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In a system where banking is off limits, dispensaries, clinics and growers assess the financial future for medical cannabis. By Matt Dinger, P. 28

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INSIDE COVER P. 28 Medicinal cannabis is legal in Oklahoma, but its federal classification as a Schedule 1 drug complicates how Oklahoma cannabis businesses take care of their money.

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NEWS 4 STATE Ramadan in the midst of

growing Islamophobia

6 CITY JFK neighborhood explosions

8 METRO Isaiah Lewis shot by

Edmond police

Gallogly retires

9 COMMENTARY OU president James 11 CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS

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Rooted in love

Muslim Oklahomans continue celebrating Ramadan and repelling hate with love amidst growing Islamophobia across the world. By Miguel Rios

Ramadan is considered the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, a month of high spirituality in which Muslim people fast and focus on reflection and growth. But following several hate crimes in Oklahoma City and violence in mosques and other places of worship around the world, some feel a bigger sense of uneasiness than they have before.

“To be completely honest, I have not felt at ease since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since then, I have gotten countless remarks about the color of my skin, my faith and everything you can think of,” said Qazi Islam, ImagelineStudios CEO. “Unfortunately, these remarks have gotten much worse throughout the years due to all the increase in the recent acts of terrorism being committed in the schools, concerts, mosques, churches.”

May 5, the day Ramadan began, protesters from Arkansas stood outside Grande Mosque of OKC, holding an American f lag, eating meat and livestreaming their demonstration on Facebook. One protester even dressed as bacon and held an “Eat me” sign.

Adam Soltani, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma (CAIR-OK), said in a statement that the Muslim community will continue to exercise its right to worship freely and would not be deterred. He told Oklahoma Gazette that white supremacy is the root of Islamophobia and other types of discrimination, along with money funding anti-Muslim special interest groups. “[White supremacy] is a problem that continues to permeate throughout our society today, and we see that. We see that in the killing of unarmed black men and women. We see that in the treatments of Hispanics and Muslims and Native Americans,” he said. “So that is an issue that I think, as a country, we have not yet dealt with, and until we deal with that and we deal with the fact that there is money and resources that are funding and supporting all this hate, we’re not going to see a resolution to the Islamophobia and the hate targeting the Muslim community.”

Funding hate

At the beginning of Ramadan, the national CAIR organization released Hijacked by Hate: American Philanthropy and the Islamophobia Network, a report that maps the flow of funding from philanthropies and charities to anti-Muslim groups.

“There are approximately 1,100 faith-based charities, family foundations and commercial foundations that have granted a total of $125 million, 4

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which is a lot of money, to 39 anti-Muslim groups over a period of three years — 2014 to 2016,” Soltani said.

Ok la homa City Community Foundation (OCCF) is listed as a funder of the Islamophobia network, “a closeknit family of organizations and individuals that share an ideology of extreme anti-Muslim animus and work with one another to negatively influence public opinion and government policy about Muslims and Islam.”

“Our policies ensure that grants recommended by our donors through their donor-advised fund are made only to qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organizations for charitable purposes that meet the IRS criteria for a tax-deductible gift,” wrote OCCF in a statement to Gazette.

“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the IRS to determine which organizations are qualified nonprofits. If the IRS were to change the charitable status of these organizations, we would follow their guidance in our grant procedures. However,

seen that throughout the country, where groups have tried to basically remove ... completely any mention of Islam from textbooks; they just wanted it gone.”

Another way those groups affect public opinion is through anti-Muslim demonstrations. Soltani said the May 5th demonstration was just one of countless examples. CAIR’s Muslim Day at the Capitol, a legislative advocacy event, always draws anti-Muslim protesters. In fact, Soltani said they have seen a particular man at several events throughout the years.

“He’s from Indiana, yet he’s shown up in Oklahoma since 2015. He’s probably shown up about a dozen or more times,” Soltani said. “How does this individual get money to travel and to do these things? A lot of times, we see protesters at events in Oklahoma, and they’re from out of state. So this money is going to organize and promote these anti-Muslim demonstrations and promote prejudicial and false media content. And we see that all the time, whether it be on social media or in the actual media. They’re, they’re using this money to gain power in these areas, and obviously, politics, education and media are three of the key areas of influence in our country and probably throughout the world.”

Rising Islamophobia

Imam Imad Enchassi, who has been a specific target for Islamophobia in Oklahoma, said he will continue repelling hate with love. | Photo Alexa Ace

grants that are recommended by donors from their donor-advised fund in no way reflect the values or beliefs of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.”

According to the report, donors exploit charities and philanthropies to funnel money to anti-Muslim groups like American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), David Horowitz Freedom Center, Clarion Project and Act for America.

“One of the key points is that those funds are used to lobby Congress and state legislators to pass anti-Muslim laws and policies,” Soltani said. “We’ve seen that in Oklahoma, 2010 with state question 755 anti-Sharia law. To interfere in and falsify school curricula. So we’ve

Imad Enchassi, imam of Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said Muslims have felt a sense of discomfort in America for a long time but the New Zealand shootings felt like the climax.

“You see some people asking, ‘What is our security measures?’ We always have security measures regardless; after New Zealand, we tightened that even more,” Enchassi said. “We do have police officers in all our major services, and we also have internal mechanisms from cameras to internal security.”

Islam said he has mixed feelings about the increased security at his mosque because it does make him feel more safe, but it also saddens him that is what they have to resort to in order to simply practice their faith. Soltani said this year is markedly less comfortable for the Muslim community than in the past, but he is hopeful things will get better.

“It unfortunately does make people feel a bit uneasy and not as comfortable

Ramadan this year began at sunset May 5 and lasts through sundown June 4. | Photo Alexa Ace

because all my life or at least for the last 17 years of my life since I’ve been practicing Islam, I’ve gone to the mosque and found it to be a safe space, a safe space where I can go and it’s just me and God and I can be vulnerable with my shortcomings and my challenges, but now you don’t even feel safe,” he said. “You think twice when walking in the door, you look over your shoulder a bit more, you’re more concerned if you see something or someone that looks a little suspicious.”

CAIR, which tracks instances of Islamophobia across the country, has released several reports showing that Islamophobia has become more and more common in recent years. Enchassi said the reason is because President Donald Trump validates that kind of hatred.

“We have numbers that back that up; Islamophobia and anti-Semitism is at an all-time high. Islamophobia is higher by numbers — violent incidents, attacks and so forth — than [it was in] the aftermath of 9/11, and that ought to tell you something,” Enchassi said. “It is definitely the rhetoric. People have found a validation in the political rhetoric from the highest office.

“I learned, A, to expect that and, B, to repel hate with love. When I was denied to pray at the state Senate by an Islamophobe representative, I had a 99.9 percent chance to sue and win the lawsuit, but I chose not to. And by choosing not to, it resonated with our current governor, and he invited the interfaith community, we went there two weeks ago. He invited the interfaith community to go sit down and have a conversation. The thing is, repelling hate with love is a formula that was given to us by the prophet.”

Enchassi said education and outreach are powerful tools to combating Islamophobia.

“Positive education would lead to a positive attitude, but the deal is sealed by positive relationships,” he said.

“Statistically, Islamophobia can be lessened and even eliminated when people meet Muslims. … Relationships; that’s what we’re all about. We are a grassroots operation that feed the poor, take care of the hungry, stand up with other minorities, stand up for what is right.”

Winning the Culture War OKG’s excellent staff works hard every day within a culture that shares their values and progressive vision for the future of Oklahoma.

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Boom town

John F. Kennedy neighborhood residents are looking at any and all options to help ease the explosions at nearby recycling centers. By Miguel Rios

For years, residents of the John F. Kennedy neighborhood have dealt with loud explosions that cause their houses to shake and crack. Since 2013, they have reached out to Oklahoma City Action Center, Oklahoma City Council, the fire marshal and Department for Environmental Quality (DEQ) at various times. They still have yet to see any concrete actions.

Just last week, Denyvetta Davis, president of JFK Neighborhood Association, heard and felt an explosion so loud that she called Oklahoma Natural Gas.

We believe that we deserve the same quality of life as everybody else in Oklahoma City neighborhoods, and we’re going to fight for that.

Denyvetta Davis

poison.health.ok.gov Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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“It was so loud and it was so frightening, I called ONG and explained to them what had happened,” she said. “They put in an emergency order, and they came out and checked to see if there was any problems with my meter or anything. Everything checked out that day. I don’t know about in the future.”

The explosions come from nearby recycling companies that use a car crusher. If cars are crushed with fuel left in the gasoline tank, it causes them to blow up. Davis’ son, a retired military veteran, heard the explosion and likened it to sounds he heard in war zones.

“The windows shake,” Davis said.

“It feels like somebody is kicking in your

door. Somebody described one as a car crashing into your house. Sometimes it’s not as loud, and sometimes it’s just traumatic because you’re just going along your day — you’re just living — and it’s unexpected. You don’t know when it’s going to happen.”

Cresha and Rodney Redus have lived in the neighborhood for about a decade.

They said the explosions happen at all times of the day, multiple times a day sometimes.

“Sometimes it’s daily, sometimes it’s two or three a day — at the most, three a day,” Cresha Redus said. “Other times, we don’t hear anything. But know that we are working during the day, so the retired people probably hear what we don’t hear, which is why those reports are so important.”

The explosions are so bad that cracks have appeared in their concrete floors, their walls and along parts of their ceiling. They said they often worry about the resale value of their house.

“It doesn’t scare us as much as it used to, but the impact is mostly when our grandkids are here, our family members are here,” Rodney Redus said.

“It really shakes them up; it scares them a lot more than it does us. … Other than that, it’s really the impact of what it’s doing to the structure of our home.”

Seeking solutions

Neighborhood residents were told to report explosions to the action center in 2013, so they began logging the dates and times and submitting reports. Five years later, in 2018, the action center replied to a resident’s email, writing that they had no jurisdiction in the matter.

“We were told we couldn’t [report explosions to the action center] no longer because they couldn’t find anything. Every time, I guess, they tried to

Denyvetta Davis, JFK Neighborhood Association, is fighting for a better quality of life for her neighborhood. | Photo Miguel Rios

investigate, nobody heard it, nobody experienced it. So it didn’t happen. … We also did DEQ and you’ll see the letter from them where they didn’t hear anything, so they closed the case,” Davis said. “If the only way that you’re going to believe something is if you experience it, then what’s the point of even existing? … What’s the point if what you’re going to do is believe what you see and hear and you don’t believe those people that are paying your salaries?”

After going to Oklahoma City Council around 2014, the recycling plants were required to report explosions to the fire marshal. Davis said the explosions became less frequent after that, but they shortly became more common again.

“Their attorney was there representing the recycling plant. They just said, ‘It’s not going to stop. There’s no way to stop it,’” she said. “We were under the impression that the cars were coming in whole. They are not; they arrive on a train and they’re already crushed. So they’re saying that, in an ideal world, it’s supposed to be reported that there’s gasoline left in the tank, but that doesn’t always happen. So that’s what’s causing the explosions: gasoline left in the tank.”

Former Ward 7 councilman Lee E. Cooper Jr. researched alternative solu-

tions and found a barrier that would buffer the explosions. It costs about $350,000 dollars, though, and the plant was not willing to buy it. The city would also not be able to buy it since it would be installed on private property.

“Since then, we’ve just been looking at other resources to see who can help us,” Davis said. “We met with some professors from the [University of Oklahoma] Health Sciences Center for occupational and environmental science to see if they might help us gather more scientific information. … We’re just trying to spread the information. We’re not trying to keep it self-contained anymore where we’re trying to do all the work. We believe that we deserve the same quality of life as everybody else in Oklahoma City neighborhoods, and we’re going to fight for that. If that’s my life’s work, then so be it.

But if we don’t do something about it, then it becomes a generational problem.”

The Reduses said they have gone through various agencies that seem to just pass the buck without taking any action. They feel as though they have put in a lot of effort to log explosions, explain the effect on their quality of life and their homes and have gotten nothing back.

“I would say a lot of perceived interest, and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Cresha Redus said. “From perceived interest to interest, a lot of conversations, a lot of meetings, a lot of present-

JFK neighborhood residents have been dealing with almost daily explosions from a nearby recycling plant for years. | Image provided

ing, but zero actions to actually get it done, to make the change. Because we’re a minority black neighborhood, we understand that — and this is all around the world; this is not just about Oklahoma City — that there might not be as much tender loving care or attention paid over here. We know and understand that, which is why we create reports, which is why we go to the city.

We do everything we know to do.”

They said a good compromise would be to fine the companies a large enough amount to deter them from allowing so many explosions to happen or installing the barrier to alleviate the explosions’

effects. Davis said they are trying, by any means necessary, to solve the issue.

“We’re just trying to live — I mean, this is basic,” she said. “Living, existing where we can just come and go and when we’re at home watching TV or washing dishes or taking a shower or eating, where we can do it without interruption.

We’re just starting to investigate some of the other environmental issues we have because we’ve been focusing on the explosions.”

The neighborhood, which lies between NE Fourth Street and NE Eighth Street, is also near a petroleum company and a construction company’s smokestacks. If the wind is moving toward the neighborhood, Cresha Redus said it looks like haze and smells like chemicals. Residents have also reported a “constant buzzing” sound coming from the petroleum company.

“The quality of life right here is not the same as the quality of life on the north side,” she said. “This seems to be in an industrial area, but they zoned the residential area in the middle of it. Of course, we didn’t know all this when we moved in. So we’ve got noise, smoke, we’ve got toxic air and then explosions.”

Residents have had initial conversations with college science classes to make the neighborhood a capstone project to help gather more scientific data, but Davis said the neighborhood association welcomes any suggestions.

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Deadly force The recent shooting of a teenager by Edmond police elicits outrage. By Nikita Lewchuk

Isaiah Lewis, an unarmed 17-year-old, was shot and killed by police on April 29 following an on-foot chase through a residential neighborhood. At this stage in the investigation, little is known about the circumstances surrounding Lewis’ death. Edmond Police spokesperson Jenny Wagnon identified two of the officers involved as Sgt. Milo Box and officer Denton Scherman.

Lewis took off his clothing at some point during the chase and was apprehended roughly an hour after the first 911 call was made. Sgt. Box and Scherman arrived in an unmarked police car and found Lewis had entered the home of a stranger nearby. The events resulted in Lewis being both tased and shot.

