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BLUE WAVE With Democratic pickups in recent special elections, OKC could see a political shift in 2018. BY LAURA EASTES P.4
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inside COVER P.4 Recent special election victories by Democratic party candidates could be indicative of a shift in the electorate, one that state Democratic Party officials hope will translate into more wins in 2018. By Laura Eastes Cover by Jim Masarra NEWS NEWS
4 Cover Democrats make gains in
Republican-led state Legislature
new life
the aftermath of deportation
8 City Manuel Perez Park gets a 11 City a Norman family deals with 12 Chicken-Fried News
14 Letters
EAT & DRINK 15 Review Del Rancho 16 Feature The Yard
18 Feature Shilla Korean BBQ 20 Gazedibles doughnuts
ARTS & CULTURE 22 Books Wanda Jackson prepares to
release her autobiography
The Paseo Plunge
Quackers: A Duck’s Tale
24 Books Literati Press expands at 25 Books Edmond urban farmer pens 26 Art Life and Legacy: The Art of
Jerome Tiger at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 27
Health & Beauty
28 Theater Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer: The Musical at Civic Center Music Hall
29 Theater A Drag Queen Christmas:
The Naughty Tour at Hudiburg Chevrolet Center
30 Culture Devil in God’s Country
Art & Music Showcase at 89th Street - OKC
31 Community Progress OKC repurposes Page Woodson’s auditorium 32 Calendar
MUSIC 34 Feature Karger Traum
35 Event Me Oh My at Chill Fest
36 Event Old Crow Medicine Show at
The Jones Assembly
37 Live music
FUN 37 ASTROLOGY
38 Puzzles sudoku | crossword
OKG Classifieds 39
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Vote swings
Special elections offer a glimpse into Oklahoma’s political battles only a year away from statewide elections. By Laura Eastes
Not long after Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, D-Norman, arrived at the Capitol in September, legislators began asking the newly elected representative about what he saw and heard on the campaign trail from voters. “What is the pulse?” Rosecrants asked, repeating the line he heard often from fellow lawmakers after they convened for a special session. “The questions were not just coming from my party.” Over the summer, Rosecrants said he knocked on thousands of doors in Cleveland County’s House District 46. The door-to-door campaign marked the second time Rosecrants had canvassed the district to speak to voters. The educator first sought the seat during the November 2016 general election, losing to incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Martin. When Martin resigned to lead Norman Chamber of Commerce in the spring, Rosecrants filed again. He won the seat in a special election 60 percent to 40 percent, flipping the results in his favor after losing 10 months earlier. “I can tell you straight-up what it is,” Rosecrants said while sitting in his Capitol office, which he shares with newly elected Rep. Karen Gaddis, D-Tulsa. Like Rosecrants, she flipped a Republican-held seat after the former seat-holder resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. 4
Political timing
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“It’s easy,” he said. “I am no politician. I am a teacher who got fed up with what’s going on with funding for public education. People agreed with me, both Republicans and Democrats.” That aspect of Rosecrants’ victory didn’t make the headlines when the national press picked up the election results. Instead, what dominated the news was a Democrat flipping a Republican-held state legislative seat in a district President Donald Trump won by double digits. Indeed, Trump won House District 46 by 11 points. Rosecrants does believe there was a “Trump factor” to his election as he heard frustrated and unhappy comments about the president at some doorsteps. However, he listened to more constituents who were discontent with state leaders over the state’s budget crisis, which served as his opening to proposing solutions. “It comes down to people getting to know you,” Rosecrants said. “That comes down to knocking doors. I mean really knocking doors, not volunteers knocking doors, but actually putting you out there. That is the key to my victory.”
It’s an interesting time in Oklahoma politics. In the November 2016 general elections, state voters rejected a sales tax increase to fund a teacher pay raise and a constitutional amendment to protect the rights of farmers while endorsing reforms in areas of criminal justice and alcohol. Going into the 2017 Legislative Session, Republicans controlled 117 of the 149 seats as well as all statewide offices. Everything can change in an instant, especially in politics. In February, state lawmakers arrived at the Capitol with knowledge of a near $900 million budget shortfall. This was the third consecutive year for a budget shortfall. It was a tumultuous legislative session that later went into an overtime stretch this fall to fill a $215 million hole. Over the past 11 months, nine state lawmakers submitted their resignations — four due to various sex and malfeasance scandals. So far, three of the four special elections proved to be big prizes for Democrats.
On Wednesdays, the Oklahoma Democratic Party’s office turns into a phone bank where volunteers make calls to voters in support of the Democratic candidate in the Senate District 45 race. | Photo Megan Nance
Next Tuesday, voters in Senate District 45, which includes portions of south OKC, Mustang and Yukon, elect a replacement for former Sen. Kyle Loveless, who resigned under a criminal investigation over allegedly embezzling of campaign funds. Also, voters in northeast Oklahoma will fill one Senate seat and one House seat. The state’s budget situation has and will likely continue to play a role in special elections, explained Richard Johnson, a political science professor at Oklahoma City University (OCU). “The Legislature’s inability to function well over the past three years during a down economic cycle, there are some very frustrated individuals about that,” said Johnson, who stated he had not seen exit poll data and his conclusions were based on anecdotal evidence. Frustrated voters don’t equate to an “anti-Republican wave” sweeping through the state, Johnson said. In recent elections, Democrats have tapped into voter frustrations by campaigning on resolving the state’s budget crisis and restoring school funding. The three most recently elected Democrats — Rosecrants, Gaddis and Sen. Michael Brooks — had run before. “A lot of these folks develop name recognition by running once with credible campaigns, which drives up their voter recognition,” Johnson said. “For
Rep. Jacob Rosecrants | Photo Submitted State of Oklahoma
continued on page 6
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Democrats, it has been a good strategy and luck has fallen to their laps a little bit.” A political trend to watch is the Democratic tilt growing in the urban centers of the Oklahoma City metro, explained Johnson. In 2016, Democrats won two GOP-held legislative seats in OKC: House District 87 in northwest OKC and House District 93 in south OKC. Johnson also pointed to the 2016 presidential election results of Oklahoma County, where Trump earned 51 percent of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton’s 41 percent.
As Oklahoma City continues to grow at a quick pace ... that does help the Democratic Party out. Richard Johnson “As Oklahoma City continues to grow at a quick pace — as we get more people from the outside and millennials — that does help the Democratic Party out,” he said. This summer, The Cook Political Report — an independent, nonpartisan online newspaper analyzing federal elections and campaigns — identified Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District as trending Democratic. U.S. Rep. Steve Russell, R-Choctaw, represents the district, which includes a majority of the OKC metro, Shawnee and Seminole. Ok la homa conducts its nex t Congressional and state primary elections in June 2018, with majority winners appearing on the November 2018 ballot. Democrats Kendra Horn — who outraised the incumbent July through September — and Tom Guild are challenging Russell.
Democrats rallying
Months before talks of special elections, the state’s Democrats were stirring and reenergized. The main reason was the 2016 presidential results. “We’ve had a huge influx of participation,” said Anna Langthorn, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. County party leaders are reporting upticks in meeting attendance and interest in precinct positions. “There is definitely something happening where people are waking up to the fact that things are really bad, but they can do something about it,” Langthorn said. When lawmakers began handing in resignation letters, not only were volunteers ready and eager to get involved, but also the party had strong, community-focused candidates ready to jump into campaigns. With grant funding from the Democratic National Committee, two field organizers were placed in the state to work with special election candidates. “I think one of the biggest advantages we have in special elections is the opportunity to talk about state issues,” Langthorn said. “Our candidates, who are uniquely situated to their districts in one way or another, built meaningful relationships with their constituents and talked to them about the day-to-day issues of their lives. I think that’s what made the difference.” As the party has concentrated on special elections, its attention is also drawn to next year’s elections, where all statewide offices, including governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — as well as many Legislative seats — will be on the ballot. “We’ve done a really good job focusing on what is the most pressing [issue], which is the budget,” Langthorn said. “We are pushing for restoring the gross production tax at 7 percent, which we know is fair and meets the needs of Oklahoma families, as opposed to shifting the tax burden on low-income and middle-income families.”
Anna Langthorn leads the Oklahoma Democratic Party, which has picked up three seats in recent
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legislative special elections. | Photo Megan Nance
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Republican control
In early 2015, the state’s voter registration rolls showed that for the first time, Republicans outnumbered Democrats. Republicans’ edge in voter registration continues to grow. Pam Pollard, chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party, links the party’s growth with its message of efficiency and accountability in government. Over the past seven years with Republicans controlling the governor’s office and both chambers, the focus has been to reform government, which has included tort, pension and workers’ compensation laws as well as dropping the income tax rate, Pollard explained. “We have done the reformation of the infrastructure [of government],” she said. “Now, we are focusing on the people and the services of our state: our health department, DHS, mental health, higher education, lower education and corrections. We are going to be focused on doing the same reform.” That message of government reform hasn’t found favor in special elections for state legislative seats. Since 2015, Democrats have won seven special legislative elections, and Republicans have won one. Since Republicans were once known for picking up seats during special elections when Democrats were in control, Pollard sees the recent election results as part of the cycles of state politics. “Democrats have something to fight for right now,” she said. “They feel they are under-represented in the state Legislature, and they want to get more Democrats in the Legislature. They have an incentive to get out there, whereas Republicans think everything is going great. Yes, we do have some issues we are facing right now. Generally, Republicans think everything is going good, and now the mindset is Republicans always win.” Under such a mindset, Republican
Joshua Harris-Till, who serves as Young Democrats of Oklahoma president, makes calls to voters in Senate District 45 in support of the Democratic candidate. | Photo Megan Nance
voters don’t show up at the polls like Democratic voters. When voters know the GOP’s message and when their voters turn out, “[they] win elections and … win them by a majority,” Pollard said.
Next ballot
All eyes are on Republican Paul Rosino, a real estate agent, and Democrat Steven Vincent, a first responder for the Oklahoma City Police Department, as their campaigns enter the final stretch of the election for Senate District 45. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Taking a play from Rosecrants and Brooks, who flipped a Republican-held south OKC Senate seat this July, Vincent has knocked on thousands of doors, which has granted him a front-row seat into the lives of every day Oklahomans. “I think people in Oklahoma are waking up and seeing a direct correlation between the extreme cuts the majority party implemented over the last five years and a direct result it has had on them, their family members, their schools and their communities. They don’t like it,” said Vincent, who believes the special election win has reclaimed pride in Democrats. Will voters’ frustrations over the state’s ongoing budget crisis translate to success at the ballot box for Democrats? In some House and Senate districts, it already has. The question now is, Will it continue?
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Fitting tribute
Manuel Perez Park gets a second life along the Oklahoma River as locals design a veteran’s memorial and park for the community. By Laura Eastes
More than 800 miles away from Oklahoma City in Chicago, an elementary school, an urban park and an American Legion post bear the name of Manuel Perez Jr., a World War II Medal of Honor recipient. Perez, a private first class in the U.S. Army, earned the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Philippines when engaging with Japanese troops on Feb. 13, 1945. According to military records, Perez “singlehandedly” killed 18 enemy soldiers, which enabled his unit to advance: “Through his courageous determination and heroic disregard of grave danger, Pfc. Perez made possible the successful advance of his unit towards a valuable objective and provided a lasting inspiration for his comrades.” In Oklahoma City, where Perez was born in 1923 and spent his early years in the Riverside neighborhood, community members are once again on a mission to memorialize the local hero and other Oklahomans awarded the nation’s highest military honor. “He was born in Riverside. His family moved to Chicago and he grew up in Chicago,” said Mary Sosa, a southside community advocate. “Chicago claims him. He is really ours.”
Honoring Perez
In the late 1970s, the Oklahoma City Mexican-American chapter of the GI Forum, along with other community groups and Little Flower Catholic Church, pushed for the establishment of a park to honor the native son, who is buried alongside his parents in Fairlawn Cemetery. In 1979, the community first paid tribute to Perez in the one-city block park located at SW 14th Street and Harvey Avenue and named after him. For more than three decades, large trees 8
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shaded the brick plaza bearing a plaque for the World War II serviceman killed in the line of duty. “Our goal was to make sure the community knew about Manuel Perez Jr. and his contributions as an American soldier,” said Rey Madrid, a longtime Oklahoma City resident, Vietnam War veteran and member of the GI Forum. “We were proud that he was Hispanic. We wanted to keep the tradition going. In the GI Forum, not only were we honoring Manuel Perez, but trying to create a community of Hispanic veterans and their families.” For many years, the park remained an important symbol for the Hispanic community, but also for all veterans and local residents. On Veterans Day, members of the GI Forum often conducted ceremonies to pay tribute to those who served in the armed forces, followed by trips to Perez’ grave. In 2012, after Perez’ memorial was stolen, the community came together to raise funds to erect a new monument, which was rededicated in the park. With the park’s location at the south end of the planned Scissortail Park, its future was uncertain. After months of discussion among city leaders, the parks department and Capitol Hill community members, Oklahoma City Council passed a resolution to reauthorize 27 acres of riverfront parkland, then part of Wiley Post Park, as Manuel Perez Park in October 2016. The new park is located east of Robinson Avenue along the Oklahoma River. “It was a hard decision to think about moving it because it had been there for so long,” said Donna Cervantes, executive director of Calle Dos Cinco in Hispanic Capitol Hill. “This part of the park had never been improved or really claimed.
The future home of the Manuel Perez Park sign
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in front of the parkland near S. Robinson Avenue and SE 17th Street. | Photo Laura Eastes
By moving the monument, it still incorporates with the southside community but it also, by being placed in a larger park, would incorporate a whole veterans memorial.” Over the past year, Friends of the Manuel Perez Park Committee and local veterans, including Madrid, Mike Eaton, Armando Rubio, Jorge Robledo and Benny Salazar, worked closely with the city to design the new park with amenities and a veteran’s memorial, which will be funded by the 2007 General Obligation Bond and private donations. While the park is entering the design phase, committee members say the community should expect to see a veterans’ memorial with the Perez plaque and another listing all Oklahomans who were awarded the Medal of Honor. The memorial will be built inside the park’s small cul-de-sac. Redbud trees will shade a black granitelike wall with the inscribed message, “We remember.” An American flag, an Oklahoma flag and the POW-MIA flag will rise from the memorial. Nearby, a community pavilion will be built.
Our goal was to make sure the community knew about Manuel Perez Jr. and his contributions as an American soldier.
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Rey Madrid “My goal is, I want to see veterans using the park for celebrations and ceremonies,” Madrid said. “A lot of Latino veterans don’t feel like they have a place to go.”
Southside trend
Along S. Robinson Avenue near the intersection of SE 17th Street, a sign shares news of the new park, and construction crews are expected to begin work in early spring. During the last weekend of October, thousands of people passed by during the health and wellness event Open Streets OKC. Manuel Perez Park joins a growing list of southside redevelopment efforts, which includes the Wheeler District, improvements along SW 25th Street and SW 29th Street, a new Capitol Hill Library, Oklahoma City Community College’s Capitol Hill campus, the Yale Theater and more, explained David Puente, a lifelong south Oklahoma City resident and committee member. “Now, with Manuel Perez Park, this part of town will have enough activity for all of the city, not just Capitol Hill, to come down and enjoy,” said Puente, who grew up on SW Seventh Street and walked to the commercial district of Capitol Hill for entertainment and shopping. “There were all kinds of things to do as a child. I think that’s what we are saying. We want that activity and excitement back.”
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Deported
Family and friends of Luis Plaza gathered outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in south Oklahoma City in late October. | Photo Laura Eastes
A Norman man was recently detained and deported to Mexico, leaving family heartbroken and his lawyer asking questions. By Laura Eastes
The crowd outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in south Oklahoma City was small on an early Friday afternoon in late October. The message they chanted was strong, short and personal: “Free Luis Plaza.” “His only dream was to be left alone,” said Luis Plaza Jr., speaking of his father, Luis Plaza Moreno, an undocumented Mexican immigrant. “Today, this is happening to us. We hope this doesn’t happen to … others out there.” Two days earlier, Plaza, along with his eldest son and the family’s attorney, Giovanni Perry, walked into the federal immigration office for a visit they believed would result in an extension of Plaza’s order of supervision, which requires illegal immigrants to check in regularly with authorities as a condition for staying in the country. It didn’t work out that way. According to federal immigration records, Plaza was classified as an absconder, a term used to describe immigrants who ignored and evaded immigration orders. Three days after being detained at the Oklahoma City immigration office and hours after his family and activists made a public call for federal officials to consider his stay of deportation and reunite him with his family, Plaza was deported from the country he called home. For the past 15 years, Plaza had built a life for his family in Norman. The Plaza family, which includes six children — three are United States citizens, one is a green card holder and two more have protections under the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Program, or DACA — join a growing number of families at the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Following the inauguration of Republican President Donald Trump, who campaigned for harsher immigration policies, immigration agents have stepped up raids, incarceration and deportation of low-priority immigrants across the country. The results include not only a steep increase in arrests of non-criminal immigration violators, but families torn apart. The Plaza family is the first Oklahoma family to take their story public in hopes of helping other immigrant families.
