Pretty in pink

The Girlie Show is back in OKC, celebrating bold women artists and supporting arts education for local schools. By Julie Porter Scott PG. 15 FREE MONTHLY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1979 | OCT 2025

Pretty in pink

HALLOWEEN ISSUE, PG. 19

P. 15 The Girly Show returns to Farmers Public Market! Enjoy musical acts, acrobats, showgirls and burlesque dancers over two evenings Nov. 14-15. And our Halloween Issue features spooky movies to stream, a unique theater experience featuring a boy and a dodo exploring the underworld, and Halloween-themed events throughout the metro. Cover by Kimberly Walker

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NEWS Bond election

The OKC 2025 bond election is set for Oct. 14. Press Release, City of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City residents head to the polls Tuesday, Oct. 14, to vote on a proposed 2025 bond program. The $2.7 billion bond includes 11 propositions to fund critical infrastructure and community improvements across the city.

Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. On election days, the EMBARK fixed route bus service, zone 1 ADA paratransit services, RAPID and OKC Streetcar are always free.

About 2025 OKC Bond

When residents go to the polls, they will vote on 11 propositions that make up the $2.7 billion bond program.

“The 2025 bond issue continues our city’s longtime practice of dedicating resources to our essential infrastructure, like streets and bridges,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said. “This vote on October 14th is about needs, not wants. Our city has long understood the benefit of investing in ourselves, and this package continues that work, this time for core infrastructure. And it does so without raising the property tax rate. We encourage all voters to come out on October 14th.”

Ballot projects

The bond package includes:

• $1.35 billion for Streets: 382 total street projects.

• 184 arterial resurfacing projects.

• 133 residential resurfacing projects.

• 27 street widening projects.

• 25 sidewalk projects.

• 13 street enhancement projects.

• $414.29 million for Parks & Recreational Facilities: 31 parks and facilities projects and one trail project.

• Improvements, renovations and/ or expansion to the Hefner Golf Clubhouse, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Bricktown Canal, Civic Center Music Hall, USA Softball Complex, RIVERSPORT Rapids/ Regatta Park, Myriad Botanical Gardens, OKC Fair Park promenade connector and the multipurpose stadium (phase 2).

• Improvements to NW Optimist Community Center, Will Rogers Senior Center and aquatic center, dog park in South Lakes Park, McKinley Park event center, Northeast Community Center, and maintenance facilities.

• Improvements for Will Rogers Gardens, Martin Park Nature Center, H.B. Parsons Fish Hatchery, Trosper Golf Course, athletic fields at Wheeler Park, Earlywine Park, Route 66 Park, Kupper Softball Complex, athletic fields renovations citywide and youth center(s).

• Development of Swisher Park.

• Deep Fork Trail phases 2 and 3.

• $175 million for Economic & Community Development: Citywide economic development and affordable housing programs.

• $140.44 million for Drainage Control: 44 drainage improvement projects.

• $130 million for Fire Facilities: 7 fire facilities and maintenance projects.

• New training center for fire and police crews.

• New fleet logistics facility at SW 15th St and S Portland Ave.

• New fire station in west Oklahoma City.

• New fire station near NE 125th St and Eastern Ave.

• New fire station near Reno Ave. and Frisco Rd.

• Renovation of Fire Station #30.

• Renovations to fire stations citywide.

• $129.67 million for Transit & Parking: 3 projects.

• New transit operations and maintenance headquarters facility.

• New Downtown parking garage to replace the Myriad Convention Center parking facility.

• Modernization of EMBARK’s transit fleet.

• $107.34 million for Police, