The Film Issue

FREEEVERYOTHER W EDNESDAY|OKC&TULSA’ SI NDEPENDENTBI W EEKLY|NOVEMBER1 0,2021

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NOV.10,21

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INSIDE COVER Diminished by streaming services and the pandemic, movie theaters provide a rare space for friends and strangers alike to experience art simultaneously in real time.

By Matt Dinger Photo by Jared Kinley Cover by Phillip Danner

NEWS 5

COVER Film @ OKCMOA

6 Melanated

Citizen Spotlight: Harlan Hubbard Black Sky Affair 9 The Toe Tag 10 Chicken-Fried News 7

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EAT & DRINK 12

Strip club cuisine

14 Gazedibles

ARTS & CULTURE Norman Art Walk COVER Movie theaters 22 COVER Mickey Reece reviews 30 Open World @ Oklahoma Contemporary 24 OKG picks 17

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MUSIC 26 29

Relaxing local records Music picks

THE HIGH CULTURE 31

Strain Reviews

FUN 32 34

Astrology Puzzles sudoku | crossword

OKG CLASSIFIEDS 32

VOL. XLIII NO. 13 PUBLISHER Bryan Hallman | bhallman@okgazette.com

EDITOR Matt Dinger | mdinger@okgazette.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Clyde Dorr | cdorr@ okgazette.com Grant Freeman | gfreeman@okgazette.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Phillip Danner

CIRCULATION MANAGER Patrick Hanscom | phanscom@okgazette.com

DIGITAL MEDIA & PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kendall Bleakley

CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Atwood-Cotton KM Brmalett SOCIAL DESIGNER Brett Fieldcamp Berlin Green Staci Elder Hensley Trevor Hultner ADVERTISING Evan Jarvicks advertising@okgazette.com Sean Nugent 405-528-6000 Ryan Spencer DIRECTOR OF SALES Christy Duane | cduane@okgazette.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Saundra Godwin | sgodwin@okgazette.com OKGA Z E T TE .COM | N OV E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1

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STUFF YOUR BRAIN WITH KNOWLEDGE, THEN STUFF YOUR MOUTH WITH TURKEY WHEN UNCLE FRANK STARTS TALKING AT THANKSGIVING.

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

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OKCMOA’s Noble Theater provides audiences with daringly artistic film in an historic theater with a story all its own

By Brett Fieldcamp

The film-going and filmmaking cultures of Oklahoma have been growing, even exploding, in recent years. With studios like Prairie Surf, productions like “Reservation Dogs,” and acclaimed local filmmakers garnering national attention, Oklahoma is finally being seen as a serious place to make serious films.

But there’s at least one place in OKC that has been serious about film for a very long time, that places the most daring and artistic movies appropriately alongside some of the world’s most beautiful and thought-provoking artworks: the Samuel Roberts Noble Theater at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. It’s common for an art museum to include a theater space for art films, installations and events, and many even keep full screening schedules, but there may be no other theater in the city (and perhaps in the state) that boasts a more diverse, more challenging, or more impressive schedule of movie masterworks both old and new.

And that is mostly down just to the team of people that run and curate the museum’s film program.

“We try to have a sort of varied program of international films and indies and more, I guess, crowd-pleasing films and more difficult films, newer and older things.”

Photo provided

That’s OKCMOA’s Head of Film Programming (and holder of a Ph.D in Film Studies from NYU) Lisa Broad, whose own palpable, insatiable love for all things film provides the driving force behind the theater’s consistently diverse schedule.

“We try to have a good mix,” Broad said. “On the whole, we just kind of pick films that we think are really exciting that we want people to be able to see and show a lot of stuff that doesn’t necessarily play anywhere else in Oklahoma City. And so that’s pretty exciting.”

Since the museum opened its doors nearly 20 years ago, the theater and its unmatched film program have been mainstays among the countless attractions and exhibits, but the history of the theater actually stretches back far before that.

The entire museum was actually conceptualized and built around the classic Centre Theater, which stood as a massively popular downtown destination from 1947 to its shuttering in 1975.

“It opened on Christmas Day, I believe, in 1947,” Broad explains. “It was a kind of big movie palace in the Art Deco style that sort of went with the Civic Center.”

Until its closing in ‘75, the Centre Theater was a staple of the downtown entertainment scene. But, like much of the downtown OKC area at the time, it fell into disarray and sat abandoned until OKCMOA was designed and

Photo provided

planned to occupy the space.

Rather than demolish the old theater, the designers had the foresight to incorporate the space into the new museum, retaining the original box office, the steel-and-glass railings, and of course the legendary grand staircase that winds up from the theater lobby.

“It was really colorful and stylish,” Broad said. “They had these murals that were painted with black light activated fluorescent paint. And so when the movie was playing, the murals would kind of glow over on the side, which I thought was really cool.”

She is admittedly still a bit new to the position, having only taken over as Head of Film Programming for the museum in April of 2020, just as everything was shutting down in the face of the pandemic. But her love for the theater and its history is clear, with credentials second-to-none.

“I’ve been a film buff all my life, since I was a little kid,” she said. “In this tiny town that I grew up in, I lived basically like a block away from this movie theater, and I used to go over there all the time to watch movies when I was, like, 10. I basically went to movies all the time and rented movies all the time and when I moved to NYU, I worked in a video store.”

That lifetime of love, appreciation, and study of film provides the foundation for the theater’s unmatched ability for bringing artistic and international films to a local audience that might not ever be aware of them otherwise.

“We had a really good turnout for the Manhattan Short Film Festival, which is one of our most popular events,” Broad said in recounting the biggest hits from their program over the past few years. “Oscar Shorts is another good one for us or French Film Week in July is great. I think there’s a lot of love for French films, and so that’s definitely something I’m excited to do. We’ve been showing some art documentaries, too, like we recently, for Halloween, had one on Edward Munch.”

The audience numbers are just recently beginning to rise again, she says, as people become more comfortable

Photo Jim Meeks

with getting back out into public amid the ongoing pandemic. That means working to understand what audiences are responding to and figuring out how to plan and structure the schedule going forward.

“I think it’s just kind of trying to balance getting things on the calendar,” she said. “And then being flexible for stuff that kind of pops up that you might be excited about at the last minute.”

So what upcoming screenings has her really excited? Almost too many to list.

“We have ‘Chess of the Wind,’ which is this really cool kind of Gothic thriller from pre-revolutionary Iran. We have ‘Spencer’ coming up over Thanksgiving weekend. We’re working on our holiday series, that’s another big thing, and we’re working on a Wong Kar Wai retrospective.”

One particular project is close to the hearts of everyone on the theater team, though.

“We’ve been rebooting our Film Society with this new series that we’re calling ‘35 Millimeter Thursdays,’” she says. “Every other month, we’re showing these classics on 35 millimeter and just kind of having a discussion of them. The first one was really fun. I’m looking forward to the next few.”

For a full list of the museum’s wildly diverse upcoming screenings, showtimes, and tickets for the Noble Theater, check out okcmoa.com.

For more information about okcmoa.com, scan the QR code with your smart phone.

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MELANATED

MELANATED Fridays take place in the up and coming Britton District near Britton Road and Western Avenue. | Photo Philip Danner

Fridays

Three local business owners team up to create economic opportunities for the community. By KM Bramlett The Food Truck & Poetry Edition of “MELANATED Fridays” will take place at 1335 W. Britton Road from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 19. Admission is $5.

The monthly “MEL A NATED Fridays” event series is hosted and presented by LaToya Robinson (CEO/ Owner of Jo’Mae Custom Creations LLC), Rachel Handy (Owner of Zen Event Space LLC), and MegaWaat The DJ (aka Miech Watson).

Robinson said the mission of

these events is to create a place for the Melanated community to come together, work on healing from collective trauma, move toward economic prosperity, and strengthen their businesses.

“We wanted to provide experiences that not only allow the melanin community to put money back into itself but also allow us as a broken community an opportunity to heal from within to rebuild what we once called “Black Wall Street,” she said.

The title of the event series is a playful response to the shopping holiday “Black Friday.”

“In regards to the holiday, ‘Black Friday,’ we wanted to shed some lightness and put a positive spin on things for those who are Melanated and have small businesses to have the opportunity to come together as a people and be the gods and goddesses we hold within to reunite, rebuild and grow,” Robinson said.

The Nov. 19 event is indoors, open to all ages, and will offer food from local food trucks as well as recitations of poetry in an open mic poetry contest.

Local vendors will include Bar None Mobile Wine & Spirits, Major’s Smoke Pit, Big Bob’s BBQ, among others. The

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following event will be Dec. 17 in the same location.

For the pandemic-conscious, Robinson has taken measures to provide a healthy, safe, and fun event.

“People should expect a COVID-free environment, masks required inside, a variety type of shopping experiences, as we will have a variety of small melanin-owned businesses to shop from, [and] music entertainment provided

by Megawaat The DJ,” she said.

For more information about signing up for the poetry contest or to register your business for future events, contact Jo’Mae Custom Creations LLC (LaToya Robinson) and follow on Facebook.

For more information about fillmybasket.com, scan the QR code with your smart phone.

HEALING THROUGH LEADING In each issue, we are highlighting a person in our community who stands out for their leadership, kindness, and good deeds. Know someone like that? Email bgreen@ okgazette.com to share their story.

The road to recovery can be paved with hardships. Harlan Hubbard wants to help people along their journey, no matter how theirs may be cobbled.

He spends his time mentoring those recovering from addiction with Refuge Recovery and shares his love for cooking by teaching culinary classes at The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) facility, hoping to give incarcerated individuals a true sense of hope and empowerment upon their release, with the mission breaking the cycle many people find themselves stuck in.

“A lot of people define themselves by their drug of choice or alcoholism or drug addiction; that’s who they become,” Hubbard said. “Breaking that down and helping them understand, that’s not who they are, they don’t have to be that person, and it doesn’t define them, psychologically, that’s very important.”

For 17 years, Harlan has worked with programs like Refuge Recovery to maintain his own sobriety, and it’s here where he helps others keep theirs.

Refuge offers a Buddhist-inspired approach to treating addictions, offering daily recovery programs that include meetings, meditation, mentorship,

retreats, and more. It’s open to all who wish to pursue and maintain an addiction-free life.

“When COVID slowed things down, I decided, going forward with my life, I’m going to do things that I really want to do versus trying to make money,” Hubbard said. “So I started volunteering up at TEEM and helping them in their kitchen. I started teaching with their Empower classes, which focus on reentry, the culinary portion of that.

Then it just grew because of some wonderful donors wanting to expand the program, and the food bank has gotten involved as well. They have a tremendous facility, and they’ve been a beautiful partner. The ladies come to the food bank four days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. During this three-week course, they come out there and not only learn culinary skills, but they get to provide meals for the community, including seniors and children.”

Oklahoma has some of the highest incarceration rates in the country, with few rehabilitation services available to help them get back on their feet upon release. Organizations like TEEM offer reentry programs like Empower that help make the transition easier.

“It’s not easy, right? It’s intense, hard work, very demanding on time. It could just be back of the house doing nothing. It’s really inspiring and heartwarming. None of it has anything to do with me though. None of it, really, I’m just helping.”

And he’s helping a lot. Harlan is working developing 1024 CAKE, a program for men transitioning out of incarceration and helping them end the cycle of recidivism.

Harlan Hubbard | Photo Berlin Green

“CAKE stands for Compassion, Awareness, Kindness, and Experience.

Starting out, this program will be for men, and hopefully, it grows and expands into females. … The main reason that we chose to focus on males is there’s this dynamic of 18- to 24-year-old males in Oklahoma County that kind of fall through the cracks, like those in the foster system. Once they turn 18 [years old], there are no services. There are big issues with fines and revolving people in Oklahoma County Jail. They get stuck in this revolving door of having some substance abuse problems, perhaps mental health issues, and they get arrested. They can’t make bail, so then they get charges and fines. Then they get out of the system and have nowhere to go.

Then they get arrested again, more fines and charges. It’s a never-ending cycle. So part of our vision for CAKE is to help men reduce fines in the form of raising money with donors, working in our kitchen, working in our community, and being paid at a higher wage so they can pay off their fines. It makes no sense to pay them $10 an hour; it isn’t sufficient to take care of their fines. This is like a regular job at a much higher wage, but it must go towards their fines. … It allows young men coming out of jail or prison to establish a trade and to put food out into the community. I have a passion for feeding people in a good way and making sure people are getting fed here. Oklahoma City has a huge problem with that; there’s not a lot of awareness around the need. Even in homes with two working parents, the kids are still hungry, and it’s not that

they’re not working.”

It’s easy to witness the intense care Harlan has for the work he does. But being a mentor, leader, and confidant isn’t always easy. You build deep relationships when working in recovery, and it can be heartbreaking.

“It doesn’t always make you feel good. Sometimes it makes you feel horrible. In the 17 years of these mentorships, eight of those men are no longer with us,” Hubbard said. “That I had personal relationships with, that had dinner in my house, met my children, they don’t walk on the planet anymore.

But it’s not about feeling good. It’s about surviving. I do it because it does bring joy and brings heartache and pain, a whole lot of things, but hopefully the joy always outweighs. And it does, because when you see someone recover and change who they were because they were a drug addict or an alcoholic, and they’re no longer in that pool, they’ve recovered and changed their life around, that’s joyful for sure.”