I don’t wish this pain that I am feeling on anyone, on anyone. Ivon Plaza
Thus, a traffic stop set into motion a series of events that almost resulted in Plaza’s deportation in 2013, Perry said. More than two years after the first encounter with ICE officials, an immigration judge issued a removal order for Plaza. The family fought to have it canceled, calling on a judge to grant a stay of removal allowing Plaza to remain with his American children. On Aug. 14, 2013, ICE granted Plaza a one-year stay of removal, which is a temporary postponement that prevents an order of removal. As the year stay came to an end, Perry explained she began working to extend it. While visiting the federal immigration office for an unrelated matter, Perry approached the officer overseeing the Plaza case. After asking what she and her client needed to do to extend the stay, Perry recalled the officer responding that Plaza was not a priority and advised he “stay under the radar.” “He said, ‘I don’t want to see him anymore,’” Perry recalled during an interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “Mr. Plaza heard the same because he had been reporting regularly and had an ankle monitor, which was removed. He was told he didn’t need to come back.”
Immigration visit The beginning
In winter 2011, Plaza was driving on an icy road when he was pulled over by law enforcement for a routine traffic stop. While no criminal conviction resulted from the stop, Plaza — who illegally entered the United States in 2002 near Nogales, Arizona — was taken to the Cleveland County Detention Center, where he was turned over to officers with U.S. Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was later released on an immigration bond.
This fall, as Perry witnessed another client with similar circumstances to Plaza’s case be granted an extension of stay and handed paperwork to renew work authorization, she asked an ICE officer about Plaza’s case. Perry said she was encouraged to bring Plaza in for a similar meeting. On Oct. 25, shortly after Perry, Plaza and Plaza’s son arrived at the immigration office, Plaza was arrested. According to information provided to Oklahoma Gazette by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Plaza “did not report
as instructed, and he was classified as an immigration absconder on Aug. 13, 2014.” Plaza’s classification surprised Perry, who stated she periodically checked on Plaza’s case. She was notified that the initial 2011 immigration bond remained, which she took as a sign that Plaza was compliant with immigration orders. She immediately began the application for a stay of deportation, which was filed on Oct. 27. That same day, ICE issued its first comment on the Plaza case: “On Oct. 25, 2017, deportation officers with ICE arrested Luis Plaza Moreno, 44, from Mexico, after he had failed to report to ICE for more than three years, as requested and instructed. A federal immigration judge ordered his removal in 2013. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.” ICE declined to comment on more specifics of the case but issued this statement on its overall efforts to uphold immigration laws: “ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy.”
Three days
Early in the morning on Oct. 28, Plaza phoned his Norman family from Mexico to share the news he was deported near Del Rio, Texas. The family called Perry, who had not received any notification on the stay application. “They took him to Mexico and dropped him off with just the clothes on his back, nothing else,” Perry said. On Oct. 31, ICE first confirmed to media that Plaza was removed from the United States three days earlier. Perry had also received notification on Oct. 31 that Plaza’s application for a stay was denied on Oct. 27. “How can they say there was good faith and consideration of the application if they denied it within hours?” Perry asked. “There was already an order to remove him, but it was still out of the ordinary compared to when I have filled stays for other clients. When they are not detained, it takes longer — three to five months before you have a decision. When they are detained, they are a priority. Normally, it takes one to two weeks, not one day.” Perry advises that all immigrants should continue to comply with their immigration orders and continue to appear for scheduled appointments.
Hope
“I don’t wish this pain that I am feeling on anyone, on anyone,” said Ivon Plaza, one of Plaza’s daughters. The Plaza family described their father as a hard worker who loves his family and is respected by those he meets. He first came to the United States to provide a better life for his family. While heartbroken from their father’s encounter with ICE, they believe he will one day return to the United States.
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Aerial mystery
When the Oklahoma City Thunder’s charter jet to Chicago landed late last month with its nose heavily dented from an apparent impact, center Steven Adams wasted no time recruiting the biggest minds in science for the case, tweeting a picture of the incident to the official accounts of Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson and NASA. “We had a rough flight to say the least,” Adams wrote on Twitter with a picture of the cratered plane. “What caused this?” None of the science authorities Adams originally reached out to have so far tried to explain the damage. Perhaps he should have also enlisted the help of The X-Files’ Agents Mulder and Scully, because it seems like a greater truth could be out there. The official explanation offered by Delta Airlines is that the large dent was caused by a midair collision with a bird. Have they seen the size of this dent? Was the bird made out of granite? We suppose the important thing is that everyone on the plane was OK and that the aircraft apparently landed safely. But forward Carmelo Anthony also took to Twitter apparently seeking greater clarification. “What possibly could we have hit in the SKY at this time of night?” Anthony wrote. Good question, ’Melo. What kind of bird leaves its home in the wee hours of the morning for a joy flight 30,000 feet in the air? Not a respectable one, that’s for sure. The feckless fowl was probably drunk — or worse, texting on its phone. Even Nick Collison seemed somewhat skeptical about the bird explanation. According to The Weather Channel, Collison was watching Netflix’s Stranger Things at the time of the impact, which caused a relatively minor disturbance in the plane’s cabin. “Must’ve been a pretty big bird — a Pterodactyl maybe,” he said. Or perhaps a demogorgon, Nick. Any fan of Stranger Things should know those things are up to no good.
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Boy who cried ‘Terrorist!’
These days, it seems State Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, accuses everyone of being terrorists — not just law-abiding Oklahoma Muslims who come to his office to engage in civil discussions. If the contractor working on his house readjusts the estimate for new hardwood flooring, he’s a terrorist. If Bennett gets cut off in traffic on Lincoln Boulevard, it is the work of a morning-drive jihadi. Should a teenaged worker at the Carl’s Jr. drivethru window short Bennett on ketchup, that kid will spend prom at Guantanamo Bay. So it should surprise no one that Bennett also thinks that Oklahoma state government agencies are sleeper cells. On Nov. 1, Bennett took to the floor of the state House to accuse agencies impacted by the state budget shortfall, including the state Department of Health, of being terrorists. Yes, in Bennett’s psycho-survivalist worldview, state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is a clear and present danger to our values and should be rounded up like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. “The agencies getting the money are telling our constituents, ‘Hey, the sky’s falling!’ And the agencies telling our
citizens, they’re going, ‘We [antitax legislators] want to cut their services to the most vulnerable.’ That’s terrorism. We should not be negotiating with terrorists, period,” Bennett said. That’s right; the people who provide in-home care to disabled Oklahomans through the state Department of Human Services’ ADvantage Waiver program are, in Bennett World, attempting to destabilize our nation and enact Sharia law or whatever. Uncharacteristically, Gov. Mary Fallin did the right thing. She issued a statement via Facebook saying, “It is unacceptable behavior for a lone legislator to call state agencies and their employees terrorists. An apology should be given. I appreciate all of our state employees who serve our state every day. Both of my parents were dedicated state employees.” Now that all governance takes place via social media, Bennett responded in the comments section. “Instead of posting about something I said that you and the media took out of context, maybe You [sic] should be holding Your [sick sic] agency heads and agencies accountable (maybe start with the Health Dept and the millions they criminally misappropriated),” he wrote. “Out of context”? Chicken-Fried
News watched the actual, undoctored video and spent the rest of the day praying to the one true porcelain god. Here’s more context: one year ago, Bennett posted on Facebook that Hillary Clinton should be executed by firing squad. Because, you know, terrorist.
We pay how much?!
These are agencies that have seen their budgets decrease in recent years: education, health, mental health, human services, higher education, corrections, public safety and more. One group that hasn’t seen cuts is the Legislative Compensation Board. According to Tahlequah Daily Press, the board recently voted to keep annual compensation at $38,400 per legislator, but a pay cut was suggested. Board chair Wes Millbourn told the Associated Press, “In many businesses everywhere, you find that people who don’t perform certainly don’t get raises, and many of them lose their jobs or get decreases in their salaries, and so I think that’s something we at least need to consider in today’s climate.” That didn’t fly with Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee. “I’m not so sure this isn’t a ploy to
put pressure on the Legislature,” he told the Daily Press. “They’re saying that ‘if you’re not doing anything, then maybe we shouldn’t pay you.’ But the idea that we don’t do anything — right now, I am at the Capitol a day or two every week and trying to get something passed on this budget. And this is not a four-month job. I am always out visiting constituents and attending events.” Lawmakers also receive reimbursements for meals and travel and health and retirements perks, which can bring their annual compensation up to $62,000, according to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. Many state workers don’t receive compensation like that. In 2016, an Oklahoma Gazette reporter was told 72 percent earned less than $47,476. In an online poll, the Tahlequah newspaper asked, “Should [Oklahoma lawmakers] have their salaries reduced to that of first-year teachers, or $31,600?” The response was in favor of lowering lawmakers’ salaries, 37-4. One of the four no voters explained that if the pay was cut, it would be difficult to find people to run for office. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
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l ette r s
NEWS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.
Protecting hope
This is an open letter to Governor Mary Fallin and the entire Oklahoma State Legislature. Ladies and gentlemen: From the outside, it looks like a crumbling building where poor people might go for what might pass as mental health care, and that has been just fine with you for many years. But what, or mainly, who, is inside is indispensable. The Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health Center, and specifically, the Child and Family Services at 1120 E. Main St. in Norman, houses professionals on whom my son and my family have come to rely. Please indulge my sharing an anecdote before you investigate and surely verify the absolute necessity of this institution. Fourteen months ago, I entered with
Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.
my son, who has autism, to begin evaluation for treatment. We had been through a year of absolutely worthless (perhaps counterproductive) treatment at a private practice. I had fresh wounds on my forehead from being head-butted by my then 6-year-old. We entered the therapist’s office, and my son began screaming, kicking, and overturning furniture. We emptied the furniture from the office and settled in on the floor along the brick walls. My son proceeded to grab my head and slam it against the bricks. Our therapist remained calm, and eventually, my son calmed enough to talk to her. It was the first time my son had ever spoken to anybody on the first meeting with him/ her. It was, in a word, astonishing. Before we even really got started. Fast forward to today. Fourteen months of weekly psychotherapy and semi-monthly psychiatric visits later, my son is a straight-A student. At school, he still has a paraprofessional who recognizes his precursors and his triggers and whisks him away when necessary. He still has occasional outbursts of uncontrolled and unprovoked rage. But day in and day out, you wouldn’t guess that he has a debilitating condition. If you can get him to talk, you will quickly see that he is charming, funny and sweet. Who would have guessed that at meeting one?
I sit in the lobby at the Child and Family Services from 3:05 to 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday. I see a parade of similar outcomes — patients I thought I would never see smile now openly sing and laugh; kiddos who drove me crazy with their behavior in the lobby are sweet and manageable. Some have finished their treatment and I never see them anymore. I am sure some have ended treatment, not with success for one reason or another. But I am also sure that the professionals there are highly dedicated and talented. Our therapist and our family counselor attend my son’s IEP meetings. They speak with and listen to the professionals at my son’s school. Our principal chased us down last night at parent teacher conferences and gushed about how well-behaved Oliver has been. What happens in this modest building in east Norman is every bit as important as what happens in your grand dome. I am being generous to you with that statement. The problem of funding such vital community services has not snuck up on you. Your apparent, collective incompetence or indifference (Who am I to judge which?) leaves us at the eleventh hour with funding in grave doubt. Just to let you know, inaction will directly lead to the long-term misery of many more people who currently have hope than you might
imagine — too many, I suspect, to allow you to proceed in your lavish careers. Heads up, or (as the expression goes) heads roll. Patrick Stubbs Oklahoma City
Clarification In Oklahoma Gazette’s Oct. 18 cover story titled “391 percent loans,” the opening photo of signature loan establishments was juxtaposed with a subhead referring to payday loans. Oklahoma Gazette regrets any implication that the two forms of loans are equal or interchangeable.
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Review
The Steak Sandwich Supreme has been an Oklahoma icon since it was introduced in 1964. | Photo Jacob Threadgill
Uniquely Oklahoma
Del Rancho’s Steak Sandwich Supreme is an Oklahoma icon, but how does it stack up against contenders? By Jacob Threadgill
Del Rancho 5111 N. MacArthur Blvd., Warr Acres delranchousa.com | 405-789-0480 What works: The steak sandwich supreme is tender and full of flavor. What needs work: The onion rings were unseasoned and not crispy. Tip: Have cash or be ready to wait for a card to be read.
My quest for a true piece of Oklahoma history has been an unsuccessful one. Since I first moved to Oklahoma a few months ago, I’ve heard stories about the iconic original commercial for Soonerborn drive-thru chain Del Rancho. For nearly four decades, the “It’s his sandwich” commercial that featured a bowl cut-sporting kid delivering the line “Steak supreme sandwich” in the most deadpan manner, was Del Rancho’s only television advertisement. It aired for so long that the commercial’s original source of parody, a Schlitz Light beer commercial with James Coburn, was more than likely lost on the audience. The commercial was remade in 2012, and subsequent advertisements have made their way onto YouTube. To a T, almost every new upload has a comment in search of the original. The search has spread to local message boards and blogs where posters also try in vain to find the original Del Rancho commercial. If nothing else, my quest to find the
commercial has only highlighted the integral part Del Rancho has played for many Oklahomans over the decades. The first restaurant opened at 3300 S. Western Ave. as Ranch House under owners J.R. and Rosamond Holt in 1959 and was eventually renamed Del Rancho after its second location opened in Del City. Legend (and The Oklahoman) has is that J.R. Holt developed the idea for the signature and comically large steak sandwich supreme during a dream that woke him at 4 a.m. in 1961.
Rancho history
Holt’s creation finally made its debut in 1964, and the Oklahoma foodscape was forever changed. For many, chicken-fried steak is as much part of the Oklahoman identity as football and supplying tax breaks to the oil industry. It’s also the star of the official state dinner, which was adopted by the state Legislature in 1988. Del Rancho is still family-owned to this day. Holt’s grandsons James and Michael Burchett operate many of the eight Del Ranchos across the state, with a ninth in Stillwater opening soon. The Kirkpatrick family independently owns the Del Rancho in Norman. The chain expanded to Texas in the mid-2000s but has since downsized. James Burchett said through email that they are currently working to remodel two stores while in the process of opening
the Stillwater location. The decision to update existing stores makes sense, although I imagine there are some who might not consider a Del Rancho experience “authentic” unless you feel like you’re in the 1970s.
Outsider perspective
website says, all food is cooked to order and never frozen, so that is to be expected. It would’ve been nice to have a credit/ debit card reader by the menu, but the waitress had to retrieve one from the restaurant and added a few minutes onto my wait time. I’ll be honest; I was expecting the worst out of the steak sandwich supreme — a chewy gut bomb with only a fried aftertaste. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The sandwich arrives overflowing from the bun with at least a 2:1 meat-to-bun ratio. The steak looks like it’s wearing the cowboy hat of Del Rancho’s cartoon mascot. The meat is surprisingly tender, and the coating provides delicate flavor beyond flour, pepper and grease. Once I realized the sandwich was actually high quality, my spirits lifted and I began to devour the meal. I thought I might make it only through a few bites just for posterity’s sake but quickly found myself eating the whole thing. There is a moment at the center of the sandwich when its toppings — Miracle Whip, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce — all converge into a few bites that I can only assume are akin to finding Nirvana. The Miracle Whip provides a sweet contrast that is missed if its mayonnaise counterpart was used, and it’s just another reason to feel nostalgic while eating at Del Rancho. As good as the sandwich was, the onion rings were disappointing. They arrived without an ounce of seasoning, and the coating was in a middle ground between crispy and soft. I was shocked to see the sandwich “only” has 654 calories, according to MyFitnessPal. I was expecting it to be twice as much. It might’ve been a few years since your last Del Rancho experience, or perhaps you take for granted the Oklahoma Citybased chain. As an outsider experiencing his first steak sandwich supreme, I can say that it would be something Oklahomans should take pride in claiming as their own. Sure, it’s ostentatious and shouldn’t be part of a balanced diet, but it’s also delicious and unlike anything else in the country.
