stores. | Photo provided

sette tape, sets out to prove that good dance music is being created by “artists living outside of the traditional electronic music hubs.”

“There are people making this kind of music in Oklahoma, but they’re just totally doing their own thing,” McKenzie said. “And to me, that’s kind of more beautiful because there are no rules here. There are no standards of DJing. There are no standards of what your house tracks or your techno tracks or your ambient tracks should sound like. You’re just going for it because you’re kind of trying to reach out to the void. I love that shit.”

Experimentation not constrained by genre labels or regulated by beats per minute (BPM) allows music and musicians to evolve and grow, McKenzie said.

It’s blowing your mind that music like that can even exist and move you in that way you’ve never been moved before.

Taylor McKenzie “You have to allow for people to blend things and blow things up a little bit in order to come across new territory,” McKenzie said. “There are so many people who would say, ‘Techno is between this BPM and this BPM, and the bass drum has to go on these spots,’ and it’s just like, whoa. Who is going to work with those boundaries consistently for an entire musical career?”

Instead of setting these kinds of boundaries, McKenzie said Fixed Rhythms abides by a single mantra: “Electronic music, curated by intuition and love.” So far, the artists released by the label have come through “organic connections” made on the dance floor or, in one case, the classroom.

Minimalist music

Benjamin Rosfeld, whose “Out of Time” is included on Unexpected Destinations, was a student in the high school German class McKenzie teaches. Rosfeld said a book he was reading about minimalist composers inspired a conversation about Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Steve Reich that led McKenzie and Rosfeld, a classically trained pianist who became interested in electronic music when he began building synthesizers as a hobby, to realize they had not only similar musical tastes, but similar “musical philosophies.”

“We’re really about collaboration,” Rosfeld said. “I believe that, as artists, to really create true, good art, we can’t do it by ourselves, and music to me is about not only just the creation of art but creating a community surrounding that.

When we’re able to work with other people, I think that’s really some of the true beauty in our creations. … Working with Taylor’s been fantastic. He’s such an onboard, really easygoing, enthusiastic person, but I also really, really respect what the label is doing in unifying these artists. They’re creating a new community of people with this one tape.”

McKenzie said his conversations with Rosfeld helped him rediscover his own enthusiasm for minimalist music.

“He’s a composer, and he’s just so on fire,” McKenzie said. “It’s so amazing to watch someone so excited about that kind of music. … You just get, like, obsessed with drone music, and that’s all you listen to. It’s blowing your mind that music like that can even exist and move you in that way you’ve never been moved before, and I hadn’t really felt that excited about that kind of music in a while. Not to sound jaded or anything, but I just hadn’t dug it that hard for a minute.”

Rosfeld, now a student at University of Central Oklahoma, said Unexpected Destinations will be his first cassette tape. “Out of Time,” written during his senior year of high school, has a personal meaning for him.

“There’s this constant pulse, but not everything that accompanies the pulse is perfectly in time with that,” Rosfeld said.

“It’s almost like you’ve got three different layers that are all doing their own thing. I think it’s really expressing how I felt, particularly in my senior year of high school when I wrote the piece. Everything was

Benjamin Rosfeld’s “Out of Time” appears on Unexpected Destinations. | Photo provided

Unexpected Destinations Vol. 1, released Thursday digitally and on cassette tape, sets out to prove that good dance music is being created by “artists living outside of the traditional electronic music hubs.” | Image provided

sort of going on around me, and I almost didn’t feel like I was a part of it or I was out of sync with everything, really overwhelmed. So I think that’s what I was trying to convey, but I’m always open to other people’s interpretations.”

Raymond Owen, whose “Citric Acid” opens Unexpected Destinations, said Fixed Rhythms is moving to its own beat.

“It’s pretty different from what’s going on in Oklahoma, so hopefully it actually attracts more people that are into these things that probably don’t have a community to share that with,” Owen said. “I feel like Fixed Rhythms is such a special thing for Oklahoma.

They’re actually bringing out people that are doing amazing things that no one’s ever actually heard or they would maybe never even hear if they didn’t get connected through Taylor or someone.”