Box and Scherman are on administrative leave; a preliminary medical examiner’s report found Lewis was shot multiple times. Snopes reports a more detailed autopsy is pending that will include a toxicology report, as several witnesses reported “erratic behavior” from Lewis.

Wagnon also confirmed that none of the officers involved were wearing body cameras, later revealing that Edmond Police Department has only four in use.

According to the department’s website, close to 70 officers are assigned to the patrol division alone.

Both Camille Landry, owner of Nappy Roots Books, and T. Sheri Dickerson, executive director of the local Black Lives Matter chapter, see a need for greater police accountability through body cameras and other methods.

“People get blown away by the police on a regular basis in this state,” Landry said. “And some of them are armed and dangerous, but the vast majority are not. It’s a pattern; it seems to be a policy.

It’s not the written policy, but it’s the unwritten policy that actually plays out.

If you encounter the police, you’re likely to not survive the encounter.”

A report by mappingviolence.org that recorded police killings nationwide from 2013 to 2017 found that Oklahoma is second only to New Mexico in terms of fatal encounters per capita with rates of 9.9 and 8.1 respectively. Oklahoma ranked first in terms of African American people killed by police with a rate of 27.37 deaths per person, narrowly beating out Utah’s rate of 27.32.

Dickerson discussed the double standard between how white and black men are treated by police, specifically citing 19-year-old Michael Elijah Walker, who was escorted from his Edmond home in handcuffs March 4 after killing both of his parents and threatening remaining siblings. According to KFOR, police also discovered a cache of weapons and homemade bombs at the house.

“That young man was escorted out of the family home, literally with blood on his hands, without a scratch on him,” Dickerson said. “After having murdered his parents and trying to murder his siblings. He was armed. He was dangerous.

He had murdered two people, and he was trying to murder a couple more, but Edmond PD was able to de-escalate that, despite his possession of a weapon.

Nonetheless, four adult trained law enforcement personnel were unable to subdue a naked 17-year-old. These are murders and homicides. Many of our law enforcement agencies, they’re more interested in covering up the truth as to what happened and saying they were in fear for their lives, as opposed to being honest and saying our officers have an issue.”

Many of our law enforcement agencies, they’re more interested in covering up the truth as to what happened and saying they were in fear for their lives as opposed to being honest and saying our officers have an issue.

T. Sheri Dickerson Much of the work the local Black Lives Matter organization does is in response to police brutality and mistreatment.

“Ideally, activism would look like doing something about prevention, but we haven’t made any traction doing that,” Landry said.

As executive director and organizer for the group, Dickerson continues to be heavily involved in the process of bringing information and justice to Lewis’ family.

“We’re trying to bring attention to it, push for transparency and honesty and demand that charges be filed,” Dickerson said.

Local hip-hop artist Jabee has also been an outspoken critic of the Edmond T. Sheri Dickerson of Black Lives Matter said that police must examine the disparity in how races are treated during incidents. | Photo Gazette / file

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Longtime community activist and Nappy Roots Books owner Camille Landry said the killing of Isaiah Lewis fits a pattern in law enforcement. | Photo Alexa Ace

Police Department following the shooting of Isaiah Lewis. He has been active in his criticism on social media, pointing out the racial disparity in police treatment.

He was similarly critical of Oklahoma City Police Department’s treatment of 14-year-old Lorenzo Clerkley, who was shot by police while playing with BB guns in an abandoned home.

“Whenever I first heard it, I heard that there was a young man running around in Edmond,” Jabee said. “I initially thought it was a white man, but when [I heard] that they killed him I thought, ‘Oh, he had to be black.’”

A rally was held on May 3, followed by a march from Lewis’ school to the Edmond Police Department headquarters. Jabee and Dickerson attended both the rally and the march and spoke to honor Lewis and demand justice for his death.

“They were going to interview the officers involved, and that interview will determine what we need to do next,” Jabee said. “Depending on what happened from the interview, the officers have to be held accountable. You can’t just kill someone and that be it.”

Lewis was set to graduate May 18 from Boulevard High School, part of Edmond Public Schools. Instead of celebrating his accomplishments, they are now mourning his loss and grieving for him.

Dickerson wants to see more information given to the family.

“I want to see his character won’t continue to be disparaged and destroyed,” she said. “The truth will be told, the Edmond Police officers will be charged and convicted. True justice will mean that the programs, the training and the system are installed, like body cams, to where this doesn’t happen again.”

The community continues to wait for key details surrounding Isaiah’s death and the consequences for the officers involved.

CO M M E N TA RY

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.

10 months

James Gallogly’s tenure as University of Oklahoma president was only slightly longer than the human gestation period. Fixing the university’s problems will take much longer. By George Lang

OU president James Gallogly announced his retirement two days after his only spring commencement ceremony. | Photo University of Oklahoma / provided

A former high-powered executive sweeps into office with experience in an unrelated field. Before he even reports for his first day of work, he sees that a building bearing his name might not be completed due to financial concerns and he proceeds to sledgehammer away at the reputation of his predecessor.

On his first day at work, he fires six administrators. Some vocal opponents lose their jobs after speaking out on his policies while reports of gender discrimination and racial incidents rise under his watch. According to several administrators who remained anonymous out of fears of reprisals, he responded to one criticism by allegedly telling a senior administrator, “Tell him that I am the meanest son of a bitch he has ever seen, and if he ever crosses me again, I will destroy him.”

His administration then follows through on the threat, hiring a conservative law firm that previous employed U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and former White House counsel

Don McGahn to do the dirty work.

And no, this is not the President of the United States we’re talking about, but you would think, right?

All of this happened in the 10 months since James Gallogly became University of Oklahoma’s 14th president. On Sunday, May 12, Gallogly announced his “retirement” from OU, releasing a statement on Mother’s Day afternoon, producing a deluge of “I’d like to retire after a 10month career” jokes on social media.

Journalists and keen observers of politics and business are familiar with the term “dead drop.” It is what happens when spokespeople send press releases on potentially controversial matters just before 5 p.m. on any day, but especially on a Friday when journalists are pondering their escape from work. It is perfunctory due diligence designed to fulfill a duty, but just barely.

Announcing the end of one of the most controversial and brief tenures in OU history on Mother’s Day afternoon is not just a dead drop. It is the deadest of drops.

Gallogly’s statement extolled virtues of cost reduction, which I am certain resonated with the landscapers who were dismissed from their jobs under his tenure. Everything he did was an effort toward financial responsibility, including hiring the Jones Day law firm to investigate retired OU president David Boren for financial impropriety but, in a classic Kenneth Starr-like move, pivoting to sexual impropriety.

But Gallogly never meant to besmirch Boren. That is, of course, fake news.

“Unfortunately, a false narrative has been created that the explanation of the university’s financial condition, the disclosures of improper gift reporting, and changes to various people serving in the administration were somehow intended to diminish the legacy of our

past president,” Gallogly said in his Mother’s Day statement. “That false narrative is now also being used to question the motives and propriety of the ongoing investigation of alleged misconduct by person(s) yet to be disclosed by the university. The university was required by law to commence an investigation upon the receipt of complaint(s).

That process has been ongoing according to its procedural mandate. The Jones Day law firm was hired to conduct an independent and unbiased, expert investigation and issue a report which the firm has now done.”

According to a March 2017 story in Bloomberg, at least 14 former Jones Day attorneys went to work for the Trump administration, a paragon of “independent and unbiased” action.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, who runs state government like a business where people retire after 10 months of brisk work, released a statement on Gallogly’s impending departure.

“James Gallogly is an upstanding individual who stepped in to lead the University of Oklahoma through a historical financial crisis. He hit the ground running,” Stitt said. “I am confident that the OU Board of Regents will make a wise and timely selection to succeed Gallogly.”

I wonder how many times the name J.C. Watts came up in the Stitt household over the weekend.

Just six weeks ago, Oklahoma Gazette published a cover story about the malaise that had descended over OU since Gallogly took office and how campus life had become infected with racially charged language and incidents of blackface being worn as acts of provocation. Based on statements from Stitt, chairman of the OU Board of Regents Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes and Gallogly, it

seems unlikely that the regents will hire an “OU whisperer” to soothe campus nerves in the wake of Gallogly’s tenure.

Considering that cash donations to the university were down 31 percent as of February, perhaps they should.

Gallogly was right for insisting on financial responsibility at the university, given that spending was outpacing revenue at OU, but his responses sowed so much discontent and disarray among the staff, faculty and student populations that it will take years for OU to get past this dark time in its history.

Gallogly presided over only one spring commencement ceremony, which was held two days before his announcement and featured journalist/ noted badass Soledad O’Brien as speaker. In her speech, she referred to her recently deceased mother Estela O’Brien, who once told the former CNN and NBC anchor to ignore most people’s advice because most people “are idiots.”

“So you might be a bigger idiot if you listen to them all the time because you will be told in very many ways all of the things that you cannot do, that you should not do, that you will absolutely, positively fail, so please don’t listen to them,” she said. “They just don’t know.

They’re speaking from fear, and as you head out into the world, you need to be fearless. Problems can be solved.”

O’Brien’s mother was right, and the OU Board of Regents has problems to solve. In the face of this short, strange episode in its history, let us hope that they are fearless in correcting course.

George Lang is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette and began his career at Gazette in 1994. | Photo Gazette / file

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High steaks

Parents in search of a good bottle of wine or a high-end selection of spirits will no longer have to leave their kids tied up outside the liquor store. You can forget about needing to leave a note on the window of your car that says, “Don’t worry; the A/C is on and he’s listening to his favorite music,” because Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law last week that allows accompanied minors to enter liquor stores beginning Nov. 1.

The vocal minority against the law argued that allowing children in the liquor store would potentially expose minors to the dangers of alcohol.

Nothing like watching Mommy pick up a bottle of cabernet for her to forget about why Daddy left to really make kids think drinking is cool.

State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, who co-authored last year’s liquor modernization laws, cited studies that showed exposing kids to alcohol actually promoted healthy attitudes toward drinking and said liquor stores were operating at a competitive disadvantage because kids could be with parents in the wine aisle at the grocery store.

The new law seems to be a nod to help small business owners of standalone liquor stores, who have seen sales drop nearly 40 percent since grocery and convenience stores started selling wine last year as part of the liquor modernization law that also included high-point beer. Not only did liquor stores have increased competition, they were required to install refrigeration to remain in business and were capped on the amount of non-alcohol sales they could produce each year.

So while allowing busy parents to enter the store with their kids likely will not put much of a dent in their lost sales, it is likely too little, too late for a lot of liquor store owners. Still, we take out the world’s smallest violin for the liquor stores that used to get business just because they were the only game in town.

Gov. Kevin Stitt is getting to work on the big issues. The first piece of legislation he signed into law was “constitutional carry” in February. Since, he has approved more than 300 other laws dealing with medical cannabis, abortion, agency autonomy and, well, guns again. But one piece stands above the pack, proving Stitt’s “top 10” rhetoric is no joke.

That is right; Stitt finally approved the rib-eye as Oklahoma’s official steak. That will surely make us a top 10 state, right?

“It’s been a long hard road boys,” a Reddit user wrote without a hint of sarcasm.

“There were times I thought we might lose to the porterhouse. I’m not gonna lie. But tonight we raise our forks in absolute triumph as the rib-eye is finally and officially the State Steak of Oklahoma.

Congratulations everybody.”

Congratulations everybody, indeed. Despite educators continuously asking for

more necessary funding and hundreds of Oklahomans urging for expanded health care, Stitt is clearly listening to the people. Maybe not everyday Oklahomans struggling with their children’s education, affordable health care, housing or just making ends meet, but other politicians and lobbyists for sure.

State Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, authored the bill because immortalizing the rib-eye would be good for tourism and the restaurant industry, according to a 2018 report by KFOR. “Hands down, the rib-eye is the most flavorful steak there is,” Murdock told KFOR this year. “This is a way to promote this industry and the contribution they make to our state’s economy — and our dinner table.”

Fine; we will admit that this can probably somehow boost our already good cattle and agriculture industry, but surely there are better ways to directly improve it.

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Though it would be a much better use of Murdock’s floor time to address the many concerns keeping us from being a top 10 state, at least this is a harmless law.

Too bad the rib-eye does not pair well with our state vegetable, the watermelon.

Still smokin’

Thanks to Oklahoma’s Legislature, which Fox 25 reported failed to pass the Oklahoma Workplace Clean Air Act this session, we will continue to be among the dwindling number of cool states that allow you to smoke inside bars. Call us the last of a dying breed.

While some might argue we would be a lot cooler if we were to not have the highest incarceration rate in the world and underpaid bar staff might think it would be cool to not run an increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer in a state that consistently ranks as one of the worst in the country for access to health care, Oklahomans apparently want to project the brand of cool typified by Danny Zuko and Andrew Dice Clay: leather jackets, sunglasses and a lit coffin nail dangling from the lips.

“30,000 Oklahoma workers are exposed to secondhand smoke as part of their job," Julie Bisbee, executive direc-

tor of Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, told Fox 25, possibly while dodging spitwads and paper airplanes launched by legislators. "We know there is no safe level of secondhand smoke, and that continues to put workers' health at risk.”

We’d blow a big raspberry at that citing of surgeon general research if we had the lung capacity for it. Joining us in Saturday detention are the 11 other lovable bad-boy states without statewide smoking bans in workplaces and bars: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, aka the states everyone agrees are the coolest.

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REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Nichols perspective

En Croûte and St. Mark’s Chop Room & Bar benefit from new direction under chef Kevin Ward.

By Jacob Threadgill

En Croûte 6460 Avondale Drive encrouteokc.com | 405-607-6100 WHAT WORKS: Omelets and seafood cioppino are great while beef bourguignon is the best deal.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The chicken is oversalted, which is better than the alternative.

TIP: Check out half-priced cheese plates on Monday.

The joint kitchen is where sister restaurants En Croûte and St. Mark’s Chop Room & Bar overlap in their corner of Nichols Hills Plaza, and it’s where chef Kevin Ward has put his stamp on the pair.

Ward, 33, is a graduate of chef Kurt Fleischfresser’s French-based Coach House apprenticeship program along with his two older brothers. Ward helped open Stella Modern Italian after also working at Saturn Grill and The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro and followed one of his brothers to San Francisco, where he worked for the organic and sustainability-focused restaurant The Perennial.