Undeterred by not finding Valhalla in my quest for the original Del Rancho commercial, I set out to try my first steak sandwich supreme. I dined at the Warr Acres location, 5111 N. MacArthur Blvd., and the first thing I noticed was the retro feel. You drive past the large yellow-andneon sign featuring Del Rancho’s mascot, a cartoon cowboy that looks preserved from the days of Nixon administration, holding what I can only presume is his sandwich, the steak supreme. Once you pull into the carhop section, the lack of digital interfaces is somewhat comforting, like a warm blanket that smells like asbestos and Virginia Slims. It feels good, but there is a creeping feeling in the back of your mind that there should be a better way. The feeling of pressing the silver button and talking into an intercom that looks like it came from a military surplus outlet to order your food is like stepping into a time machine. The reception to the waitress taking my order was surprisingly clear as I placed an order for an original steak sandwich supreme ($7.59), a side of onion rings ($2.99) and an unsweet iced tea ($1.99). The food took longer than Onion rings | Photo Jacob Threadgill an average wait at a Sonic to arrive, but as Del Rancho’s
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One per person per visit. May not be combined with any other offer, discount or coupon. Not valid with online orders. Valid at Oklahoma City, OK location only. Valid 11/14/2017 only.
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Urban transformation
The Yard refurbished a long-forgotten block in Automobile Alley with a beer garden.
By Jacob Threadgill
As Automobile Alley became a hotspot for development over the last decade, one lot continued to sit empty. The overgrown lot on Seventh Street became a haven for trash and stood out next to the sleek restaurants and businesses opening around it. Through the windows of The Fit Pig, the grab-and-go restaurant Nick and Carly Faulkner opened in 2015, Nick Faulkner looked at the empty lot and thought it had potential. After more than a year of coordinating with the city and reviving a block that had been empty for nearly 100 years, the Faulkners opened The Yard, a 9,000 square-foot urban beer garden built out of shipping containers located at 21 NW Seventh St. Nick Faulkner said the lot, which is leased from developer Chris Salyer, had been vacant since the 1920s. “It was overgrown and gnarly,” Faulkner said. “We were digging up all sorts of weird car parts. There were mattresses in the corner and big chain link fence with barbed wire. It was needing some love, for sure.” Faulkner is owner of a local construction company and was either hands-on or oversaw the work on the Yard property, which totals 28,000 square feet. Crews had to tap into the city’s water and sewer line and establish electricity for the project. The Faulkners were
The Yard is located at 21 NW Seventh St. in Automobile Alley. | Photo provided
inspired in part to create a beer garden after the success of Midtown’s The Bleu Garten and Dallas’ Katy Trail Ice House. The idea to use shipping containers came from Austin’s Container Bar, a three-story bar and nightclub that more closely resembles the Faulkners’ original idea for the space. “We have a building approved, a three-story development, but it’s on hold with oil dropping to $30 a barrel,” Faulkner said. The Yard, as it is currently constructed, opened in May. The facility has more than 50 beers in-house as well as liquor and wine. Guests can choose from a food truck parked on the premises and beer cocktails like the Fuego, a bloody Mary drink that substitutes the vodka for beer. Faulkner said they originally played around with the idea of craft cocktails but wanted to put the onus on beer to take advantage of the growing industry in Oklahoma. The Yard features eight Oklahoma beers on tap. “The beer garden concept is more laid-back,” Faulkner said. “People have tried to do the craft cocktail thing, and the city wasn’t ready for it on a big scale. O Bar and Ludivine do a great job, but we didn’t think we’d be successful with it in our concept.”
Seasonal site
The Yard is open Tuesdays-Sundays. Faulkner said the 3,500 square-foot special event space on the second level is the facility’s primary space on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as it gets booked for different corporate events. Business picks up Thursday through Saturday, whether it is just a regular Friday night to drink in an outdoor setting, Saturday to watch college football or for a community event like Oct. 21’s Puppies & Pilates, which was a fundraiser for Country Roads Animal Rescue. Faulkner hopes to keep The Yard open through the weekend before Thanksgiving. “We are going to be open as long as we can be,” he said. “ It got cold one day last week and we thought we might be done, but then it’s back nearly 90 degrees this week. We’ll be open as long as we have decent weather.” The Faulkners will play it by ear for when to re-open The Yard in 2018 and plan to do some flash openings if there is extended warm weather as early as February, potentially. The best way to track events and seasonal openings is through The Yard’s Facebook and Instagram feeds. “We’re lean and can get open if there is some nice weather,” Faulkner said. “We’ll be open [full-time] by mid-March.” With less than half of The Yard’s space finalized, Faulkner is eyeing some additions when it re-opens in 2018. He has been in talks with a corporate sponsor to put together a concert series next year, which would potentially be housed in a small amphitheater at the back of the property. “We figured out operational flow this year, and we’ll be ready to go fullsteam-ahead next year,” Faulkner said. “We’re surrounded by good neighbors who knew us from The Fit Pig and have helped out tremendously.” The Fit Pig opened in November 2015 and serves a variety of healthy prepackaged meals that can also be delivered. Everything on the menu, including spaghetti and meatballs, which is made with spaghetti squash, is gluten-free. The Faulkners were attracted to the location because of its proximity to a growing number of apartment complexes. The same goes for The Yard, which is becoming a community hub for those who live in Automobile Alley. “You don’t see a lot of property available in Auto Alley because people have come in and developed, but we were very lucky,” Faulkner said. Visit theyardokc.com.
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National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Benefiting the expansion of the Frank C. Love Cancer Institute at St. Anthony Hospital For tickets and more information visit GiveToSaints.com
8am-10pm everyday 1620 SW 89th St. OKC (Next to Saigon Taipel Asian Market) BistroBOKC.com | 405-735-6358 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N ov e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 7
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grill at Shilla Korean BBQ in Norman. | Photo Jacob Threadgill
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F e at u r e
November 18
5:00pm - Waters Edge Winery Event Center 714 North Broadway
Grill-out
Shilla Korean BBQ in Norman is the metro area’s first all-you-can eat Koreanstyle barbecue. By Jacob Threadgill
Oklahoma-based businessman Liming Zhang is no stranger to bringing new food concepts to the Sooner State. Zhang has experience owning Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the region and recently expanded by opening Freezing Cow, a Thai-style rolled ice cream store in Tulsa with plans for one in Norman too, and Shilla Korean barbecue, which opened at 2164 24th Ave NW in Norman three months ago. Shilla Korean is the first all-you-caneat Korean barbecue restaurant in the Oklahoma City metro area. Diners order from a choice of marinated meats, including squid and baby octopus, and cook the meat on an electric grill. Diners have control over their own food, but they can also eat as much as they want during a 90-minute window from a variety of marinated beef, pork, chicken and seafood.
American dream
Zhang said he first encountered Korean barbecue while working in New York and saw its popularity rise there. After
Shilla Korean BBQ opened in August. | Photo Jacob Threadgill
relocating to Oklahoma in 2004, he started somewhat of a regional restaurant empire. He opened his first restaurant, a Chinese restaurant in Mustang, in 2005 at the age of 24. He later expanded to Japanese food, which he learned while living in New York, and had as many as 10 Japanese restaurants before selling off a few in recent years. Zhang currently owns Japanese restaurants in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma in addition to new and upcoming restaurants in Tulsa and Norman.
He traveled to Fresno, California, where his friend operates a pair of Shila Korean BBQ restaurants, earlier this year. “I wanted to open the same kind of business here because there is no one else [doing all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue] here,” Zhang said. His friend served as a mentor in opening Shilla in Norman. He came out to Oklahoma for a month, going over marinade recipes and preparing the staff, and Zhang returned the favor by naming the new restaurant after his friend’s California eatery and adding an “L.”
We make all of our own sauces and marinade for the meat. Liming Zhang Zhang, a Chinese native, takes his success in cuisine in stride. He first worked in a Chinese restaurant before moving to New York to learn the Japanese art of sushi and teppanyaki. He has expanded to Korean barbecue and rolled ice cream, which originated in Thailand around 2009 before spreading across Southeast Asia. “Korean food is similar to Chinese food, but the flavors are different. We make all of our own sauces and marinade for the meat,” Zhang said. The beef bulgogi, a marinade traditionally consisting of soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, is among the most popular items on the menu. It’s equal parts sweet and savory. Other popular choices include boneless short rib and spicy pork bulgogi. The allyou-can-eat service is $12.99 per person at lunch and $22.99 at dinner, which adds New York Strip steak, marinated short ribs and squid to the expanded evening menu. Meats sizzle on the grill as they caramelize, and the diner has control over how well to cook each item, which has meant a learning curve for some patrons. But Zhang said he has been surprised how many people have tried Korean barbecue in Dallas. Zhang said business has been strong in the first few months, but they might add sushi to the menu soon, just to diversify the appeal of Shilla. The only constant is that Zhang will remain a busy man. Construction of the Freezing Cow location in Norman is underway, and Zhang anticipates opening an additional few restaurants in the coming months.
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eat & DRINK
Dough’ to-go
Homer Simpson loves them. The Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department is never short on its supply. There is a reason pop culture loves the doughnut — it is by far the best way to begin your day. It seems impossible to turn a corner in Oklahoma City without running into a good doughnut shop. Here is a short list of some of the metro area’s highest rollers. By Ben Luschen | Photos by Megan Nance and provided
Belle Kitchen
Brown’s Bakery
Thinking of doughnut places does not tend to conjure up images of sophistication and decadence, but Belle Kitchen is here to help you rethink the pastry. High-quality ingredients and a flair for creativity — as displayed in its Cereal Milk and Bacon Maple varieties — help Belle Kitchen keep its spotless reputation. Don’t forget to visit the Deep Deuce location at 30 NE Second St. and pick a deliciously delicate macaron on the way out.
Brown’s Bakery has long been near the top of the local bakeries list, and for good reason. The locally owned establishment has been revitalizing groggy morning office workers in and around Midtown for years. Seasonal specials and unique icing designs pop up with regularity. While the doughnuts are delicious, Brown’s sausage rolls are also a sure-fire office-pleaser.
7509 N. May Ave. belle-kitchen.com | 405-430-5484
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At The Grand Buffet
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Due to the high volume of business, we will be unable to accept reservations. Grand Casino Hotel & Resort coupons and Player’s Club redemptions accepted.
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1100 N. Walker Ave. facebook.com/brownsbakeryokc 405-232-0363
The Donut Palace 1701 W. Britton Road 405-751-1900
The small shop located on Britton Road does not resemble the palaces most people read about as children, but sometimes kingly things come to us in unassuming packages. Anyone who picks up a classic glazed or any other variety of doughnut behind the glass at The Donut Palace is sure to taste, among some other great things, a lot of the love that goes into each pastry. The ever-friendly neighborhood joint is also known for serving humongous, big-as-your-face apple fritters.
Geronimo’s Bakery
1817 N. Martin Luther King Ave. 405-427-5893
There is good reason Geronimo’s is known as one of the darling treasures of eastside Oklahoma City. Geronimo’s does everything big. Doughnuts and cookies come rolling out of this bakery as large as canned hams. Not many other doughnut shops can also lay legitimate claim to the best hamburger in their city, but Geronimo’s stands out with its delicious, house-baked bun. The shop even merges its two passions on the Geronimo burger, which is served between halves of one of their giant glazed doughnuts.
Let us heLp you with your hoLiday needs at chefcurrytogo.com
Holey Rollers
Polar Donuts
mobile facebook.com/holeyrollers
1111 N. Meridian Ave. polardonuts.org | 405-946-7448
Doughnuts are great, but waking up and getting out of the house early enough to buy them fresh is not always ideal. Thankfully, those in the metro area can wander over to the nearest street festival or food truck park at the time most convenient to them for arguably the best doughnut in OKC. Holey Rollers is mostly known for two main things: inventive, utterly delicious flavors and vegan options. This month, it will be known for one more thing: a new brick-and-mortar location at 3010 Paseo St. in The Paseo Arts District.
What’s the secret to Polar Donut’s supersweet and buttery pastries? Well, the difference between them and everyone else is literally small potatoes. Owner Younts Waters mixes real potato flakes into his doughnut mix. The result has earned him both fans and praise from near and far. Their fritters, which come in apple, pineapple, blueberry and other fruity varieties, are known as some of the best in town.
Sweet Mini’s Donut Company
14600 N. Pennsylvania Ave. sweetminisdonutcompany.com 405-607-0035
The doughnut presents eaters with few problems, but one of the sparse causes for concern is that there are more mouthwatering varieties of pastry in an assorted dozen than are socially acceptable to shove into your face at the office. Sweet Mini’s brings customers more with less, popping out miniature-sized doughnuts loaded to capacity with a range of toppings so eaters can have their cake and eat it, too.
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Party booked
Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson readies her new autobiography Every Night Is Saturday Night. By Ben Luschen
Wanda Jackson might be 80, but one would not guess it just by speaking to her. The Maud native and longtime resident of Oklahoma City responsible for bringing femininity to the world of rock ’n’ roll celebrated her eighth decade in the same way she has lived much the rest of her life: in front of a full, highly entertained audience. Jackson performed two sold-out shows on Oct. 20, the night of her 80th birthday, at Cadillac Lounge in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. But the celebrating does not stop there. Jackson’s autobiography Every Night Is Saturday Night: A Country Girl’s Journey to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, co-authored by Scott B. Bomar with a foreword by English songsmith Elvis Costello, is due for a nationwide release Tuesday. In a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette, Jackson sharply recalled several 22
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stories from the book, which does a great job of preserving the Queen of Rockabilly’s trademark wit in its prose. The 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee known for hits like “Let’s Have a Party,” “Right or Wrong” and “Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine” spoke freely on her teenage romance with Elvis Presley, transitioning to rock ’n’ roll from country music and her experiences with the Party Timers, her famous, racially integrated backing band that included pianist Big Al Downing and a young Roy Clark on guitar. And while it has been an eventful year for Jackson, 2017 has come with some sadness. In May, her husband of 55 years, Wendell Goodman (who also acted as her manager throughout their marriage), died at age 81 in Alabama shortly after one of Jackson’s scheduled shows.
Still, do not count on Jackson slowing down anytime soon. Aside from performing on an occasional basis, Jackson’s recent career has featured highlights like teaming up with producer Jack White on her 2011 album The Party Ain’t Over and an album currently being produced by Joan Jett. Jackson spoke with the Gazette from her Oklahoma City home. Oklahoma Gazette: Had you wanted to have a book like this out for a while? Why was now the right time for an autobiography? Wanda Jackson: Well, I had tried a couple of other times with some co-authors and they just didn’t come out well. I didn’t want something that would not sound like me. Scott Bomar is a wonderful writer, and he really shines in my book. I think he’s great. But this is the third time [I’ve attempted to write an autobiography]. I said, “Now, if this doesn’t get published, then I’m through trying.” But we’ve finally got a book out, and I’m very proud of it. OKG: What was it like working with Bomar? Jackson: He’s a very pleasant young man and very intelligent. He’s just fun to hang out with.
Wanda Jackson |Photo Webster Public Relations / provided
OKG: Did you feel like you could relate your stories really well with him? Jackson: Oh yeah. I took him around to see the first place where I lived and the house that Mother and Daddy built and the church that I went to and the high school that I graduated from and the radio station — all those key places, and he really got the feel for what it was like to live in Oklahoma. OKG: A lot of people, whenever Wanda Jackson gets brought up, think about your past relationship with Elvis Presley. In the book, you talk about how at some point, you eventually got tired of that association and how there was so much more to your career than knowing Elvis. But then, later on in life, you came to peace with that association. Jackson: Yes; I enjoy answering questions about Elvis and back in the day. I’m proud of the fact that we were friends. I consider it a real blessing. He was very instrumental in having me sing rock ’n’ roll. I didn’t think that I could, and I told him so. I said, “I’m a country singer and a girl; I can’t sing the songs that you do,” and he said, “Sure
Winter
Every Night Is Saturday Night: A Country Girl’s Journey to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Furnace Tune-up
| Image provided
you can; I know you can.” So at that point, I had left Decca Records and had signed with Capitol and thought that would be a good time to try my wings at rock ’n’ roll. I brought out a couple of songs, and I thought when I did them, “Gosh, I think I found a home. I like this stuff.” So it proved that a girl could sing it. And when I got a hold of “Fujiyama Mama,” that sealed the deal. That just unleashed something in me, and I sang it gungho. But Elvis was responsible for all of that. In 2009, when I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, my heart was just full of thanks for Elvis because I never expected to be there. My husband said, “Well, certainly you need to be in there; you were the first woman.” Elvis Costello had jumped on the bandwagon and wrote to those people a pretty stinging letter [about why I should be inducted]. And Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper and all of these people have told me that my music has helped them and encouraged them.