What keeps him going despite such challenging experiences, Harlan’s answer is simple: “It’s more about what I was taught.

Whatever I have, I got to give it away in order to keep it. The largest part of my own recovery is mentorship. I just want to change one. I mean, that’s the main goal, just continue to help and stay sane and sober myself. If I have the ability to affect someone’s life, just change one person, it’s all worth it.”

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Oh, my space cadets. We are in for one hell of a show this month. Pardon my hushed reverence, but a truly extraordinary astronomical event awaits us the wee morning hours of Nov. 19. A partial lunar eclipse. While that revelation may come off as somewhat underwhelming, allow me to explain…

Lunar eclipses usually happen twice each year and are therefore not uncommon, occurring when Earth passes almost directly between the moon and sun, allowing Earth’s shadow to fall upon the moon’s surface. One would think this would turn the moon black, but due to refraction of the sun’s light through our dusty atmosphere, Earth’s shadow is often of a copper hue rather than the pure black a total absence of light would create, which produces a phenomenon known colloquially as the “blood moon.” While November’s eclipse will indeed be a partial one as most are, this noteworthy eclipse will cover 97 percent of the moon’s face. The distinction between this partial eclipse and a total lunar eclipse will be minor at best, and it will be easily visible in the western sky throughout all of Oklahoma.

But these are hardly what make this event exceptional.

What will make this happening uniquely rare is its duration. Right after midnight, as Nov. 18 transitions into Nov. 19, our shadow’s edge, or penumbra, will begin to creep over the lunar surface. Slowly yet steadily, the moon will move farther into Earth’s deep 8

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shadow, or umbra. By 1:18 a.m. the eclipse will begin in earnest, reaching maximum effect just after 3 a.m. then waning until right after 4:45 a.m., with the event itself drawing to close a few minutes after 6 a.m. The practical upshot of all this? November’s will be of a duration longer than any other partial eclipse of the entire 21st century. That, my fellow cadets, gives me the shivers.

Cloud cover permitting, you’ll have well over one full hour to dance naked and wildly under an utterly rust-colored moon.

This isn’t the only aspect of such heavenly affairs which gives me that tingly feeling, however. Such rarity is precious, to be sure, particularly when held next to the relative brevity of even a long and full human life. But far more meaningful it must be that, in our quest to fathom our universe through the benefit of scientific understanding, we no longer need fear such things. What would have absolutely terrified our ancestors has become to us a marvel of beauty and surety, a fact of Newtonian mechanics. On that night, we need not dread the imminent ending of our world or furious reprisal from vengeful gods as signified by the supposed harbinger hanging in the night sky. Knowledge has transformed the dark omen into a thing we may appreciate without apprehension. The sky will not fall. We’ve been there. Set a reminder for this one, cadets.

It’s not to be missed. Here’s to clear skies, and happy dancing.

POISON

Th e -L o nely

Hearts

r K ille

The Toe Tag

Oklahoma’s Serial Killer Granny

By Sarah Atwood-Cotton Have you ever wondered why violent, suspicious, unusual, and unnatural deaths are investigated in Oklahoma?

It all started in 1955 when Nannie Doss, a 50-year-old woman, confessed to killing eleven family members. Four of her husbands, two of her children, two grandchildren, her mother-in-law, and her own mother and sister met their ends at her hands.

She was called “The Giggling Granny” because, after confessing to her heinous murders, Doss would laugh in the courtroom. She was also coined “The LonelyHearts Killer” due to the way she trapped her unsuspecting husbands.

Hang onto your seats because this story is gonna be a ride.

Two of her children with her first husband died after eating breakfast.

Their cause of deaths were attributed to “food poisoning.” Doss would disappear frequently to visit her sister who had become ill and bedridden, but not long after Nannie came to visit for the final time, her sister died. After returning home, another mother-in-law suspiciously “died in her sleep.” And her own mother died of “stomach complications” just days after moving in with her daughter shortly after the death of Nannie’s father. Doss was actually suspected, but not thoroughly questioned, in the suspicious death of her granddaughter, whom Nannie’s daughter may have seen Doss stick a hairpin into her brain. Nannie’s grandson also died suspiciously of asphyxia.

And we haven’t even talked about the husbands themselves.

In 1921, Doss married at the young age of 16 to Charles Braggs. They would have four children together before divorcing in 1928. After her first divorce, the only husband to survive, she placed an ad in “The Lonely-Hearts” section of the newspaper, the equivalent today of Tinder or Match.com.

Doss would soon meet her second husband, Frank Harrelson. Frank was an alcoholic, but Nannie would stay by his side for 16 years. On Sept. 15, 1945,

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Nannie had enough of Frank’s alcoholism and abuse and poisoned his whiskey, his death was not investigated and was determined to be due to “stomach problems.” Not much later, Doss was back in The Lonely-Hearts column of the paper, where she then met her third husband, Arlie Lanning, another alcoholic as well as a womanizer. Lanning would go on to die in 1952 of what appeared to be heart failure. When Doss was not given the home in his will, she burned it down and collected the insurance money.

In 1952, Nannie returned to the newspaper to find her fourth husband, Richard Morton. An infidel, Morton wasn’t really in the picture, but nevertheless would die months later after drinking coffee.

By 1953, Doss had moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to marry her fifth and final husband, Samuel Doss. He did not approve of her habits of watching television and reading risqué materials and she left, refusing to return until given access to his bank accounts and life insurance policies were taken out. Samuel Doss would end up in the hospital where he was treated and released, but died after returning home. The attending physician who had treated him on admission was suspicious and demanded an autopsy. The autopsy revealed that Samuel Doss had enough arsenic in his system to kill a horse.

And thus ended Nannie Doss’s reign of terror.

Arrested and found guilty of eleven murders after confessing to them, she faced the death penalty, but the state at the time did not wish to execute a woman.

Doss remained incarcerated and died of leukemia in 1965. She blamed her actions on a suspected head injury she sustained on a train as a child, which might be revealed in an autopsy if it were done today, more than 65 years later. Nonetheless, her actions prompted the foundation to put an agency in place that would investigate violent, suspicious, unusual, and unnatural deaths and thus the creation of what is now known as Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Nannie Doss, pioneer female U.S. serial killer, so wicked that a state agency was invented to sooner detect her trail of ruin.

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chicken friedNEWS AS HALLOWEEN APPROACHED, if you looked to the skyline in the city core, you could see an eerie green light emanating from downtown Oklahoma City. Concerned that the city might be ground zero for an alien invasion, concerned residents (or just one) raced towards the source of the light only to find that it’s only … the Paycom Center.

While the Ford Center may never have been missed as a name, OKC residents who have affectionately referred to the building when it was Chesapeake Arena can sleep well knowing that if they just add a little more southern twang when they speak.

Move over, “The ‘Peake.” “The Payc’” is the new kid on the block.

I’m sure the Colcord Hotel is feeling a little jealous of the Omni now. After all, they only have The Oklahoman’s obnoxious wraparound screen to irritate its guests and now there’s a whole-ass aurora borealis lighting up the entire north side of the new hotel.

Not to mention Scissortail Park can start hosting events that would normally be reserved for the daylight at night. Overcast or foggy nights used

Illustrations by John Eric Osborn

to make for some extremely dark downtown streets but that’s now a thing of the past as well, thanks to the new light pollution, but the jury is still out on how many curious drivers will be blinded while heading west on the crosstown.

On the bright side, pun intended, residents who live within a half-mile of the venue will save a bundle on lighting costs as their living rooms will now be a blinding shade of electric green after dusk. And while the aliens may not have landed in the heart of our city yet, the beacon will be lit for at least the next decade for whenever they do plan a visit.

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Like a teenager doing laundry for the first time stubbornly refusing to admit that dumping bleach on a load of colorful clothing was an accident, the Oklahoma County government has refused for decades to cop to the fact that the sewage-filled hellhole that serves as our county jail should just be torn down and rebuilt.

Instead, elected and appointed officials as well as the public are now pointing fingers at each other while an outrageous number of people (including many, many victims of our cash bail system) are forced to live in conditions that resemble a third-world gulag.

Assuming they make it out alive.

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, now in the final stretch of his last turn, is dedicating his time and attention to picking a fight with the jail trust tasked with overseeing the monstrosity.

“One purpose for calling an Oklahoma County grand jury is for it to investigate credible allegations that involve official corruption and/or official neglect that are alleged to have been committed by state and/or county officials,” Prater wrote in his application for a grand jury to investigate both the jail trust and the Pardon and Parole Board, NonDoc reported.

While Prater is not wrong that the “jail trust” are not to be trusted, as evidenced by the tireless work of community activists continually shining a light on all the inept if not downright corrupt shit the jail trust has tried to pull, it’s also worth noting that if he’s so concerned about the goings on with the jail, then maybe he should stop swinging for the fences when it comes to trumped up criminal charges and obscene punishments.

In turn, a group of citizens have now filed a petition seeking a grand jury to remove Prater himself for oppression and corruption in office. Turnabout is fair play.

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Oklahoma Gazette tasked our new jack-of-all-knowledge and subculture beat writer to survey and critique a pair of local strip clubs … on their menus. By Sean Nugent Starved for excitement after a year of tribulation surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19, metro residents are finally returning to their favorite haunts to eat, drink, and be merry.

Thanks to major development in Oklahoma City, local gourmands have a wider variety of dining options than ever. Among an explosion of new concepts, one market often goes overlooked in the age-old deliberation of where to eat. Open late 7 days a week, and on all major holidays, OKC’s gentlemen’s clubs serve everything from traditional pub fare to full-course meals. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Oh I’m sure you go there for the food. You probably read Playboy for the articles, too.”

Dear skeptic, this writer is pleased to be your guide through the glitter and lace. Join us as we get to the bottom of the city’s topless world, and flesh out the naked truth.

Billed as “OKC’s Premier Gentlemen’s Club”, the brutalist architecture of Night

Trips cuts an imposing figure among the warehouses and restaurants surrounding its OKC location on W Reno Avenue.

Opened in 1994, this modernist monolith of the Meridian strip stands as a stark testament to the era of its inception. Once inside, visitors are transported to a multi-tiered, matte silver playground from a bygone era. Two floors, three stages, and banks of TV screens befitting the lair of a Bond villain set the tone of the opulently industrial atmosphere at Night Trips. A full bar greets the visitor as they descend the stairs to the main floor of the club, where gorgeous entertainers and staff stand ready to meet their needs. While the interior seems smaller than it appears from outside, the space is masterfully utilized. Any seat in the house offers a fantastic view of the entertainers, who perform as if in an audience of royalty.

As professionals, we chose to enjoy our meal and the show at point-blank range, mere feet from the main stage.

Prompt, friendly service is the name of the game at Night Trips. Our order was taken immediately by the lovely and outgoing bartender while our cocktail waitress ensured that the drinks never ran dry. The menu consists mostly of finger-food appetizers, burgers, and the

the New Coffee Table Photobook by local photographer JAred Kinley that has been over a year in the making.

Now Available. Email for your copy.

jaredwkinley@gmail.com 12

N OV E M E B R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1 | OKGA Z E T TE .COM E AT & DRINK

Night Trips at 220 Vermont Ave. | Photo Berlin Green

ubiquitous strip club Caesar salad (for the entertainer on-the-go watching her figure). We tried the hot wings and chicken nachos on our visit, which came out quickly, a must for the lunch-hour diner. The breaded wings tossed in Night Trips’ house buffalo sauce were positively delicious. Well above average for short-order pub fare. More substantial lunch and dinner items are noticeably absent, however. Menu items range from $6 to $15, and are offered a la carte, standard practice in the business of separating hungry eyes from stacks of singles. The option of adding sliced avocado to any dish is a nice surprise, and a real treat. The 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekday special on half price chips and queso plates and $3 domestic beers makes Night Trips a solid destination for lunch or happy hour. For something a little satisfying though, we headed a little farther west...

If you grew up in Oklahoma, chances are you’ve been regaled with a wild story about the Red Dog at some point.

Originally opened in 1970 and operated continuously since, The Red Dog Saloon holds the title of longest-running strip club in Oklahoma. The iconic, red-brick building at 6417 NW 10th St. boasts a near-mythical status among generations of working stiffs and high-rollers alike. Past the ever-present row of motorcycles at the front door, two floors and two score of foxy, friendly entertainers on multiple stages catch the eye and stimulate the imagination.

Reminiscent of rock venue nightclubs of the 80s, the Red Dog’s cavernous interior offers pool tables and quiet enclaves for casual bar patrons as well as tableside stages and a rotating go-go cage to stimulate the more prurient customer. Once a highlight destination of the NW 10th Street strip club circuit,

Red Dog Saloon appears to be the last man standing among its competitors in the wake of the pandemic.

Current owner/operator Jason Mackey describes the March 2020 closure order as a real shock. “This place hasn’t closed ever. We’ve been open 365 days a year for as long as I can remember. When they said we had to close, it hurt me. I got a little tear in my eye.”

But you just can’t keep a good dog down. Back in business with fresh renovations as well as ongoing additions and improvements, the club continues to draw lively crowds on a daily basis.

The key factors to his business surviving and thriving are “keeping communication open with my staff and the entertainers. The big advantage we have over a lot of clubs with the COVID situation is we have the room to spread people apa r t .