McKenzie hopes Unexpected Destinations helps people in OKC and places like it realize they can join the party.

“A lot of times, people just get left out of the picture if they’re not from some hype city,” McKenzie said. “I do think it’s kind of metropolitan music. You need people, but I don’t think that it’s impossible for a smaller city with, like, 800,000 people to have like a super healthy dance community. It just takes exposure. … You have to have your hands on it. You have to be exposed to new sounds.”

Unexpected Destinations also features tracks by OKC artists Hypervigillance and Holy Siege. Digital albums and cassette tapes are $7. Visit fixedrhythms.com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9

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LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11 Adam Aguilar & the Weekend All Stars, Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar. COVER Chris Knight, Tower Theatre.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Kevin Morby, City Presbyterian Church.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Net/Pigments, The Drunken Fry. ROCK Sativa Prophets/Rousey/Don’t Tell Dena, Vices. HIP-HOP/ROCK

SUNDAY, SEPT. 15 Hosty, The Deli. ROCK Son Little, Ponyboy. R&B Wino Browne, Newcastle Casino. ROCK

MONDAY, SEPT. 16

Hog Feed/Brad Fielder, The Deli.

Glen Hansard, Tower Theatre.

COUNTRY/BLUES

John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 12

Mdou Moctar/Sarah Reid, Opolis. ROCK

The Gentlefolks, Angry Scotsman Brewing. JAZZ

TUESDAY, SEPT. 17

Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant.

JAZZ

FOLK

Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club.

COUNTRY

Scissortail Park Grand Opening Concert featuring Kings of Leon Grammy Awardwinning rock band Kings of Leon kicks off the grand opening weekend of the 30-acre north section of Scissortail Park, featuring concerts, food trucks and family-friendly activities Sept.

27-29. Once completed, Oklahoma City’s 70-acre MAPS 3 park will feature gardens, woodlands, a lake, a boathouse, a children’s playground, water features, an outdoor roller rink and more. Join the internationally renowned band with roots in Talihina along with Broncho and Republican Hair 6 p.m. Sept. 27 at Scissortail Park, 300 SW Seventh St. Admission is free. Visit scissortailpark.org. SEPT. 27 Photo provided

Julian Dawson/Phil Lee, The Blue Door.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Shelly Phelps & Dylan Nagode, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Café. ACOUSTIC

FRIDAY, SEPT. 13

Interpol, The Criterion. ROCK Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Social Repose/Secret Tree Fort, 89th StreetOKC. ROCK

Annie Oakley, The Blue Door. FOLK

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18

Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, The Criterion. COUNTRY

Adam Aguilar & the Weekend All Stars, Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar. COVER

Chris Trapper, The Blue Door.

The Doubleclicks, New World Comics. FOLK

SINGER/SONGWRITER

The Daddyo’s/Acid Carousel, Opolis. ROCK

John Carlton & Kyle Reid, The Winston.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Dirt Monkey/Eliminate, OKC Farmers Market.

ELECTRONIC

Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tower Theatre.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Travis Linville, The Paramount Room.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Tyler Lee Band, Katt’s Cove. COVER

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 Aaron Newman Duo, Newcastle Casino. COVER Alan Jackson, Chesapeake Energy Arena.

COUNTRY

Bad Jokes/Brujo/The Big News, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK Bill Hearn, The Blue Door.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Hidden Agenda, Okie Tonk Café. COVER Kenny Pitts, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COUNTRY

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Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

Let us be the first stop on your journey to wellness.

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33

CANNABIS

THE HIGH CULTURE

Gentle giant

THC

Mammoth Processing takes a delicate approach to the process of cannabis extraction in order to produce what it calls “extra virgin cannabis oil.” By Matt Dinger

Mammoth Processing, a two-man operation based just south of downtown Oklahoma City, brings a cannabis flower enthusiast’s approach to its concentrates.

“Ninety percent of the time, we smoke flower, and 10 percent of the time, for ease and discretion, I smoke a cart.

Mammoth is for flower lovers,” co-owner Derek Kern said. “If you don’t like flower, if you’re one of the kind of people that you’ve gotten into cannabis because it helps you with this or that but smoking flower is not your deal, I don’t suggest a Mammoth cart. I do suggest a Mammoth syringe, but I don’t suggest a Mammoth cartridge. Our Mammoth syringe — we call it the Swiss Army Knife of cannabis oils — because with that syringe, you can dab, you can lace joints or blunts. It’s fully activated, so you’re looking at 1,000 milligrams of oil to make whatever edibles you want. It’s really just kind of the end all, be all.”

Kern said Mammoth’s style is more Pacific Northwest than it is Colorado.

“Everyone likes to say the buzzwords like ‘full-spectrum’ even though they absolutely aren’t. I see distillate companies nonstop saying that they’re full-spectrum. I have a botany degree from Oklahoma State University. I’ve been on the plant genetics side, the molecular genetics side of plants for a few years in the lab, and so many of these people within this industry just don’t know what these words are. They just use them as selling points,” he said. “It’s kind of sad because it really almost snake-oils the whole deal. But I see people use the word ‘full-spectrum’ all

the time, so we’re trying to get away from that word and we’ve kind of trademarked our own — ‘EVCO2’ — which is ‘extra virgin cannabis oil.’ To be considered extra virgin olive oil, you have to fit in certain criteria, the criteria being that it’s low heat and low pressure. That’s how the olive oil is processed, and that is exactly the equation that we use for cannabis. We just go at it very low, very slow, and that’s kind of what separates us from a lot of other CO2 processors.

With CO2, you can still go really high temps and really high pressure, and so a lot of people just essentially with, like butane, you’re just blasting it. And I like to gently massage it.

“The only true way that you can get a full-spectrum concentrate from the plant is by basically taking it out almost kind of in that raw form and then really not doing much post-processing. Which, distillation is like the farthest post-processing you can take it. You can’t go much farther except for isolation. Nobody’s making THC isolate around here yet.”

By applying low heat and low pressure, Mammoth can maintain the molecular integrity of not only the cannabinoids but terpenes and flavonoids too.

“We really try to focus on maintaining the integrity of the plants because I want you, as the end consumer, if it’s a Blue Dream cart, I want you to be able to taste that and say, ‘Oh yeah, this is very much like the Blue Dream flower that I got from the same grower,’” Kern said.

“That’s why we like to put the farm’s logo on the back, so that hopefully you’ll be able to source some of that flower yourself and see just how close the vape cart is to the actual flower.”

In addition to listing the flower strain and source farm on the packaging, Mammoth includes a breakdown of the percentage of cannabinoids as well as terpenes.

“I don’t like to bad-mouth the other side of the industry, but the science is coming out that unfortunately doesn’t look good for their end of things. We’ve found that these people who go back and get what they call cannabisderived terpenes, that a lot of times, once those are actually tested, they’re hydrosols at that point because of the way they were extracted, and hydrosols are not good for you. They’re definitely not good for you to smoke,” Kern said.

“I believe in cannabis wholeheartedly across the board for many things, and not just high-THC cannabis. Anytime Mammoth cartridges are stocked in many dispensaries across the metro. | Photo Phillip Danner

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I can get my hands on some Harlequin or a one-to-one flower, you better believe I’m going to grab some of that.

I think that science is showing us, too, that what THC does is use those other cannabinoids as carrier molecules so that your high last longer just like flower does.”

But I see people use the word ‘full-spectrum’ all the time, so we’re trying to get away from that word and we’ve kind of trademarked our own —‘EVCO2’ — which is ‘extra virgin cannabis oil.’

Derek Kern

Limited edition

In addition to slowly crafting what will be a consistent slate of strains, Mammoth also does small-batch limited run cartridges. It made one — Blue Widow — for 4/20 with Brothers Griiin, the drummers for The Flaming Lips.

“Five dollars from every cart ended up going to a charity there in Paseo,” he said. “It sent, for sure, three kids to camp this summer, but I think maybe four kids got to camp this summer on that deal.