I didn’t have any boyfriends. I worked all the time; I carried a band. I had to stay busy to pay the band so they could make a living. Wanda Jackson OKG: Elvis Costello wrote the foreword to the book. He performed in Oklahoma City about a year ago. Did you get out to see him then? Jackson: I saw him recently in Tulsa. We teamed up on a recording for one of my albums. Now people are asking me about Elvis Costello. Not too long ago, my husband said, “This was all I needed, another Elvis in my life!” OKG: In the book, you talk about your husband Wendell, too. Explain how you met Wendell for the first time. Jackson: Well, he was dating my friend [Oklahoma-born country music star Norma Jean]. They came by the house so I could meet him. She introduced him to me. I think I fell in love right then and there. One night, I called my friend Norma to see if she was touring or anything and to see if she could go out Saturday night. And she said, “Well, I have a date with Wendell.” And I said, “Well, ask him if I can come along with you!” So I did, and then she got an opportunity to sing regularly on a national TV show (Porter Wagoner’s Ozark Jubilee), so she had to move to [Springfield, Missouri]. When she left, she said, “Well, you take care of Wendell; I don’t think he has a lot of friends.” I thought, “Oh, honey, I think he’s got you snowed.” About eight months later, I called her and said, “You told me to take care of him, but I can’t do that unless I marry him because we’re getting
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married.” So that’s that little story. But I traveled all over the world; then the man of my dreams walks right into my house. OKG: You didn’t even have to go looking for him; he came right to you. Jackson: Right. I didn’t have any boyfriends. I worked all the time; I carried a band. I had to stay busy to pay the band so they could make a living. OKG: When you talk about the band, you’re talking about the Party Timers, right? Jackson: Yeah. OKG: The Party Timers was an integrated band. In the book, you talk about how you ran into some challenges with that, right? Jackson: Yeah, at this one place, I did. I had forgotten this little story. Of course, [Party Timers pianist] Big Al Downing has died since then. But he remembered a story that said it all very well. He remembered when we worked at a club up in Wyoming or someplace. So one of the bands came on and played their set. Then I came on, and one of the club owners or operators hadn’t noticed our band until I got up there. And, boy, there he comes, right down there to the front of the bandstand, and he called me over. He said, “Wanda, we don’t allow negroes here in the place or on the bandstand.” And I thought, “Well, how silly.” So I turned around and said, “Guys, pack up your stuff; we’re leaving.” And he said, “No, no, no! I didn’t mean the band had to leave or you; just the black guy!” I said, “Well, he’s in my band, and if he isn’t welcome, then I’m not either.” Then he said, “OK, well then, go ahead.” He had a really big crowd, so he had to provide some entertainment, and here I was leaving. OKG: For people who have read the book, is there a message or anything you want them to take away from reading it? Jackson: Well, I want them to be entertained. If they’re interested in a person like me — a rockabilly queen — I want them to have an enjoyable read. I’ve got about 80 different photos in there, and every chapter has a different photo. One of my songs is the title of each chapter. It’s just done very well. Scott Bomar did an excellent job. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | n ov e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 7
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ARTS & CULTURE Literati Press founder Charles Martin, with partner Kristen Grace, carefully curates the selection of titles in the Paseo Arts Distict
BOOKS
bookstore| Photo Gazette / file
Page-turner
Paseo Arts District’s Literati Press continues its mission for quality content as it changes spaces. By Ben Luschen
Literati Press Comics & Novels is moving to a new location, albeit less than 30 feet from its current one. Holey Rollers, the popular veganfriendly doughnut food truck, officially opens its brick-and-mortar business this month near the shop window at The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St. The highly anticipated opening also means the curated book boutique and independent publishing label Literati Press, which splits its space with Jennifer Woods Jewelry and Geeky Dweeb Apparel, is moving back into the building in an area formerly occupied by the building’s gallery space. Charles Martin, Literati’s founder, said the shop will be moving from its current spot near the Paseo Plunge entrance to a south-facing corner where temporary art exhibitions had been displayed. Exhibition art will now begin in the entry
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space formerly occupied by Literati. The move, Martin said, will afford the bookstore more space, which means growing its small but carefully selected inventory. Part of the Paseo Plunge building, a former public swimming pool facility, is open to the public while much of the interior is being renovated for future use. Martin said when the space is ready, Literati will eventually move to a permanent home within the Plunge in an area not yet open to the public.
Launch pad
Though Literati has not yet matured into its final, full-sized form, it has gone through some significant growth in recent years. The operation began in 2010 as a small publishing company essentially operating out of Martin’s bedroom.
As a young writer, Martin was not quite sure what to do next. In school, the writing industry he was taught about was one where writers wrote their books, sold them to a national publisher and let corporate figures work through promotion and distribution while the writers merely had to show up for book signings. This was far from the model he encountered in the real world. Writers had to prove themselves on a smaller scale before they could ever dream of reaching a larger publisher. “When you’re choosing your publisher, what you’re looking for is a publishing company which you feel comfortable collaborating with — their values meet your values; their library will be a good fit for your title,” Martin said. Small local publishers often have a reputation for taking any and all comers for eventual print. Martin’s philosophy for Literati is to be a little more selective. The wider array of titles a publisher offers, the less able that publisher is to adequately promote them. “Our goal was to make sure whatever title we brought in made sense on our table,” he said. Literati saw its first wide success after publishing Natasha Alterici’s popular comic book series Heathen, which grew such a strong following that Martin soon found that the publishing label just did not have the infrastructure to support it in the way it needed. He has since passed on the title to the larger Montanaand Maryland-based Vault Comics. That transition helped Martin realize a new part of Literati’s mission. “It’s kind of in the same way a small indie music label gets that first title out and, once they see success, move them onto a larger label,” he said. “The benefit from that is that you can retain content from that writer and as they get more successful, that title continues selling.”
Careful consideration
Though publishing is still at the core of Literati’s mission, the bookstore side of the business is likely what most locals
recognize it for. In the age of Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Martin said Literati will always value quality of selection over quantity. Martin operates Literari in partnership with shop manager Kristen Grace. The duo also hosts the podcast Literati Book Club in which they discuss larger topics through the books in the store’s inventory. Literati only sells books that either one of the two has actually read or has a specific reason for offering it to the community. “We feel comfortable in anyone coming in and telling us the kind of books that they like and matching them up with a book,” Martin said. Literati describes itself as a bookstore that specializes in cerebral and progressive storytelling. The books on its shelves are usually meant to challenge the way readers view things and broaden the way in which they see the world. Martin said they’re selective not just as a way of insuring the quality of the stock, but as a tool against book burnout. “When someone comes to us and says,
When someone comes to us and says, ‘Oh, I don’t read books,’ it’s because they don’t know the books that they want to be reading. Charles Martin ‘Oh, I don’t read books,’ it’s because they don’t know the books that they want to be reading,” he said. “There’s books for everyone.” Martin sees this mission as particularly important in Oklahoma, where a frequently outmatched education system is challenged to foster a love for reading. “In Oklahoma, if you give a bad book to somebody, they may not read another book,” he said. “Part of this shop is trying to change that culture.” Visit literatipressok.com.
Pen-and-ink drawings in Quackers: A Duck’s Tale were drawn
BOOKS
by Kathryn McGaha. | Image provided
Farmhouse fables
Writer Deanna Atkinson brought her backyard to (fictional) life in her children’s book Quackers: A Duck’s Tale. By Ian Jayne
It’s no surprise that writers often find inspiration for their work in the world around them. Local author Deanna Atkinson didn’t have to look much farther than her own backyard, a 2.5acre “urban farm” in Edmond, for the characters and setting of her debut children’s book, Quackers: A Duck’s Tale. Atkinson, the president of Oklahoma Environmental Services, loves spending time with the real-life Quackers the duck as well as her chickens, dogs and goats. “For me, it’s a very relaxing environment,” Atkinson said. “To just be able to go out and watch the animals’ behavior, their interactions — that lent itself to writing the book.” By closely observing the real-life Quackers from his infancy, Atkinson supplied herself with a trove of creative inspiration, from specific details about feathers to conceptions of ducks’ personalities. “I raised them from babies,” Atkinson said. “I saw the maturation process of going from the down to the feathers, of [Quackers] learning to swim, his first time in water, the first time that he used his wings to fly.” When she knew it was time to write, Atkinson put on some noise-canceling headphones and began, revising her story over a period of several months. She knew the story’s beginning and end and worked through as she went along. Atkinson reread her manuscript so frequently that she began to second-guess her original vision. That’s how she knew the story was done. Quackers, the titular hero of Atkinson’s book, is just a duckling when the Farmer Lady adopts him and takes him to her home. As he adjusts to life on the farm, Quackers makes and loses friends, learning to cope with change and life transitions. The cast of characters includes another duck, some chickens and even guineas. Atkinson hopes that her younger readers will relate to Quackers, who faces anxiety, bullying and peer pressure, and
feel empowered after reading the story. “Whatever it is meant to be or whatever becomes of it, I just hope that some children somewhere find a nugget that can help,” Atkinson said.
Coming together
After Atkinson had finished writing, she faced the next hurdle: what to do with her manuscript. “I had a story, but I didn’t have a book,” Atkinson said. She began to look at various possibilities in the self-publishing arena and also initiated the search for an illustrator. Eventually, Atkinson met Jime Wimmer, an assistant professor in UCO’s College of Fine Art and Design and private design tutor. “I had done this before, by myself,” Wimmer said of her self-published children’s book, Copernicus. Having already used tools like InDesign, Wimmer was familiar with the self-publishing process, and a creative partnership was born. Rather than illustrating Atkinson’s manuscript herself, Wimmer said she had a couple of her students in mind. One student — Kathryn McGaha, then a senior in high school — immediately got on board, Wimmer said. Functioning as an intermediary between writer and illustrator, Wimmer said she helped McGaha find the right media and look to represent Atkinson’s story. “It was the right match. It happened all at the right time,” Wimmer said of the creative collaboration. Over the course of many months, McGaha and Wimmer worked through the illustration process: reading the manuscript, making notes, discussing the text and choosing which scenes to illustrate in order to avoid repetition and taking a
trip to Atkinson’s urban farm to meet the animals and take photos for reference. “She’s really visualizing it in a big way and setting up the compositions,” Wimmer said of McGaha’s work. “She pretty much nailed every decision she chose.” McGaha hand-inked all of the illustrations in Quackers: A Duck’s Tale and was able to use the drawings in her AP studio portfolio. After the writing and illustrations were complete, there was still the matter of bringing it all together cohesively, a project that Wimmer took on as art director. The book’s pages are meant to look comfortably worn and well-loved, a choice that reflects its purpose: reading and rereading with others. “We wanted it to have a vintage feel,” Atkinson said, “something that parents or grandparents would read to children.” Self-publishing ended up allowing Atkinson more creative control over her book and the way it was marketed, as a Kickstarter campaign helped to fund the project. Just under 45 pages, Quackers is something between a picture book and a chapter book — a storybook, Wimmer said. “This is going to appeal right away to young kids, but more or less to an older audience who wants to read their children a small chapter. Atkinson hopes both adults and children will enjoy it. “I hope that it’s intellectual enough to entertain adults but has a storyline that interests and captivates children,” Atkinson said, “that grandmother and granddaughter will always have that experience of reading the book together.” One thing Atkinson wanted to avoid in writing and illustration was the unnecessary glamorization of farm life or caring for animals. She chose not to personify her characters so much as to have them wear human clothing, and the book contains an informational postscript about the responsibility of animal ownership. “I wish that more people were able to observe animals, because I think once you observe them in their natural environment, you have respect for them,” Atkinson said. For those who don’t live on an urban farm, there’s always the farms that live inside books and on pages. Quackers: A Duck’s Tale is $10. Visit atkinson.farm.
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Author Deanna Atkinson was inspired by her pet duck, Quackers. | Photo provided
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ARTS & CULTURE
Art
“The Coming Weather” by Jerome Tiger | Image provided
Poetic movement
In honor of the 50th anniversary of his untimely passing, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is displaying the largest collection of artist Jerome Tiger’s works. By Jacob Threadgill
It has been 50 years since the unexpected passing of celebrated Oklahoma artist Jerome Tiger, who, by the time of his death at the age of 26, placed work in the Smithsonian Institution and influenced generations of Native American and Oklahoma artists. In honor of the anniversary, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., has established the largest collection of Tiger’s work for an exhibit that runs through May 13, 2018. The 148-piece collection showcases Tiger’s deft eye for painting everyday life of the Muscogee Creek-Seminole people. The Tiger name has lived on in the work of his daughter Dana, who was 5 years old when her father died of an accidental gunshot wound to the head, and has become an artist while establishing the Tiger Art Gallery. “I love that my father, after 50 years, is still talked about and sought after as an artist,” Dana Tiger said in a phone interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “He invented something that no one had seen before, and that lives on forever. I’m thankful that the museum has a collection to showcase for the world to see. Everyone that sees it is impacted by it.” Dana Tiger attended the opening ceremony for the exhibit in September and said she became overwhelmed. It was the first time she had been in one place with so many works done by her father. “I had something like a spell come over me,” Tiger said. “All of those people and his work to be there was very powerful for me. His presence through his art is very noticeable, and I think of him as being close to me all the time.”
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Utterly unique
Eric Singleton, curator of ethnology, said this exhibit is the museum’s first dedicated to Tiger in over a decade and nothing before approached the size and scope. He said he wanted to put together a collection of this size because of Tiger’s impact on Oklahoma art. “He was utterly unique,” he said as he pointed to Tiger’s piece “The Coming Weather,” which shows four Muscokee-Seminole members wrapped in blankets and looking at an unseen landscape. “He doesn’t need a background like every other painter does,” Singleton said. “[Other artists] always needed to paint in that extra; he paints in the moment. Your mind infers it. It’s brilliant.” Jerome Tiger was born in Tahlequah in 1941 and lived in Eufaula and Muskogee before dropping out of high school and joining the U.S. Navy and served in the Naval Reserve from 1958 to 1960. He was encouraged by a friend to submit work to the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa in 1962, and recognition of his talent was immediate. He was accepted into the art program at the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the next year, becoming its first Native American student and first without a high school diploma. Tiger left the school after only three months after finding his creativity restricted, Singleton said. “For a lot of artists, they can struggle for years, but within three years, he had art in the Smithsonian and he has pieces in every major art collection in Oklahoma,” Singleton said. Many of Tiger’s works on display at
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the exhibit depict everyday life of the Muscogee Creek-Seminole, including traditional stomp dance, the making of sofkey (corn soup) and stickball, the latter of which is showcased in the work “Beginning to End,” which features a single stickball player flowing through all the motions of the game. “All of the pieces, there are no mistakes,” Singleton said. “He never erased or painted over. It was one stroke and he was done. “He was extremely impactful, whether it was solitary scenes or action; and the ways he brought forth some of these subjects, they have a poetic movement about them.” Five of his pristine pieces were painted with his nondominate left hand after Tiger broke his right hand while winning a Golden Gloves match in 1966. He also painted works with his feet.
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Legacy continues
Dana Tiger followed in her father’s footsteps along with her brother Chris, who was murdered in 1990. She didn’t pick up her first brush until the age of 24. “[Painting] was his natural gift, and he loved it,” Tiger said. With me, it was not so easy; it was a lot of hard work. He had 26 years on this earth and didn’t waste a minute.” Jerome’s wife Peggy, who died earlier this year, founded the Jerome Tiger Art Gallery to sell prints of his work, but it has expanded in recent years as Dana Tiger began to spread her wings. Her uncle, Johnny Tiger Jr., who died in 2015, was also an artist. “When people tell me they can see my father’s work in mine, that’s the ultimate compliment,” Tiger said, referring to the notoriety coming from the museum’s exhibit as a rebirth. “It’s all in honor of my father, uncle, brother and mother. I want to work hard and continue the legacy of teaching art and bringing our cultural awareness to the community.” Jerome Tiger’s legacy lives on with Dana’s grandson, Aiden Jerome Tiger, who will turn 2 next year. Dana Tiger’s son and daughter also work as artists with the gallery. “My grandson brings me so much to my lap,” Tiger said. “We named him after my father because every move we make is a result of something [my father] did.” Visit nationalcowboymusem.org.
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PUBLISHES December 6th December 13th December 20th
Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comes to OKC Nov. 19. | Photo Character Arts / provided
t h eater
Spread the joy of the season in Gazette’s Holiday Festivities special sections.