Ward moved back home to Oklahoma City, and after a brief stint with Rococo that did not work out, he contemplated leaving the industry entirely until he contacted Jonathon Stranger, co-owner of En Croûte and St. Mark’s in addition to Osteria OKC, Prairie Wolf Spirits and upcoming Bar Cicchetti.

“I almost said, ‘Screw it; I’m going back to school,’” Ward admitted. “The way it’s worked out is a total universe thing.”

Ward was installed as head chef at both En Croûte and St. Mark’s and quickly set to work on new menus at The lobster pomodoro at St. Mark’s Chop Room served with sweet potato gnocchi | Photo provided

each restaurant. In order to showcase Ward’s collaboration with Stranger and ownership, En Croûte is now open 8 a.m.-11 p.m. every day.

Smoked tomato and basil bisque and green chile beef stew have replaced a seafood bisque on the menu, but if you are in the mood for seafood, try the new cioppino ($32) with bay scallops, shrimp and clams on the En Croûte dinner menu.

Other new dinner dishes include braised short rib beef bourguignon, a steal at $18, and it’s one of the most popular items. The blackened redfish with Creole shrimp sauce, beet puree and carrots is $34, and En Croûte now offers another French classic, Chicken Cordon Bleu ($46) with artichoke, olives and mushrooms in a sherry pan sauce.

On its brunch menu, a pair of omelets, one avocado ($12) and another Maine lobster ($18) are show-stoppers, as is the mushrooms on truffle toast ($16) for those in search of a runny egg.

Before I ever ate at En Croûte, I pictured a pretentious French-style restaurant filled with folks in Nichols Hills who make more in a week than I do in a year. I could not have been more wrong.

The colorful, contemporary artwork near the entryway is completely disarming, and the truth is that En Croûte is a cozy corner bistro. Ward’s menu additions accentuate what En Croûte does best: its rotating cheese and charcuterie program. You can put the trained cheesemongers on-site in control to pick out some of the best cheese, and it’s now offering 50 percent off cheese plates (normally $18) on Mondays, which can be paired with a curated glass of wine.

En Croûte’s ethos has remained the same under Ward, and the same is true for St. Mark’s, but it has undergone a dramatic shift away from a la carte, family-style side dishes to feature its proteins as composed dishes.

I enjoyed previous visits to St. Mark’s, where they cook the wagyu beef in cast iron skillets to get a perfect sear, but I have never been a fan of a la carte sides.

I also never liked reading those Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid.

I always get the feeling at a chop room that serving sides family-style is another way to up-charge. When else are you going to pay more than $10 for a bunch of mashed potatoes?

A mix-and-match style of eating robs the diner of the culinary arts aspect of

leaving composition up to the professional, which should be part of the experience of a high-end meal.

“A lot of people don’t do well with options, but if you give them a composed dish, they say, ‘I want this and not that,’” Ward said. “I’m much more willing to work with that over someone that doesn’t know what they want. I want them to say, ‘This sounds great, but instead of carrots, I want broccolini.’

That’s so much easier and more accepting with customers instead of having so many options.”

Entrees at St. Mark’s now include lobster in pomodoro sauce with sweet potato gnocchi ($38) that has been one of the most popular. The tenderloin ($42) is paired with potato puree and wild mushroom demi-glace. The panfried pork shank ($32) gets a caramelpear barbecue sauce, sweet potato puree and cocoa glazed cippolini. The veal ($39) is matched with barigoule, a braised artichoke dish from Provence, and sweet potato ribbons.

On a recent visit, I tried the rib-eye ($38), which is pan-seared and topped with a bleu d’Auvergne espuma, which is basically a high-end and delicate blue cheese whipped cream that was an elegant highlight to the expertly cooked meat.

The half roasted chicken ($28) is topped in a tangy dijonnaise and served with a p ot at o d i l l puree that is a portion large enough for two or three people.

My favorite dish on St. Mark’s new menu is the appetizer bagna cauda ($11), which is a traditional Italian dip

St. Mark’s pan-roasted veal | Photo provided

made with a mixture of anchovy, artichoke, celery roots, garlic, shallots and lots of olive oil. The celery root and artichoke provide a good textural base and mellow out the brininess of the anchovy while still retaining its fishy flavor.

The honey truffle chicken wings ($14) are served as only the flat part of the wing, which I prefer because it has less cartilage than the drum portion.

The buttermilk breading is light, but the truffle oil gets lost in the mix, especially when paired with the garlic aioli.

The crème brûlée on the dessert menu is decadent, but I found myself returning to a gluten-free lemon olive oil cake made from almond flour.

Overall, En Croûte and St. Mark’s Chop Room & Bar were already well-executed concepts that have benefitted from the new direction Ward is providing.

The Le Loup plate at En Croûte with a selection of meats and cheeses | Photo Alexa Ace

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9

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EAT & DRINK

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Decade strong

Park Harvey Sushi celebrates 10 years downtown by strengthening its wine bar while embracing its sports bar roots. By Jacob Threadgill

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, Park Harvey Sushi has earned its reputation as a sports bar filled with authentic memorabilia and serving contemporary sushi in the heart of downtown.

Owners Freddy and Rachel Nguyen are in the process of transitioning the space in honor of its decade of success by updating the interior and increasing its wine selection.

“We want to give it a new look after 10 years,” Freddy Nguyen said. “We’ll add a few new food items to the menu after we finish painting, making the bar look nicer. We carry a lot of wine, but there will be more. My wife is the wine specialist; I’m more of a beer guy.”

After decades in the restaurant business, Freddy Nguyen opened Park Harvey Sushi, 200 N. Harvey Ave., at the corner of Harvey and Park avenues in the former Gaijin Sushi location, which was only open for a few months.

How has Park Harvey thrived in a location that quickly chewed up its previous tenant?

Nguyen said it’s a combination of customer service, continuity and cleanliness.

Head sushi chefs Chuong and Kevin Nguyen have worked at Park Harvey for all of its 10 years, and most of the wait staff have been there at least half as long.

“People ask how I kept them so long, and it’s how we treat them,” Nguyen said. “We take good care of them. You have to keep good employees. We want to keep the best employees around.”

Another factor is Nguyen’s foresight.

He leased the space before the

Oklahoma City Thunder played its first game and nearby Devon Energy Center opened. He has been able to build a large lunch clientele from nearby office buildings and a 3-6 p.m. happy hour that includes beer and wine specials that gets especially popular on Friday afternoons. Customers can watch multiple televisions while snacking on housemade pretzels and enjoying a cold drink or sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi.

“I did my research, and there was no other sports bar or sushi bar in downtown [at the time],” Nguyen said. “We are at our busiest before Thunder games, but we get people who come from the Skirvin, including players from other teams [before the game].”

The sports-themed sushi bar is an homage to a few of his previous ventures, which included Outfield Sports Grill and Chinese restaurants. The Nguyens decided to open a sushi restaurant after watching Rachel’s brother succeed with Kang’s Asian Kitchen, which is now Nhinja Sushi with five locations.

Sports are a passion for Freddy Nguyen, who ran long-distance for the University of Oklahoma in the 1970s.

Since graduating, he has remained an active booster with OU and considers former football coach Bob Stoops and basketball coach Kelvin Sampson friends.

“I ran the 5K, 10K and marathon [at OU],” Nguyen said. “It’s why I know so many people, but now I’ve got a beer belly.”

All of the memorabilia in the restaurant is Nguyen’s own collection. He said one of his favorite memories is flying

with the OU basketball team when they played in the Final Four in Atlanta under Sampson in 2002.

When Sampson became an assistant coach for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Park Harvey was the first stop for the team after checking into its hotel when they visited Oklahoma City. There are photos of Rockets players inside the restaurant, but make no mistake; Nguyen’s allegiance remains with the Thunder. There’s a large picture of Russell Westbrook that shows Nguyen in the background, courtside, cheering the team on.

“We sit behind the bench when the Rockets come to town. [Before every game,] they come in here. People with the Thunder know that I’ll take care of them,” he said with a sly smile.

Late nights at Park Harvey take on a bit of a “What happens there stays there” motto.

“I can point to every item and tell why I have that football or basketball,” he said. “[Hall of Fame quarterback] Joe Montana wrote, ‘You the man,’ but

WE’RE SOCIAL. top to bottom salmon nigiri, California roll and Sexy Lady | Photo Alexa Ace

people don’t know why, and it’s because I took good care of him, but I can’t tell you everything that happened.”

Nguyen’s favorite sushi roll on the menu is the Thunder roll, which tops spicy scallops on a roll filled with asparagus, cream cheese, eel and tempura white tuna ($15). Overall, the menu is seafood-forward in a contemporary setting. The chefs add and subtract rolls every two years, but they put an emphasis on specialty rolls with plenty of garlic or spicy mayonnaise.

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I did my research, and there was no other sports bar or sushi bar in downtown [at the time].

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Freddy Nguyen One of the few non-seafood items on the menu is crispy, panko-coated Buffalo wings, as a nod to its sports bar roots.

“You don’t see a lot of sushi restaurants with [Buffalo] wings,” Nguyen said. “These are the best wings. We sell a lot of wings.”

Nguyen is a busy man, working at a law firm during the morning to hone his managerial skills while Rachel handles the lunch crowd. He spends the rest of his time at Park Harvey, talking to customers surrounded by a lifetime of his sports memories.

Park Harvey Sushi is open 11 a.m.9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 4 p.m.9:30 on Saturdays.

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Freddy Nguyen’s friendships with sports legends are reflected in Park Harvey Sushi’s decor and memorabilia. | Photo Alexa Ace

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Chocolate holiday

The classic American chocolate chip cookie was invented at Toll House Inn in Massachusetts by chefs Ruth Graves Wakefield and Sue Brides in 1938. Today (May 15) is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. It can be a treat for everyone; our list includes gluten-free and vegan alternatives.

By Jacob Threadgill with photos file and provided

The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen 1004 N. Hudson Ave., Suite 106 thehallskitchen.com | 405-600-1991

The same wood-fired oven that bakes Hall’s yeasty pizza crust to a perfectly blistered color bakes its sweet treats earlier in the day at a lower temperature as it warms up. You can get the regular indulgent chocolate chip cookie or one that is so good you would not know that it is vegan.

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M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Cafe 501

Cuppies & Joe

501 S. Boulevard, Edmond hrgok.com/cafe-501-edmond 405-359-1501

727 NW 23rd St. cuppiesandjoe.com | 405-528-2122

Is there a worse sin than biting into what you think is a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie only to discover that the chips are, in fact, raisins masquerading as chocolate? Fear not at Cafe 501, where the oatmeal chocolate chip is the preferred option. Of course, you can also get the regular cookie and pursue some of the other options at the top-notch bakery counter.

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Despite its name, the bakery at Cuppies & Joe is much more than just cupcakes.

Bite into a delicious and indulgent chocolate chip cookie while enjoying a coffee drink on the porch. If you want something more than the classic, be on the lookout for chocolate, chocolate chip and white chocolate Craisin oatmeal cookies.

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Green Goodies

5840 N. Classen Blvd. greengoodiesokc.com | 405-842-2288

This Classen Curve bakery has the most ways to enjoy the classic chocolate chip cookie. You can get a huge chocolate chip cookie cake that can also be vegan, glutenfree or both. You get those same options for a regular cookie and as a cookie sandwich, but be aware that the cookie sandwiches are not available every day.

Crimson & Whipped Cream

331 White St., Norman crimsonbakery.com | 405-307-8990

This Norman spot for sweet treats leans into its name by offering cream-filled whoopie pies, which are occasionally made with chocolate chip cookies, but its offerings of the American classic are varied. You can get oatmeal chocolate and vegan chocolate chips with a side of plant-based milk to satisfy your craving.

La Confection

213A SW 25th St. laconfectionokc.com | 405-212-2727

This European-style bakery in Capitol Hill has a rotating menu of sweet treats like cookies, brioche, cheesecakes, cupcakes, muffins, scones and macarons. It offers the classic chocolate chip a few times a week. Be sure to give them a call or check social media to see daily offerings in which the classic is next to salted caramel, cherry pistachio or strawberry cheesecake cookies.

Higher Grounds Coffee Shoppe & Bakery 5814 NW 63rd St., Warr Acres highergroundsokc.com 405-603-6999

Higher Grounds uses its proceeds to fund faith-based community efforts, which is good to know because its bakery is so good you would think it might be sinful.

The classic chocolate chip is always great, but you can also get something interesting like chocolate chip and toffee for extra crunch and buttery sweetness.

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9

17

ARTS & CULTURE

ART

Ida Kohlmeyer’s “Transverse” | Photo Oklahoma City Museum of Art / provided

Color movement

An OKCMOA exhibit explores art focused on the act of creating it instead of the final product. By Jeremy Martin

If you have trouble understanding or enjoying abstract art, Oklahoma City Museum of Art curator Roja Najafi offers some reassuring advice that will be familiar to fans of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

“Do not panic!” Najafi recommended in an email interview. “When confronted with an unfamiliar new style that you may not like, especially if it is abstract, don’t dismiss your feeling of dislike, shock or unease. Not everyone should immediately like a new style.”

Postwar Abstraction: Variations, an exhibition of abstract paintings, is on display through Dec. 31 at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.

Najafi said the modern art form — emphasizing color, shape and the process of creation itself rather than fulfilling art’s traditional function of representing subjects drawn from reality — has continually created controversy since its introduction in the early 20th century.

“Abstract art tends to elicit extreme responses in viewers,” Najafi said.

“Some people embrace the liberty of interpretation offered by abstract art, while others despise it, complaining that abstract art is too simple.”

Instead of ignoring these complaints, Najafi said the museum has decided to confront them directly.

“In this exhibition, we decided to choose one key work in each gallery to address this collective skepticism,” Najafi said. “In addition to an extended label, these selected works have a wall text answering the very question, ‘Why is this here?’”

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M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Inspired by the purposeful distortions of cubism and expressionism, early abstract paintings by Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint moved art even further away from its traditional roots, but the movement did not become prominent until the years following World War II as artists sought to express something unprecedented and previously unfathomable.

“The events surrounding World War II were the most destructive and horrific in the history of humanity,” Najafi said. “Lives lost, cities in devastation, governments in chaos and economies in total ruin. Accordingly, the mood in much of the world, and especially in Europe, was one of despair, disillusionment and cynicism. The art of the immediate postwar reflected these sentiments with extreme expressiveness.”

Many of abstract art’s key figures — Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell — were either born in the United States or created some of their most influential works after immigrating here, but Najafi said abstract art has a worldwide appeal.

“Although these movements have roots in America, they were Anne Truitt’s “The Sea, The Sea” | Photo Oklahoma City Museum of Art / provided

internationally popular,” she said.

“World War II positioned the United States as a global power, and in the years following the conflict, many Americans enjoyed the benefits of unprecedented economic growth. American abstract expressionism is especially significant because it emerged in a climate of Cold War politics and it marked the beginning of New York City’s influence as the center of the Western art world.”

Postwar Abstraction features rarely shown works by Sam Gilliam, Helen Frankenthaler, Suzanne McClelland, Mark Tobey, Richard Pousette-Dart, Ida Kohlmeyer, Leonardo Nierman and Herbert Bayer alongside “longsta nding museum highlights” by Howard Mehring, Leon Polk Smith, Sam Francis, Ellsworth Kelly, Paul Reed and Gene Davis, Najafi said, and other than a shared “commitment to pure abstraction,” the paintings are widely varied in technique and composition.

“The diversity of abstraction in this exhibition is shown in works that range across a spectrum of styles,” Najafi said, “from expressive and gestural to placid and restrained to austere and mechanical.”

Gilliam’s color field paintings, for example, feature irregular patterns of geometric shapes inspired by the “crazy quilting” technique developed by African American artisans, while Frankenthaler poured thin paint in large puddles to create oblong splotches in a method she called “soak-stain.”

Kohlmeyer’s “Transverse” is created from fluid gestural brushstrokes, while Smith’s “Modular Series: #171 Green-Blue” is a work of hard-edged minimalism composed of interlocking geometric shapes. McClelland’s work, inspired by linguistic theory, often features letters and numbers.

Nierman, meanwhile, draws inspiration from classical music to create elaborately colored works evocative of natural elements such as volcanoes and whirlwinds.

“The half-century or so following the end of World War II was one of the most fertile periods in the history of abstract painting,” Najafi said, “and the works featured in Postwar Abstraction: Variations highlight a period of remarkable creativity. I think the amazing variety of styles of abstraction

in the postwar era is a nice surprise.”

Najafi advised viewers should not necessarily seek to understand the paintings on display in Postwar Abstraction intellectually. However, that does not mean that the artists were not thoughtful in their creation. Seminal works by Kandinsky and af Klint, for example, were inspired by philosophy, spiritualism and esoteric movements such as theosophy and eschatology.

“Postwar abstract art, especially abstract expressionism, is more about the journey than the final product,” Najafi said. “The goal may not be to illustrate, but to express feelings. When you stand

Paul Reed’s “Step” | Photo Oklahoma City Museum of Art / provided

in front of a composition filled with paint drips and splashes of color on a canvas, probably the main goal was not to make a chaotic mess, but rather to depict the energy of the paint and movement. It may help to allow this energy to guide us organically. The artists are expressing emotions by feeling them while executing the artwork. The essence of abstract painting invites us to look beyond what is familiar or what we expect to see in favor of experience.”

By allowing the viewers to use their own experience and feelings to understand the work, the paintings on display offer an opportunity to reconsider the way we interact with art.

“There is a value to open interpretation,” Najafi said. “Lack of figures or a classic narration doesn’t mean lack of meaning or value. Abstract art restructures the way we expect to receive visual information, and it allows us to stretch our minds around a visual experience.

Sometimes looking at abstract art is like choosing your own adventure.”

Visit okcmoa.com.

Postwar Abstraction: Variations through Dec. 31 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com | 405-236-3100 Free–$12

CAPITOL INSIDER

News from the Oklahoma Legislative Session

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CO M M U N I T Y

With KGOU’s Dick Pryor & eCapitol’s Shawn Ashley

Art holiday

Now in its 43rd year, Paseo Arts Festival provides an artist-friendly space for Memorial Day weekend fun. By Jeremy Martin

From an artist’s perspective, the difference between a good arts festival and a bad one sometimes comes down to the bathrooms.

Fort Worth, Texas-based mixedmedia artist Laurie Aurand, for example, remembers having an uncomfortable experience showing her work at a recent festival that will remain anonymous.

“Most shows have some kind of artists’ hospitality area,” Aurand said.

“This one had nothing. They had supposedly designated artists’ bathrooms, but they closed them down, so now we’re in line for the port-a-potties. I know that sounds silly, but you’re away from your booth. They didn’t have booth sitters to come and help you out. It was kind of a mess. That makes a long show.”

It is the kind of experience Paseo Arts Association executive director Amanda Bleakley said she hopes none of the artists ever have at Paseo Arts Festival.

“We’re an art festival that is for the artists, so we don’t take a commission off of what they sell,” Bleakley said. “We just charge them the booth fee. We set up two artist hospitality areas for them to have bathroom facilities, cold water and snacks. … One of them is our office, so we share. It gets kind of crowded sometimes, but at the same time, it’s good to have them come in because then I get to talk to them and get immediate feedback about how things are going and what we can do different.”

The annual festival, now in its 43rd year, takes place Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, in Paseo Arts District, located on Paseo Street between NW 30th Street and Walker Avenue. Bleakley said making the artists the priority at the festival helps ensure that they return and tell others about their experience.

“I think that going the extra mile and making our artists feel welcome here and feel special is what keeps them wanting to come back and be in our festival,”

The 43rd annual Paseo Arts Festival takes place over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, in The Paseo Arts District. | Photo provided

Bleakley said. “We’re a small community festival. We can’t really compete with the larger places, but we do focus on treating the artists well and making sure that this is about them even though this is a fundraiser for us. … A lot of these artists are local artists that are from Oklahoma, but some of them are from out of state, and we feel like we’re the ambassadors for Oklahoma when we have our artists from out of state. They’re our guests here, and we want them to go back and talk about how great Oklahoma is.”

Quality art

Aurand, who will show her art at Paseo for the first time, said she was encouraged to apply for the festival because it has “a really good reputation as a show.”

“The quality of the art is good,” Aurand said. “They’re careful about not having too many of the same kind of artists there. They treat the artists well. That’s important when you’re traveling for shows. There’s nothing worse than going to a show where they don’t acknowledge that the artists are there for something.”

Aurand developed her own mixedmedia technique through 20 years of experimentation, beginning with rubber stamping and moving onto collaging until she “got kind of bored” with it.

“Then I discovered texture,” she said. “The thing that I love the most now is I find different ways to texture — different mediums, different sands and marble dust and all sorts of things. … For me, it’s all about the texture and the way the color plays off the texture, but it’s a slow transition. It’s not like you wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to do this.’ You try it for a while, and continued on page 20

Complete program schedule at KGOU.org

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ARTS & CULTURE CO M M U N I T Y

continued from page 19

then you’re like, ‘Wow! I really liked that. Let me do that some more.’ You evolve into that.”

Rockford, Illinois-based digital artist Barry Reithmeier returns to the festival for his fourth year.

“The market always supports me,” Reithmeier said. “It’s very accepting of what I do, artwise, and I just love the city, love the people. I’ve developed some great relationships with clients. We get together, go out to

Kim Taggart’s “Five O’Clock Shadows” | Photo provided

dinner. I have breakfast at their house.

They come to the show to hang out with me. It’s kind of like a reunion of sorts with a lot of my clients and collectors in the area.”

Reithmeier creates his “very wild abstract art” using a mid-’90s version of Bryce 3D modeling software and mounts it on brushed steel. He still uses the same version of the icon-driven landscape design software he originally started with, requiring him to scour eBay for old Apple computers capable of running the program.

“I am constructing an abstract world based purely on shapes, materials and textures, and then I light those with colored lights, almost like a photographer would do in studio,” Reithmeier said.

Kim Taggart, also making her first appearance at the festival, calls the technique she uses to depict rural landscapes of the Flint Hills region of Kansas “extreme graphite,” a tongue-in-cheek response to an athletic friend’s love of extreme sports.

“I call it ‘extreme graphite’ because a lot of people, when they see it, they’re like, ‘Is that pencil?’” Taggart said. “I kind of almost approach my graphite like a painting because you can get super, super great detail with the end of a pencil point and each piece does have a concentrated area where there’s really defined, minute details. However, I try to ap-

Barry Reithmeier’s “Big Juicy” | Photo provided

proach it painterly in that I try to soften my edges on the outside, and sometimes I even take a brush and soften the edge a little bit so it’s not this hard, crisp edge.”

Inspired by modern artist Charles Sheeler, Taggart also calls her work “emotional precisionism” because of the response her detailed landscapes get from viewers.

“I find a lot of older guys that have a farming or rural past will stop and stare at my stuff because they are making a connection,” Taggart said, “so I think

rural scenery is relatable, even to citydwellers, because most people have a rural memory in their life. Everybody seems to have a connection with one or more of my pieces.”

In addition to new artists, the festival features new food and alcohol options, and a new stage at The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., features spoken word and standup comedy performances on Sunday, augmenting the traditional live music offered on the festival’s north and south stages on all three days.

Bleakley said artists appearing at the festival typically just have one grievance.

“We do a survey at the end and find out what they liked,” Bleakley said, “and basically, the only thing they complain about is the weather. So we’re like, ‘Sorry. That’s the one thing we don’t have any control over.’”

Admission is free. Visitors can park at First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker Ave., and take a free shuttle to the festival.

For a full schedule of events or to sign up to volunteer, visit thepaseo.org.

Paseo Arts Festival May 25-27 The Paseo Arts District Paseo Street between NW 30th Street and Walker Avenue thepaseo.org | 405-525-2688 Free

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M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

SPORTS

WE’RE SOCIAL. Softball mecca

Construction on OGE Energy Field is hurried in advance of Women’s College World Series. By Jacob Threadgill

Construction crews are rapidly working to finish renovations to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex and OGE Energy Field, 2801 NE 50th St., in time for the first pitch of the Women’s College World Series (CWS) on May 30.

The latest round of renovations, which is focused on the construction of a brand-new press box and a complete overhaul of the facility’s player and media interior amenities, is the third phase of four that strengthen Oklahoma City as the softball capital of the country.

Timberlake Construction is applying brick façade to the new two-story press box that includes an entire level devoted to ESPN’s coverage of the event and space for analysts to do live pitching and hitting demonstrations.

The $19 million project for phases three and four and the $27.5 million total comes out of the general obligation bond approved by the city in 2017 as well as private donations.

After the completion of the CWS in early June, work will begin on the final phase of the project that will add a second level for stadium seating that includes 4,000 additional seats and increases stadium capacity to 9,000, and additional temporary outfield bleachers will add 3,000 seats.

Tom Anderson, the city’s special projects manager, said the series currently brings 70,000 visitors to the city from as far away as Florida, and they contribute $15 million to the city’s visitor-based economy by staying at hotels and eating at restaurants. He estimated that number will increase to $20-$23 million annually with additional seating capacity.

“It benefits private business and spurs a lot of spin-off athletics like youth softball tournaments that want to be close to the first because this is the Super Bowl of women’s softball,” Anderson said.

It’s a choice OKC made to help advance everyone’s quality of life, our stature as a destination in the country.

Tom Anderson The impetus for stadium renovations came up with talks to secure a long-term agreement with the NCAA and its broadcast partner ESPN to keep the CWS in Oklahoma City, Anderson said.

The NCAA and ESPN wanted to see improvements to player facilities like locker rooms and increased setup for media, as CWS media credentials and television ratings continue to increase.

“It’s a choice OKC made to help advance everyone’s quality of life, our stature as a destination in the country,” Anderson said.

Oklahoma City has a long-term agreement with the NCAA that runs through 2035 but is effectively longer because the city has the right of first refusal when it comes to negotiating an extension.

Oklahoma City joined Omaha, Nebraska, (Men’s College World Series) and Eugene, Oregon, (Track & Field championship) to have such long-term contracts as national championship host sites.

General seating tickets to the CWS

John Miller, USA Softball director of membership, details construction of a new two-story press box at OGE Energy Field. | Photo Alexa Ace

sell out every year by March. According to John Miller, USA Softball’s director of membership, approximately 5,000 standing-room-only tickets will be available before the event.

“A lot of the same families return year after year, regardless of who is playing,” Miller said.

To better accommodate fans in the outfield that are not able to see the outfield scoreboard, a new 10-by-17-foot videoboard will keep them in the loop with scores and replay.

The biggest impact for fans at 2019’s CWS is the loss of shade provided by an awning from the old press box. Miller said a new awning will be constructed in the final phase but they can seek refuge from the heat in the new concourse sections of the stadium.

Other improvements being finalized during phase three include media hospitality work rooms and a press conference room, which Miller said will allow for better access than doing post-game interviews in a long tunnel, as was the previous setup.

The USA Softball facility hosts more than 30 events annually, including last week’s Big XII Conference Championship.

USA Softball moved to Oklahoma City from Chicago in 1966. Groundbreaking for the museum at its current location began in 1970, and the current stadium opened in 1987 and hosted its first Women’s CWS in 1990.

“This construction project is a complete team effort and includes all of the citizens of Oklahoma City,” said USA Softball board president-elect Rodney Cobb. “They’ve taken on this daunting task. … I’d be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to the citizens who voted [yes] on the initiative to allow this to happen.

We’re extremely privileged and proud to have our home in Oklahoma City.”

Visit teamusa.org/usa-softball.

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9

21

CALENDAR are events recommended

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

BOOKS Geek Con a celebration of comic books and superheroes with a cosplay contest, an escape room, crafts, discussion panels and more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

May 18. Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org. SAT

FILM Amazing Grace (2018, USA, Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack) Aretha Franklin records her classic gospel album at New Bethel Baptist Church in 1972 in this music documentary, May 17. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI Movie in the Park: Incredibles 2 (2018, USA, Brad Bird) the heroic family’s latest adventure requires Mr. Incredible to mind the house, while his wife saves the day; an outdoor screening, 7-11 p.m.