Occupancy isn’t a problem for us, even with proper social distancing. You gotta be flexible. You have to find a way to make it when things start to change, and run a clean, honest establishment,” Mackey said.

Comfortably nestled in the rear of the club stands The Red Dogg Café. The full-service grill shares a moniker used by the club for a time in the 1980s to avoid pesky regulations.

“There was some old law on the books stating that you couldn’t have topless girls dancing in a saloon, so we changed the name to ‘Red Dog Café’ for a while,” Mackey said.

Operated as a standalone business inside the club by business partners Lou Champ and Brandon Nash since 2015,

quality of the meal punches far above its price point. If there’s a better tasting, more filling burger in town, I certainly haven’t heard of it.

The Red Dogg Cafe also features rotating dinner specials on the weekends.

“We like to throw in something a little different on the weekends. Something from all cultures; Italian, Asian, soul food, you name it,” Nash said. “When we do the ribs and brisket, they go crazy for it.”

Both Champ and Nash love what they do and dote on their clientele.

“We’re just happy to be making a living. Making sure that the girls, customers and staff here love our food, that’s the most important thing,” Champ said.

Between the quality of our meal and the enthusiThe hamburger basket at Red Dog asm of the staff, Red Dogg Saloon | Photo Berlin Green Café gets two thumbs up from this thoroughly enthe café stands on its own as a popular gorged critic. lunchtime destination for blue-collar Among the pulsing landscape of crowds who love the food and the view. hot new establishments and the hip “All the contractors and people who dishes they’re pushing, let us not work out in the field, they come in here forget the stalwart sentinels of the and pack the place out,” Champ said. local nightlife, or the hot dishes The menu offers great deals on a wide pushing their hips to the beat of the selection of fast-casual favorites. city’s pulse. OKC’s gentlemen’s clubs Flame-grilled quesadillas, hot and cold deliver lunch with a view, rain or sandwiches, wings, and nachos grace shine, 365 days a year. the weekday menu at prices all under Next time you succumb to the urge $9. The star of the show, however, is the to satisfy your appetite, grab a seat famous Red Dog burger basket, the daily tableside and plunge face-first into $7 lunch special from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. their sinfully satisfying culinary ofThis juicy, third-pound masterpiece is ferings. Oh, and bring some singles, hand-packed and seasoned with fresh, folks. The ladies there aren’t working lean ground beef and grilled to perfecfor your smiles. tion. Stacked high with crisp veggies on a seedless bun with shoestring or curly fries cut daily from fresh potatoes, the

Lunch and a show for seven bucks | Photo Berlin Green

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Breakfast Your Way! Ah, breakfast. The first and most important meal of the day. There are so many options — it can be a challenge to choose a favorite. Whether you like your breakfast light or filling, sweet or savory, here are seven breakfast joints around Oklahoma City that are sure to help you start your day off right.

By Berlin Green Photos provided

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Classen Grill

Neighborhood Jam

SunnySide Diner

Tucked inside the Classen Circle you’ll find a historic little diner that’s been serving up breakfast for nearly 40 years.

Enjoy French-style omelets and eggs cooked however you’d like. Try the Chinook benedict, homemade patties of Chinook salmon topped with soft poached eggs and hollandaise. Or start your morning sweet with an order of their bananas, berry, and cream Belgian waffles. While you’re there, enjoy a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice which is some of the best in the city.

Breakfast can be classic. It can be unique.

If out-of-the-ordinary is your jam, this might be the place for you. Here you’ll find all your favorite breakfast classics whipped up with a creative twist. Try the lemon poppy cakes, which are buttermilk poppy seed pancakes topped with housemade lemon curd, lemon cream swirl, and a poppy glaze. Their breakfast Cuban (yeah, they’re a thing) is a combo of ham, pulled pork, candied bacon, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickled red onion and two eggs your way on a toasted ciabatta roll.

Sunnyside Diner provides guests with a classic yet modern diner experience.

From fluffy pancakes and waffles to corned beef and hash and a wide array of omelets and brunchwhiches, they cover all the breakfast bases and then some. Try the green chili breakfast burger, a half-pound hamburger on a toasted brioche bun with green chilis, cheddar cheese, fried onions, a sunnyside egg finished with green chili hollandaise. They even offer a sizable plant-based menu, so there’s something for everyone.

405-842-0428 5124 N Classen Circle

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405-724-8149 Multiple OKC locations

405-722-8262 Multiple OKC locations

Jeff’s Country Cafe

Syrup

Hatch Early Mood Food

Hunny Bunny Biscuit Co.

If you are craving a simple, homestyle, midwestern breakfast at affordable prices, Jeff’s Country Cafe has offered patrons a classic diner experience for both breakfast and lunch for more than three decades. Their menu boasts all your favorite breakfast items, from biscuits and gravy with eggs to waffles and pancakes, all served hot, fresh, and delicious. Best of all, breakfast is available all day every day so you can enjoy it even for dinner.

Just like the name, this place is as sweet as Syrup. This self-proclaimed impactbased brunch boutique offers dishes to start your day off traditionally or with a flair. Enjoy a red velvet waffle or the waffle sundae, a housemade waffle topped with vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and pecans. If you’re not feeling the sweetness, try savory classics like huevos rancheros or the eggs benedict.

For the carb-conscious, they’ve got you covered with an impressive array of glutenfree options.

Hatch is breakfast with a new-age twist.

From their Belgian waffle and funky monkey bread to their street tacos and an array of omelets and benedicts, their menu covers everything. Try the breakfast Cuban, a delicious combo of pressed torta bread, grilled duroc ham, bacon, egg, swiss cheese, pickles, beer-braised pork, sautéed peppers, and onions finished with dijon cream. If you’re looking for the dish that swept the nation, then yes, they’ve got your avocado toast, complete with sunny side-up eggs and chipotle hollandaise.

If you’re into biscuits, Hunny Bunny Biscuit Co. has got you covered. They make their delicious biscuits from scratch each day and offer several ways to enjoy them. Make it simple and pair a biscuit with jam, or go all-in with the “classic’’ — a breakfast sandwich with your choice of bacon, ham or sausage, American cheese, and an egg cooked to order. If you prefer your breakfast vegan, they’ve got some great options.

They also offer full-service coffee, bloody marys and mimosas, making it a go-to for brunch on days off.

405-524-2023 3401 N Classen Blvd.

405-601-1354 1501 NW 23rd St.

405-286-2974 Multiple OKC locations

405-506-9055 Multiple OKC locations

KIDS WILL TRY ANYTHING… JUST ADD THE RIGHT FLAVOR. 4 out of 5 kids who use tobacco start with a flavored product.

THAT’S Join the fight to protect our kids at

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(405) 444-4444

7 S. MICKEY MANTLE DRIVE, SECOND FLOOR OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73104 WWW.PARRISHDEVAUGHN.COM

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MAIN STREET ART WALK If you’re tired of staying indoors (and who isn’t), heads up, because one of the most fun events in the area is back.

Norman’s 2nd Friday Art Walk provides a fantastic opportunity to share some in-person camaraderie with others and experience the best of the metro area’s artists.

As its name indicates, the 2nd Friday Art Walk is held in the Walker Arts District, along historic downtown Main Street in Norman, on the second Friday of each month, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Nov. 12, visitors can view, experience and purchase artwork of every genre, style and size, from both new and established artists.

After being forced to host the event virtually for a year due to COVID-19, the organizers opted to re-open in September, and the crowds immediately returned, said Erinn Gavaghan, executive director of the Norman Arts Council, which coordinates the Art Walk.

Dozens of businesses along Main Street participate in the event, including several art galleries such as the Norman Arts Council’s MAINSITE and The Depot. Depending upon the type of business, artists may be located inside, outside or both. It’s held yearround, in all but the worst weather. In addition, it provides an opportunity for visitors to see the unique businesses, bars and restaurants that make up Norman’s historic district, and to hear music from area bands and musicians, Gavaghan said.

At the western end of the historic district is The Depot, Norman’s original train station, which was repurposed as an art museum and music/ event center many years ago. Its staff have successfully meshed Norman’s art walk with their own program, by scheduling their guest artists’ farewell receptions to coincide with the event.

That change has been a win-win for

By Staci Elder Hensley everyone, said The Depot’s executive director, Shari Jackson.

“We focus on visual artists and feature guests with strong Oklahoma ties,” Jackson said. This month, The Depot will be hosting a “Small Works” show featuring a dozen local artists, with many items suitable for holiday gifts.

“What I love most about Art Walk is that we are always trying to build community, and it’s great to be a part of it,” Jackson said. “We think art has a huge part to play in helping us recover psychologically from the past couple of years. We need to see each other smile without it being contentious. Just to be together and enjoy the art is so healing.”

Travis Humphrey, who does both pointillism butterfly paintings and onthe-spot poetry outside the Visit Norman offices, agrees with Jackson wholeheartedly. Humphrey is in his third month as an exhibitor and said the experience is “fantastic” for both artists and participants. In his case, he gets to know his clients better than most, since he learns some information about them before creating a personalized poem within 10 minutes.

“I think the sharing of feelings and information is often a tender and spontaneous thing between the people who are asking me for a poem, and that makes it more special for (Art Walk) participants,” he said. “There is a sweet magic in that moment that I try to capture in a poem. If I’m successful or not, that magic moment happened for them, and that’s what makes the experience worthwhile.”

One of the strong business supporters of the event is J-Byrd Home Boutique, where sculptor Link Cowen’s work has been showcased throughout October, including the October Art Walk. (You can see his work on Facebook and Instagram at Link Owen Art, or LinkCowenArt.com.)

“I have not shown in Norman before,

and I very much enjoyed my time there,” Cowen said. “I’m a firm believer it’s time to get back out in the public with events like the Friday night Art Walks across the country. It’s a reason to go do something, plus it helps small businesses and the general public, as well as the artist.”

Emily Hensley, (FB @cosmicbrushstroke and Instagram cosmicbrushstroke), another artist who participated in the Art Walk for the first time in September, also said it was an inspiring experience.

“I had been to Art Walk casually in the past, but after seeing an ad for the reopening I knew it was time,” Hensley said. “It went from nerve-wracking to everything I wanted. So many people stopped by to give compliments, and even more stopped to grab something.

It was incredibly reaffirming.” She will be at the November event, exhibiting in front of Green Buffalo Dispensary.

Dollmaker Kati Kain, who also took part in the Art Walk for the first time in October through J-Byrd, agrees with Hensley.

“The Art Walk provided the opportunity to connect and reconnect with people; I ran into some old friends I had not seen since the pandemic started,” Kain said. “It was a great experience!.”

(Kain’s unique dolls are available at Norman’s Firehouse Art Center, or you can get information by emailing her at

Cutie.Pies.Dolls@gmail.com.)

Anyone who’s interested in becoming involved with the Art Walk as an exhibitor, host, financial sponsor or volunteer, is encouraged to reach out to Cher Duncan, Norman Arts Council events coordinator, at 405-360-1162 or use the contact form on the website, https://www.2ndfridaynorman.com/.

Although complete Art Walk attendance figures aren’t available, “We average between 800 to 1,200 visitors to our MAINSITE gallery alone, and we know there’s a lot more out there,” Gavaghan said.

The 2nd Friday Art Walk program is funded through grants and donations from the Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, the Kirkpatrick Foundation, the City of Norman and private businesses.

“Do yourself a favor and come,” Jackson said. “You never know what kind of treasure you might find, what might inspire you or who you’re going to run into that you haven’t seen in forever.”

A complete list of this month’s participating artists can be found at https://www.2ndfridaynorman.com/.

You can also get information from its Facebook page, 2nd Friday Art Walk Main St. Norman.

For more information about Norman Art Walk Schedule, scan the QR code with your smart phone.

The Library of Golden Hits with Liberace Manilow by Leon Richmond

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OKC BALLET’S

THE NUTCRACKER

OKC TREE LIGHTING FESTIVAL

Civic Center Music Hall

Bricktown & Virtual Automobile Alley

LIFESHARE WINTERFEST AND SNOW TUBING

LIGHTS ON BROADWAY

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark

SAINTS SANTA RUN

LYRIC’S

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

midtown

MERRY MIDTOWN

midtown

Midtown Mutts Dog Park

A DOG DAY IN DECEMBER

city center

Harn Homestead

DEVON ICE RINK

bricktown

PAINTED DOOR 30 YEAR CELEBRATION

Myriad Botanical Gardens

THE SKIRVIN HILTON HOTEL

THE MELTING POT’S

HOLIDAY EVENTS

ANNUAL UGLY HOLIDAY SWEATER PARTY Bricktown

OKC BROADWAY'S

HIP HOP NUTCRACKER & A MAGICAL CIRQUE CHRISTMAS Civic Center Music Hall

KATIEBUG'S

WINTER WONDERLAND

CANTERBURY VOICES

HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Automobile Alley

OKC STREETCAR FREE WEEKEND RIDES downtown-wide

Civic Center Music Hall Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark

ARTS COUNCIL OKC'S

OPENING NIGHT

More information, including schedules, pricing, and other details, can be found online at

#downtownindecember @downtownokc

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OKC Tree Lighting Festival

NOVEMBER 18 • 5-7PM • BRICKTOWN & VIRTUAL

One of the year’s most anticipated annual events, the Oklahoma City Tree Lighting Festival, will return for its 20th year on Thursday, November 18 at 5pm in Bricktown.