So, yeah, hoping to do more stuff like that in the future.”

The cartridge also came with a curated playlist from Brothers Griiin.

“We have had our hands in music in

Derek Kern is the co-owner of Mammoth Processing. | Photo Alexa Ace

Oklahoma City for years, and so we hope to do more on the Mammoth and music side by hosting shows, hosting events and also doing more and more of those kind of curated playlists so that when you buy a cartridge, you get a little something extra,” Kern said.

Another special cart released earlier in the year for Pride was the Sungrown Rainbow Blend.

“That really worked out perfect in that we try to stay what’s considered strain-specific so that each one of our carts, we source single flower. … We had gotten lucky in that we had sourced a bunch of flower and did a bunch of runs that left us just enough left over to kind of do this blend and the color scheme and everything because it was like Strawberry Cough, Blue Dream, Lemon Haze, so it had like all the ROYGBIV kind thing and we knew that Pride was coming up,” Kern said. “I have a brother who is gay, so we just were like, ‘Oh, yeah! We know exactly what we’re going to do.’”

Mammoth are already stocked in many dispensaries across the metro, but if you see one, know that it has chosen that spot intentionally.

“We both have other jobs right now that kind of get to still pay the bills, and so we don’t have to just go into every dispensary,” Kern said. “If we see things in the dispensary we don’t like — there’s been several and several that have big names — we just walk out because I just don’t want to be part of that.”

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CANNABIS

THE HIGH CULTURE

Doubling down

THC

BCC Collective has closed its dispensary doors, but a second grow room will allow it to produce much more flower. By Matt Dinger

Almost eight months to the day since BCC Collective opened its doors to medical patients, it has closed them to the public, at least for now.

The dispensary’s signature aquamarine door now reads, “Wholesale only.”

The decision was announced on social media Aug. 26. A rush for the remaining flower prompted it to close the doors four days later, two days earlier than announced. Incidentally, it was also owner Darin Delaney’s 39th birthday.

Contrary to his wishes, the staff of two dozen he had amassed over the previous months surrounded him and sang “Happy Birthday” during a quick cupcake break before they scattered to wrap up the last day of dispensary business.

Make no mistake, though. BCC Collective is not out of business.

“All of this is by design,” Delaney said.

“We just wanted to focus more on production. There’s a lot of dispensaries popping up everywhere, and there’s people across the state that message us and communicate that they would love to have our brand, but they live far away and they’re not going to be able to drive this far, so we want to be able to supply stores throughout the whole state. That way, lots of patients can get our product.”

Delaney said that with dispensaries on nearly every corner, it makes more business sense to focus on what they do best — growing quality cannabis — while also cutting out the overhead costs associated with running a storefront.

“We have a little bit of a buzz, but it takes a while for a mass amount of people to really find out who you are and where you are,” Delaney said. “We did everything with the future in mind and thinking how things go in the other states that we’ve seen.

We’re in an industrial zone of the city, which means

we are kind of off the beaten path. We stayed pretty busy. We had a pretty decent stream of people all the time, and we enjoyed interacting with them.”

While the dispensary itself has always been profitable, running a publicfacing business is not Delaney’s favorite part of being in the cannabis industry.

“Production is our strong suit. We like it. There’s obviously a high demand for product, and there’s an even higher demand for quality product, so that’s just where we want to focus. It’s more fun for us,” he said. “I’m not exactly a people person, and so I don’t like having to deal with tons of staff, but I do want to say that I really, really enjoyed and love everybody that was a part of the whole beginning and everyone who’s still there. I’ve said it before. The whole team is what makes everything happen.

It was just a business decision where it was like, ‘Look, we’ve got to go one way or the other.’ And we want to put more money behind growing and producing more than just dispensing.”

More growing

On Labor Day, the “blue collar” in Blue Collar Criminals was in full effect while staff set up a second grow room that is double the size of the first inside the facility at 1015 NW First St. Additionally, a new home has been built for their mother plants and a drying room with 15-foot ceilings that will have a library-style sliding ladder so plants can be hung in three or four tiers is currently under construction.