ARTS & CULTURE
Resilient Rudolph
Actress Natalie MacDonald brings a childhood classic to life Nov. 19 at Civic Center Music Hall. By Jeremy Martin
Recalling the most famous reindeer of all has never been a problem for Natalie MacDonald, the actress portraying the titular sleigh-guider in Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer: The Musical. The stage production, scheduled for a Nov. 19 premiere at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., is based on the 1964 holiday special, and MacDonald said her first viewing of the television tradition must predate her earliest memories. “It would always come on,” MacDonald said. “I remember that I thought Rudolph was just the cutest little thing. I remember I liked him so much when I got a little older. When I was in junior high, they came out with stuffed animals of Rudolph and Clarice, and Rudolph’s nose actually lit up, and I got those stuffed animals — that’s how much I loved Rudolph all growing up. I just think he’s adorable.”
Everyone has some way that they consider themselves a misfit. Natalie MacDonald
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To prepare for her role as a claymation, cartoon, boy reindeer, MacDonald said she drew from her early memories of watching the special as a child and repeated studies of it as an adult. A dialogue coach helped her better recreate Rudolph’s voice as originally established by actress Billie Mae Richards, but MacDonald said one of the biggest challenges for embodying the character has been attempting to capture the mindset and body language of a male. “Not only am I portraying a reindeer,
which is a nonhuman character, and that’s really interesting by itself, playing an animal,” MacDonald said. “So there’s that, but then there’s also me playing a boy. It’s something that a couple of years ago, I would’ve never thought I would’ve done. … You really have to get in your body the way a boy would act, and it’s really different from a girl. Feminine and masculine qualities back 50 years ago, when Rudolph came out, were very exaggerated between the two. There was a clear, definite line between masculine and feminine qualities that was expressed on the camera and onstage and on TV.”
Claiming identity
Writer Robert Penola, who adapted the script for the TV special to the stage, wrote in an email interview that he remembers watching Rudolph when it originally aired. For Penola, the difficulty in translating the special to the stage was more technical. “The biggest challenge,” he wrote, “was, Do the reindeer walk on four legs, or two, if they are played by humans? We decided to bring the characters to life using human expressions, so we kept them on two feet.” Gender and species differences aside, MacDonald said she identifies with Rudolph’s character for the same reason so many people have over the years. “Everyone has some way that they consider themselves a misfit, where they don’t fit in,” she said. “For me, it’s many things. I’m just all sorts of odd in so many different ways. I was homeschooled all growing up, so that was a huge part of me feeling like an outsider. I wasn’t in school to hear all the inside jokes.” Penola wrote that Rudolph is a timeless tale because it speaks to people who
feel like outcasts. “In many ways, the story is even more relevant today, with its focus on being bullied for the very thing that makes you different and special,” he wrote. For MacDonald, Rudolph’s resiliency and ultimate redemption gives the story its power. “It’s amazing that we are all different and we all have something to add to the table in our society, and I think that’s something beautiful that should be loved and respected, and I think that Rudolph’s whole story really portrays that,” she said. “He’s a perfect example of selfless love and respect toward people who maybe weren’t as nice to him when he was growing up, but he still stepped up and realized that he had a great asset to add to Santa’s team. … I love that Rudolph isn’t thinking about himself in that moment. He’s thinking about all the kids around the entire world who may not feel loved if they don’t get presents from Santa that year.” In MacDonald’s family, appreciation for Rudolph’s story spans four generations. “My grandma came to see the show last year, and she loved it just as much as my parents did and just as much as my niece and nephew did, because my mom used to watch Rudolph with her parents as a TV special each year growing up,” MacDonald said. “The entire family would get into the living room and watch the show together.” Costumed actors and puppets — including a 14-foot tall abominable snowman operated by three people — bring the special to life in the stage production, and MacDonald, with the help of a wired harness, takes flight. Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby, a coproducer of the show known for portraying Peter Pan onstage, helped MacDonald learn to fly and offered some useful advice for acting in children’s theater. “She was just like, ‘Have fun,’” MacDonald said. “Even if you accidentally mess up on the wires, even if my antlers get tangled in the wires, ’cause that happens. She’s like, ‘If you’re out there drawing the audience in, that is the most import thing. That’s irreplaceable. When the audience feels like they are a part of our show … it’s like nothing else matters. … All the technical aspects go by the wayside, and we just want to tell our story and we want you to be a part of our story.’”
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical 7 p.m. Nov. 19 Civic Center Music Hall | 201 N. Walker Ave. okcciviccenter.com | 405-297-2264 $43-$63
oKie mod Squad Trinity Taylor hosts A Drag Queen Christmas at Rose State College on Nov. 15. | Photo provided
t h eater
Birth of a Queen
Fabulous Christmas
A Drag Queen Christmas, full of alums of RuPaul’s Drag Race, stops in Midwest City Nov. 15. By Jacob Threadgill
Competition reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race has gained popularity in recent years, with its ninth season moving to VH1 from the smaller LOGO TV channel this past summer. Many veterans of Drag Race are touring the country this holiday season to add a little flair and pizzazz to the average Christmas performance. On Nov. 15, Rose State College’s Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, 6420 SE 15th St., in Midwest City is the first stop on a 30-city tour for A Drag Queen Christmas. “The girls that will be there are topnotch and they have big personalities, so it will be a big, eclectic and fun show,” said Trinity Taylor, host of A Drag Queen Christmas. Taylor finished fourth on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Season nine winner Sasha Velour and Drag Race alums Shea Couleé, Latrice Royale, Chi Chi DeVayne, Farrah Moan, Aja, Kim Chi and Eureka O’Hara will also perform. “Being on a mainstream television show, drag has gotten a lot more exposure,” Taylor said. “It’s not as taboo, weird or misunderstood as before. A majority of our fan base is young girls and their moms. It’s a great thing, not
Taylor, who was born Ryan Taylor, grew up in Springville, Alabama, a town so small that it didn’t even have a red light. Taylor dropped out of high school to care for her sick grandmother, who became her caretaker after the death of his mother when she was a child. Taylor moved to Birmingham, Alabama, after her grandmother’s death. She was then introduced to the performance of drag at a small venue called The Quest Club. “I started it as a dare when I was 18,” Taylor said. “I entered a contest and lost, but I kept coming back until I won, and I was hooked. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about how I felt about my grandmother’s passing. It was an outlet to express myself, but also, I didn’t think I was good at anything until I found drag. I was lost and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. It has molded me into the person I am today.” Taylor’s stage name comes from the Carrie-Anne Moss character in the Matrix movie franchise. Taylor’s career has exploded since appearing on Drag Race, where she was known for pageantry skills and performance. She even received a shoutout during a Saturday Night Live sketch parody of Drag Race. “I’ve been traveling so much that I don’t where I am and when,” Taylor said of her hectic schedule. Tickets for the all-age show are $22$54, and VIP meet-and-greet tickets are $162.50. Visit dragfans.com.
Holiday mod Swap Saturday, November 11 8am to 4pm 415 e Hill St. oKC Mid-Century Furniture, Clothes, housewares, and ColleCtibles
Info: okiemodsquad@gmail.com
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only for drag, but the LGBTQ community and acceptance in general.”
Christmas pizzazz
With Taylor serving has the event’s master of ceremonies, each performer will have two opportunities to perform their own genre of drag, which ranges from comedy to “club kids,” the latter of which places an emphasis on flamboyant behavior and inventive costumes. This is Taylor’s second tour with production company Murray & Peter Present and its second Christmasthemed show. Taylor said that each performer has created an original number, all of which will play up the Christmas aesthetic and holiday songs. Taylor is a professional drag queen based in Orlando, Florida, and travels the country to perform, quite often at nightclubs. Many of the fans driving RuPaul’s Drag Race are not old enough to attend nightclubs, Taylor said. “Drag Queen Christmas is a great opportunity to see a show and it not be in a nightclub setting so that they can get a better understanding of what drag is without the background noise of a nightclub,” Taylor said.
We fight for those whooice. need a v 1 in 4
Oklahoma children lives in
POVERTY.
Sasha Velour, season nine winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, performs at A Drag Queen Christmas. | Photo provided
Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour 8 p.m. Nov. 15
We surround our community’s most critical problems, and find every dollar we can to address them. Help Central Oklahoma win this fight for Central Oklahoma. Give today at
StandUnitedOKC.com
Hudiburg Chevrolet Center 6420 SE 15th St., Midwest City dragfans.com | 405-297-2264 $22-$162.50
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culture
ARTS & CULTURE
Dark art
A Satanic-themed art and music showcase provides a one-stop shop for an alternative holiday season. By Ben Luschen
Holiday pop-up shops appear throughout the city during this time of year, but shoppers will be hard-pressed to find any gatherings that also include their own satanic ritual. Devil in God’s Country Art & Music Showcase puts a spotlight on the state’s satanic and dark art subcultures while giving scene participants and the genuinely interested a chance to buy locally made art, glass, figures, ritual supplies and other goods by local makers. The event runs noon-5:30 p.m. Saturday at 89th Street - OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. Slightly under 20 artists and makers will be participating in the show. Nina Garsh, the showcase’s founder and lead organizer, said everyone involved in the event is based in the state. A variety of music entertainment will be present at the show, with a special emphasis on darker acts. DJ Bone, who specializes in goth rave, will be spinning an early set. The show also includes acoustic alternative soloist Elecktra, acoustic guitar and cello duo Lung Butter (which includes Garsh with her partner Pauly Creep-O) and art-rock quintet Kali Ra. “They’re involved in a lot of the darker stuff in Oklahoma too, so this event is perfect for them,” Garsh said of the band. At some point during the event, Garsh said a demonstration of a satanic ritual will be planned. Though details about the specifics of the ritual are being kept a surprise for the show, Garsh said it will include a positive incantation that is much less dramatic or theatrical than some prominent devil-worshipping displays in the city’s recent past.
fun, too. “It’s totally counter to the normal holiday season,” she said, “but if we’re all allowed to celebrate a holiday, we should all be allowed to have our own way of doing so.”
It’s totally counter to the normal holiday season, but if we’re all allowed to celebrate a holiday, we should all be allowed to have our own way of doing so.
Satanic holiday
Nina Garsh Garsh’s partner Creep-O is also in the process of making a documentary about Satanism in Oklahoma, and the project’s film crew will be filming the ritual and event. Devil in God’s Country is not what many would consider a traditional holiday event, but what is “normal” for one person might not be comfortable for all. Satanists like Garsh like to have 30
n ov e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m
Finding home
Garsh and Creep-O are involved in a lot of art and music within the city. The idea for Devil in God’s Country came from a desire for a specific event that reflected some of the stuff they believe in and enjoy. “We wanted something pretty awesome where all the freaks and weirdos could have a safe space to let their freak flags fly,” she said. Garsh originally began planning for an event like this in August but was having a hard time securing a venue that would both allow them to have a satanic ritual and institute a door charge that would allow them to pay the included artists. For a short while, she gave up on her vision for the event until she realized she could book something at 89th Street - OKC. Garsh said she is very thankful to venue operator Nick Hampson for being supportive of the event when others were less receptive. “It’s really cool of him to be openminded and work with us,” she said, “because we’re not going to be hateful or rude.” Garsh has so far not heard of any outside plans for protest. She hopes there won’t be any public backlash, but she also is not letting the potential worry her. “If there is, it’s just more publicity,” she said. Though Garsh said it can sometimes feel like Christian tradition has a monopoly on December celebrations in Oklahoma, things like the Wiccan celebration of the winter solstice, known as Yule, are still observed by some people in the state. And who would want to sit and do nothing as the rest of the world makes merry? “There are plenty of things to celebrate in December even if you aren’t a Christian,” Garsh said. “Plus, holiday food is awesome.” Much of the world observes some form of family and friend holiday in the winter months. Garsh said a proper satanic holiday offers time to focus on people who are most important to the observer, not too different from Christmas. “We have some pretty weird relatives and loved ones, so why not?” she said. “It’s something that applies to them.”
An illustration by artist Shaun Jackson, which will be displayed at Devil in God’s Country | Image Shaun Jackson / provided
Part of the hope behind Devil in God’s Country is that people might see alternative holiday events and traditions as something more normal, or at least not that different from what they do themselves. Garsh might not call the holiday Christmas, but that doesn’t make her experience too different from what thousands of others typically enjoy as the holiday. “I don’t do anything extravagant,” she said. “I just kind of make food and hang out at home.”
Growing presence
Oklahoma is known for its abundance of churches, but Garsh said the Bible Belt’s buckle includes a fairly large contingent of alternative religious and spiritual practitioners. “Believe it or not, there’s a lot of weirdos here in Oklahoma,” she said. “Because of the heavy Christian tone, it’s kind of created this equal-opposite side of things where there are people who are the adversary to that or people that want to see things very differently.” Garsh said alternative practitioners not only have a presence in the state; they are growing in number. “As cynical as it sounds, I think a lot of people have been quote-unquote ‘church hurt’ or frustrated with elderly Christian upbringings,” she said. “Satanism is very appealing to those people. It’s kind of the freedom of it.” Garsh encourages anyone with an interest in Satanism or similar prac-
tices to do their own research on the topic. She said many misunderstand the belief system as something more violent or scary than it really is. There are no child or animal sacrifices in the brand of Satanism that Garsh practices. Instead, it is a faith that emphasizes the importance of self-love and individuality. “It actually upholds what I think are a lot of important values in a person that even the Bible itself forgets about,” she said. Devil in God’s Country is all-ages and open to anyone who identifies as a Satanist or is just interested and wants to pick up a unique holiday gift. Garsh hopes the event offers something counter to the way Satanism in the city has been presented in the past. “We just want to show people we don’t have to be a part of a sect or a big group,” she said, “which is somewhat contradictory to the idea of it to begin with. You don’t just follow blindly to whatever you’re being told and you can be your own person.”
Devil in God’s Country Art & Music Showcase noon-5:30 p.m. Saturday 89th Street - OKC | 8911 N. Western Ave. 89thstreetokc.com $8-$10
Page Woodson School has been renovated into an apart-
co m m u n i t y
ment building and community space. | Photo Gazette / file
New life
Progress OKC gives Page Woodson School’s auditorium a new sense of purpose. By Jessica Williams
Progress OKC reconnects communities through the preservation, revitalization and expansion of local buildings and neighborhoods. Renting the space through developer Ron Bradshaw, the nonprofit organization is breathing new life into Page Woodson School’s auditorium in northeast OKC. Set to function as a dynamic community center featuring lectures, events and arts programming, Page Woodson will operate in tandem with new, affordable apartments and public meeting spaces inside The Douglass. Executive Director Neila CrankClements spoke to Oklahoma Gazette about the building’s multifaceted history and Progress OKC’s mission for its future. “The school was built in 1911 as Lowell School, serving an all-white student population,” said Crank-Clements. “Later in 1933, it became one of the state’s first all-black schools, changing to Douglass High School. This building’s historical significance was really what interested me in this project.” With a final name change to Page Woodson School in 1954, the school witnessed the 20th century’s pivotal moments in racial equality and political activism. Douglass High School pushed excellence to the forefront of its activities. Legendary music teacher Zelia N. Breaux led the Douglass High School band to perform at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, while the school held meetings fronted by civil rights activists like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. “Students were bused in from all over the city to receive a quality education,” said Crank-Clements. “This was a place for black students to feel safe
and to develop their identity within a thriving community.” The school’s auditorium was added to the building in the 1930s, featuring Art Deco architecture and décor. During its prime, Page Woodson boasted performances by artists like jazz musicians Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing, and Pulitzer Prizewinning author Ralph Ellison.
We want this space to be completely community-oriented. Neila Crank-Clements Since closing in 1994, the building has sat abandoned for the better part of two decades.