The festival, which is free and open to everyone, will feature a showcase of talented and diverse performances celebrating the season, family-friendly activities, photos with Santa Claus, and the traditional countdown to the lighting of the Bricktown Christmas Tree, sponsored by SONIC Foundation, with Mayor David Holt. This kickoff to the season and Downtown in December also includes a Virtual Holiday Program debuting on television and online Friday, November 26 at 5pm!

Lyric's A Christmas Carol

NOVEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 23 • HARN HOMESTEAD

Lyric Theatre's outdoor production of “A Christmas Carol” has returned this season, whisking audiences away to a magical holiday village nestled in the heart of Oklahoma City.

The historic Harn Homestead will once again be reimagined as the Victorian era setting for Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, magical spirits, and a host of classic characters.

Patrons will follow Charles Dickens' timeless tale of transformation and redemption as they are guided from scene to scene at the homestead and experience the unforgettable production.

LifeShare WinterFest & Snow Tubing

NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 31 • CHICKASAW BRICKTOWN BALLPARK

Lights On Broadway

NOV. 20, 27 & DEC. 4, 11 • 4-7PM • AUTOMOBILE ALLEY

Cruise down historic Automobile Alley for the district’s holiday open house and experience the stunning light display during the 6th annual Lights On Broadway event!

The fun returns for four Saturdays this season and each evening from 4-7pm various retail shops and restaurants will feature buzz-worthy window displays, in addition to pop-up activities, special promotions, and giveaways.

Attendees will enjoy family-friendly programming along the sidewalks such as live music, balloon art, performances, photos with Snow Globe Santa, and more.

LifeShare WinterFest at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark has returned and riding down the gigantic snow tubing slope is a thrill you won’t want to miss!

From snow tubing and holiday movies on the video board, to sparkling lights and décor, these holiday festivities within the ballpark are perfect for creating memories for years to come.

There’s something for the whole family, so bring everyone along for a ride in the snow, hot chocolate and snacks, and a festive holiday atmosphere.

Curbside Chronicle's Wrap Up Homelessness & Holiday Wreaths NOVEMBER - DECEMBER • DOWNTOWN-WIDE

Saints Santa Run PRESENTED BY SSM HEALTH - ST. ANTHONY DECEMBER 4 • 7-11AM • MIDTOWN

Grab your costumes and running shoes, the Saints Santa Run is returning in-person and coming to Midtown!

Each year, the family-friendly holiday run brings all ages, and even pets, to downtown Oklahoma City for a festive 5K. The 5K is a great way to stay active and spread holiday cheer during the holiday season.

Participants will receive a commemorative Saints Santa Run t-shirt and finisher medal, and are invited to dress up in their best costumes for a chance to win special prizes.

A Dog Day in December

DECEMBER 2 • 5:30-8PM • MIDTOWN MUTTS DOG PARK

Bring the pups out to the Midtown Mutts Dog Park on Thursday, December 2 from 5:30pm-8pm for a pet-themed holiday party!

You and your dogs can purchase photos with Santa printed on-site and enjoy snacks and drinks for the humans, complimentary "puppuccinos,” and a fun, festive atmosphere filled with furry friends.

Merry Midtown

NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 24 • MIDTOWN

Midtown businesses are coming together to offer festive opportunities to eat, drink, and be merry in their district this season.

Beginning November 26, make Midtown your destination for dining, holiday shopping, and general merriment with limited-time promotions and special holiday touches from one of your favorite local neighborhoods.

Devon Ice Rink

NOVEMBER 12 - JANUARY 30 • MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS

The Devon Ice Rink is returning for its 2021-2022 season in the Myriad Botanical Gardens and will be open through January 30.

Gather at the Gardens for another great season of outdoor ice skating at Downtown in December’s premier attraction. Open seven days a week, the Devon Ice Rink hosts daily public skating, private parties, and special events all winter long.

The Devon Ice Rink is located at 100 S. Robinson Ave., at the corner of Robinson and Sheridan.

Make the holidays extra bright and positively impact your community by supporting Curbside Chronicle's Wrap Up Homelessness Campaign and Holiday Wreaths. Each year, Curbside Chronicle and Curbside Flowers employ individuals transitioning out of homelessness to sell the unique gift wrap packages and create gorgeous wreaths of varying sizes and price points for all to enjoy. The gift wrap will be available for purchase streetside through their Curbside vendors in green vests, during the Holiday Pop-Up Shops in Midtown, at Lights On Broadway, and online at wrapuphomelessness.com. Purchase a festive wreath in store at Curbside Flowers and online at curbsideflowers.com.

Have Yourself a Myriad Little Christmas NOVEMBER 26 - JANUARY 2 • MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS

Myriad Botanical Gardens is a popular destination to enjoy all that the holidays have to offer.

Visitors can stroll through beautiful light displays and decorations throughout the grounds as well as participate in special events and attractions throughout the season. The Children’s Garden Winter Wonderland Lighting will feature special lanterns, twinkle lights, wrapped trees, Santa’s workshop and more.

'Tis the Season at Scissortail Park NOVEMBER 26 - JANUARY 6 • SCISSORTAIL PARK

Celebrate the season at Scissortail Park with a varierty of festivities including the Union Station Illumination, a free concert, holiday lights and tours, the Menorah Lighting, visits with Santa Claus, and more.

Everyone is invited to bundle up, stroll the grounds, enjoy the lights, and soak in the holiday spirit.

Holiday Pop-Up Shops

NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 19 • CORNER OF 10TH & HUDSON

The Holiday Pop-Up Shops are returning to Midtown in Downtown Oklahoma City for their 10th year in 2021! This year’s event will bring back the iconic geodesic domes along with the market tents introduced last season.

With local shops rotating weekly, you are sure to find a gift for everyone on your list. Discover dozens of local shops each weekend, purchase treats from Katiebug's Sips & Sweets and The Big Friendly, and pick out your Christmas tree from the Bishop John Carroll tree lot.

The event also features live music, surprise visits from Santa and Curbside Chronicle wrapping paper sales.

Katiebug’s Winter Wonderland

NOVEMBER 26 – DECEMBER 31 • 12-6PM • KATIEBUG’S SIPS & SWEETS

You’ll feel like you stepped into a Hallmark movie at Katiebug’s Winter Wonderland! Sip on their famous hot chocolate & homemade marshmallows while enjoying a sweet treat or two. Grab a cookie decorating kit to take home, boxes of sweets to drop off to loved ones, or homemade treats to stuff your stockings.

The Winter Wonderland is open 12-6pm Wednesdays through Saturdays this season.

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel Holiday Events NOVEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 24 • SKIRVIN HILTON

As downtown comes to life this holiday season, The Skirvin Hilton is once again leading the way with a calendar full of festive events, meals, and attractions that you'll love sharing with your family and friends.

The Skirvin Hilton's magical ambiance is the perfect backdrop for creating new traditions while honoring the old. Events such as Holiday High Tea, Thanksgiving Feast, Holiday Kick Off & Tree Lighting, and Breakfast with Santa & Mrs. Claus are sure to make your holiday gathering unforgettable.

OKC Broadway's Hip Hop Nutcracker & A Magical Cirque Christmas NOVEMBER 24 & DECEMBER 22 • CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL

OKC Broadway is back this season with two performances full of holiday fun for the whole family! The Hip Hop Nutcracker is a contemporary dance spectacle set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music taking place on November 24 at 7pm. A unique and joyful event, this evening-length production is performed by a supercharged cast of all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop’s founding fathers.

Then don't miss the world’s greatest entertainers uniting for the spell-binding production of A Magical Cirque Christmas. On December 22 at 7:30pm experience the magic of Christmas with dazzling performers and breathtaking cirque artists, accompanied by your favorite holiday music performed live.

Canterbury Voices Handel's Messiah DECEMBER 5 • 7:00 PM • CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL

A musical rite of the holiday season, Canterbury Voices presents Handel’s Baroque-period oratorio Messiah on December 5 at 7pm.

A holiday tradition for the community, the concert begins with the phrase “Comfort ye my people.” In a year when people need comfort more than ever, Canterbury Voices joins with the OKC Philharmonic, bringing to life this beloved masterpiece.

The Melting Pot's Annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Party DECEMBER 7 • 12-10PM •THE MELTING POT

Don't miss your once-a-year chance to dig that ugly holiday sweater out of the closet and participate in a festive evening of fun and four-course fondue. Embroidered snowmen, jingle bells, flashing lights – the gaudier the sweater, the better at The Melting Pot's Annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Party! Reservations are recommended.

OKC Streetcar Free Weekend Rides NOVEMBER 19 - JANUARY 2 • DOWNTOWN-WIDE

Enjoy complimentary fares on the OKC Streetcars on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays as you take in all the destinations, events, and attractions that Downtown in December has to offer.

Warm up, shop local, and love the loops for free this holiday season!

Painted Door's 30 Year Celebration NOVEMBER 19 - 21 • PAINTED DOOR GIFT BOUTIQUE

OKC Ballet's The Nutcracker PRESENTED BY DEVON ENERGY DECEMBER 11 - 19 • CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL

All will be merry and bright as one of Oklahoma City’s favorite holiday productions, The Nutcracker, fills the Civic Center in a warm glow this December.

Tchaikovsky’s familiar score and Artistic Director Robert Mills’ delightful staging come together as Clara and the Nutcracker Prince journey to adventurous places beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

Now in its 50th year, this joyous production, featuring the OKC Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices, awaits you and yours this holiday season.

Help the Painted Door celebrate their 30th year at their Christmas Open House Friday, November 19 through Sunday, November 21! All are invited to visit the Painted Door Gift Boutique to complete their holiday shopping and enjoy complimentary food samples and refreshments while their gifts are being wrapped. The festivities also include a Lunch & Learn at the newly opened Old Spaghetti Factory on Friday, November 19 from 11am to 2pm. The Painted Door's Avis Scaramucci will share her tips and tricks on how to make a handmade gift bow, how to cook a delicious caramel sauce, holiday table setting ideas, and more. Tickets are $25 each and sold at the Painted Door.

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Rodeo Cinema

Scene

Cinema

by Matt Dinger

Movie theaters were among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and with viral numbers bouncing back with the delta variant, even Hollywood blockbusters still aren’t bringing in the numbers they otherwise would have. Competing also with a steadily growing list of streaming services, many of which are offering simultaneous releases either

included with a monthly subscription or available to rent on the same day as the theatrical release for the price of two adult movie tickets, even luxury theaters are having trouble fitting seats. Despite that, there is still no shortage of places to catch a flick in the company of friends and strangers in the state.

The Stockyards may seem like a strange place for a nonprofit arthouse cinema, but only if you’ve never been. Tickets for a la carte showings are always available, but being a member of Rodeo Cinema shaves $3 off every ticket, gets you free popcorn on Mondays and a free ticket during your birth month among other benefits. Better yet, they are a member of the Art House Convergence Visiting Members Program, which means you get reciprocal benefits at participating theaters like Circle Cinema in Tulsa. Individual memberships are $50 a year and with a second location now open and operating in the former Paramount Room on Film Row Photo Jared Kinley with a completely different film slate and a robust revival schedule, there’s no time like the Mondo Mondays present to check them out if you haven’t @ Ponyboy already. If you think this reads more like an advertisement than news, it’s Lucas Dunn has kept the cult classic because we really, really like them and screening event alive for more than three want them to be around for years to years now upstairs at Ponyboy. A longcome. Oh, and they’re screening Mickey time fan of all things mondo, psychotroReece’s Agnes for a second time starting nic, cult and everything in between, on Dec. 10, following its deadCenter Film Festival debut this summer.

Mondo Mondays dig deep into the catalogue with something for even the most Enough said. hardcore cinephile or jaded viewer. Not surprisingly, they’re keeping the Halloween vibe going through the rest Winchester Drive-In of November. First-run features from the likes of A24 and other distributors can often be caught in the Tower Theatre In operation for more than a half-cenitself, though with all the bands on the tury at 6930 S Western Ave., the road, films are fewer and farther Winchester Drive-In is both a glorious between, though they are also reviving piece of Oklahoma City nostalgia and a their holiday film series this year. great place for a date. Owner Lindy Shanbour turned over operations just shy of the drive-in’s 50th anniversary due to failing health in 2017, but lived long enough to see his business’s milestone. Still offering its weekend double features, the Winchester makes for a great date and there’s no safer way to screen a movie during the pandemic than in your vehicle or in a lawn chair in the open air, weather permitting.

Winchester also offers a full-service concession stand and while the popcorn and soda prices mimic those of the indoor theaters, you can also snag a burger, hot dog or other fast favorite on the cheap. Tickets are $7 per adult, with children ages 3 to 10 years old getting in for $3.

Circle Cinema (Tulsa) Long before Rodeo Cinema opened its doors in OKC, Circle Cinema in Tulsa was making residents here very jealous by regularly screening arthouse fare as well as hosting some great guests and events, like the time Heather Langenkamp came to screen the origi20

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nal A Nightmare on Elm Street. Still going strong, Circle still packs its schedule with great films. An added note: If you missed Greg Sestero’s screening of The Room here, he’ll be at Circle Cinema for a screening on Nov. 20.

AMC 24 — Quail Springs This theater earns a slot on the list because of its history having a dedicated screen for arthouse fare before Rodeo Cinema was in business or that the Oklahoma City Museum of Art didn’t pick up. It may not have been the biggest theater in the house and the seats may have been nearly empty during almost all of its showings, but the AMC 24 could be depended upon to screen the newest Wes Anderson movie as well as screening what are now classics like David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, among many others.

The theater chain is still keeping that spirit alive, screening lesser-known fare under its AMC Artisan Films banner.

Honorable mentions: Cinemark Tinseltown and Harkins Bricktown Going to the movies can be an expensive habit to keep and Tinseltown has always been a great way to shave a few bucks off of the bill. While they may not have the nicest theater in the city or book anything you wouldn’t find at other theater chains, getting into a seat in 2021 for less than a fiver during a matinee or $6.50 on a weekend night is nothing to scoff at

and rumors of rough crowds and a dangerous parking lot are greatly exaggerated. While Oklahoma City may not have a dedicated revival theater, Harkins Bricktown is a great place to look for encore showings of classic 80s and 90s flicks like RoboCop and Beetlejuice. But fair warning: most of those only get a single showing on a weekday night.

In memoriam: Digital Film Depot The indie video shop is the place many cineastes first cut their teeth on arthouse film fare. Those who are starting to go gray around the temples will remember Digital Video Depot on N Meridian Avenue south of NW 63rd. The owner and curator, Blaine, was a former employee of Kaleidoscope Video, which those of you who have gone completely gray might remember. When they shuttered, he purchased an enormous amount of their catalogue and struck out on their own. An early adopter of the DVD format, the shop focused on a broad selection and didn’t bother competing with Blockbuster by buying massive quantities of blockbusters, but if you wanted to see a bootleg transfer from an Asian laserdisc of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo or Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, on VHS, it was the place to be. It’s been years since it shuttered, but still terribly missed.

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OKLAHOMA’S OWN Austin has Richard Linklater. Baltimore has John Waters and Oklahoma City has Mickey Reece (if we can keep him).

Having completed somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 features in the last decade, his most recent offerings have elevated him from guerilla filmmaker to an auteur whose latest flick, Agnes (2021), received a Tribeca Film Festival (NYC) debut.

Here’s a look at that film, which will be hitting theaters next month, as well as two previous films that are now available on streaming platforms.

Agnes(2021) If you watch the trailer for Agnes, it would be understandable to think that you’re setting yourself up for yet another demonic possession horror movie that hews to genre with some atmospheric flair. But that’s what makes watching a Mickey Reece movie exciting — whatever your expectations for one of his movies, none of them will be met.

Any hopes of a popcorn flick are dispelled after the first act, with the rest of the film a philosophical character drama, and not about Agnes. The eponymous character, played by Edmond native Hayley McFarland, acts as more of a catalyst for self-discovery for the others in the film. Walk in expecting jump scares and you’ll leave disappointed, but a tearjerking final scene could not have been predicted. Regular Reece collaborator Ben Hall turns in 22

a stellar performance as Father Donaghue and appearances by Sean Gunn and Rachel True among others flesh out a film that’s more about a spiritual journey than a reckoning with the supernatural.

Agnes opens in select theaters and will be available on demand Dec. 10.

Climate of the Hunter (2019)

Reece’s preceding flick is another overplayed horror subgenre film turned on its head. Climate of the Hunter is his take on vampire lore … maybe. When Wesley, a globetrotting writer, appears at a remote cabin after years of absence, a pair of sisters passive-aggressively compete for his attention while Wesley’s son jockeys for power, or at least control, over their relationship in much the same manner. The pacing and atmosphere are definitely more of an arthouse style with idiosyncratic flair throughout. Ben Hall plays Wesley and really nails the character, while the sisters and son raise the tension slowly and steadily throughout the film, which escalates very slowly before reaching its maddening crescendo. Like Agnes, Climate of the Hunter leaves the viewer with more questions than it answers.

Imagine Dark Shadows with less melodrama and more batshit insanity and

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(L) Agnes, Climate of the Hunter, Mickey Reece’s Alien | Photos provided

of their relationship make the film work. Elvis’ entourage provides some of the best comic relief, with Reece himself delivering most of the best lines from that group and a dinner scene with Tom Jones and his wife Linda elicits full-on laughter (on a side note, Tom Jones is played by John Selvidge, Reece’s longtime screenwriting partner).

Released months before Twin Peaks: The Return debuted in 2017, some of the Mickey Reece transitions would seem like | Photo Stephan Sutor Stills they were bitten from David Lynch except Reece did you’ll be closer to the mark than a comthem first. A very minor comparison to parison to Dracula (though there is Lynch’s Eraserhead could be made definitely a creepy Nosferatu scene though (no spoilers — you’ll know the scene when you see it). that’s definitely shades of Murnau).

Climate of the Hunter is now streaming on Amazon Prime, AMC+ and Shudder.

Mickey Reece’s Alien (2017)

Ridley Scott’s Alien this ain’t. A semicomedic recounting of the lives of Elvis and Priscilla Presley in the days leading up to his comeback concert, all but a single scene is shot in black-and-white.

Less a historical drama than a pseudosurreal character drama, with Jacob Ryan Snovel playing a pitch-perfect offkilter Elvis to Cate Jones’ deadpan performance as Priscilla, the scenes outside

Mickey Reece’s Alien is now streaming on Alamo Drafthouse On Demand, along with five other Reece films that can be rented or purchased independently or as a “Six-Pack.”

For more information about Alamo Drafthouse On Demand’s Mickey Reece’s Six-Pack , scan the QR code with your smart phone.

Oklahoma Contemporary brings award-winning video gamethemed art installation to state By Trevor Hultner One of the most-derided opinions film critic Roger Ebert ever had was one that, to him, probably seemed like the most anodyne: video games were not art.

“Let me just say that no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form,” Ebert proclaimed in a post to his website on April 6, 2010. It was the kind of statement that, while innocuous to a critic who regularly interrogated the broader popular culture, set off a firestorm of backlash among the gaming community.

In a follow-up post a few months later, Ebert wrote, “I was a fool for mentioning video games in the first place. I would never express an opinion on a movie I hadn’t seen. Yet I declared as an axiom that video games can never be art. I still believe this, but I should never have said so.”

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center just held the grand opening for its newest visiting exhibition and multimedia art installation, “Open World,” where visitors and Oklahoma Contemporary members will be able to experience the medium of video games as an art form from now until Feb. 21.

The exhibit, which was created in 2019 for the Akron Art Museum by Theresa Bembnister, a curator and art writer who is now working out

of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, will explore all the ways games have influenced art and vice versa. From the visual to the auditory to the textual, museum-goers will be able to engage with games in new and interesting ways.

“What is exciting to me about the exhibition is the way that it incorporates and integrates ideas of contemporary art and contemporary artists with video game history, technology, production and design,” Jeremiah Matthew Davis, Oklahoma Contemporary’s artistic director, said. “There have been

many exhibitions just about video games, art from video games or designed from video games. But there hasn’t been one with the curatorial thesis that synthesizes the world of contemporary art with the world of video games.”

While based in the aesthetics of video games, the art on display in Open World also challenges and interrogates the medium, like with feminist media artist Angela Washko’s exhibit, “The Council on Gender Sensitivity and Behavioral Awareness in World of Warcraft.” In this exhibit, viewers watch as gamers respond to inquiries about feminism and women in gaming in… less than savory ways. We’re left to wonder how it got like this in gaming and what we might do about it.

Swiss artist Ueli Alder’s series of high-resolution photos of explosions based on games - the “Detonations” series - asks us to consider the role violent spectacle plays in modern gaming, especially first-person shooters, while also throwing us for a loop and challenging our understanding of the real — none of the impressive explosions happened, but are instead Photoshop collages expertly stitched together by Alder.

In addition to an international stable of visual art on display, Oklahoma Contemporary will also be

holding several events for art-loving gamers of all ages, like the upcoming Game Fest OKC event on Nov. 13, the Teen Takeover: Pixel Holiday event, and video game trivia with The Lost Ogle in December.

Game Fest OKC in particular will feature the museum’s first ever “Twitch-style” talk between feminist games studies researcher Dr. Samantha Blackmon and Miranda Due, an associate producer at Treyarch, a video game developer whose last major project was Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, and who hails from Tulsa and the Muskogee (Creek) Nation.

“The two of them will be having a conversation about the video game industry, development, and how to get into it,” Jaime L.M. Thompson, Oklahoma Contemporary’s director of education and public programming, said. “[They’ll be] looking at how they kind of got into the field while literally playing the multiplayer game together and fielding questions from other people in the game as well as in the audience.”

The exhibition runs through the winter, culminating in a just-beforeValentine’s Day orchestral concert called “Love is a Game,” performed by the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra on Feb. 13.

Free tickets are on offer now at okcontemporar y.com/tickets, and Oklahoma Contemporary is recommending that attendees reserve theirs at least three weeks in advance so that the museum can keep things safe and clean for all guests.

For more information about tickets to Oklahoma Contemporary, scan the QR code with your smart phone.

En Plein Air: Vassalage III, Jacolby Satterwhite | Photo Shutterstock.com

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CALENDAR are events recommended

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

from Santa, and more…all FREE! Free, Sat., Nov. 20, 4-8 p.m. Downtown Bethany, NW 38th St. & Asbury Ave., 405-789-2146, bethanymainstreet.com. SAT, NOV 20

com No Charge, Thu., Nov. 18, 7-8:30 p.m. Castle Falls Restaurant & Event Center, 820 N. MacArthur Blvd., 405.942.6133, westendistrictokc.com/events/. THU,

Celebrate Pink OKC The Celebrate Pink OKC Luncheon and Fashion Show raises funds to support Oklahoma Project Woman - a statewide comprehensive program providing free mammograms, diagnostic procedures and surgical services for Oklahomans with no health insurance and limited financial resources.

OPW is a collaborative effort linking multiple breast

LIVE! on the Plaza join the Plaza District every second Friday for an art walk featuring artists, live music, shopping and more, 6-10 p.m. second Friday of every month. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-426-7812, plazadistrict.org. FRI, NOV 12

NOV 18

PAMBE Ghana Global Market PAMBE Ghana’s seasonal fair trade Global Market returns this year in a new location. Shoppers of all ages will discover unique gifts, from the useful & handy to the creative & fun. All merchandise are fair trade items, from almost every continent, made by artisans who are paid a living wage for their work.

Profits from the sales provide crucial funding for PAMBE Ghana’s elementary school in rural northern Ghana. The Global Market will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 noon until 6:00 pm. PAMBE Ghana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency. Free, TuesdaysSaturdays, 12-6 p.m. through Dec. 24. PAMBE Ghana Global Market, 2420 N. Robinson, 405/210-5214, pambeghana.org. THROUGH DEC 24 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend, Friday, November 12, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Rope ‘N’ Ride Cocktail Reception, Western or Business Casual Attire, 6:00 p.m. Small Works, Great Wonders Art Sale, Small Works, Great Wonders® features a fusion of traditional and contemporary paintings and sculpture at affordable prices., Enjoy cocktails with more than 100 of the nation’s finest artists, including many from the prestigious Prix de West. Refreshments and beautiful works of art make for a truly special evening; purchasers may leave with art in hand at the end of the night. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo-hall-offame-weekend/. FRI-SAT, NOV 12 & 13 The Santa Market The Santa Market, Benefitting The Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma, The Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, Pavilion and Centennial Buildings, Nov. 19th & 20th, 9am to 4pm, FREE Admission, Free Parking & Free Pictures with Santa, Over 180 Vendors FREE, Nov. 19-20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The Santa Market, 3001 General Pershing Blvd, 405-3141033, thesantamarket.org. FRI-SAT. NOV 19 & 20

Beatles vs. Stones The most infamous rivalry in rock and roll never played out in a public arena until now as Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown performs at the historic Tower Theatre., Sat., Nov. 13. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT, NOV 13 Photo provided FILM Free Film Screening: Toni Join us for a free screening of Jean Renoir’s 1935 feature film Toni.

90 min. In French, Italian, and Spanish with English subtitles. This event is free and open to the public!

The story follows the Italian migrant Antonio (“Toni”) whose tempestuous affairs with two women—the sweet and loyal Marie and the flirtatious and flighty Josefa--unleash a wave of tragedy. A time capsule of that period and a “marvel of poetic feeling,” the film also forces us to consider how migrants’ lives have not entirely changed and how economic precarity can affect gendered behaviors and romantic relationships.

Free!, Sun., Nov. 14, 2-5 p.m. OCU Norick Art Center, 1608 NW 26th Street, (405) 208-5707, okcu.edu/filmliterature/home. SUN, NOV 14 Killer High: The Silent Crisis Oklahoma has seen a spike in overdose deaths from fentanyl in 2020., What is fentanyl and how prevalent are counterfeit pills?, This 45 minute film, ‘Killer High: Silent Crisis’ and local information shared by a Q&A team will increase your education on a timely topic; the presence of fentanyl in our city., Free admission. Food & beverage concessions will be available for purchase at Rodeo Cinema on Film Row. Free, Wed., Nov. 17, 7-8:30 p.m. Rodeo Cinema on Film Row, 701 W. Sheridian Ave, 972-670-7078, eventbrite. com/e/killer-high-silent-crisis-free-documentarytickets-201741352817. WED, NOV 17

HAPPENINGS Arts District 3rd Fridays Every 3rd Friday, Arts District invites you to take a stroll through the district.