Growing consultant Cesar Herrera spent the holiday putting the 856 plants in their new home.

“I like the idea that people are very enthusiastic and very gung-ho about it,” Herrera said. “The whole team is very into it, which is awesome because I think in California, it’s lost its luster, so for people to be so ambitious is very admirable. It makes me feel more enthusiastic about the whole situation.

I’ve seen how it pops up everywhere.

There’s dispensaries damn near everywhere now, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it all pans out within the next couple years.”

Herrera gets more enjoyment now about setting up grow rooms and popping seeds than he ever has in his nearly two decades in the industry. BCC Collective’s genetic catalog is the result of his cultivation efforts.

There’s obviously a high demand for product, and there’s an even higher demand for quality product, so that’s just where we want to focus.

Darin Delaney “A lot of them are personal crosses of mine that like nobody else has, so it’s very exclusive,” he said. “We have a lot of exclusivity with that. That’s very exciting. It keeps us one step ahead of most all the other competition.”

Herrera anticipates doing more cross-breeding at BCC Collective as the enterprise expands.

“Eventually, we’ll get to it, or we might even have another facility here where we actually do it — like a whole other place — which would be ideal,” he said. “Then we can make all our seeds there and then we can run it through all the other facilities that we’re going to be having eventually in the future.”

The third in a series of murals by Jeks was painted this summer.| Photo Alexa Ace

Diverting money into staffing the dispensary as well as other expenses like premium packaging — BCC Collective transitioned into selling its flower in glass jars soon after opening its doors — slowed Delaney from installing new grow rooms as quickly as he had hoped. It took several months to finish the construction of the second grow room, which is twice the size of the first, but streamlining costs will allow BCC to get its third grow room constructed immediately and off the ground in a much shorter time frame.

“That whole combination really didn’t make any more sense than just selling it by the pound to dispensaries,” Delaney said. “We have a quality product, so we get a little bit more per pound than other growers. It just made more sense for us just to focus on growing because it costs money to build our business. We’re very state-of-theart. Very sophisticated. We don’t have an endless supply of money, so we have to kind of pick one or the other.”

Delaney also said the former dispensary side will remain intact but instead be used for wholesalers to shop and make purchases like patients once did.

He is not ruling out the idea that BCC Collective will once again open its doors directly to patients.

“We plan on being in that spot for at least a decade or more,” he said. “The area is up and coming, and as that continues, we would like to perhaps open up again. We’ll still be around. You’ll still see us for sure.”

Visit bcccollective.com.

BCC Collective transitioned from a dispensary to a wholesale-only grow house at the end of August. | Photo Alexa Ace O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9

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8 Not working today 11 Top of the Alps?

17 Singer with the 2016 No. 1 hit “Cheap Thrills” 18 Ancient Iranian 19 Something dogs may pull 20 Only musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1968 21 Early encyclopedist credited with coining “Home is where the heart is” 24 Adjusts, as an instrument 25 Reference aids for artists 26 Children’s author Lowry 27 Nonkosher sammie 28 Tested 29 Phrase followed by “one two, one two” 32 English channel, with “the” 33 ____ Min Lee, victim in the podcast Serial 34 Archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean 35 Stage before pupa 36 Gchat transmissions, briefly 39 Accident-investigating org.

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19 Like 100-1 odds 20 Popular gardening shoe 22 Early vintner, in the Bible 23 Music genre associated with the goth look 26 Baudelaire’s “____ Fleurs du Mal” 30 Inch along 31 The common folk 32 Picnic side dish 34 Trucker with a transmitter DOWN

35 Stuff of legends 1 Grp. with a pet project?

36 Futuristic tracking device 2 Buildings often outfitted with 37 “Are we done here?,” politely ladders 38 Bust, maybe 3 Lauds 40 Dines 4 Oscar nominee for Gone Baby 42 Recycling ____ Gone, 2007 43 River mammal 5 Measure of virality 45 Flow of one line of a verse to the 6 Ritalin target, for short next without pause 7 It’s full of hard-to-spell words 47 Music genre from Asia 8 What a bitter person might try to 48 Term of address from one settle girlfriend to another 9 Retainer 50 IV, to III, e.g.