“When we first encountered the building, it was in complete disarray,” said Crank-Clements. No task is too daunting for Progress OKC and the developers putting their energy into this project. CrankClements said the nonprofit provides second chances to abandoned landmarks and communities. “Progress OKC revitalizes parts of the city that have fallen victim to disinvestment,” she said. “We’re ultimately concerned with the quality of life for residents in neglected communities.” Although the auditorium is limited to 723 square feet, the possibilities for its usage are endless. In capturing the rich history of Page Woodson School, Progress OKC plans to utilize every square inch of the auditorium for the public good. “We’ll use the auditorium for a community theater, film screenings, musical performances and other arts,” said Crank-Clements. “We also see Page Woodson as a place for community collaboration and hope to involve other local organizations in the future with lectureships, meetings and workshops.” Most programming will be free or cost less than $15 for entry. Page Woodson also includes a smaller event space, a butler’s kitchen and five original classrooms renovated into office spaces. “We want this space to be completely community-oriented,” said Crank-Clements. Remaining true to Progress OKC’s inclusivity impetus, Crank-Clements said The Douglass’ inhabitants serve as a primary voice in deciding Page Woodson’s new history. “Apartment residents and building stakeholders will be involved in all programming,” she said. “There’s no better way to solidify this building’s history by engaging its residents in its future.” Visit progressok.org.
wed-Ladies Night & daNce LessoNs @7
free headcouNtry BBQ meaL w/ driNk purchase
Thurs- siN Night driNk speciaLs Fri - $10 buckets during basketball game sat - college games on tv’s Now bookiNg Live Music 401 s. MeridiaN Like us
chishoLMssaLooN
Thurs, Nov. 9 | 5-7pm Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark First 300 registered receive
free Brewfest t-shirt
General admission $35 Must Be 21 to enter $10 off with Military iD
tickets: okbio.org or 405.813.2428
The renovated theater at Page Woodson School serves as a hub for community activity. | Photo Gazette / file
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CALENDAR Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th Street, 405-9430827, okc.gov/recreation. WED
are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
Me Too Monologues, attend this show of inspiring and thought-provoking monologues written by anonymous members of the OU community; they will have you saying “Me Too!” 8 p.m. Nov. 8-9. Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave, Norman, 405-325-2121, ou.edu. WED
BOOKS
Leaders Matter: Women and Men in Leadership Positions, Practice and Policy Lecture Series, thought-provoking presentations on Oklahoma’s emerging policy issues, presents Kitti Asberry, executive director of Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, Noon-1 p.m. Nov. 9. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-5212491, okhistory.org/historycenter. THU
Read for Adventure, the OKC Zoo and Metropolitan Library Systems have partnered to publish the children’s book Our Day at the Zoo and to create a community Read for Adventure program enabling readers to check out the new book from any of the 19 metro library locations, through March 31. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405231-8650, metrolibrary.org. Celebrating the Work of Marilyn Nelson, a roundtable discussion and book signing with Hayan Charara, Jeanette Davidson and Karlos Hill covers the work of 2017 NSK Prize winner Marilyn Nelson, moderated by Daniel Si 1:30-2:45 p.m. Nov. 8. in Beaird Lounge at Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave., Norman, 405-325-4531, neustadtprize.org. WED Readings and Book Signings by 2018 Neustadt Prize Jury, Alisa Ganieva, Adnan Mahmutovic, Dipika Mukherjee, Achy Obejas and Zia Haider Rahman read from their prose and sign books, 4:306:00 p.m. Nov. 8. in Beiard Lounge at Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave., Norman, 405-3254531, neustadtprize.org. WED Bowled Over: A Life in Poems, NSK Prize laureate Marilyn Nelson gives her marquee talk reflecting on the writer’s life followed by a Q&A, 12-1 p.m. Nov. 10. Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-0538, musicaltheatre.ou.edu. FRI I Have Autism, Who Will Be My Voice?: A Mother’s Search for Answers, Mary Ann Puckett signs her book concerning autism and the struggles a mother is faced with, 1-2:30 p.m. Nov. 11. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT The House of Unexpected Sisters, Alexander McCall Smith signs his latest book in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, about Mma Ramotswe uncovering important truths about friendship and family, 2 p.m. Nov. 12. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SUN Second Sunday Poetry, free to the public, this poetry reading features Robin Schulz, a former Norman resident who has two books of poetry published by Point Riders Press, 2 p.m. Nov. 12. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN
FILM Stagecoach, (USA, 1939, John Ford) a group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process, 1 p.m. Nov. 8. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, tells the story of Civil Rights activist and organizer Bayard Rustin, who helped coordinate the 1963 March on Washington and who lived as an openly gay man, 6:30-9 p.m. Nov. 10. First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, 600 NW 13th St., 405-232-9224, 1uc.org. FRI
Paseo Arts Awards Dinner & Auction Paseo Arts Association recognizes artists and art supporters with an awards dinner and silent auction 6-9 p.m. Nov. 15. Award winners include Lyn Adams, who will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award; Kathryn McGill, who receives the Michi Susan Award; Kim Cooper-Hart, who earned the Creative Placemaking Award; and Cary Pirrong, who will receive the Volunteer Service Award, at The Skirvin Hilton Hotel Oklahoma City, 1 Park Ave. Tickets are $75. Visit thepaseo.org or call 405-525-2688. Nov. 15 Photo Paseo Arts Association/provided
Silhouettes of Service, is a theatre piece derived verbatim from 26 interviews of soldiers from World War II to the present and includes accounts from NC Vietnam Vets Inc., Fort Bragg and UNC’s ROTC program, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 11. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, (USA, 1962, John Ford) a senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed, 1 p.m. Nov. 15. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED
HAPPENINGS Oklahoma Venture Forum November Speaker Series, Dr. Ryan Dennis and Allison Conti will be speaking at this luncheon covering entrepreneurial topics for economic development, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 8. University of Oklahoma PHF Conference Center, 655 Research Parkway, 405-604-4775, ovf.org. WED Master Gardener Program: Care of Gardening Tools, this free program of expert instruction provides tips on how to make your garden tools last, from hand pruners to trowels, 6 p.m. Nov. 8, Will Rogers Gardens, 3400 NW 36th St. Will Rogers
Community Spirit, provides an after-work locale for Deep Deuce and surrounding district neighbors to come together to network, engage in a creative activity and enjoy free refreshments, 5 p.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 9. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405815-6665, artspaceatuntitled.org. THU Murder Mystery Night: Art After 5, when the sun sets, the artwork comes to life; the queen has met her demise in the museum. Interview the suspects and follow the clues to discover who killed the queen, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Neustadt Night at the Museum, a reception and celebration for the naming of the 2018 Neustadt Prize winner with food, drink and music, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. THU
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Fork + Bottle: Espirit Du Vin Fine Wine Merchants, highlights a five-course dinner with wine pairings from Argentina, Chile, France and more, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15. Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6960, maryeddysokc.com. WED Public Relations in the Digital Age: Beers and Branding, entails serious marketing, casual conversation and cold beer as Anthem Brewery hosts Kyle Golding, Bob Pritch Pritchard and Heide Brandes, 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 9. Anthem Brewing Company, 908 SW 4th St., 604-0446, anthembrewing.com. THU Beginning Beer 101 Class, beer lovers can learn how to brew their own beer at home by attending this free class for beginners, 9 a.m.-noon, Nov. 11. The Brew Shop, 2916 N. Penn Ave., 405-528-5193, thebrewshopokc.com. SAT
YOUTH Homeschool Day, experience a day of learning and exploration while participating in handson, educational science programs focusing on discovering the natural world, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 8. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. WED
Holy Spirit Craft Fair, features vendors with beauty products, wreaths, jewelry and art for all your holiday shopping needs, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 11. Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1100 N. Sara Road, Mustang, 405-376-9435, holyspiritmustang.org. SAT Essentials of Raja Yoga Meditation, a free course to learn meditation, a vital part to improving quality of life, refreshing understanding of events and recharging the spirit, noon-3 p.m. Nov. 11. Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center, 2500 S. Broadway, Edmond, 405-227-9618, brahmkumaris.org. SAT Creative Writing Workshop, Red Earth MFA creative writing program hosts faculty member Timothy Bradford engage process-oriented, interactive exercises followed by a Q&A, 2-4 p.m. Nov. 11. The Venue OKC, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-2836832, thevenueokc.com. SAT Tracing Your Roots, learn the basics of genealogy with topics including: how to begin your genealogical search, record keeping, software, using newspapers for genealogical research and more, 1-4:30 p.m. Nov. 11. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory. org/historycenter. SAT Holiday Shopping Extravaganza, features unique shopping from local vendors, food trucks, Oklahoma wineries, a performance by Ashlee Watkins and more, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 12. OKC Devon Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd, 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org. SUN Creativity Beta, showcases innovators, creative talent and entrepreneurs of Oklahoma with technology and film product demos, interactive art, film, music and presentations from supporters of the creative industries, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 13. The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-212-2378, thejonesassembly.com. MON
Creating New Traditions, a local grief expert will speak to adults while children and teens separate into age appropriate group rooms for holidaythemed activities, 6:30-8 p.m. Nov. 15. Calm Waters Center for Children and Families, 4334 Northwest Expressway, 405-841-4800, calmwaters.org. WED
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Get Your Thirst on With Kombucha Mocktails, learn about the benefits of kombucha and how to make your own delicious kombucha mocktail, 3-4 p.m. Nov. 12. Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN
Live! on the Plaza, join the Plaza District every second Friday of the month for an art walk featuring artists, live music, street pop-up shops, live performances and more, 7-11 p.m. Nov 10. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-367-9403, plazadistrict.org. FRI
ASTEC Door-Opener Awards Gala & Silent Auction, an elegant celebration recognizing five outstanding Oklahomans who have extensive experience in opening doors for others at the Door-Opener Awards and one Pathfinder Award honors a civic leader recognized as a rising star in the central Oklahoma City community, 6:30-9 p.m. Nov. 14. Gaillardia Country Club, 5300 Gaillardia Blvd., 405302-2800, asteccharterschools.com. TUE
Prayers for Peace Join people of several different faiths, including Hindu, Episcopal, Quaker and more to share the universal hope for peace at an evening of prayer, song and silence to celebrate the religious diversity of our city 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 235 W. Duffy St., in Norman. Desserts and fellowship follow the prayer. Visit episcopalnorman.epiok.org or call 405-321-3020. TUESday Photo bigstock.com
FOOD
PAMBE Ghana Global Market, includes fair trade shopping for unusual and unique gifts, including a wide selection of folk art from around the world, Nov. 9-Dec 23. PAMBE Ghana Global Market, 1301 N. Hudson Ave., phambeghana.org.
Learn to Curl at Devon Ice Rink Master the basic rules and etiquette of curling and learn the hows and whys of delivering and sweeping a stone on ice 9-10:30 a.m. Nov. 18 at Devon Ice Rink, 113 S. Robinson Ave. Dress warm and wear rubber-soled shoes; all other equipment is provided by Oklahoma Curling Club. Tickets are $20-$25. Visit myriadgardens.org or call 405-445-7080. Nov. 18 Photo Myriad Gardens/provided
YES, a radically inclusive LGBTQ+ youth group for ages 13-21 featuring movies, music, dinner, monthly fandom nights with positive, knowledgeable staff and peers, 7 p.m. Nov. 9. Expressions Community Center, 2245 NW 39th St., 405-570-1638, bethechange.org. THU Make + Take: Mixed Media Selfie Poem, free and for the whole family, write an “I am” poem and decorate it with oil pastels, construction paper, foil and more, 1-4 p.m. Nov. 11. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT SMO Storytime Science, kids age 6 and under read a story and follow it up with a fun, scientific activity that is included with general admission, 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE SMO Early Explorers, toddlers and preschoolers explore science through hands-on activities that can be easily replicated at home during a come-and-go weekly event, 10-11 a.m. Nov. 15. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. WED
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
VISUAL ARTS Cartoons & Comics: The Early Art of Tom Ryan, the drawings of acclaimed Western artist Tom Ryan are displayed showcasing his creativity, talent and humor from his teenage imagination, high school and coast guard years and his school paper’s sports page, through April 1, 2018. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. Factory Obscura: Shift, a fully immersive, experimental art installation that challenges participants to physically explore the full-sensory environment with large-scale installations by collaborating elements and pairing over a dozen different artists and styles together, Nov. 9-Feb 25. 6-10 p.m. Current Studio, 1218 N. Penn Ave., 405-673-1218, currentstudio.org.
currently chair of the sculpture department at Texas Tech University, 7:30 p.m. through Dec. 1. Nesbitt Gallery, 1727 W. Alabama Ave., Chickasha, 405-416-3524, usao.edu/gallery/about. SAT The Wall That Heals, a traveling exhibition and mobile education center featuring a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial listing the names of more than 58,000 service members who fell in the Vietnam War, Nov. 9-12. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. We the People: A Portrait of Early Oklahoma, enjoy a selection of Henry Wantland’s photography from his family’s arrival to Stillwater in 1891. Images documented over a two-decade span can be viewed during a temporary exhibition, through January 2018. Will Rogers World Airport, 7100 Terminal Dr., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. TUE
Heiroglyphics 2017: The Spirit of Our People, showcasing the works of Ginna Dowling on what she calls “contemporary community hieroglyphs” telling the unique stories of individual worth and empowerment in relation to creative thought, through Nov. 23. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway Drive, 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.
Best in Ten Benefit Winning plays from the 14th Annual Ten-Minute Play Contest will be performed as staged readings at this benefit event for Carpenter Square Theatre. Guest of honor Rick Allen Lippert presents his 10-minute play Bad Campers 7:10 p.m. Saturday at Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St. Admission is $35. Visit carpentersquare.com or call 405-232-6500. Saturday Photo Carpenter Square Theatre/provided
When the Earth Shakes, learn all about the science of earthquakes, tsunamis and tectonic plates while being immersed in interactive exhibits explaining the science behind earthquakes, through Jan. 2. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. Explore Evolution, explore the evolution of life and learn about all of Earth’s organisms, from rapidly evolving viruses to whales that walked, through Dec. 31. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-3254712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.
PERFORMING ARTS Oklahoma Festival Ballet, an exceptional evening of contemporary and classical ballet with Swan Lake, Act II as its centerpiece. Be swept away in a balletic fairy tale of love promised and then challenged by evil in a magical lakeside setting, Nov. 3-12. Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3250538, musicaltheatre.ou.edu. Rent, experience the vibrant 20th anniversary touring production special. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters: love, Nov. 7-12. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com.
Harmonica and Orchestra, Aaron Copeland’s Rodeo and Ferde Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite, 3 p.m. Nov. 12. Garvey Center, Oklahoma Christian University, 2501 E. Memorial Rd., Edmond, 405-425-1991, okorchestra.org. SUN
ACTIVE Learn-to-Swim Program, giving residents of all ages and financial situations the opportunity to learn to swim with proper technique and basic water safety at their own pace offered by the King Marlin Swim Club, ongoing, Lighthouse Sports, Fitness and Health, 3333 W. Hefner Road, 405-845-5672, marlinswimamerica.com. Barre3 with Art, flex those creative muscles as you work through a variety of barre3 poses; led by certified barre instructors from Barre3, 10-11 a.m. Nov. 11. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SAT Zombie Apocalypse Paintball, enjoy a spectacular glow-in-the-dark paintball attraction while shooting live zombies, Nov. 11. Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com. SAT
Ray Harryhausen: Mythical Menagerie, mythical monsters, skeleton warriors and Greek gods have invaded Science Museum Oklahoma’s smART Space art galleries in a comprehensive exhibition of the original models, prototypes, bronzes, sketches and storyboards of the fantasy films of stop-motion animation pioneer Ray Harryhausen, through Dec. 3. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. Reclaiming My Humanity, an exhibit of artist Brett McDanel’s newest sculptural statements include works from installation scale to smaller pedestal and wall placements. Enjoy lectures, demonstrations, pop-up exhibits, interactive installations, special performance events and more, through Nov. 10. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.
Sole Expression: The Art of the Shoe, features the creations of 25 local, national and international shoe designers and artists; guests examine how the shoe has been interpreted in art throughout history and the science and engineering behind specific shoe designs, through December. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.
The Power of Words, OU’s Contemporary Dance Oklahoma ensemble perform adaptations of poems from How I Discovered Poetry, Marilyn Nelson’s powerful Civil Rights era memoir, a world-premiere dance performance, 11 a.m.-noon. Nov. 10. Elsie C. Brackett Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-0538, musicaltheatre.ou.edu. FRI
Oklahoma Community Orchestra: Western Americana, in concert under the direction of Dr. Irvin Wagner featuring harmonica soloist Robert Bonfiglio performing Villa Lobos’ Concerto for
Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma, an exhibition promoting the positive impact of public street art and its dynamic urban history. A one-of-a-kind show including 10 artists who have been integral to the Oklahoma graffiti scene, through Nov. 30. Cox Pavilion State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. THU
Small Works, Great Wonders, featuring a fusion of traditional and contemporary paintings and sculptures at affordable prices with an opening night featuring cocktails with more than 100 of the nation’s finest artists including many from the prestigious Prix de West, door prizes, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live music paired with beautiful works, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through 26. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Plaid Tidings, the legendary Plaids — Francis, Jinx, Smudge and Sparky — come back to Earth to spread yuletide fun with the greatest holiday hits of the ages, Nov. 9-Dec. 3. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org.