May 17. Moore Central Park, 700 S. Broadway St., 405-793-5090, centralpark.cityofmoore.com. FRI A Poem is a Naked Person (1974, USA, Les Blank) a documentary combining footage of Leon Russell recording in his Oklahoma studio with live performances, 2 p.m. May 19. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. SUN Rookie of the Year after his broken arm heals into a powerful pitching arm, a young baseball fan (Thomas Ian Nicholas) lives his dream of playing for the Chicago Cubs; screening features Nicholas in person, 7 p.m. May 22. Circle Cinema, Tulsa, 10 S. Lewis Ave., 918-585-3504, circlecinema.com. WED VHS and Chill: Big Trouble in Little China (1986, USA, John Carpenter) trucker Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) helps his friend Wang (Dennis Dun) rescue his fiancé from a sinister plot in this campy cult classic, 10 p.m. May 17. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. FRI

HAPPENINGS 90s-00s Dance Party hear the hits of the previous two decades, watch music videos and enjoy adult Capri Sun cocktails, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. May 15. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Chicago Steppin Class learn how to do the popular dance at this free weekly class, 7-9 p.m. Thursdays.

L & G’s on the BLVD, 4801 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-5242001, facebook.com/landgsontheblvd. THU Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Downtown Recyclers Toastmasters practice your public speaking skills at this ongoing weekly meeting, noon-1 p.m. Wednesdays. Department of Environmental Quality, 707 N. Robinson Ave., 405702-0100, deq.state.ok.us. WED Drag Bingo hosted by former Miss International Gay Rodeo Association Luxx Bentley, this fundraiser for Other Options and Great Plains Rodeo Association will feature food, drinks and prizes, 7-9 p.m.

May 19. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. SUN Game of Thrones Trivia bring a team of knowledgeable friends to show your knowledge of HBO’s popular fantasy series, 7-9 p.m. May 15. Nashbird, 1 NW Ninth St., 405-600-9718, nashbirdchicken.com. WED Garden Festival in the Park learn about gardening and shop for plants, accessories and decor at this annual festival, now in its 29th year, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

May 18. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405-943-0827, okc.gov. SAT Governor’s Club Toastmasters lose your fear of public speaking and gain leadership skills by practicing in a fun and low-stakes environment, noon-1 p.m.

Wednesdays. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Building, 2501 N. Stiles Ave., 405-523-2300, okfarmbureau.org. WED Inspiring Conversations with Jeff Krisman a discussion featuring Gina Hoffman and Collin The Chill One, 6-7:30 p.m. May 16. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU The Kelli O’Hara Awards high school musical theatre performers will be honored at this ceremony which also features performances by the nominees, 6 p.m. May 19. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. SUN Moore Chess Club play in tournaments and learn about the popular board game at this weekly event where all ages and skill levels are welcome, 1-4 p.m.

Sundays. Moore Library, 225 S. Howard. SUN OKC Fashion & Talent Show presented by Mental Health Association Oklahoma, this evening features music, poetry, a fashion show and more, 7-9 p.m. May 16. Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave., 405-604-3015, willrogerstheatre.com. THU Okie Made Market vendors with locally made products including handmade decor, furniture, clothing, crafts and more, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 18. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 4054860701. SAT Poetic City a poetry slam with a cash prize followed by a day party with music, drinks and food, 1-6 p.m.

May 19. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405208-4240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. SUN

Kurvy and Killin’ It Fashion Show As you might surmise from the brand name, Kellye Johnson’s Kurvy Kitten clothing line specializes in plus-size women’s fashions, but in the interest of promoting true body positivity, the brand offers smaller sizes and T-shirts emblazoned with the messages “Stacked” and “Small Kurves Matter.” See what else the brand has in store at this purple-carpet event hosted by Bianca Golden of America’s Next Top Model. The show begins 6 p.m. Sunday at Credit Union House of Oklahoma, 631 E. Hill St. Tickets are $35$50. Visit walkroyale.com.org. FRIDAY-SUNDAY Photo provided

Pollinator, Flower Class learn how to use flowers to draw pollinators and other beneficial insects, 2-3 p.m. May 18. TLC Garden Center, 105 W. Memorial road, 405-751-0630, tlcgarden.com. SAT Pooches on the Patio bring your best friend to this dog-friendly happy hour with drink specials, appetizers and free pet treats, 4-7 p.m. May 11. Café 501 Classen Curve, 5825 NW Grand Blvd., 405-844-1501, cafe501.com. SAT Red Dirt Dinos: An Oklahoma Dinosaur Adventure learn about regional prehistoric reptiles at this hands-on exhibit featuring three interactive robotic dinosaurs, through Sept. 2. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU-SAT Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, 623-810-0295. THU Trivia Night at Matty McMillen’s answer questions for a chance to win prizes at this weekly trivia night, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Matty McMillen’s Irish Pub, 2201 NW 150th St., 405-607-8822, mattymcmillens.com. TUE Unpacking White Feminism with Rachel Cargle learn how to combat the effects of white-centered activism on present feminism to make it more inclusive at this lecture presented by Women Lead Oklahoma, 6-8 p.m. May 18. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Urban Campout spend the night under the stars with outdoor activities and a tour of the mansion, 10 a.m. May 18. Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., 405-525-5325, overholsermansion.org. SAT The West Wing Watch Party: Let Bartlet Be Bartlet a screening of the popular political TV show with a discussion to follow, hosted by Let’s Fix This, 7-10 p.m. May 15. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. WED

Gender Diverse & LGBTQ Symposium Total Wellness for Diverse Communities, the fifth annual iteration of this symposium hosted by The Diversity Center of Oklahoma, seeks to increase the awareness of health care issues affecting the gender diverse and LGBTQ+ communities in an effort to decrease discrimination and exclusionary practices and increase the number of qualified medical and mental health professionals providing quality treatment to an all-to-often marginalized community. Clinicians, activists and other experts will discuss topics including sexual health care, public policy and intersectionality, and medical professionals as well as community members, allies and family are invited to attend. The symposium is Friday and Saturday at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s College of Allied Health, 1200 N. Stonewall Ave. Tickets are $10-$255. Visit diversitycenterofoklahoma.org. FRIDAY-SATURDAY Photo bigstock.com

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M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Wheeler Summer Music Series enjoy live music, food trucks, craft beer and pop-up shops at this monthly event, 7 p.m. third Friday of every month through Sept. 20. Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave., 405-655-8455, wheelerdistrict.com/ ferris-wheel. FRI

FOOD Beillevaire Tasting an ambassador from traditionalist French cheese producer Beillevaire will lead a special cheese and wine tasting, 6:45-8:45 p.m. May 22. Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 W. Main St., Norman, 405-321-1007, forwardfoods.com. WED Natural Wine & Raw Milk Cheese Tasting sample natural wine paired with natural cheese and learn about the methods used to produce both, 6:45-8:45 p.m. May 17. Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 W. Main St., Norman, 405-321-1007, forwardfoods.com. FRI

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival sample locally brewed beer and food truck fare at this annual festival, now in its eighth year, 1-9 p.m. May 18. Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-301-3467, twistedspike.com. SAT Paseo Farmers Market shop for fresh food from local vendors at this weekly outdoor event, 9 a.m.noon Saturdays, through Oct. 19. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St., 405-208-8291, sixtwelve.org. SAT

YOUTH Barbara Lowell book signing the author will autograph copies of Sparky & Spike: Charles Schulz and the Wildest, Smartest Dog Ever, based on childhood of the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, 11 a.m.noon May 18. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. SAT Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Reading Wednesdays a weekly story time with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Red Earth Youth Art Competition & Show young Native American artists age 9-18 display pottery, painting, jewelry, beadwork and more in a judged art competition, May 17-19. OKC Outlets, 7624 W. Reno Ave., 405-787-3700, okcoutlets.com. FRI-SUN Story Time with Britt’s Bookworms enjoy snacks, crafts and story time, 10:30-11:30 a.m. first and third Thursday of every month. Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16th St., 405-356-6262. THU Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS 10 Minute Opera Festival Opera on Tap OKC presents three short operas created by local composers, 6-8 p.m. May 18. The Deli, 309 White St., Norman, 405-329-3934, thedeli.us. SAT Benefit for Amanda Howle a benefit for the local musician and open mic host, whose musical equipment and guitar was recently stolen; featuring performances by Shades of Gray, Cliff Top, Janice Francis-Smith and Howle herself, 2011 p.m. May 19.

Kendells, 110 S. May Ave., kendellsbar.com. SUN Chisholm Creek Rooftop Hop a variety of musicians perform on the rooftops and patios of businesses at this weekly concert, 6-10 p.m. May 21.

Chisholm Creek, 13230 Pawnee Drive, 405-728-2780, chisholmcreek.com. TUE

Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase hosted

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

Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED Don Quixote Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N. Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI Earthquake the standup comic and actor will perform, 6:30-10 p.m. May 19. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SUN Iron Horse Open Mic and Showcase perform music on stage at this show open to all experience levels, 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 9501 S. Shields Blvd., 405-735-1801. WED JJ’s 10th Year Anniversary Bash more than 70 musicians are scheduled to perform at this three-day celebration of the anniversary of the bar’s opening, May 17-20. JJ’s Alley Bricktown Pub, 212 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-605-4543, welcometobricktown.com/ content/jjs-alley. FRI-MON Joel Forlenza: The Piano Man the pianist performs variety of songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and of course Billy Joel, 5:30-8:30 p.m. TuesdaySaturday. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-701-4900, othellos.us. TUE-FRI La Tragédie de Carmen Painted Sky Opera presents Peter Brook’s 90-minute scaled-down adaptation of Georges Bizet’s Carmen, May 17 and 19. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. FRI-SUN Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m.

Wednesdays. Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED Monday Night Blues Jam Session bring your own instrument to this open-stage jam hosted by Wess McMichael, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. MON

The Skirvin Jazz Club a monthly live jazz show presented by OK Sessions, 7:30 p.m. third Friday of every month. Park Avenue Grill, 1 Park Ave., 405-7028444, parkavegrill.com. FRI Sweet Yield Studio Spring Recital a dance performance by students of the Sweet Yield Studio, 6:30-8 p.m. May 18. The Douglass at Page Woodson, 600 N. High Ave., 405-601-1989, facebook.com/ thedouglasspagewoodson. SAT Virginia Campbell’s 36th Annual Piano Concert Series the pianist will perform with violinist Kyle Dillingham, 2:30 p.m. May 19. All Souls Episcopal Church, 6400 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-842-1461, allsoulsokc.com. SUN VZD’s Open Mic Night a weekly music mic hosted by Joe Hopkins, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., 405-6023006, vzds.com. WED Weekly Jams bring an instrument and play along with others at this open-invitation weekly jam session, 9:30 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays. Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., 405-602-6308, saintspubokc.com. TUE

ACTIVE Bike to Work Day cyclists participating in Oklahoma City’s 14th annual Bike to Work Day are invited to meetup for coffee and breakfast before heading to work, 7:15-9 a.m. May 17. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. FRI

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

Oklahoma City Improv, 1757 NW 16th St., 405-4569858, okcimprov.com. FRI

Mania choose from multiple fitness classes including power pilates, flow and barre yoga, and core and restore, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 18. Magnolia Building, 722 N. Broadway Ave,. SAT

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

Wednesdays. The Patriarch Craft Beer House & Lawn, 9 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-285-6670, thepatriarchedmond.com. WED Othello’s Comedy Night see professionals and amateurs alike at this long-running weekly open mic for standup comics, 9 p.m. Tuesdays. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., Norman, 405-7014900, othellos.us. TUE Pick-A-Tune with Lucas Ross people who have never played the banjo are invited to learn a song; instruments provided, 2-3 p.m. May 18. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com. SAT Poetry & Chill Open Mic poets, rappers, comics, singers and all other performers are invited to take the stage at this weekly show with a live band and featured performer, 8-11 p.m. May 17. Glass Lounge, 5929 N. May Ave., 405-835-8077, glasshouseokc.com. FRI Public Access Open Mic read poetry, do standup comedy, play music or just watch as an audience member at this open mic hosted by Alex Sanchez, 7 p.m. Sundays. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St., 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. SUN Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic for comedy and poetry, hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. WED Sanctuary Karaoke Service don a choir robe and sing your favorite song, 9 p.m.-midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sanctuary Barsilica, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/sanctuarybarokc. WED

Kathy J. Martin and Pat Gurley an exhibition of porcelain art including Martin’s series Women Who Survive, through May 31. Porcelain Art Museum, 2700 N. Portland Ave., 405-521-1234, wocp.org. SAT-FRI

Walk This Way a fashion show featuring designs by Jeffrey Meek, Nicole Thomas and Stella Thomas Designs and benefitting Other Options, a nonprofit seeking to alleviate the impact of HIV/AIDS, 7-11 p.m. May 18.

OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 4054860701.

SAT

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

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-SAT

Lauren Midgley an exhibition of the conceptual fine art photographer’s surrealist-influenced digital work, through May 19. Stash, 412 E. Main St., Norman, 405-701-1016, stashok.com. THU-SUN Life Imagined: The Art and Science of Automata see examples of mechanical proto-robots from 1850 to the modern day, through Sept. 29.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SUN-SAT Live art demonstration: Behnaz Sohrabian the Tehran, Iran-born artist will demonstrate her method for creating oil paintings, 7-9 p.m. May 20. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON

Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., 405-350-8920, cityofyukon. gov. WED Full Moon Kayak a 90-minute kayaking excursion as the sun sets and the full moon rises; weather permitting, 8:30-10 p.m. May 18. Lake Overholser Boathouse, 3115 E. Overholser Drive, 405-552-4040, riversportokc.org/lake-overholser. SAT

Only in Oklahoma: an OKC StorySLAM listen to true stories about what it means to live in Oklahoma, and have the chance to share one of your own, 7 p.m. May 19. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. SUN

From the Golden Age to the Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection view portraits painted by Kehinde Wiley, Anthony van Dyck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and George Bellows, through Sept. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SAT

May 26. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. THU-SUN

Botanical Balance an all-levels yoga class in a natural environment; bring your own mat and water, 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT-TUE

OK Country Cafe Open Mic show off your singing talent, 6 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of every month. OK Country Cafe, 6072 S. Western Ave., 405-602-6866, okcountrycafe.com. THU

Oklahoma Community Orchestra the orchestra joins with the Oklahoma City Community Band to perform a concert of marches including “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “William Tell Overture” and “Pomp and Circumstance,” 6 p.m. May 19. Oklahoma Christian University, 2501 E. Memorial Road, Edmond. SUN

Beginning Bookmaking Workshop learn how to make several varieties of simple handmade books at this art class taught by Wendy Fox, 1-4 p.m. May 18. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-8159995, 1ne3.org. SAT

Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through east Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Rd., 405-603-7655. MON Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. SAT Stars and Stripes Spin Jam a weekly meetup for jugglers, hula hoopers and unicyclers, 6-8 p.m.