10 Prez with the dog Fala 52 { } 11 4-Across chief 55 Player of many an opera villain 12 All-in-one boxes 57 Stun 13 RN’s place 60 Family name on a 1960s sitcom 14 Foreign capital designed by two 61 Sorry Americans 62 Bygone military punishment 15 9+ for a game, e.g.

64 ____ king 16 Program starting with the fifth 65 Fantasy series that inspired year of college, informally Game of Thrones, briefly

67 What the thumbs-up emoji can mean 70 Took a course?

72 Kosher ____ 74 Sleekly designed 75 Flared dress type 77 Spice Girl also known as Sporty Spice 79 Bob Marley, for one 80 Liqueur often mixed with water 81 Vacancy 83 One of the Avengers 85 Fill to absolute capacity 88 For all to see, in a way 91 Koala’s tree 92 Marketing tactic 93 Australian band with the 1988 No. 1 hit “Need You Tonight” 95 “Ideas worth spreading” offshoot 97 Mistakes 98 Singular 99 Speck 100 Cleaning for military inspection 101 Happen again 102 In lockstep 104 Fervor 106 Lyft alternative 108 Nickname for a buddy 109 Bronx-born singer, familiarly 110 Bronx-born congresswoman, familiarly

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S E P T E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle No. 0908, which appeared in the September 4 issue.

A R A B

M O N A

H A W K S

U T I L E

S W A T

S P I R E

I C A N

A R I A

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R E C A L R L A N C E I E P H M E A R G S I M P O A M B E S N T T S

M O O O L D N C E A H R A N T I D E M A N N A G E B O L T E E C R H O M A D E E R E D I C T A R S U H E

E S A S A K I E T I M E S E S S D E A L T I W E A L S W K E R S E M E A M A T H B A P T I R S I G I B C H D A D C E I R A S T E R A S A H O M E R E A N O L K A S M S L E

S O D A L E A P S N A R L U P W H A

W A M A H H I D E A D C H Y S H E S T A R S H R E A R A T L U T T A G E C R A S A R U M S I D N E M E R O S A O W H O U A Y O N D O N O U S S R E D H A R Y O U S E E N E R S T Y

F R E E R A D I A L

A N A S

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S E E K

S U S H I

I D E A L

S I S S Y

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I M I N

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: “We have been raised to fear the yes within ourselves, our deepest cravings,” wrote Audre Lourde. True for you? FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Hi, I’m your sales representative for UnTherapy, a free program designed to provide healing strategies for people who are trying too hard. Forgive me for being blunt, but I think you could benefit from our services. I don’t have space here to reveal all the secrets of UnTherapy, but here’s an essential hint: every now and then the smartest way to outwit a problem is to stop worrying, let it alone, and allow it to solve itself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

People in Northeast India weave long, strong suspension bridges out of the living roots of fig trees. The structures can measure up to 150 feet and bear the weight of hundreds of people. In accordance with astrological omens, let’s make these marvels your metaphors of power for the coming weeks. To stimulate your meditations, ask yourself the following questions. 1. How can you harness nature to help you to get where you need to go? 2. How might you transform instinctual energy so that it better serves your practical needs? 3. How could you channel wildness so that it becomes eminently useful to you?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

If you climb to the top of Mt. Everest, you’re standing on land that was once on the floor of a shallow tropical sea. Four-hundred-million-year-old fossils of marine life still abide there in the rock. Over the course of eons, through the magic of plate tectonics, that low flat land got folded and pushed upwards more than five miles. I suspect you Geminis will have the power to accomplish a less spectacular but still amazing transformation during the next ten months. To get started, identify what you would like that transformation to be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) In 1996, when Gary Kasparov was rated the world’s best chess player, he engaged in a series of matches with a chess-playing computer named Deep Blue. Early on in