Goin’ West: Harmonic America, Oklahoma Community Orchestra, conducted by Douglas Newell, features classical harmonica virtuoso Robert Bonfiglio, 3 p.m., Nov. 12. Garvey Center, Oklahoma Christian University, 2501 E. Memorial Rd., Edmond, 405-425-1990, okorchestra.org. SUN
Master Strokes: Dutch and Flemish From the Golden Age, showcasing 93 works from the 16th20th centuries including masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt and Sir Anthony van Dyck. Works by lesser-known artists are also included as well as designs of architecture and the applied arts, through Jan. 21. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.
Small Works VII, celebrate the holiday season at this exhibit of artists Carol Beesley, Jim Cobb, Don Holladay and more, Nov. 10-Dec. 22. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. FRI
Christopher O’ Riley and Pablo Zieglar, pianist and beloved host of the child-prodigy radio showcase From the Top, Christopher O’Riley, appears with Pablo Ziegler, the Buenos Aires-born, Latin Grammy-winning pianist and composer who helped shape modern tango, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400 S. Bryant Road., Edmond, 405285-1010, armstrongauditorium.org. THU
Rodeo Opry, Oklahoma’s Official Country Music Show providing quality, family-friendly entertainment every Saturday night since 1977; support live music and the best performers representing country, folk, blues, gospel, rock, bluegrass and more, 7:30-10 p.m. Nov. 11. Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange, 405-297-9773, ohfo.org. SAT
Hidden Messages, the art of Hidden Messages investigates identity and place through ceramics and mixed media featuring artists Marilyn Artus and Amy Sanders, through Nov. 25. Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomahof.com.
Wizards on Western Celebrate imagination and magic at this nonprofit, volunteer-run festival with fun activities consisting of Harry Potter-themed trivia, costume contests, food trucks and live music by Neville and the Longbottoms 1-6 p.m. Saturday at Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave. Activities are free-$10. Visit wizardsonwestern.com. SATURDAY Photo Wizards on Western/provided
Southeastern Beadwork Class, join Martha Berry, Cherokee National Living Treasure and nationally renowned beadwork artist, to create Southeasternstyle beadwork. Class includes all materials necessary to produce a traditional bandolier bag and lunch is also included, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 8. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. WED The New Art: A Controversial Collection Fifty Years Later, the 150-piece permanent collection purchased from the Washington Gallery of Modern Art is dedicated to the collection of contemporary art and features abstract expressionism, postpainterly abstraction, color field painting and pop art, through May 13. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. The Sculptural Works of William Cannings, featuring the unique sculptures of acclaimed British-born artist William Cannings, who is
Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend Round up your friends and celebrate the induction of rodeo legends into the Rodeo Hall of Fame with an inductee panel discussion, a cocktail reception, an art sale, door prizes and more Friday-Saturday at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org or call 405-478-2250. FRIDAY Photo National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum/provided
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
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MUSIC
f e at u r e
Karger Traum | Photo provided
Finding meaning
OKC electropunk duo Karger Traum tries to spark a dialogue with its audiences by singing in German. By Ben Luschen
A prime example of globalization in today’s music culture can be found in Karger Traum, an Oklahoma City-based German-language ambient electronic duo that derives much of its inspiration from an electropunk band that traces its origins back to late-1970s West Germany. Karger Traum, which recently released its album Such a Dream on Atlanta’s DKA Records, is comprised of producer and OKC experimental music maven Blake Lusk and vocalist Taylor McKenzie, a German teacher at Classen School of Advanced Studies most known as a guitarist in bands like Cherry Death (of which Lusk is also affiliated), American Hate and Glow God. The duo makes no attempt to hide its affection for the German duo Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (also known as D.A.F. — German-American Friendship in English) and similar European bands known for avant-garde, post-punk and new wave styles. Though many people today commonly associate electronic music with varieties of electronic dance music (EDM), McKenzie said Karger Traum is more closely aligned with the more minimalistic and less glossy electronic body music (EBM). “EBM is like if you mixed real industrial music with dance music,” McKenzie said. “I’d say that’s the best description of it. So it has this darker tinge to it from the industrial side, but it’s still dance-oriented.” In December, Karger Traum is
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set to embark on a two-week tour across the central United States. Though the band values its recorded music, the live experience is what most interests McKenzie, whose German-language lyrics and chants range from droning trance to spirited outburst. Needless to say, most of the people Karger Traum plays for have no idea what the words mean.
I like to try to read into the people that are standing in front of us and communicate with them, even just psychically. Taylor McKenzie “There’s something really freeing about that — to be able to express your mind,” he said. “Two people in front of their faces, but they have no idea what you’re saying. It’s kind of strange.” For McKenzie, Karger Traum is a chance to communicate with people in ways that transcend the literal meaning of words.
‘Barren dream’
Karger Traum is a spinoff of Lusk’s solo project Holy Siege. He constructed some soundscapes in the vein of D.A.F. and invited his friend McKenzie, who has spent time living in Berlin, to say things in German during his live set. McKenzie wore all white, and Lusk wore all black. They both felt good about that debut set, so they decided to turn the project into an official group called Karger Traum, which translates in English to “barren dream.” The band’s lyrics are now written more
like set patterns, but for the first six months of the project, McKenzie delivered his vocal performances based mostly on what he was feeling at the moment. “It was very improvised, lyricwise,” he said. “That was very fun. That’s still a big element of it. It’s very much an emotional rollercoaster.” Karger Traum’s initial demo project was released May 2016 on Lusk’s Tape Gun Records. The duo worked more than six months on a follow-up fulllength album, which was eventually picked up by DKA Records. McKenzie said when he first approached the label about Karger Traum, they were skeptical of the project’s lyrics and asked for English translations. The initial hesitation might have been off-putting to some, but Karger Traum saw it as reassuring. McKenzie said in some circles, there is a darker side to electronic music with ties to racist and, in some cases, neo-Nazi ideals. These obscure subgenres are sometimes called Fashwave or Darkwave and are starkly contrasted Karger Traum’s ideals and beliefs. McKenzie said he was happy to find a label with an awareness of that and a drive to provide an open and inclusive platform for all. Some electronic music publishers have a reputation for not being very selective. “Sometimes people can write off this type of music as just being posh or sometimes even sketchy,” he said. “No one knows what I’m saying. That, in itself, is kind of eerie to people. Especially in a language like German, which has been picked up by tons of right wing, neo-Nazi enthusiasts.”
Forging bonds
McKenzie said he does not like the idea of two people on a stage performing to a bunch of gawking, passive observers. He wants his music to be a dialogue — even if that dialogue is nonverbal. Body movement and dance can be just as effective for expression. “I like to try to read into the people that are standing in front of us and communicate with them, even just psychically, and have them give something off to me that I can respond to,” he said. There is irony in the fact that a Germanlanguage band based in the United States would be focused on the idea of effective audience communication, but it highlights Karger Traum’s desire to reach people on a level that goes beyond the superficial. Language can be a powerful tool, but it can just as easily be an obstacle, particularly on an international level. By taking dictionary meanings from its audience, McKenzie said Karger Traum can begin communicating on an emotional level. “The main goal with any band I’m in — I just want to see the world and meet people,” he said. “I’ve always thought of touring as a vehicle to see new people, meet new people and get together with old people and not just make connections in a business sense, but to exchange.” Visit dkarecords.bandcamp.com.
Beam Entertainment Group presents:
event
Me Oh My | Photo Dylan Johnson / provided
Cool start
New soul rock band Me Oh My makes a name for itself with Chill Fest. By Ben Luschen
A day of music from popular local bands like Annie Oakley, Space4Lease, Bowlsey, Limp Wizurdz and Flock of Pigs sounds like a successful trip to Norman Music Festival, not a house show thrown together by a band not even a year old. Yet Chill Fest, a large evening and latenight concert event organized by Oklahoma City-based soul rock quintet Me Oh My, is here to make a splash before the host band even puts out its debut album. Music runs 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday at the house venue Mom & Dad’s Club, 1007 McNamee St., in Norman. A recommended donation of $10 is suggested for admission. A s’mores kit, pizza, popcorn and other food options will be sold inside the venue. Alcohol will not be sold, but those 21 or older can bring their own. Anyone entering with booze will have their ID checked at the door. Music will be outdoors through 11 p.m., when the action moves inside. Spray paint and henna artists and music from DJ Cool Guy will keep guests entertained between sets. The show might be at a house, but Me Oh My vocalist Megan Wiggins said the band wants the event to feel like something much bigger. Me Oh My, by the way, is scheduled to perform 10 p.m. on the outdoor stage. “We really wanted to bring that whole festival feel,” Wiggins said. “That’s why I wanted to call it Chill Fest, because it’s not your ordinary crazy show.” Chill Fest features an all-local lineup, an intentional move by Wiggins and Me Oh My to highlight the quality acts the area has to offer. “What I’ve noticed with a lot of shows recently is that they try to pull bands
from out of state to get more money, which is cool,” she said. “But I wanted to put more of a limelight on our local bands and help that community grow.” Me Oh My has only existed as a group for just a few months. Its Chill Fest set will mark the band’s first gig since expanding to a five-piece.
It’s nice to know that I’m in a band where we can all still surprise ourselves and not only think where we are is what we are. Megan Wiggins Organizing an event like Chill Fest would be intimidating for other bands in Me Oh My’s position, but Wiggins is welcoming the challenge — an attitude that will serve the band well as its bright future unfolds. “I really love planning things, and I really love bringing the community together,” she said.
Sound growth
As of now, Me Oh My’s publicly released oeuvre includes just one single. The promising but short debut track, “Carousel,” was released in April. The song is sparse and grassy with striking acoustic guitar and strong vocals from Wiggins. It is a good starting place for the band, which describes itself as “groove grass rock,” but Wiggins said
the group has already evolved in sound. “It’s kind of like Alabama Shakes, kind of like Portugal. The Man and a little bit like Modest Mouse,” she said. Me Oh My started as a duo with Wiggins and guitarist Kyle Pennypacker, who is also Wiggins’ boyfriend. Both were born and raised in Oklahoma City. They share songwriting duties, with Wiggins primarily handling lyrics and Pennypacker taking charge of the guitar parts. In the past, Wiggins could be found performing in the pop punk band The Good Fight, which also included current Me Oh My bassist Zachary Wright. She has also been performing as an acoustic soloist since she was a teenager. Pennypacker has past experience in the band Red Panda Junkies. The rest of Me Oh My’s lineup includes rhythm guitarist Ryan Morain and drummer Chase Thompson. Though the band certainly carries a soul rock feel, Me Oh My is a group open to many types of sound. “We’re not set to any one genre,” Pennypacker said. “We have so many songs that are so different [from ‘Carousel’].” Wiggins said she has noticed the band taking on a folkier feel as it has progressed. It is not uncommon for the band to jam and practice and surprise itself with what kind of sound materializes out of the session. “It’s nice to know that I’m in a band where we can all still surprise ourselves and not only think where we are is what we are,” she said.
hottest local performers /
songwriters professional, quality entertainment with VIP ticket options Earlier start times Belle Isle Brewery, one of OKC’s premiere music venues
Friday, Nov. 10
doors @ 8:00, show @ 9:00
tickets available at Ticketstorm.com
Showing promise
Pennypacker said after Chill Fest, Me Oh My will likely focus its attention on completing its debut EP. Whereas some bands choose to record a lot of music first and then worry about promotion, Me Oh My is instead making its name known before it puts much work out there. It is a strategy the band members say has so far paid dividends. The band has a music video in production and said several blogs and media entities have expressed interest in covering its EP release. “It seems like when people see us at shows, some of them see a lot in us that we don’t even see ourselves,” Wiggins said. She is somewhat surprised by how well the band has been received by the local community since it began. The positivity she has encountered is making her optimistic for the future. “Now we’re like, ‘Hey, we can do this,’” she said. “We believe in what we can do.” Visit facebook.com/meohmyokc or me0hmy.bandcamp.com.
Chill Fest 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday Mom & Dad’s Club 1007 McNamee St., Norman facebook.com/momanddadsclub $10 suggested donation
November 8 PENNY & SPARROW November 10 LOS LOBOS November 12 HOMETEAM TOUR WITH TRIP LEE AND KB November 18 MANdOLiN ORANgE December 2 JOHN MORELANd December 3 MARiA MORELANd December 15 EXiLE December 21 STEVE EARLE ANd THE dUKES Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc 405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N OV E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 7
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Going Blonde
Old Crow Medicine Show brings the sound of Bob Dylan to The Jones Assembly. By Sean Isabella
Critter Fuqua isn’t one to shy away when discussing the impact Bob Dylan had on his life. It’s one of the reasons excitement and humbleness gather in his voice when discussing the chance to honor one of his childhood idols as part of Old Crow Medicine Show’s live two-set rendition of 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde, a song-for-song tribute to Dylan’s classic album from 1966. “I don’t think I ever really thought we’d be doing this as a tour for almost a year. It’s pretty cool,” said Fuqua, one of the band’s co-founders who plays guitar, slide guitar and banjo and provides vocals for the Grammy-winning Americana string band. What started as a live show at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016 turned into a live album released in 2017 and a subsequent tour last April. Old Crow Medicine Show’s latest stop comes Nov. 15 at The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave.
Dylan thread
A typical Old Crow show is what Fuqua best describes as one to “make sure you got a sober ride home, and you’ll get a Wagon Wheel guarantee.” Wagon Wheel, of course, is a reference to the catchy hit song from the 2000s that stemmed from a bootleg Dylan tape Fuqua found during high school. “[Old Crow frontman] Ketch Secor and I were just obsessed with Bob Dylan from a really early point, probably eighth grade or ninth grade,” Fuqua said. “We had all the records. Bob Dylan, especially for me and Ketch, I’d argue was the biggest influence on us musically.” Old Crow’s roots with Dylan’s music made too much sense to the Country Music Hall of Fame when they asked the band to perform live for the anniversary of Blonde on Blonde. So far, the tour has been met with rousing success. “Every show we’ve played, they’ve loved it,” Fuqua said. “I think people 36
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really dig it, which is cool.” Fuqua used the word “tricky” when asked to explain what a live performance of 14-track 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde is like. The OKC show is among the final stops for Old Crow in 2017. The band plays in Arkansas on Nov. 16 and ends the year with a two-night New Year’s Eve performance in Nashville.
Bob Dylan ... was the biggest influence on us musically. Chris “Critter” Fuqua Loyal Old Crow fans won’t have much of an opportunity to hear the band’s core music in OKC — Fuqua said Old Crow will mix in a few originals during the encore — but Fuqua said the spin on Dylan’s music is still “an Old Crow show, by all means.” What Fuqua means is the energy is still there. The band prides itself on creating an organic sound, as evidenced by the versatility of its members. “We’re just everywhere. It’s really cool. Whatever works, we just do that,” Fuqua said. “It kind of looks haphazard, but it’s actually very planned and rehearsed.”
Paying dues
Old Crow hits the 20-year mark in 2018, a long, winding journey from a group that started out busking on the streets of North Carolina. The band has released five major studio albums, the latest of which came in 2014. Fuqua said Old Crow recorded music last year for a new album scheduled to debut in February. Along the way, the band’s popularity continues to grow, although its roots remain intact. Fuqua and Secor grew up in Virginia, but the band morphed into what it is today in upstate New York. It spent less
Old Crow Medicine Show plays Blonde on Blonde at The Jones Assembly Nov. 15. | Photo Danny Clinch / provided
than a year in Ithaca, New York, but it served as a breeding ground for music as well as a meeting ground for former members Willie Watson and Ben Gould. “There’s a real hotbed of old-time fiddle music and old-time bands coming out of upstate New York and Ithaca, more than where we grew up in the South in Virginia,” Fuqua said. “That was a real special time for us.” Fuqua said venues like The Jones Assembly, a new restaurant, bar and music venue that has already hosted such acts as Third Eye Blind and Matisyahu, bring Old Crow “back a little bit” to its humble beginnings. “I think we do better in older theaters, newer playhouses. The more intimate, the better,” Fuqua said. “I think the bigger the venue, you get the less real connection you have with your fans. The show is about the band and the audience. If there’s not connection, then it’s not really a show.” Old Crow last played in OKC back in 2012 at Diamond Ballroom. Fuqua admitted previous gigs run together since there are so many, but he recalled the experience in OKC as being “pretty cool.” Much has changed since that show. In 2013, Old Crow’s Remedy won a Grammy for Best Folk Album. A year later, the band picked up another Grammy when Big Easy Express won best long form music video. Fuqua can’t speak for the band, but he personally doesn’t care or feel the need to crave more exposure, although it’s likely to happen.What he can say is Old Crow is better than ever. “Things are the best they’ve been. It’s the most comfortable we’ve been. It’s the most normal, comfortable existence after almost 20 years of playing together,” he said. “We’ve definitely, I think, paid our dues.”