There will be treats, drinks, giveaways, art, live music and more. Come experience all the wonderful small businesses that make up this walkable downtown district!, third Friday of every month. through Nov. 19. Arts District, 211 N. Robinson Ave., 405-235-3500, artsdistrictokc.com/third-fridays. FRI, NOV 19 Bethany’s Christmas Tree Lighting Horse drawn carriage, s’mores, cotton candy, pictures with Santa, entertainment, car show, face painting, goodie bags

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healthcare institutions to Oklahomans who may not be able to afford appropriate medical care. $100.00, Wed., Nov. 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, 7000 NW Grand Blvd., 405-6410866, oklahomaprojectwoman.org/ celebrate-pink-okc/. WED, NOV 17

Sound the Bell Paranormal Event - Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project Join us at the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum for a paranormal investigation benefiting the Wounded Warriors Project., We will show you how to use paranormal equipment and lead an investigation with hopes of having your own experience. So grab your flashlight and your favorite spooky buddy (or 3) for a new adventure., This is for new and seasoned investigators. Bring your equipment if you got it! If you don’t, bring your sense of adventure., Must be 16+ to attend. Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. 45.00, Sat., Nov. 13, 7-11:59 p.m. Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum, 2716 NE 50th St, 405237-5533, valkyrieparanormal.org/upcoming-events.

SAT, NOV 13

Third Saturdays in WesTen District The WesTen District welcomes you to Third Saturdays in WesTen with a MadPotter Open House, Council Grove Historically Local Tour at Castle Falls, and a Marking Tree Open House. For more details visit www.WesTenDistrictOKC.com/events. No Charge, Sat., Nov. 20, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. WesTen District, Northwest 10th Street Corridor, 405.256.8033, westendistrictokc.com/event/ third-saturdays-in-westen-district. SAT, NOV 30

FOOD Veggie Dinner Join Picasso Cafe on the third Tuesday of each month for a four to five-course menu; featuring a fresh and creative take on vegetarian-inspired fare. Enjoy with or without wine pairings. Dinner begins at 6:30. Nov. 16.

Reservations 405.602.2002 / Seating is limited., Tue., Nov. 16. Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo St., 405-602-2002, picassosonpaseo.com. TUE, NOV 16

YOUTH Thick Descriptions Saturday Virtual steAm Learning Journey Are you 6-12 years old and interested in a virtual steAm (science, technology, engineering, Anthropology, and math) Learning Journey?, Join us virtually on the second Saturday of every month as Ms. Allisyn Burleigh discusses Oklahoma topics using steAm! Her topics include language, culture, biology, and much more!, Ms. Allisyn holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Pre-K teacher. She’s also the founder of a tutoring service called BK Tutoring. o.oo, second Saturday of every month, 11-11:30 a.m. through Nov. 13. 405-397-0584, thickdescriptions.org/contact-us. SAT, NOV 13

PERFORMING ARTS Art AfloatShowboat Concert Series Art Afloat is bringing local artists together to take over the Bricktown Canal every Thursday night, to be called the Art Afloat Showboat Concert Series., Thursdays.

Bricktown Water Taxi, 111 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, bricktownwatertaxi.com. THURSDAYS CIRQUE MECHANICS - BIRDHOUSE FACTORY This mystifying Cirque experience is perfect for the whole family, combining the thrills and humor of a circus (including aerial acrobatics, juggling and plenty of other stunts you shouldn’t try at home) with artistry and culture.

The set and style, placed in a 1930’s widget factory, is inspired by the industrial murals of Mexican-born artist, Diego Rivera, the outrageous contraptions of cartoonist Rube Goldberg and slap-stick humor in Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times. The hopeful story follows a group of manufacturing workers who ditch the assembly line to help a feathered friend., “Exceptional, evocative,…and engrossingly entertaining.”

-The New York Times $17 - $57, Sat., Nov. 20, 8-10 p.m.

OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave., 405-682-7579, occc.edu/pas/subscribe. SAT, NOV 20 Dope Poetry Night Dope Poetry Night at the Ice Event Center Bar and Grill is every Wednesday

Create a Pollinator Overwintering Habitat When the leaves and temperatures begin to drop, many pollinators are looking for a place to spend the winter and it could be right in your own garden.

Most pollinators prefer to stay at home and ride out the cold. The availability of nesting and overwintering habitat is very important in providing shelter and food for beneficial insects. We will construct a natural habitat at the pollinator rain garden and explore ways you can provide nesting and overwintering habitat in your own yard., Instructor: Jody Lesch, Garden School coordinator and resident “Bug Lady.”, Sat., Nov. 13, 11 a.m.-noon.

CommonWealth Urban Farms, 3310 N. Olie Ave., 405-524-1864, commonwealthurbanfarms.com/gardenschool/. SAT, NOV 13 Historically Local Speaker Series w/ John Dwyer On Thursday, November 18, 2021 you are invited to hear John Dwyer, author of The Oklahomans Volume 1 and 2. He will talk about the state’s history from World War I to present., Volume 1 covered land runs and oil booms, gun-toting preachers and pioneer women, civil war and Indian wars and volume 2 will be just as comprehensive. PLUS, Dwyer’s storytelling is captivating in person!, There is no charge but registration required here: https://historicallylocalnov.eventbrite.

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Devon Ice Rink The Devon Ice Rink returns for its 10th season in the Myriad Botanical Gardens in

2021. Get ready for another great winter of outdoor ice skating at Downtown in December’s premier attraction. Through Jan. 30, 2022. Scissortail Park, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org.

OPENS FRI, NOV 12, Photo provided

from Aspen Art Museum, the exhibition Nature, Sweet Nature, by renowned artist Maren Hassinger, has been reconfigured to respond to the grounds of Oklahoma Contemporary., Nature, Sweet Nature is comprised of two installations constructed with galvanized wire rope. Garden and Paradise Regained will each stand in rows at relative human scale; one near the entrance to the art center and the other within the Sculpture Garden. Free, Through Aug. 31, 2022. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org/exhibitions/upcoming/ maren-hassinger-nature-sweet-nature.

THROUGH AUG 31, 2022

“Light, Color, Space, and Deception,” featuring Larry Hefner explores the ability to fool or deceive the eye in a confined two-dimensional space. His works give off a three-dimensional look while still being completely flat. Hefner explores illusion by using simple grids with the basic color theory throughout most of his works to give off that three-dimensional and visually pleasing look. THROUGH DEC 31 Dancing Soft illusion/Photo provided

starting at 7:30 p.m. Sign-ups begin at 7 p.m.Only the first 25 poets., Come to experience a place where you can be you unapologetically, a place where your voice and presence matter, a place where you’re accepted and loved, where smiles, laughter, thoughts, and feelings are shared, and it’s all free. Just remember to wear a mask. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, facebook.com/Ice-Event-CenterGrill-384104648334867. WEDNESDAYS The Girl From Andros Reviving an age-old story of love, mistaken identity and the ridiculous situations that arise from deception, the theatre arts department at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma will perform “The Girl from Andros” by the Roman-African playwright Terence. Science & Arts students will don classic “commedia dell’arte” masks for the production which combined with 1960s-style “mod” fashion will create the updated setting where carefree playboys frolic on a Mediterranean isle. $10, Fri., Nov. 19, 7:30-9 p.m. and Sat., Nov. 20, 7:30-9 p.m. USAO Davis Hall Little Theatre, 1727 W. Alabama Ave., 4055741310, usao.edu/arts-andculture/theatre-arts/theatre-production.html. FRI-SAT, NOV 19 & 20

Lyric Theatre’s A Christmas Carol The historic Harn Homestead once again will be reimagined as the Victorian Era setting for Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, magical spirits, and a host of unforgettable characters. Patrons will follow Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of transformation and redemption, as they are guided from scene to scene at the homestead., Tuesdays-Sundays. through Dec. 23.

Harn Homestead Museum, 1721 N. Lincoln Boulevard, 405-235-4058, lyrictheatreokc.org. THROUGH DEC 23 Oklahoma Shakespeare: Macbeth Join us this fall for Shakespeare’s spooky tale of witches, revenge, blood and ambition. Coming this Halloween season outside in the brand new Shakespeare Gardens!, ThursdaysSundays. through Nov. 14. Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo St., 405-235-3700, oklahomashakespeare.org.

THU-SUN, NOV 11-14

OU University Theatre presents “Coffee Cantata” and La Serva Padrona” OU University Theatre and the School of Music present two one-act operas “Coffee Cantata” and “La Serva Padrona.” Two clever young women brew schemes to match their heart’s desires. This production is suitable for all audiences.

Harold Mortimer, stage director; and Jonathan Shames, artistic director and conductor. 8 p.m. Nov. 11, 12, 13, and 3 p.m. Nov. 14 Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., Norman, OK 73019. 12-30. Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Ave., 405-325-4101, ou.edu/finearts/universitytheatre.

THU-SUN, NOV 11-14

Rhythmic Circus Rhythmic Circus will kick-off winter celebrations with their sensational show “Holiday Shuffle.” Families with children of all ages will be amazed and uplifted by this evening of joy and positive messaging through music, dance and humor. This company last performed their show, “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!”, to rave reviews during the 15th season of DWPAS. $10-15, Thu., Nov. 11, 7:30-9 p.m. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 1727 W. Alabama Ave., 4055741211, usao. edu/arts-and-culture/dwpas/21-22-rhythmic-circus.html.

THU, NOV 11

A Streetcar Named Desire Jewel Box Theatre presents “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

This production is widely considered to be one of America’s best written pieces of the 20th Century, penned by lauded playwright, Tennessee Williams.

Blanche DuBois, after encountering a series of personal losses, leaves her privileged background to move into a shabby apartment in downtown New Orleans, rented by her younger sister and her brother-in-law. The residents’ contrasting personalities clash in dramatic fashion as they struggle for power in their respective relationships. $25, $15, $10, Thu., Nov. 11, 8-10:30 p.m., Fri., Nov. 12, 8-10:30 p.m., Sat., Nov. 13, 8-10:30 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 14, 2:30-5 p.m. Jewel Box Theatre, 321 NW 36th St., 405521-1786, jewelboxokc.com. THU-SUN, NOV 11-14

ACTIVE 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., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUESDAYS

VISUAL ARTS Abstract Remix Oklahoma Contemporary is bringing murals indoors with Abstract Remix, an exhibition of the work of homegrown Abstract Expressionists who use the large-scale format of muralism as a medium for their giant concepts., Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays. through Jan. 24. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. THROUGH JAN 24 Art of the Heartland - Oklahoma Photography Gallery The Art of the Heartland - an Oklahoma Photography Gallery Show is now live in-person at Social Deck + Dining through the end of the year and is also available to view online in the curated art section of nicolelowry.art., This collection features stunning Oklahoma landscapes by OKC photographer Jason Pierce, Grand Life Photography., Stop by Social Deck + Dining for a cocktail, sharable bites, brunch, or dinner and to browse this captivating sequence of the beauty of Oklahoma., free, Through Dec. 31, noon. Social Deck + Dining, 1933 NW 23rd St., 4054305779, nicolelowry.art/ collections/art-of-the-heartland-photography-by-jasonpierce-grand-life-photography. THROUGH DEC 31 The Artist, the Painter and the Invention of the National Park: Carleton Watkins, Albert Bierstadt and the Birth of the Yosemite Idea Tyler Green (award-winning author/critic) to lecture: The Artist, the Painter and the Invention of the National Park: Carleton Watkins, Albert Bierstadt and the Birth of the Yosemite Idea at 6 p.m. 11-18-2021, at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (555 Elm Ave., Norman). Illustrated lecture is open to the public with no admission charge.

Reservations recommended, as limited seating. Contact Fine Arts College Ticketing Service at (405) 325-4101 (11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. M-F). Lecture is presented by the OU School of Visual Arts’ Charles M. Russell Center as part of its Merkel Family Foundation Distinguished Lecture Series. free. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-4101, ou.edu/fjjma. THU, NOV 18 Chakaia Booker: Shaved Portions Commissioned specifically for Campbell Art Park, Shaved Portions is among the most recent additions to Booker’s body of work marked by her distinct ability to radically transform her signature material — salvaged rubber tires — into an incredible array of biomorphic sculptures. Free, Through Aug. 31, 2022. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org/exhibitions/upcoming/chakaia-bookershaved-portions. THROUGH AUG 31, 2022 Maren Hassinger: Nature, Sweet Nature Traveling

Paper lithography workshop Join us on November 13th from noon to 3 PM to learn Paper Lithography! No previous printmaking experience is required., (Ages 13 and up are welcome.) Maximum of 10 participants., Tickets are $40 each., Paper lithography is an image transfer method inspired by the basic principles of traditional stone lithography, simplified to create prints using photocopies and gum arabic. This class will develop collages and drawings to turn into paper printing “plates” and make unique multi-layered prints. Each participant will leave with custom artwork and knowledge of how to create these beautiful works from home. 40, Sat., Nov. 20, 12-3 p.m. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 4058159995, 1ne3.org. SAT, NOV 20 Postcard Perspectives, International Mail art exhibition opening ALL ARE WELCOME to join us on Friday, November 19th, for the ARTSPACE’s Annual Postcard Perspectives Exhibition Opening. The event will be featuring postcards received from different countries and states in the USA., The evening includes great music, cool people, and a cash bar., All artworks will be exhibited and for sale to the public to benefit the programming of ARTSPACE at Untitled. After the exhibition, we will exchange the remaining postcards with all the participating artists around the world!, Friday, Nov. 19th, 7-9 PM, FREE and open to the public free, Every 36 days, 7-9 p.m. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405 815 9995, 1ne3.org/calendar/2021/11/19/postcard-perspectivesexhibition-opening. FRI, NOV 19 Second Friday Art Walk 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk is a free celebration of arts & creativity held monthly starting at 6 p.m. in the Walker Arts District of Downtown Norman. FRI, NOV 12 Second Saturday: GameFest OKC Plug in and level up during this all-day, family friendly event packed with gaming, creating and cosplay inspired by Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art, plus a Twitch livestream game and discussion with gaming culture experts Samantha Blackmon and Miranda Due. In partnership with Akron Art Museum’s GameFest Akron, we will activate all three levels of our building with interactive programming and projects. Free, drop in — tickets not required, Sat., Nov. 13, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org/learn/public-programs/ upcoming-programs/gamefest. SAT, NOV 13 Women of the Banjo A special exhibit at the American Banjo Museum Women of the Banjo chronicles the contributions of women to the colorful past, vibrant present, and unlimited future of the banjo. From prominent contemporary performers such as Alison Brown and Rhiannon Giddens to pop icons Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and many others, historic insights, instruments, stage attire, and a glimpse of ever-changing fashion trends all help in the telling of this important aspect of banjo history., Through May 31, 2022. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com/current-exhibits/special-exhibits/.