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

Twisted Spike Brewing Co., 1 NW 10th St., 405-3013467, twistedspike.com. MON Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

VISUAL ARTS Ansel Adams and the Photographers of the West an exhibition of nature photographs by Adams and several of the photographers he inspired, through May 26. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN Back Roads and Dirt Roads an exhibition of Linda Guenther’s photographs of rural landscapes, through June 2. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. FRI-SUN Basic Wire Wrapping Workshop learn to create a handmade pendant at this hands-on workshop taught by Teresa Gabrish from The Copper Feather, 6-9 p.m. May 22. The Craft Room, 3017 N. Lee Ave., Suite F, 817-455-2972, craftroom.us. WED Beach Scapes an exhibition of photographer Simon Hurst’s photos taken along the beaches of the Florida panhandle, through May 16. American Choral Directors Association, 545 Couch Drive, 405-2328161, acda.org. THU Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage an exhibition of artworks created by people with dyslexia including students from Oklahoma City’s Trinity School, through July 14. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN

White Guy on the Bus Be warned before boarding that this bus goes somewhere unexpected and makes a sudden, shocking stop. Bruce Graham’s play, which The New York Times called a “deftly constructed” “scalding take on race … specifically about the dynamic between low-income blacks and economically comfortable whites” might well inspire conversations almost as uncomfortable as those that occur between titular financial adviser Ray (Terry Veal) and single black mother Shatique (Nykezia Giles) on the bus and elsewhere. Theatergoers expecting Driving Miss Daisy better pump their brakes. The play runs Friday-June 1 at Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St. Tickets are $5-$25. Call 405-232-6500 or visit carpentersquare.com. FRIDAY-JUNE 1 Photo provided Public Art & Inclusion Bootcamp speakers including romy owens, Jabee Williams and Brett McDanel discuss the process of submitting public art projects for approval, 1-5 p.m. May 19. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SUN Seeing Now an exhibit of multimedia art works

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

21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU-SAT She Persisted an exhibition of works by six female artists presented by Red Earth Art Center, Through May 28. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok. org. WED-TUE Silk Sensations of Color an exhibition of handpainted silk art presented by the Silk Painters Guild of Oklahoma, through May 27. Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.com. FRI-MON Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Oklahoma Is Black an exhibition highlighting black history in Oklahoma City, through May 19. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. FRI-SUN Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman an exhibition of portraits, landscapes and more by the artist and Holocaust survivor, through

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EVENT

MUSIC

Angry blues

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears brings its newest album to 89th Street — OKC. By Jeremy Martin

The difference between The Difference Between Me & You and the albums Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears released prior to it, in Lewis’ opinion, is clarity of purpose.

“It actually has a more cohesive thing to it, you know what I’m saying?” Lewis said of his band’s 2018 self-released album. “All the songs fit together and stuff, whereas some of the other ones, I was kind of just doing what I wanted, song to song, and this one’s more of a concept, if you will. The sound is kind of bluesy and stuff.”

Lewis and company play May 24 at 89th Street — OKC, 8911 N. Western Ave. While Lewis has been recording raw, blues-inspired rock since his 2007 self-titled debut, he said his band’s latest album is authenticated by more than a decade of experience.

“It’s real blues,” Lewis said. “It’s a band that has been around for a long time now, and it’s gone through all the ups and downs and the good side and the bad side of the industry and all that.

And it’s just kind of being comfortable with who you are instead of trying hard to be the next big thing or whatever, saying, ‘We’re going to do this’ and ‘We’re going to do that.’ It’s been too many years, and I’m comfortable with who I am, I guess. That’s what I’m going for. I’m trying to tell the truth.”

Frequently touted early in their career as the next big thing and even more frequently compared to James Brown by the likes of NPR, Lewis and his horn-infused Honeybears (a band name he has tried over the years, unsuccessfully, to shed) have seen the critical hype machine up close. Songs “Culture Vulture” and “Face in the Scene” seem to shout down hollow hipsterism while “Suit or Soul?” follows up the title question with, “Friend or foe? You don’t know. … When you need some help, ain’t nowhere to be found. As soon as you get

paid, show up with his hand out.” But Lewis said navigating the music industry never rerouted the band’s evolution.

The electrified blues on his latest album — as reminiscent of The Stooges’ Fun House as it is anything released on Stax or Chess — is the sound he has sought to make since he first picked up a guitar.

“I’ve always known what I wanted to do,” Lewis said. “It was just a matter of getting the chops under my belt. I started playing when I was 20, 19, so it was just a matter of getting to the skill level where I could execute, put that out there. Back in the day, it was like I knew what I was trying to do but I wasn’t physically there yet. I was still pretty fresh.”

The album also includes a cover of Wilco’s “Handshake Drugs” from the 2004 album A Ghost Is Born, a calculated move, Lewis said, but one that resulted in a soulful recontextualizing of Jeff Tweedy’s lyrics about prescription drug addiction, replacing the original’s descent into psychedelic guitar distortion for lung-busting harmonica blasts.

They’re all kind of angry.

It’s blues music.

Black Joe Lewis “We were kind of just looking for a cover to get the album more attention, and we wanted to do something that was different instead of just doing another rock song or a blues song or another song that just sounded like that,” Lewis said. “We wanted to do something different that we could put our own spin on.”

The palpable rage and disillusionment evident on the album, which Charleston City Paper’s Vincent Harris compared to Sly & the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin On because it finds Lewis with “zero fucks left to give,” seems at odds with NPR’s description of the band’s sound in 2009: “This is party music,” critic Christian Bordal said then, “and the Honeybears don’t try to turn the process into high art.” But Lewis contends his albums have always had a seething subtext.

“They’re all kind of angry,” Lewis said. “It’s blues music.”

Still, he said he understands why, to some listeners, the band’s high energy blues rock sounds more like dance music than anything else.

The Difference Between Me & You was released in September. | Image provided

“We’ve always been known as being a better live band, so that automatically gives you the party label, but I don’t really care,” Lewis said. “They can call it what they want as long as somebody’s paying attention. As long as somebody’s listening, I don’t care.”

Over the years, the raw power of Lewis’ stage presence has been somewhat rechanneled into less reckless behavior as the mileage from the road begins to wear on the band.

“I used to jump offstage and all that stuff back in the day, but I don’t do that anymore,” Lewis said. “If you ask somebody about my shows recently, I think we still bring it, man. … I think the hardest part about getting older and dudes in the band getting older is their comfort level is different after being out there that long. People start having families and start missing their families. That’s the hardest thing about it.

And the partying — you get hungover more the next day. But overall, playing the shows is the easy part of it, versus the whole day where you’re just sitting there in the car and whatnot; that gets tough mentally … when you’re in close proximity to people’s attitudes and needs and shit.”

However, Lewis pointed out that the blues tradition allows for aging. Engaging performers can electrify a crowd for decades without a single stage dive.

“I could put on a good show in a chair,” Lewis said. “Lightning [Hopkins] used to play in a chair all the time.”

Growing older also offers experience and perspective, allowing Lewis to write more personal lyrics from his own point of view. While 2017’s Backlash drew influence from classic Russian literature, The Difference Between Me & You

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears plays May 24 at 89th Street - OKC. | Photo provided

was largely inspired by Lewis’ response to the world around him.

“You figure out a better way to say it,” Lewis said. “Watching the news and reading the paper, seeing what’s going on, you get inspiration from current events.”

Sometimes, as made plain in the song “Some Conversations You Just Don’t Need to Have,” the best response is to just shut up.

“Just leave it alone and don’t say too much, man,” Lewis said. “You know when people be lying and they just keep talking and they say too much shit and they give themselves away. Sometimes you need to be quieter, man. Or sometimes in relationships, you’ve just got to let some shit slide or you’re going to get in trouble. And people say all kinds of shit on the computer, but if you can’t say it to my face, I don’t really care.”

Angry blues is an understandable response to the world as it is, but Lewis said he tries not to let the rage carry over into his reality.

“You got to keep it moving, you know,” Lewis said. “Go down to the bar and get a beer and keep it moving.”

Tickets are $17-$20. Visit 89thstreetokc.com.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears 7 p.m. May 24 89th Street — OKC 8911 N. Western Ave. 89thstreetokc.com $17-$20

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9

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EVENT

MUSIC

Gerle talk

Gerle Haggard puts a women’s spin on the bard of Bakersfield. By Jeremy Martin

Billing itself as “all girl, all Merle,” Portland, Oregon-based Merle Haggard tribute band Gerle Haggard is literally a dream come true — just not the dream of anyone in the band.

“Our drummer [Nikki Jardin], her friend had this dream, woke up laughing and said, ‘You’re never going to believe what I dreamt last night; I dreamed I started an all-female Merle Haggard tribute called Gerle Haggard,’” lead singer Tave Fasce Drake said. “And Nikki said, ‘Oh, that band is going to happen, and I’m going to be the drummer.’”

Gerle Haggard plays 10 p.m. Friday at The Deli, 309 White St., in Norman. Drake, who sometimes plays the saxophone kazoo onstage, said Gerle Haggard is “definitely not your standard tribute band.”

“We’re trying to really bring that heart and soul of Merle Haggard onto the stage,” Drake said. “We’re trying to open up his music for old and new listeners alike, and we definitely want to pay respect and we want to do it well. But we also spin stuff a little bit differently, periodically, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.”

Raised in a boxcar his father converted into a house after his parents moved from Checotah to Oildale, California, during the Great Depression, Haggard was an key figure in two of 20th-century country music’s most influential movements: the strippeddown, honky-tonk-inspired Bakersfield sound of the 1960s and the defiant outlaw country of the 1970s, both rebellions against Nashville’s corporate control. Drake said she did not fully appreciate Haggard’s music until she began performing it, even though her musically inclined family members were all fans. Now, she is excited to introduce it to potential new converts.

“My grandpa was an accordion player

and loved to listen to old classic country, so Merle was definitely one of the things that we listened to, but I didn’t really realize the breadth of work that Merle did until I joined the band,” Drake said.

“So it’s fun to bring it all to new people too because we’ll run into people who think that they don’t like country, and then we’ll say, ‘Well, wait a second. …

Did you know he does blues, he does Western swing? He did jazz in his later life. He did a whole bunch of old-time music.’ And it’s really a neat thing to see people light up and go, ‘OK, you made a believer out of me.’”

The band’s set lists comprise songs written by Haggard as well as songs he covered by artists including Hank Williams Sr., Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell. For Drake, the appeal of Haggard’s music is simple.

“Everybody gets their heart broken, right?” Drake said. “And people like to drink and have a good time.”

From Muskogee

Salisa Williams, the band’s keyboardist, has a more complex relationship with Haggard’s music, particularly his 1969 hit “Okie From Muskogee,” a possibly satirical rant against free-loving, draftcard-burning hippies from the point of view of the title character. As a Muskogee native, Williams was not always thrilled that the song was many people’s first impression of her hometown.

“When you’re a kid, you sing along with your parents when you’re listening to it on the radio, but then you get a little older,” Williams said. “When you’re in junior high and high school, you’re like, ‘Man, this is such a square song,’ and you visit places like California and tell them where you’re from, and they go ‘Oh,’ because everybody in the United States

knows that song. So you go, ‘Ugh. I don’t want to be an Okie from Muskogee,’ … but now, being full-grown and everything, touching back to those roots is really a special and wonderful thing.”

Whenever Gerle Haggard plays, Williams claims her hometown with pride.

“I felt most of my life from my teens until recently that I was a little bit selfconscious when I’d be in other places about being an Okie and coming from a family of country musicians,” Williams said. “Getting the opportunity to do this is really meaningful to me because it really is part of my identity that I don’t want to have to deny because there’s great stuff about it.”

Though Haggard famously proclaimed, “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee,” Williams points to filmed evidence that Haggard did — with Willie Nelson, no less — in the music video for Nelson and Haggard’s 2015 single “It’s All Going to Pot.” “The video is super-cute because you have Merle and Willie as old dudes with their baseball caps on, drinking coffee, just smoking a big spliff and hanging out,” Williams said. “Now I guess pot is legal, even in Oklahoma, so it’s all going to pot, whether you like it or not, whether they smoke it in Muskogee or not.”

Lonesome fugitive

Haggard’s mother, proclaiming him “incorrigible” at the age of 11, dropped him off at a juvenile detention center, and he spent the next several years in and out of detention facilities and prisons. When Johnny Cash performed at California’s San Quentin State Prison in 1958, Haggard watched from the audience as an inmate.

When Gerle Haggard plays The Deli, the band will have already made two stops in the state, performing at Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee and at Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, a minimum-security women’s prison.

“There’s something about women playing outlaw country to outlaw ladies,” Drake said. “It’s an odd twist,

and yet it makes so much sense. And then to also be able to say, ‘Well, who here plays music?’ and often many of the women do, and we tell them the whole story about Merle and how that was so transformational for him when Johnny Cash came to San Quentin.

That’s really what turned his thinking and goals around. … Often when we’re in these prisons, we’ll meet ladies that have never been to a concert before, ever. … Sometimes you feel like you’re The Beatles up there, and other times it’s like hanging out with a huge group of friends around a campfire but without the fire, just having that connection.”

With one notable exception, Drake said, she sings Haggard’s songs using the same pronouns he did.

“We really just keep with how Merle wrote them, so I don’t switch stuff around to make it more heterosexual,” Drake said. “I just keep singing it ‘she,’ and people can take that any which way they want. So that’s sort of an interesting thing. It’s very liberating for people that have different orientation, and I think it’s also very wonderful in keeping with that true Merle sense, so that people that are dyed-in-the-wool fans are still hearing those lyrics the way they were written.”

But, as Haggard’s ex-wife Leona Williams did, Drake does change his “Workin’ Man Blues” to “Workin’ Girl Blues.”

“We’re not that kind of ‘working girls,’” Drake said, “but we’re sure hardworking girls. Make sure and tip us well.”