Old Crow Medicine Show: Blonde on Blonde 8 p.m. Nov. 15 The Jones Assembly 901 W. Sheridan Ave. thejonesassembly.com | 405-212-2378 $33.50
live MUSIC Stoney LaRue, The Studio at Sooner Theater. COUNTRY
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
The Chad Todd Band, Brewskeys. COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, 11.8 Gramps the Vamp, The Deli. ROCK Hell or Highwater/My Ticket Home, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK
Nothing More/Palisades/My Ticket Home and more, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK
THURSDAY, 11.9 Becky Wright, First Baptist Church. SINGER/SONGWRITER Bryce Merritt/Nathan Angelo, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. POP Cousin Stizz, ACM Performance Lab. RAP Devil in the Details/Sathe/Being Without/ Ephemera, The Paramount Theatre. METAL Great Electric Quest/CobraJab/Crobone and more, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Helms Alee/Creep City/The Costanzas, Opolis. ROCK Jason Young Band, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Mckee Brothers, The Shack Seafood and Oyster Bar. JAZZ
The Hot Club of San Francisco: Cinema Vivant Reminiscent of 1930s small jazz clubs in Paris, this ensemble features vintage silent films accompanied by live gypsy jazz and has entranced audiences around the globe. The show starts 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave. Admission is $15-$29. Visit tickets.occc. edu or call 405-682-7579. Nov. 16 Photo Oklahoma City Community College/provided
FRIDAY, 11.10 Andy Adams, The Blue Door.
KB/Trip Lee, Tower Theatre. HIP-HOP
SATURDAY, 11.11
MONDAY, 11.13
Allen Williams Band, Hollywood Corners Station. ROCK
Cankro, Warehouse B. PUNK
Don’t Tell Dena, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. INDIE
Seth Glier, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Hook Echo, Alley Club. ROCK Justin Fox, Hollywood Corners Station. COUNTRY Rich the Kid/Famous Dex, The Criterion. RAP Stellar Corpses/Argyle Goolsby/Constanzas, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK
TUESDAY, 11.14
Glass Mansions/Xora, Red Brick Bar. POP
Bart Weilburg, Hollywood Corners Station. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Kali Ra, 89th Street OKC. ELECTRONIC
Soul Time Tuesday, Blue Note Lounge. PUNK
Kevin Greenspoon/Quartz Prawl/Jake Alvarez and more, Opolis. INSTRUMENTAL Perish Lane/Sign of Lies/Killer Strut, The Venue OKC. ROCK Peter Case, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
WEDNESDAY, 11.15 Chant, The Root. ROCK Old Crow Medicine Show, The Jones Assembly. COUNTRY
Rainbows Are Free, Tower Theatre. ROCK Scott Keeton, Remington Park. ROCK Shawna Russell, Riverwind Casino. COUNTRY
The Punknecks/Dixie Wrecked/JV‘s Fillin Station and more, Your Mom’s Place. VARIOUS
Headstone, Tower Theatre. HIP-HOP
Walking Relic/Tim Joad/Carpoolparty and more, Red Brick Bar. VARIOUS
All Opposed, Blue Note Lounge. PUNK
Chris Hicks Band, Riverwind Casino. ROCK
RedWitch Johnny, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK
The Black Dahlia Murder/Suffocation/ Decrepit Birth and more, Diamond Ballroom. METAL
Jared Tyler/Sam Gleaves, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Street Kings, OKC Limits. ROCK
Harm’s Way, 89th Street OKC. METAL
Goodnight Moonshine, The Depot. FOLK
The Killdeers, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. INDIE
SINGER/SONGWRITER
Dustin Lynch, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY
Dagger, Warehouse B. PUNK
The Sunday Flyers, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. ROCK Tyler Lee Band, Off the Wall Club. ROCK
SUNDAY, 11.12 Brad Fielder/Mike Byars, Lost Highway Bar. COUNTRY
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.
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
free will astrology Homework: If you could change your astrological sign, what would you change it to and why? Write: FreeWillAstrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Adriana Martinez and
myself in the place where they lost me? Whom can I ask what I came to make happen in this world? Is it true our desires must be watered with dew? What did the rubies say standing before the juice of the pomegranates?”
Octavio Guillen got engaged to be married when they were both 15 years old. But they kept delaying a more complete unification for 67 years. At last, when they were 82, they celebrated their wedding and pledged their vows to each other. Are there comparable situations in your life, Aries? The coming months will be a favorable time to make deeper commitments. At least some of your reasons for harboring ambivalence will become irrelevant. You’ll grow in your ability to thrive on the creative challenges that come from intriguing collaborations and highly focused togetherness.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) “Things to say when in
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) I had pimples when I
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Are you working on solving the
was a teenager. They’re gone now, although I still have a few pockmarks on my face as souvenirs. In retrospect, I feel gratitude for them. They ensured that in my early years of dating and seeking romance, I would never be able to attract women solely on the basis of my physical appearance. I was compelled to cultivate a wide variety of masculine wiles. I swear that at least half of my motivation to get smarter and become a good listener came from my desire for love. Do you have comparable stories to tell, Taurus? Now is an excellent time to give thanks for what once may have seemed to be a liability or problem.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) The next two weeks will be one of the best times ever to ask provocative, probing questions. In fact, I invite you to be as curious and receptive as you’ve been since you were four years old. When you talk with people, express curiosity more often than you make assertions. Be focused on finding out what you’ve been missing, what you’ve been numb to. When you wake up each morning, use a felt-tip marker to draw a question mark on your forearm. To get you in the mood for this fun project, here are sample queries from poet Pablo Neruda’s Book of Questions: “Who ordered me to tear down the doors of my own pride? Did I finally find
love,” according to Zimbabwe poet Tapiwa Mugabe: “I will put the galaxy in your hair. Your kisses are a mouthful of firewater. I have never seen a more beautiful horizon than when you close your eyes. I have never seen a more beautiful dawn than when you open your eyes.” I hope these words inspire you to improvise further outpourings of adoration. You’re in a phase when expressing your sweet reverence and tender respect for the people you care about will boost you physical health, your emotional wealth, and your spiritual resiience.
right problem? Or are you being distracted by a lesser dilemma, perhaps consumed in dealing with an issue that’s mostly irrelevant to your long-term goals? I honestly don’t know the answers to those questions, but I am quite sure it’s important that you meditate on them. Everything good that can unfold for you in 2018 will require you to focus on what matters most -- and not get sidetracked by peripheral issues or vague wishes. Now is an excellent time to set your unshakable intentions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Every one of us experiences
loneliness. We all go through periods when we feel isolated and misunderstood and unappreciated. That’s the bad news, Virgo. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to make loneliness less of a problem. I urge you to brainstorm and meditate about how to do that. Here are some crazy ideas to get you started. 1. Nurture ongoing connections with the spirits of beloved people who have died. 2. Imagine having conversations with your guardian angel or spirit guide. 3. Make a deal with a “partner in loneliness”: a person you pray or sing with whenever either of you feels bereft. 4. Write messages to your Future Self or Past Self. 5. Communicate with animals.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The drive for absolute
perfection could undermine your ability to create what’s very good and just right. Please don’t make that mistake in the coming weeks. Likewise, refrain from demanding utter purity, pristine precision, or immaculate virtue. To learn the lessons you need to know and launch the trends you can capitalize on in 2018, all that’s necessary is to give your best. You don’t have to hit the bull’s eye with every arrow you shoot -- or even any arrow you shoot. Simply hitting the target will be fine in the early going.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Remember the time, all those years ago, when the angels appeared to you on the playground and showed you how and why to kiss the sky? I predict that a comparable visitation will arrive soon. And do you recall the dreamy sequence in adolescence when you first plumbed the sublime mysteries of sex? You’re as ripe as you were then, primed to unlock more of nature’s wild secrets. Maybe at no other time in many years, in fact, have you been in quite so favorable a position to explore paradise right here on earth. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) As a courtesy to
your mental health, I minimize your exposure to meaningless trivia. In fact, I generally try to keep you focused instead on enlightening explorations. But in this horoscope, in accordance with astrological omens, I’m giving you a temporary, short-term license to go slumming. What shenanigans is your ex up to lately, anyway? Would your old friend the bankrupt coke addict like to party with you? Just for laughs, should you revisit the dead-end fantasy that always makes you crazy? There is a good possibility that exposing yourself to bad influences like those I just named could have a tonic effect on you, Sagittarius. You might get so thoroughly disgusted by them that you’ll never again allow them to corrupt your devotion to the righteous groove, to the path with heart.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In the coming months
it will be crucial to carefully monitor the effects you’re having on the world. Your personal actions will rarely be merely personal; they may have consequences for people you don’t know as well as those you’re close to. The ripples
you send out in all directions won’t always look dramatic, but you shouldn’t let that delude you about the influence you’re having. If I had to give 2018 a title with you in mind, it might be “The Year of Maximum Social Impact.” And it all starts soon.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) The punk ethic is
rebellious. It transgresses conventional wisdom through “a cynical absurdity that’s redeemed by being hilarious.” So says author Brian Doherty. In the hippie approach, on the other hand, the prevailing belief is “love is all you need.” It seeks a “manic togetherness and allencompassing acceptance that are all sweet and no sour -- inspiring but also soft and gelatinous.” Ah, but what happens when punk and hippie merge? Doherty says that each moderates the extreme of the other, yielding a toughminded lust for life that’s both skeptical and celebratory. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because the punk-plus-hippie blend is a perfect attitude for you to cultivate in the coming weeks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) I’m falling in love with
the way you have been falling in love with exciting possibilities that you once thought were impossible. Oh, baby. Please go further. Thrilling chills surge through me whenever you get that ravenous glint in your mind’s eye. I can almost hear you thinking, “Maybe those dreams aren’t so impossible, after all. Maybe I can heal myself and change myself enough to pursue them in earnest. Maybe I can learn success strategies that were previously beyond my power to imagine.”
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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VOL. XXXIX No.45
New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle GOING OFF SCRIPT By Ross Trudeau | Edited by Will Shortz | 1029 ACROSS 1 Lecterns 6 Some looping online animations 10 No. 2’s 13 Canine supporters 17 It’s all an act 19 Actor Epps 20 “Abracadabra!” 22 The Lion King 24 Pool divider, or a further hint to 22-Across 25 Wine often served with dessert 26 College department that might offer paid studies, informally 27 “Who, me?” 28 Majestic 29 Get excited about crosswords, say, with “out” 30 Hockey feint 31 Hallmark.com offerings 34 Bond, for one: Abbr. 35 Fig. on a master’s application 37 Geometry- test directive 38 Maître’s domain 41 Suffix with legal 42 Jerry Maguire 45 Box a bit 46 Hunter in the night sky 47 Feature of Chairman Mao’s cap 51 Reaction to a bad joke 52 They’re often cross-bred with apricots 53 Smart-alecky 54 American pale ____ 55 Bozo 56 Get up 57 Judge’s seat 58 Neural conductor 59 Carnival, say, or a further hint to 42-Across 61 Musical score marking, or a further hint to 101-Across 63 Full house, for one 64 ____ mater 65 Ideas spreading virally 66 Duel tool 67 Blue Devils’ org. 68 Hephaestus’ forge is said to be under it 69 Uninspired 70 Satiated 71 What I may turn into 73 Coin at an arcade
74 “The Merry Drinker” painter 76 The Force Awakens 79 Traffic-monitoring org. 82 Herb pronounced differently in the U.S. and U.K. 84 Appears 85 Item with the words “Member Since” 87 White House extension? 88 George Takei’s role on the U.S.S. Enterprise, in brief 90 Small beam 91 When Macduff slays Macbeth 92 They’re first in the draft 95 “Sure” 96 Brunch offering 98 Where Samson slew the Philistines 99 F-150s or Thunderbirds, or a further hint to 76-Across 101 The Dark Knight 104 Onlooker 105 Ills 106 “Friday I’m in Love” band, 1992 107 Caviars 108 Defib locales 109 “In that case …” 110 Language in which the first four cardinal numbers are ane, twa, three and fower
DOWN 1 Sci-fi weapons 2 Symbol of strength 3 Stonehenge priests 4 McKellen who played Gandalf 5 City south of Seminole, Oklahoma 6 Singer with the 2012 No. 1 hit “Somebody That I Used to Know” 7 Apple desktop 8 New Year’s Eve figure 9 Mrs., abroad 10 Ad ____ tax 11 Daring thing to wear with polka dots 12 ____ Gabriel Mountains 13 Big gust 14 Eponymous Israeli gun designer 15 Get by 16 Refine 17 What metathesiophobia is the fear of
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Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn Saundra Rinearson Godwin Christy Duane Elizabeth Riddle Kurtis DeLozier
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49 Stag 50 Actress Russo 51 Like trampolines 52 ____ ballerina 53 Got one’s feet wet? 55 Harry’s wizarding foe 56 Never-before-seen 57 Candy-heart message 58 Suisse peaks 59 A fish … or to cook it, in a way 60 Have nutritious foods 61 Pariahs 62 Flinching, typically 65 Play up 68 K-12 69 What “w” is in Welsh, at times 72 Window fixtures, for short 73 Get ready to drive
New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 1022, which appeared in the November 1 issue.
O S C A R
K A H L I L
S T R I V E
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M O R E L S
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P O I S C E E R I T O M T A I N L I T H I N T
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A N D A P I A T T T H E A T H A M V E G M L I N A L L O N E V T O E E C L T W A R I P A I T T L S C A T H R H A M P E B E F F E R E O L U D E L
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Accounts receivable Karen Holmes Digital Media & Calendar Coordinator Hannah Meeske
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Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).
Sudoku HARD | n°11430 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com
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18 Kind of penguin 21 Splat preceder 23 Out of whack 27 Connoisseur 30 Capital of Qatar 32 Some salmon 33 Get old 36 $100 bills, in slang 37 Study 39 Turn over 40 Yiddish cries 43 José, Bengie and Yadier ____, catcher brothers with five World Series rings among them 44 Redundant-sounding engine parts 45 Like the 1-to-7 balls 48 Prepared for takeoff
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All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in . our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis
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Mon-ThurS. 2-4pM 5641 N. Classen Looking For An Early Riser! Big Sky Bread Company is looking for a friendly, reliable, and hardworking full time bakery associate/cashier. Shift starts at 6am. Please apply at 6606 N. Western Ave. No Phone Calls Please.
HOME BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY After over 4 years research and development, share the most exciting, results-driven health product available anywhere. Must be a people person. Work your own hours. Unlimited income potential with minimal investment required. To register for opportunity presentation time and location in OKC area please call 405-863-3340
Oklahoma City, OK – Supply Chain Manager – Coordinate production, procurement, warehousing, and distribution for a multi-plant global manufacturing company. Manage material planning, procurement, shipping, receiving, and warehousing supply chain functions to provide uninterrupted supply chain expertise and execution to service centers and manufacturing facilities. Min Req: Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field and 5 years of experience in the job offered or as a Test Engineer and/ or Buyer/Planner; or Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field and 2 years of experience in the job offered or as a Test Engineer and/or Buyer/Planner. Experience must include working with product procurement and components; maintaining supplier relationships; implementing a pull system/Kanban approach to component flow; use of ERP and demand planning software. 50% international travel required. Worksite Location: 6836 Pat Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73149. Qualified applicants send resumes to: Danielle Malbrough, Job Code: SCM01, Dover Energy Inc. d/b/a Cook Compression, 11951 North Spectrum Blvd., Houston, TX 77047.
3033 N. Walnut Ave. West Building 73105 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | N ov e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 7
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2017 230i Coupe | $309/month*
2017 320i Sedan | $279/month*
2017 X6 sDrive35i | $609/month*
2017 650i Gran Coupe | $1,159/month*
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Imports 2017 X6 sDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3,500 down, MSRP $65,595, Standard Terms 2017 320i Sedan, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $36,095, Standard Terms 2017 740i, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $84,395, Standard Terms
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2017 230i Coupe, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $35,795, Standard Terms 2017 650i Gran Coupe, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $93,895, Standard Terms 2017 X5 xDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3,500 down, MSRP $61,995, Standard Term
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Standard terms & Tag, Tax. 1st Payment, Aquisition fee, processing fee WAC *See dealership for details — offers subject to change without prior notice. *November prices subject to change. European models shown.