THROUGH MAY 31, 2022

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: International Posters on Gender-Based Inequality, Violence and Discrimination The University of Central Oklahoma’s Melton Gallery will host “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: International Posters on Gender-Based Inequality, Violence and Discrimination,” in partnership with UCO’s School of Design. The exhibition and its corresponding programming are designed to celebrate women and gender-nonconforming social justice advocates of all races and ethnicities, while highlighting the inequalities they have fought against., Mondays-Thursdays. through Nov. 18. Melton Gallery, 100 N. University drive, 405-525-3603, meltongallery. com. THROUGH NOV 18

Visit okgazette.com/Events/AddEvent to submit your event.

Submissions must be received

by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday For OKG seven days before the live music desired publication date. see page 29 Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

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SMO OT H L O CA L R E L E A SE S

By Evan Jarvicks Times are hard, and with the holidays forthcoming, they might get harder. These relaxing recordings may help.

melodic inclination similar to composers for the people like Gershwin. One can also hear major nods in Suite Thing to “Amazing Grace” (Movement III) and Caribbean steel drums (Movement IV), but make no mistake that Ryan’s take is an original one. His blend of influences especially meld on the sonata, which he titles “Magic City.” The bustling, upbeat landscape he composes through jazz and blues tones are just the thing to cast an urbanite’s cares away. There is great joy to be found in these notes.

Soft and experimental, This is for You combines electronics, strings, field recordings, and an ebb and flow of graceful vocals. The album drifts from moment to moment in mellow hues of quiet beauty, understanding of the world’s complexity but seeing through its veils to find something true.

Norman’s Lennon Bramlett, who releases electronic music under the moniker Bronte, tends to reserve his real name for his more personal and subdued projects, and here, he collaborates with fellow local musician Community Girlfriend, whose artistry melds well with his instincts.

Together, they evolve into something new. Note that the experimentation here might be a bit too adventurous for some listeners, but others will find the journey a rare combination of peaceful and invigorating.

CAIN’S BALLROOM

423 North Main St

Tulsa

This is for You by Community Girlfriend and Lennon Bramlett (2021)

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Archive by Maddie Razook (2019) Bearing one of the most dreamy and delicate voices of the Oklahoma City DIY scene, Maddie Razook is in her element on Archive. With atmospheric mixing and soft keyboard undercurrents, she croons in a spread of major and minor keys, striding the line between sunny outdoor haze and blanket fort reclusiveness. In either scenario, the unifying theme is solace. Even when she’s singing about apathy on “Golden One,” the listening experience is anything but callous and detached.

The terms “bedroom pop” and “dreampop” are common in indie circles, and aspects of it do apply to Razook’s sound, but Archive is more unique than that. It lives in that special realm between wakefulness and sleep. Maybe that’s why it’s so relaxing.

First of Its Kind by Barron Ryan (2021) Tulsa composer and pianist extraordinaire Barron Ryan released recordings of his Sonata in B Flat Major and Suite Thing, both new works that blend contemporary and classical influences, on First of Its Kind earlier this year. The album is a strictly solo affair, which keeps the listening experience light even as Ryan explores the full range of the piano.

One can trace a sentimentality and

Aubrie & Lucas by Aubrie and Lucas Ross (2020) Banjo isn’t everyone’s comfort food, but for those who find its unmistakable twang endearing, Aubrie & Lucas provides a charming collection of originals and covers that bring a sweet simplicity to a complex world.

Local celebrity Lucas Ross is best known musically for his humorous banjo songs, many of which are aimed at youngsters. On this album, however, he takes a modest and sincere turn alongside his wife, who does most of the singing here. The Rosses make lovely sounds together, and with little more than fiddle and hand percussion to round out the mix, the album never gets in its own way.

The two instrumental tracks, “I Love Aubrie” and “You Play Banjo Like a Frog,” are especially relaxing and happy.

They feel at ease, much like the Rosses seem to be, and on Aubrie & Lucas, the comfort is contagious.

Divine Timing by Sarafina Byrd (2020) Nothing touches the soul like, well, soul music. Sarafina Byrd’s pop/R&B stylings are full of it, and her songs on romance and empowerment serve to elevate through that powerful medium. Though still a newer artist, her five-track debut EP is one of the most consistently intoxicating releases of its kind from the OKC scene.

Midtempo arrangements and tasteful layers of harmony show the singersongwriter and keyboardist in the best possible light, which is soft yet shimmering. If there’s tension at play in the lyrics of Byrd’s work, it’s in service of its ultimate message, which is freedom through independence. The relationship tension in “Anchor,” for example, is a pivot point that comes halfway through the tracklist’s arc, which gradually moves from infatuation with another person to celebration of oneself. It’s smart writing, and it serves as a feel-good reminder that everyone has potential within themselves if they can only unlock it.

Communication Board by Sun Deep (2021) OKC producer and DJ Sun Deep created Communication Board in two days. As his wife slept in a hospital in the wake of major surgery, he channeled his energy into what would become a 7-track beat tape. It’s not as heavy as one might guess, however, as the nebulous sensation of a hospital stay naturally transforms the music into something loose and sprawling despite its emotional studiousness.

Communication Board isn’t about positivity and good vibes in the sun.

Instead, it’s about finding comfort in the shadows and the sidelines. Its downtempo beats offer more hyperactive listeners something to hold onto while its noirish atmospherics offer the gothically inclined a place to unwind in its overcast lounge. Mostly, though, it’s chill, like a pair of shades on a cloudy day.

Mathewson, OK by Colourmusic (2020) Colourmusic built a reputation on its high-voltage, atmospheric brand of freak rock in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but in recent years, the Stillwater-born legends have stepped away from the industry circuit to indulge in some of the least commercial work of their careers.

It’s also some of their best work.

Colourmusic’s more experimental side projects include albums like Mathewson, OK. This is some of the best ambient music coming out of Oklahoma right now, and while the track “Location Three (35° 40’ 13.38_ NLongitude_97° 47’ 52.59_ W)” slips in some tension, Mathewson, OK is otherwise entirely made of soft stretches of gorgeous meditation. At just four tracks, the album clocks in at nearly an hour, but listeners may find that at these coordinates, time is relative.

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S C A N F O R L O C AT I O N

S C A N F O R LO C AT I O N

S C A N F O R L O C AT I O N

These are events recommended

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

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10 Brandon Birdwell, The Jones Assembly. Music

First Lineup

THURSDAY, NOV. 18 Acoustic Open Mic, Core4 Brewing.

Beau Jennings, Ponyboy. with special guests Penny Hill and Husbands acoustic Black Label Society: Doom Trooping Over North America, Diamond Ballroom.

Erick Alexander, The Jones Assembly. Music First

Lineup

Portrayal of Guilt, 89th Street.

Jessica Tate, Sean Cummings Pub.

Zach Bryan, Cain’s Ballroom. American

THURSDAY, NOV. 11

singer-songwriter

Acoustic Open Mic, Core4 Brewing.

Romeros String Quartet 60th Anniversary Tour, Armstrong Auditorium.

FRIDAY, NOV. 19 Bodysnatcher, 89th Street.

Gregory Alan Isakov, The Jones Assembly. With

Willie & Kendrick duo, The Jones Assembly.

special guest Israel Nebeker

Music First Lineup

Replay, Remington Park. Old No. 7 Stage

FRIDAY, NOV. 12

Zach Bryan, Cain’s Ballroom. American singer-

ON SALE NOW DEC 2 King and Country, Paycom Center DEC 3 Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Tower Theatre DEC 8 The Milk Carton Kids, Tower Theatre DEC 9 Asleep at the Wheel, Tower Theatre DEC 10 Randy Rogers Band, Cain’s Ballroom DEC 11 JD McPherson, Cain’s Ballroom DEC 12 Todd Snider, Cain’s Ballroom DEC 17 Giocannie and The Hired Guns, Tower Theatre JAN 6 JMaddie & Tae, Tower Theatre

songwriter

JAN 30 TOOL, BOK Center

Matthew Scott, VZD’s.

SATURDAY, NOV. 20

JAN 31 Cat Power, Cain’s Ballroom

Tanner Fields, The Jones Assembly. Music First Lineup

Greyhounds with Levi Parham, Ponyboy.

FEB 9 Marcus King, Cain’s Ballroom

Alex G, 89th Street.

SATURDAY, NOV. 13 Another Pink in the Floyd, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

Chelsea Days with Chloe Beth, Ponyboy.

CZARFACE: Hip Hop Super Group w/ 7L & Esoteric + Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan, Diamond Ballroom.

Paul Cauthen, Cain’s Ballroom. Country STYX 2021 World Tour, First Council Casino.

SUNDAY, NOV. 14 Hosty, The Deli. Electric Igor & The Red Elvises with Challo, Ponyboy.

Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra: Art Matters, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

Volumes, 89th Street.

TUESDAY, NOV. 16 Goose, Tower Theatre.

Levi Parham, The Jones Assembly. Music First Lineup

Parker Millsap, The Auditorium at the Douglass

FEB 15 Donavon Frankenreiter, Cain’s Ballroom

Sativa Prophets/ Speak, Memory/ Keathley/ Kill Carmine, 51st Street Speakeasy.

FEB 20 Badfish- A Tribute to Sublime, Cain’s Ballroom

Shane Smith & The Saints, Cain’s Ballroom.

FEB 22 Hippo Campus, Cain’s Ballroom

SUNDAY, NOV. 21

FEB 22 Strfkr, Tower Theatre

Birdtalker, Ponyboy.

FEB 24 Mat Kearney, Jones Assembly

My So Called Band, Tower Theatre.

Hosty, The Deli. Electric

MAR 3 YUNGBLUD, Cain’s Ballroom

John Moreland, Tower Theatre.

MAR 8 Hippie Sabotage, Cain’s Ballroom

Narrow Head wit Young Guv, 89th Street.

MAR 15 Kaleo, Jones Assembly

Silversun Pickups, Cain’s Ballroom. Rock

TUESDAY, NOV. 23

APR 3 girl in red with Holly Humberstone, Cain’s Ballroom

Will Gaines, The Jones Assembly. Music First

APR 20 Hippo Campus, The Jones Assembly

Lineup

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24 Graham Colton, The Jones Assembly. The 20 Year Homecoming Concert

Read Southall Band, Cain’s Ballroom.

Montu, Ponyboy.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17 Ginger Billy, The Criterion.

Issac McClung, The Jones Assembly. Music First Lineup Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 89th Street.

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

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

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

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

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

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For more information strain reviews scan QR code with your smart phone.

Strain name: Gorilla Butter Grown by: BCC Collective Strain name: Violet Delight Grown by: Budwise Acquired from: The Herbin’ Joint (Sand Springs) Date acquired: Oct. 30 Physical traits: light green and orange Bouquet: floral and earthy Review: Almost arriving at your relaxation destination and realizing that you forgot to bring a pre-roll or two induces a crestfallen feeling.

Three years ago, it would have been a major letdown. Fortunately, no matter where you are in the state, you’re never far from a dispo and that’s what prompted a visit to The Herbin’ Joint.

All of the flower on the shelf was from the same grower, Budwise, and all of it was very reasonably priced, with pre-rolls available of most of the strains lining the shelves as well. The Violet Delight was the standout here, with Grenadine the close runner-up (but don’t sleep on the Love Band either). The color doesn’t match the name, but the nose does, making this relaxing yet energizing strain a perfect pick for an autumnal day

hike (speaking from experience).

The extra energy this one gives isn’t jolting though, so it always pairs well with the post-hike evening sprawl as well.