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the first game, Deep Blue tried a move that confused Kasparov. Rattled, he began to wonder if the machine was smarter than him. Ultimately, his play suffered and he lost the game. Later it was revealed that Deep Blue’s puzzling move was the result of a bug in its code. I’ll encourage you to cultivate a benevolent bug in your own code during the coming weeks, Cancerian. I bet it will be the key to you scoring a tricky victory.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

American hero Harriet Tubman escaped slavery as a young woman. She ran away from the wealthy “master” who claimed to “own” her, and reached sanctuary. But rather than simply enjoy her freedom, she dedicated herself to liberating other slaves. Nineteen times she returned to enemy territory and risked her life, ultimately leading 300 people out of hellish captivity.

Later she served as a scout, spy, and nurse in the Union Army during the Civil War, where her actions saved another 700 people. In 1874, the U.S. Congress considered but then ultimately rejected a bill to pay her $2,000 for her numerous courageous acts. Don’t you dare be like Congress in the coming weeks, Leo. It’s crucial that you give tangible acknowledgment and practical rewards to those who have helped, guided, and supported you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Novelist Wallace Stegner wrote, “Some are born in their place, some find it, some realize after long searching that the place they left is the one they have been searching for.” I hope that in the last nine months, Virgo, you have resolved which of those three options is true for you. I also trust that you have been taking the necessary actions to claim and own that special place—to acknowledge it and treasure it as the power spot where you feel most at home in the world. If you have not yet fully finished what I’m describing here, do it now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

“Earth’s species are going extinct at a rate unmatched since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. Among the creatures on the verge of being lost forever are birds like the cryptic treehunter and spix’s macaw, as well as the northern white rhino and the vaquita, a type of

porpoise. So why don’t we clone the last few individuals of those beleaguered species? Here are the answers. 1.

Cloned animals typically aren’t healthy. 2. A species needs a sizable population to retain genetic diversity; a few individuals aren’t sufficient. 3. Humans have decimated the homes of the threatened species, making it hard for them to thrive. Conclusion: Cloning is an inadequate stopgap action. Is there a better way to address the problem? Yes: by preserving the habitats of wild creatures. Inspired by this principle, Libra, I ask you to avoid trying halfway fixes for the dilemmas in your personal sphere. Summon full measures that can really work.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Though patched together and incomplete, the 2,200-year-old marble sculpture known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace is prominently displayed at Paris’s Louvre Museum. It’s a glorious depiction of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, and is regarded as one of ancient Greece’s great masterpieces. For hundreds of years it was missing. Then in 1863, an archaeologist discovered it, although it was broken into more than a hundred pieces. Eventually, it was rebuilt, and much of its beauty was resurrected. I see the coming weeks as a time when you, too, could recover the fragments of an old treasure and begin reassembling it to make a pretty good restoration.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“I’ve learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me,” said actor Sidney Poitier. That can be a dynamic meditation for you during the next three weeks. I think you will derive substantial power from putting it into action. If you’re ingenious and diligent about finding those positive outlets, your anger will generate constructive and transformative results.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

In 1905, at the age of 30, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote the novel Anne of Green Gables. It was a tale about an orphan girl growing up on Prince Edward Island. She sent the manuscript to several publishers, all of whom rejected it. Discouraged, she put it away in a hatbox and

HEALTH

Audre Lord identified herself as a black writer, lesbian, librarian, mother, feminist, civil rights activist, and many other descriptors. But as ardent as she was in working for the political causes she was passionate about, she didn’t want to be pigeonholed in a single identity.

One of her central teachings was to celebrate all the different parts of herself. “Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat,” she testified. These approaches should be especially fun and extra meaningful for you in the coming weeks, Pisces. I encourage you to throw a big Unity Party for all the different people you are.

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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stored it in a closet. But two years later, her ambitions reignited when she re-read the story. Again she mailed it to prospective publishers, and this time one liked it enough to turn it into a book. It soon became a bestseller.

Since then it has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 36 languages. I figure you Capricorns are at a point in your own unfolding that’s equivalent to where Anne was shortly before she rediscovered the manuscript she’d put away in the hatbox.

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