Admission is $7. Norman-based classic country cover band Empty Bottles shares the bill. Visit thedeli.us.

Gerle Haggard 10 p.m. Friday The Deli 309 White St., Norman thedeli.us | 405-329-3534 $7

Gerle Haggard plays 10 p.m. Friday at The Deli. | Photo Tye North / provided

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M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

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

The Flannels, Bin 73. COVER Flock of Pigs/Beach Language, Opolis.

HIP-HOP/POP

Hosty, Fassler Hall. FOLK/ROCK Jose Hernandez, Sanctuary Barsilica. SINGER/

WEDNESDAY, MAY. 15 Crystal Bowersox, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Steve Crossley & Jerry Wilson, Louie’s Grill & Bar.

SONGWRITER

MMJ R ecoMMendations -

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Beau Jennings & The Tigers As frontman for both Cheyenne and The Tigers, Norman-based musician Beau Jennings has helped define Oklahoma’s own rugged, red-dirt brand of indie Americana. The wide reach of his influence is exemplified on 2018’s Cheyenne Songs, on which musicians including Samantha Crain, Broncho, Kyle Reid and Husbands cover songs from Cheyenne’s lo-fi debut I Am Haunted, I Am Alive, but Jennings — now joined by Tigers Chase Kerby, Jeff Richardson, Michael Trepagnier and Eric Nauni — is sounding as ferocious as ever. Some guy named Dwight Yoakam shares the bill. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Thursday at The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $59-$1,500. Call 405-2122378 or visit thejonesassembly.com.

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

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27

COV E R

THE HIGH CULTURE

Planting prosperity

THC

Oklahoma’s medical cannabis industry is roaring, with more than $1 million in tax revenue collected in April. But federal prohibition makes headaches for entrepreneurs and professionals. By Matt Dinger

Medicinal cannabis has been legal in Oklahoma for just over half a year, and this train has no brakes.

Based on computations stemming from the amount of gross state tax collections of 7 percent, the industry has raked in over $18.1 million in April alone.

That means a total of more than $43 million since Oct. 26, the first day cannabis containing THC became legal.

It was only four months to the day more than half a million Oklahomans voted yes on State Question 788 and the date that products, including raw flower, could be sold to licensed patients.

Because of that, the first full month of sales brought little tax revenue.

Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) reported $1,343.09 in tax revenue collected from Oct. 26 to Nov. 20. The last reporting date of each month is the 20th.

The industry brought in $69,425.81 Oklahoma’s medical cannabis-related businesses must operate without access to traditional banking due to federal law. | Image Ingvard Ashby

in the second month of tax collection.

It did not take long for those numbers to climb into the triple digits. In January, more than $305,000 was collected, with more than $497,000 in February and $870,000 in March, according to tax commission records.

April brought in the first milliondollar month in taxes, with more than $1,271,000 in gross collections by the state, and legal cannabis in Oklahoma has deposited just over $3 million in state coffers as of April 20.

That money came from 108,696 patients, 1,398 caregivers, 2,819 growers, 1,445 dispensaries and 782 processors whose licenses were approved by May 6, according to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA).

All of the tax revenues are initially deposited into a designated fund at the state health department until the annual budget for OMMA, set at $5.8 million for 2019, is filled. After that, 75 percent of the remaining tax revenue goes to the state’s general revenue fund

and 25 percent goes into the department’s Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Fund until the end of the fiscal year on June 30 when the budgetary collections for OMMA begin anew, according to OTC spokeswoman Paula Ross.

“The marijuana money is all a cash business, but the tax, we don’t necessarily have to just have cash. That being said, that still didn’t prevent a lot of people because of how they’re running their business and having a lot of cash when they make their payments,” Ross said. “Obviously, it’s growing at a very rapid pace, so we knew this was going to get larger. Every month, it’s just doubling and tripling, so we basically were doing all types of things, and then this came up with BancFirst.”

Starting May 1, cash payments for medical cannabis and associated withholding and sales tax accounts can be made in person at any BancFirst location during regular banking hours. A convenience fee of $25 applies to each transaction, regardless of the amount.

BancFirst is chartered by the state of Oklahoma.

“We felt like this opportunity gave people across the state somewhere where, although they pay a convenience fee, it’s still a lot easier than driving across the state to actually have to make the payment at the tax commission,” she said. “This is obviously — no pun intended — a growing industry, and so right now, we’re seeing that each month, we’re getting more and more. So we were pretty ready for the first payments, but we are realizing that we have to see how things are going and what’s neces-

sary to be efficient for the people coming in to pay the taxes and just the industry as a whole. And then when we collect taxes, just so we can remit them properly and get things running efficiently.”

Over the years, fewer and fewer businesses paid their tax obligations in cash, so the commission has seen an influx of foot traffic and has increased security and updated its protocols for moving the money.

“I think that industry is trying to figure out their banking issues, and they’ve obviously talked to us about it, so a lot of that those payments do come in in cash,” Ross said. “Although, like I said, with the tax, it’s not quite as strict as just the marijuana payment, but we still did get a lot more cash.”

But those figures only account for the 7 percent state excise tax on cannabis and not for state and local sales taxes also collected by businesses.

Enforcement issues

In Oklahoma City, sales taxes have brought in just over $180,000 in revenue.

The steep incline follows the same trajectory as gross collections by the state, with more than $17,000 collected in January, $36,000 in February, $54,000 in March and $66,000 in April, according to figures from the city treasurer.

“There isn’t a standard business code classification for these businesses, so they tend to be reported in our sales tax data under various industry codes. As a result, we extract our numbers based on the business name and location from licensing information. Although the numbers are very accurate, they may not be exact in cases where their sales tax permit information varies from their state license,” city treasurer Bob Ponkilla wrote in an email. “To put in perspective, the April total of $66,436.73 represented about 2/10 of 1% of the City sales tax collections for that month.”

While acting in accordance with state law is not a challenge, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the Controlled Substances Act, which means that the industry does not have easy access to the federal banking system and products cannot be sold or transferred between states.

However, the Rohrbacher-Farr Amendment was adopted in 2014 and prohibits the Department of Justice from using any congressionally delegated funds to prosecute businesses in good faith compliance with their states medical marijuana laws. It continues to be updated as more states adopt medical cannabis.

Along with the “Cole Memo,” which gave federal prosecutors guidelines on who can and cannot be prosecuted in state cannabis markets, dispensaries, growers and processors are left largely to their own devices so long as they abide by certain guidelines, which include not distributing to minors, funneling revenue to criminal enterprises and dicontinued on page 30

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THE HIGH CULTURE continued from page 28

COV E R

verting it to states where it is still illegal. The Cole Memo was released in August 2013, was rescinded by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and still has not been reinstated, but there have been no major law enforcement actions in contradiction to the Cole Memo since it was rescinded.

On May 8, 33 attorneys general — including Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter — signed a letter addressed to Congressional leaders.

“We urge Congress to advance legislation that would allow states and territories that have legalized certain use of marijuana to bring that commerce into the banking system. This issue is of broad relevance: for example, thirtythree states and several U.S. territories have legalized the medical use of marijuana. However, because the federal government classifies marijuana as an illegal substance, banks providing services to state-licensed cannabis businesses and even to other companies which sell services and products to those businesses could find themselves subject to criminal and civil liability under the federal Controlled Substances Act and certain federal banking statutes. This risk has significantly inhibited the ability of financial institutions to provide services to these businesses and companies. Despite the contradictions between federal and state law, the marijuana industry continues to grow rapidly. Industry analysts estimate 2017 sales at $8.3 billion and expect those totals to exceed $25 billion by 2025. Yet those revenues are handled outside of the regulated banking system.

Businesses are forced to operate on a cash basis. The resulting grey market makes it more difficult to track revenues for taxation and regulatory compliance purposes, contributes to a public safety threat as cash-intensive businesses are often targets for criminal activity, and prevents proper tracking of billions in finances across the nation,” the letter states.

Creative cash

J. Blake Johnson specializes in cannabis law. The former co-chair of Crowe & Dunlevy’s Cannabis Industry Practice Group is now a partner in Overman Legal Group. He helps cannabis businesses play by the rules.

“The federal prohibition is, on a dayto-day level, not a huge challenge. At least, I should say, we don’t fear prosecutions because we’re complying with the law at the state level,” Johnson said.

“But certainly the federal prohibition results in challenges of a more practical kind: limited access to banking, basically no access to financing or lending.

And if you’re just a business person who’s interested in entering a sort of burgeoning industry like this, you’re likely to think, ‘Well, I’ll be able to get a loan from the bank to finance this 30

M AY 1 5 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

project and that same bank will accept my deposits.’ And, of course, as a practical reality for our industry, neither of those is ordinarily the case.”

Johnson also recently founded Climb Collective, which seeks to help businesses navigate some of those hurdles in creative but legal ways.

“For some clients, Climb has developed some pretty creative strategies to secure financing, whether institutional or third-party. On the deposit level, there are a couple of banks in the state that are open to the industry. But the average client is basically dealing with strategies either to secure their cash and store it in a secure manner or, alternatively, to get that money back into the business, which is the most common scenario. Or alternatively, to invest that cash in one or another areas that are more accepting of cash investment,” Johnson said. “There are certainly some real estate investments where the seller might be open to cash payments. And, of course, we’re talking about clients that are able to demonstrate that the cash is legitimately earned through a lawful business enterprise. I have heard, for example, of dispensaries that use ATMs to stock it with their own cash in order to get some part of their cash back into a banking account. At the stage that the industry is at its evolution, I think most businesses are probably still reinvesting their revenue into the business itself.”

While BancFirst handles tax payments for the industry, there are few options for banking the bundles of cash that businesses end up with when patients come to purchase products. While the money is earned in legal ways, most banks still will not touch the money, though there are exceptions.

“First Fidelity was the first bank that that was open to the industry,” Johnson said. “They are also pretty discriminating and selective, and they charge a hefty fee, so only a only small handful of clients have, as yet, been able to open accounts there.”

Encentus Federal Credit Union in Tulsa is also willing to accept deposits on behalf of the industry.

“Those are the two institutions that my clients have had some success in establishing banking relationships with, but again, for the obvious reason that those banks have to build out an extraordinary compliance infrastructure in order to accept these deposits, they pass on the cost of that infrastructure to the business. And so it’s a costly option,” Johnson said.

Tax burden

Another speed bump for the cannabis industry in Oklahoma is 280E of the Internal Revenue Code: “No deduction or credit shall be allowed for any amount paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business if such trade or business (or the activities which comprise such trade or business) consists of trafficking in controlled sub-

stances (within the meaning of schedule I and II of the Controlled Substances Act) which is prohibited by Federal law or the law of any State in which such trade or business is conducted.”

So industry participants are left paying tax rates two to four times higher due to the federal prohibition.

Lawrence Cagigal is the Southwest sales manager at Green Growth CPAs, a boutique accounting firm that works exclusively with the cannabis industry across 11 states with about 350 clients.

“It’s illegal, but the IRS’ standpoint is ‘Eff you; pay me.’ So that’s where 280E arose. Al Capone didn’t go to jail for gangster activity; he went to jail for tax evasion,” Cagigal said. “So everyone started paying taxes. So the government in the 80s said, ‘Well, here’s 280E. You can only write off cost of goods sold.’

280E was built to curtail illicit drug runners, not necessarily to curtail business in states where it’s legal and people are doing it the right way.”

Because of the way the tax structure is set up, growers have the least tax burden while dispensaries have the highest. Processors are in the middle.

Cannabis businesses will be stuck with a higher tax bill than most businesses.

“As an example, a cannabis dispensary and someone next door that’s a flower shop. So in essence, two different flowers. Someone that’s selling roses can deduct their employees’ time no problem, any advertising they do, the lights being on, the lights they buy.

Anything in the store, that’s a normal business section. You don’t get that in the marijuana business,” Cagigal said.

“It’s legal in the state of Oklahoma and other places. It’s illegal federally, but they’re still going to want their money and they’re going to make it hard on you. And so there to combat that, they just said you can’t deduct normal business expenses like everyone else because you’re Schedule 1. You can only write off cost of goods sold, which for dispensaries, basically, what you bought your flower for. You can’t deduct all this

Lawrence Cagigal is the southwest sales manager for Green Growth CPAs, a boutique accounting firm that specializes in cannabis businesses. | Photo Alexa Ace

other stuff that’s out there. And everyone else can.”

Banks have to avoid running afoul of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, the U.S. Treasury Department’s enforcement agency.

According to FinCEN, there were, as of March 2018, 411 financial institutions banking the industry, up from 318 in October 2016.

“FinCEN has offered pretty clear guidance as to how you can legally bank the industry,” Johnson said. “That compliance requires, for the average bank, additional personnel, additional training, the development of standard operating procedures, etc., that results in them incurring great expense. The reason that FinCEN requires that additional compliance infrastructure all boils down to federal prohibition, so short of recent scheduling or decriminalizing, some sort of act of Congress will be required to broaden access to the banking system on behalf of the industry. To me, that seems inevitable.

There’s simply too much money being generated in this industry for financial institutions to not want their piece, for the government to not want a more secure way to ensure transparency in reporting so that the government gets its piece and for those lawmakers that are sympathetic to the industry to recognize that the security risk generated by our relative inability to access the banking system is untenable, long-term.

So I think it’s pretty clearly a matter of time, and frankly, I am pretty optimistic that reform is pretty imminent.”

But because of those expensive fees, many smaller businesses are still handling large amounts of cash. “‘Piles’ doesn’t do justice to the stacks of paper money that are being stored in secure locations across the state,” he said.

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Kicking stereotypes Daniel Boyington of Tokie Tees organized a charity kickball tournament over Memorial Day weekend to help change the stereotype of lazy potheads.

By Matt Dinger

The lazy stoner stereotype is getting kicked to the curb — or the outfield — when the upcoming Oklahoma Cannabis Kickball Tokie Tees tournament takes to the diamonds over Memorial Day weekend.

Daniel Boyington is organizing the tournament. He also founded Tokie Tees, which will be printing T-shirts for the teams.