Acquired from: Quality Control Date acquired: Nov. 4 Physical traits: lfrosted purple with hints of dark green Bouquet: sweet and gassy Review: Blue Collar Criminals was the first place I got my first taste of GG#4 genetics, so it’s only fitting that my latest taste of their flower is a cross between that and Peanut Butter Breath. They’ve still got it. Equally calming and energizing, the latter takes the edge off of the strong GG#4 front and tempers it with a longer-lasting, calmer strain. Among the first cannabis companies profiled in The High Culture section and used as a barometer of the industry in later pieces, I got a sneak peek at their newest venture, a dispo collab with Phresh Harvest called Quality Control that opens this week. While BCC flower has been readily available ever since the in-house shop closed to the public, it’s nice to have a direct line on the newest drops.

Also sampled the Sundae Dough, a staff favorite, which also hits that sweet spot, and at the recommendation of the owner, Frosted Kush, which doesn’t put you into a stupor as you might assume. Also, ex-

pect an update in The High Culture early next year when the second project with Phresh Harvest (a secret for now) opens.

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@THISISFLAVA HIGH CULTURE OKGA Z E T TE .COM | N OV E M E B R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY - WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 30 Homework: For your homework, write an essay on “What Rob Brezsny Is Most Ignorant About.”

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com ARIES (March 21-April 19) For much of her life, Aries poet Mary Ruefle enjoyed imagining that polar bears and penguins “grew up together playing side by side on the ice, sharing the same vista, bits of blubber, and innocent lore.” But one day, her illusions were shattered. In a science journal, she discovered that there are no penguins in the far north and no bears in the far south. I bring this to your attention, Aries, because the coming weeks will be a good time to correct misimpressions you’ve held for a while—even as far back as childhood. Joyfully modernize your understanding of how the world works.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Actor Elizabeth Taylor described her odd rhythm with actor James Dean. Occasionally, they’d stay awake till 3 am as he regaled her with poignant details about his life. But the next day, Dean would act like he and Taylor were strangers—as if, in Taylor’s words, “he’d given away or revealed too much of himself.” It would take a few days before he’d be friendly again. To those of us who study the nature of intimacy, this is a classic phenomenon.

For many people, taking a risk to get closer can be scary. Keep this in mind during the coming weeks, Taurus. There’ll be great potential to deepen your connection with dear allies, but you may have to deal with both your and their skittishness about it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) There are many different kinds of smiles. Four hundred muscles are involved in making a wide variety of expressions. Researchers have identified a specific type, dubbed the “affiliation smile,” as having the power to restore trust between two people. It’s soothing, respectful, and compassionate. I recommend you use it abundantly in the near future—along with other conciliatory behavior.

You’re in a favorable phase to repair relationships that have been damaged by distrust or weakened by any other factor.

(More info: tinyurl.com/HealingSmiles)

CLASSIFIEDS

CANCER (June 21-July 22) According to feminist cosmologists Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor, “Night, to ancient people, was not an ‘absence of light’ or a negative darkness, but a powerful source of energy and inspiration. At night the cosmos reveals herself in her vastness, the earth opens to moisture and germination under moonlight, and the magnetic serpentine current stirs itself in the underground waters.” I bring these thoughts to your attention, fellow Cancerian, because we’re in the season when we are likely to be extra creative: as days grow shorter and nights longer. We Crabs thrive in the darkness. We regenerate ourselves and are visited by fresh insights about what Sjöö and Mor call “the great cosmic dance in which everything participates: the movement of the celestial bodies, the pulse of tides, the circulation of blood and sap in animals and plants.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your heart has its own brain: a “heart brain.” It’s composed of neurons similar to the neurons in your head’s brain. Your heart brain communicates via your vagus nerve with your hypothalamus, thalamus, medulla, amygdala, and cerebral cortex. In this way, it gives your body helpful instructions. I suspect it will be extra strong in the coming weeks. That’s why I suggest you call on your heart brain to perform a lot of the magic it specializes in: enhancing emotional intelligence, cultivating empathy, invoking deep feelings, and transforming pain.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) How did naturalist Charles Darwin become a skillful thinker who changed the world with his theory of evolution? An important factor, according to businessperson Charlie Munger: “He always gave priority attention to evidence tending to disconfirm whatever cherished and hard-won theory he already had.” He loved to be proved wrong! It helped him refine his ideas so they more closely corresponded to the truth about reality. I invite you to enjoy using this method in the coming weeks, Virgo. You could become even smarter than you already are as you wield Darwin’s rigorous approach to learning.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) You could soon reach a new level of mastery in an aptitude described by author Banana Yoshimoto.

She wrote, “Once you’ve recognized your own limits, you’ve raised yourself to a higher level of being, since you’re closer to the real you.” I hope her words inspire you, Libra. Your assignment is to seek a liberating breakthrough by identifying who you will never be and what you will never do. If you do it right—with an eager, open mind—it will be fun and interesting and empowering.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Scorpio theologian Eugene Peterson cleared up a mystery about the nature of mystery. He wrote, “Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend.”

Yes! At least sometimes, mystery can be a cause for celebration, a delightful opening into a beautiful unknown that’s pregnant with possibility. It may bring abundance, not frustration. It may be an inspiring riddle, not a debilitating doubt. Everything I just said is important for you to keep in mind right now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) In 2017, Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics. His specialty: researching how unreasonable behavior affects the financial world. When he discovered that this great honor had been bestowed on him, he joked that he planned to spend the award money “as irrationally as possible.” I propose we make him your role model for the near future, Sagittarius. Your irrational, nonrational, and trans-rational intuitions can fix distortions caused by the overly analytical and hyper-logical approaches of you and your allies.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) “Neurotic” and “neurosis” are old-fashioned words.

Psychotherapists no longer use them in analyzing their patients. The terms are still useful, though, in my opinion. Most of us are at least partly neurotic—that is to say, we don’t always adapt as well as we could to life’s constantly changing circumstances. We find it challenging to outgrow our habitual patterns, and we

fall short of fulfilling the magnificent destines we’re capable of. Author Kenneth Tynan had this insight: “A neurosis is a secret that you don’t know you are keeping.” I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because you now have extra power to adapt to changing circumstances, outgrow habitual patterns, and uncover unknown secrets—thereby diminishing your neuroses.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Author Darin Stevenson wrote the following poetic declaration: “’No one can give you the lightningmedicine,’ say the people who cannot give the lightning medicine.” How do you interpret his statement? Here’s what I think. “Lightning medicine” may be a metaphorical reference to a special talent that some people have for healing or inspiring or awakening their fellow humans. It could mean an ingenious quality in a person that enables them to reveal surprising truths or alternative perspectives. I am bringing this up, Aquarius, because I suspect you now have an enhanced capacity to obtain lightning medicine in the coming weeks. I hope you will corral it and use it even if you are told there is no such thing as lightning medicine. (PS: “Lightning medicine” will fuel your ability to accomplish difficult feats.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) The superb fairywren gives its chicks lessons on how to sing when they are still inside their eggs. This is a useful metaphor for you in the coming months.

Although you have not yet been entirely “born” into the next big plot twist of your hero’s journey, you are already learning what you’ll need to know once you do arrive in your new story. It will be helpful to become conscious of these clues and cues from the future.

Tune in to them at the edges of your awareness.

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

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

KIRAS KARE IN HOME CHILD CARE FACILITY MOORE - EDMOND

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We Buy, You Fly Oklahoma Gazette is currently seeking a route driver to deliver papers in the Metro OKC area.

Driver’s earn significant hourly equivalent pay.

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COMMUNITY + MENTAL HEALTH The connection between mental health and addiction is complex.

In an ongoing effort to support the health and safety of Oklahoma citizens and better serve our communities, we recommend the following resources to help you or someone you love who may be struggling with mental health or addiction issues. BH

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PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE | SPORTS NUTS

By Katie Hale | Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz | 1107

15 ‘‘Quiet!’’ rudely 16 Lager alternatives 17 Subdued 18 19 20 21 19 ‘‘It takes a licking and 22 23 24 25

keeps on ticking’’ brand 23 Herb used in smudging rites 26 27 28 29 24 Theater award 29 Stars 30 31 32 33 31 Approached 32 Actress Moreno 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 33 ____ Kong 34 Melee 42 43 44 45 46 35 Abdominal procedure,

for short 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 36 Skin-care brand 55 56 57 58 59 37 Dry biscuit used as baby food 60 61 62 63 64 38 Op. ____ (footnote abbr.)

40 Any slice of pizza, 65 66 67 68 69 70 geometrically 41 Greek goddess associated 71 72 73 74

with witchcraft 44 Archaeologist’s workplace 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 45 Workers’ advocate, informally 49 Young partner?

82 83 84 85 86 87 50 Back way, often 88 89 90 91 92 93 52 Winona of ‘‘Stranger Things’’ 53 Work, work, work 94 95 96 97 98 99 54 Texas border city 56 ‘‘C’est la vie’’ 100 101 102 103 57 ‘‘Ay’’ follower 61 ‘‘Now We Are Six’’ author 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 62 Crush, as a test 63 German denials 113 114 115 116 65 Members of a certain den 66 Enter without permission 117 118 119 120 67 A wood frog’s ability to 121 122 123 124

freeze itself in winter DOWN

and an octopus’s ability 1 Book before Obadiah

to change color, for two ACROSS 28 ‘‘Su-u-ure’’ 59 Who actually lives in 2 Converted apartment, 69 Vaccine holder

Lapland, some say perhaps 74 In with 1 One known as ‘‘the Alive, 29 Half of a legal warning 30 There are 24 in a 60 Accord maker 3 ‘‘That’s ____’’ 76 Props for majorettes

the Eternal’’ cuboctahedron 61 Author of 29 Federalist 4 Question after an 78 Bird with an annual 6 Checkout option 32 Make a big stink Papers

argument has died down 18,000-mile round-trip 11 Org. featured in 2011’s 34 Kegels, e.g.?

64 Laugh and a half 5 Solo traveling in space migration ‘‘Contagion’’ 39 Getting up there 65 Playwright who wrote, 6 Crafts 79 Instrument that’s a 14 Tiff 42 Poet Rainer Maria ____ ‘‘Those who cannot 7 Frequent subjects of

homophone of 69-Down 18 ____ Rose, Catherine 43 ‘‘____ yourself’’

change their minds

Taylor Swift songs 80 Crucifix inscription inits.

O’Hara’s character on 44 First winner of the

cannot change anything’’ 8 Measures, in music 81 ____ New York

‘‘Schitt’s Creek’’

Nebula Award for best 68 ‘‘I’ll be your waiter 9 Word that can precede

(Brooklyn neighborhood) 19 Chevron subsidiary science fiction novel (1965) tonight,’’ e.g.?

or follow pack 83 2020 Democratic also-ran 20 Language in the Tai family 46 It’s just passing 70 Raison d’____ 10 Actor Menzies who won 84 It’s nada to Nadal 21 Kind of skirt 71 Do a certain developer’s job an Emmy for ‘‘The Crown’’ 85 Actor/comedian Barinholtz 22 Your ex’s new date whom 47 Therapists’ org.

48 Director Craven 72 Something a mover or a 11 Fills (in) 91 Dieted

you just can’t stand?

51 First square of a crossword? movie might have 12 One hell of a writer?

93 Summer shoe style 25 Tabloid twosome 55 Walking the dog, for instance 73 Threesome 13 One way for packages to 95 Bed of straw 26 Lose sleep (over) 58 One might bend over 75 The ‘‘B’’ in its name

arrive, in brief 96 Who’s talking on the 27 Off backward

stands for ‘‘brush’’ 14 Protect phone?

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77 Oldest independent

state in the Arab world 78 Genre for ‘‘Booksmart’’

and ‘‘Clueless’’ 82 Conspiracy theory so

wild that it can’t be aired?

86 Trident look-alike 87 ____ jam 88 Small bird 89 ‘‘I did it!’’

90 Southern cooking staple 92 Things you can crack

without damaging them 94 Affix with a click 96 Plan to leave at a very

specific evening time?

100 Orangish shade 103 Fill with joy 104 Stirs up 106 Doctor Zhivago 107 Where subs are standard 109 Semiaquatic creature 113 Missing 114 Blackjack dealer?

117 Niche mag 118 Stick (out) 119 Product that increases volume 120 ‘‘Moonlight’’ actress Janelle 121 Joie de vivre 122 One doing inside work 123 Chain whose name

derives from its

founders, the Raffel brothers 124 Orchard products

97 Personality that’s hard to read 98 Pass over, in a way 99 Mathematician John

Forbes ____ Jr. 101 Visually evaluate 102 Out of practice 104 Boo-oo-oo, say 105 Boo-boo 107 Smear 108 Site for some creative entrepreneurs 110 What Vulcan’s forge lay

underneath, in myth 111 Sport 112 ‘‘____ chic!’’

114 Party people, for short?

115 Repeated word in the

U.S. postal creed 116 Rapscallion

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

SUDOKU EASY | N° 2147458888 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box Grid n°2147458888 easy 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com contains the numbers

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N OV E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS Puzzle No. 1024, which appeared in the October 27 issue.

1 9 5 3

L A P C A T

A S S U C H

S A Y S M E

P A C K

E L L A

L O A N

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

A N T B E E T L E

A B U J A

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

L E A P T I N O

E E Y O R E

S E E N O T H E E C H K U M Y M M E A D

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

L O G N S S I A N T U B S T O I L E T A R

A R I O S E

D O J O

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

E Y E S H A D O W

S M S S W A N K

O L D E

N E S S

V E T O E S

E D E N I C

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