“Our brand is about trying to change the stereotype,” Boyington said, “trying to change the stigma that cannabis users are lazy, non-active, don’t contribute to society. That’s the reason

Daniel Boyington of Tokie Tees organized the kickball tournament. | Photo Alexa Ace

we just did the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and put together the Canna5 team, which we did a relay, did the whole 26.2 miles, to make sure that in a big, active event like that, that the cannabis industry is represented as well to show that we care about events outside of just the cannabis industry. Our shirts were bright neon continued on page 36

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yellow with a huge marijuana leaf on it. So one time, I was running past this older group of ladies and they were like, ‘Oh, look. He smokes weed and can run,’ and so I reached in my pocket, grabbed that vape and I was like, ‘Yeah. At the same time.’ After that, some people started reaching out to me and told me that they wanted to make sure that there was more people in the cannabis industry running next year that they were going to train and stuff. So I figured, well, let’s do another active event. So I used to play adult kickball league, so I figured, ‘Why not do a cannabis kickball and then use it to raise money for a cause outside of cannabis?’ Everybody’s always raising money for patient drives and stuff in the industry, and I wanted to make sure that people outside the industry know that we care about our community outside the cannabis community as well.”

The opening rounds of a doubleelimination tournament are on Saturday, and then Sunday will be the semi-finals and finals. The tournament is at Davis Ballpark, 12101 S. May Ave. Cannabis consumption will not be allowed on the field, Boyington said.

The tournament begins at 10 a.m.

Saturday and will last until the final game ends, depending on the number of teams and how many people show up. Boyington expects Saturday to wrap up by 7 p.m.

“It’ll be an all-day event so people can tailgate or whatever out there and picnic,” he said. “And it’s Memorial [Day] weekend, so Saturday will be all day, but Sunday, we’ll probably get done early enough to where people who still want to go float the river or go to the lake that weekend, they still have half a day Sunday and all Monday since it’s a three-day weekend.”

Registration is $10 per person or $120 for a 12-person team and ends Friday.

“Ten players take the field, but we recommend at least 12 in case a couple back out or someone gets sick or hurt or whatever,” Boyington said. “I used to play in Tulsa, and to determine home field, one person from each team would meet at home plate and chug a beer.

Whoever chugged the beer first, that team would be home field. So what we’re going to do is the [Urban Danktuary] is going to come and we’ll have bong races, so one person from each team will meet on the dank bus and the first person to clear the bong is home field.”

A trophy will be given to the winners, who will also receive a free infused dinner by chef Tony Freitas.

There will be four top-tier sponsors with a field named after the company for the weekend. A flag with their logo on it will appear along one of the baselines. Mid-tier sponsors will get their large logo on a banner as well as on the

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back of the kickball shirts. Low-tier sponsors will get a smaller logo on the banner and T-shirts.

All funds raised go to the Oklahoma City Public Schools summer lunch program. This will be the beginning of multiple charity sports or activity events going forward.

“Sometime in the wintertime, we’ll probably do a dodgeball tournament.

Possibly later this summer do softball.

We’ll probably do active stuff throughout,” Boyington said. “I mean, that’s literally why I started this. Our shirts, if you see all of our designs, none of them are typical stoner pothead T-shirts.

They don’t have red eyes, all that good stuff. I think we’ve got a leaf on maybe two of them. Our stuff is more about conversation starters rather than, ‘Hey, look at me. I’m a pothead.’”

Our brand is about trying to change the stereotype, trying to change the stigma that cannabis users are lazy, non-active, don’t contribute to society.

Daniel Boyington Boyington said he tried to break into the cannabis industry last year but had no luck getting a foot in the door, even when he offered to work for free. He attended multiple events, but still no dice.

“I still didn’t get any opportunities, but as I was going to these events, I noticed nobody was doing apparel except one company,” Boyington said.

“If people were going to sell cannabis T-shirts, I knew it had to be classier, it had to be more subtle, it had to be more medicinal. So I was like, ‘Well, if nobody is going to give me a job, I’ll just create my own company.’ I didn’t have a bunch of cash. I had 600 bucks. Took 600 bucks and created 60 T-shirts and flipped half of them in my white-collar, HOA neighborhood of teachers, nurses and people in the oil and gas business. … I knew if they were going to buy them, then people who were actually in the industry would just flock to them, so it was off and running from there. Now I tour the state and now I’m actually starting to tour outside the state because unlike these other cannabis brands in the state, I can take my product outside state lines, so now our brand is in over 35 dispensaries across the state and one in Colorado. Now that I’ve started my own company, then all the opportunities came.”

Players can sign up for the tournament via Eventbrite on the Tokie Tees website.

Visit tokietees.com.

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PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE MEASURE FOR MEASURE| 0519

By Victor Barocas Puzzles edited by Will Shortz ACROSS

1 Whole lot 4 Recalcitrant child’s cry 9 Early-20th-century author who foresaw TV and wireless telephones 13 Moved surreptitiously 18 Squabbling 20 Multitask command 21 As well 22 Assailed 23 What’s measured by [circled letters] 26 States as fact 27 Some group dinners 28 Employ cajolery on 29 In the indeterminate future 31 Wan 32 Have nothing to do with 33 Take place 34 Coveted Scrabble tile 35 What’s measured by [circled letters] 39 D.C. nine 43 2006 novel for which Cormac McCarthy won a Pulitzer Prize 45 In the least 47 Org. with Sharks and Penguins 48 Parts of reviews you might not want to read 50 Philosophy 52 Follow-up shot 54 Besmirch 55 ____ colada 56 Grad 57 “I said enough!”

58 Chemical compound 60 One side of an argument 61 “Ora pro ____” 63 Grab quickly 65 Q-V link 66 What’s measured by [circled letters] 69 Nascar ____ (demographic group) 70 Puncture 73 Brand pitched as “Always Comfortable” 74 Contented sound 76 Heroic poetry 77 Hatfield haters 79 Small dam 80 Clubs, e.g. … or entry requirement for some clubs 82 Work on a wall, maybe 83 Pitched over 84 Not fast 85 Kitchen wraps 87 Ballerina’s support 88 Tundra’s lack 90 Ticket information 91 They may be bitter or defensive 93 What’s measured by [circled letters] 96 Lousy newspaper 99 Home of Sinbad Island 101 Bee or Em 102 Outfit 104 Communicates 107 Pushback 108 Coffee-flavored liqueur 111 Coffin supports 112 Adjusted to some index — or how 23-, 35-, 66- and 93-Across are measured per this puzzle?

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17 Competitor of Amazon Handmade 19 Moon of Saturn named after a Greek Oceanid 24 Hightail it 25 Gloomy 30 Predators of armadillos and rabbits 32 Places where cucumber slices are not for salad 33 Openly gay 35 Tending toward an outcome 36 Before, old-style 37 Rick of Ghostbusters 38 Nickname for Thomasina 40 Like Henry VIII, religiously 41 Former Showtime series about Henry VIII 42 Camera inits.

44 Cool 46 Symbol of craziness 48 Home of Hearst Castle 49 Alee, at sea 50 Dubious excuse for not turning in homework 51 Poor 53 Powerful queen, in hearts 54 Maryland athlete, for short 56 Singer Bocelli 59 Bad thing to be left in, with “the” 62 Feeling unsettled, in a way 64 “Hey, over here!”

Peter J. Brzycki

EDITORIAL

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Jeremy Martin

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SKULLDUGGERY LANE By Ingvard Ashby

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1 City famous for its Cuban sandwiches 2 Serving no practical purpose 3 Individual tic-tac-toe squares 4 Desktop item since 1998 5 Beat the rap 6 Phil who sang “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” 7 Packers’ org.?

8 Set aflame 9 One of a bunch?

10 Women’s soccer star ____ Morgan 11 Letters at sea 12 Crustaceans that carry their own camoflauge 13 Performing whale, once 14 Establishment frequented by Falstaff 15 Really binged, briefly 16 Yuri Zhivago’s love

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67 Like Indiana Dunes among the U.S.’s 61 national parks 68 Three-time Pro Bowler Culpepper 71 Actor Bud of Harold and Maude 72 Break from screen viewing 75 45 things 78 Gives up for good 81 Excessively 83 Line on a map: Abbr.

85 Nipple 86 Attainable 89 Great time 90 Big brand in soft drinks 92 Pizza chain since 1956 94 WWII admiral nicknamed “Bull” 95 Preliminary exam: Abbr.

97 Transport to Sugar Hill, in a classic song 98 Unlike most of Perry Mason’s clients 100 Setting for fraud, maybe 102 Roster builders, briefly 103 Bel ____ cheese 104 Wild goat 105 Word before and after “all” 106 Round part of a tool 107 ____ bean 108 Lose steam 109 Bus Stop playwright 110 Like bourbon 113 Zip 114 Morning coat

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NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle No. 0512, which appeared in the May 8 issue.

A N K A R A

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H E A T O A N Y E M A I Y S E F E F E R D E U T D O F A F T E F E

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

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Nietzsche said, “One must have chaos within oneself if one is to be a dancing star.” Are you a dancing star? Comment at FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

According to humorist Dave Barry, “The method of learning Japanese recommended by experts is to be born as a Japanese baby and raised by a Japanese family, in Japan.” As you enter an intensely educational phase of your astrological cycle, I suggest you adopt a similar strategy toward learning new skills and mastering unfamiliar knowledge and absorbing fresh information.

Immerse yourself in environments that will efficiently and effectively fill you with the teachings you need. A more casual, slapdash approach just won’t enable you to take thorough advantage of your current opportunities to expand your repertoire.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

I think it’s time for a sacred celebration: a blow-out extravaganza filled with reverence and revelry, singing and dancing, sensual delights and spiritual blessings.

What is the occasion? After all these eons, your lost love has finally returned. And who exactly is your lost love?

You! You are your own lost love! Having weaved and wobbled through countless adventures full of rich lessons, the missing part of you has finally wandered back. So give yourself a flurry of hugs and kisses. Start planning the jubilant hoopla. And exchange ardent vows, swearing that you’ll never be parted again.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

The Louvre in Paris is the world’s biggest art museum.

Over 35,000 works are on display, packed into 15 acres.

If you wanted to see every piece, devoting just a minute to each, you would have to spend eight hours a day there for many weeks. I bring this to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that now would be a good time for you to treat yourself to a marathon gaze-fest of art in the Louvre—or any other museum. For that matter, it’s a favorable phase to gorge yourself on any beauty anywhere that will make your soul freer and smarter and happier.

You will thrive to the degree that you absorb a profusion of grace, elegance, and loveliness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) In my astrological opinion, you now have a mandate to exercise your rights to free speech with acute vigor. It’s time to articulate all the important insights you’ve been waiting for the right moment to call to everyone’s attention. It’s time to unearth the buried truths and veiled agendas and ripening mysteries. It’s time to be the catalyst that helps your allies to realize what’s real and important, what’s fake and irrelevant. I’m not saying you should be rude, but I do encourage you to be as candid as is necessary to nudge people in the direction of authenticity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

During summers in the far northern land of Alaska, many days have twenty hours of sunlight. Farmers take advantage of the extra photosynthesis by growing vegetables and fruits that are bigger and sweeter than crops grown further south. During the Alaska State Fair every August, you can find prodigies like 130-pound cabbages and 65-pound cantaloupes. I suspect you’ll express a comparable fertility and productiveness during the coming weeks, Leo. You’re primed to grow and create with extra verve. So let me ask you a key question: to which part of your life do you want to dedicate that bonus power?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

It’s time for you to reach higher and dig deeper. So don’t be a mere tinkerer nursing a lukewarm interest in mediocre stories and trivial games. Be a strategic adventurer in the service of exalted stories and meaningful games. In fact, I feel strongly that if you’re not prepared to go all the way, you shouldn’t go at all.

Either give everything you’ve got or else keep it contained for now. Can you handle one further piece of strenuous advice, my dear? I think you will thrive as long as you don’t settle for business as usual or pleasure as usual.

To claim the maximum vitality that’s available, you’ll need to make exceptions to at least some of your rules.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

“All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace

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changes us and the change is painful,” wrote author Flannery O’Connor. I think that’s an observation worth considering. But I’ve also seen numerous exceptions to her rule. I know people who have eagerly welcomed grace into their lives even though they know that its arrival will change them forever. And amazingly, many of those people have experienced the resulting change as tonic and interesting, not primarily painful. In fact, I’ve come to believe that the act of eagerly welcoming changeinducing grace makes it more likely that the changes will be tonic and interesting. Everything I’ve just said will especially apply to you in the coming weeks.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

There’s a certain problem that has in my opinion occupied too much of your attention. It’s really rather trivial in the big picture of your life, and doesn’t deserve to suck up so much of your attention. I suspect you will soon see things my way, and take measures to move on from this energy sink. Then you’ll be free to focus on a more interesting and potentially productive dilemma—a twisty riddle that truly warrants your loving attention.

As you work to solve it, you will reap rewards that will be useful and enduring.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Author Hélène Cixous articulated a poetically rigorous approach to love. I’ll tell you about it, since in my astrological opinion you’re entering a phase when you’ll be wise to upgrade and refine your definitions of love, even as you upgrade and refine your practice of love.

Here’s Cixous: “I want to love a person freely, including all her secrets. I want to love in this person someone she doesn’t know. I want to love outside the law: without judgment. Without imposed preference. Does that mean outside morality? No. Only this: without fault. Without false, without true. I want to meet her between the words, beneath language.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Capricorn author Henry Miller wrote that his master plan was “to remain what I am and to become more and more only what I am—that is, to become more miraculous.” This is an excellent strategy for your use.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

“I hate it when people tell me that I should ‘get out of my comfort zone,’” writes Piscean blogger Rosespell. “I don’t even have a comfort zone. My discomfort zone is pretty much everywhere.” I have good news for Rosespell and all of you Pisceans who might be inclined to utter similar testimony. The coming weeks will feature conditions that make it far more likely than usual that you will locate or create a real comfort zone you can rely on. For best results, cultivate a vivid expectation that such a sweet development is indeed possible.

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

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London’s British Museum holds a compendium of artifacts from the civilizations of many different eras and locations. Author Jonathan Stroud writes that it’s “home to a million antiquities, several dozen of which were legitimately come by.” Why does he say that?

Because so many of the museum’s antiquities were pilfered from other cultures. In accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to fantasize about a scenario in which the British Museum’s administrators return these treasures to their original owners. When you’re done with that imaginative exercise, move on to the next one, which is to envision scenarios in which you recover the personal treasures and goodies and powers that you have been separated from over the years.

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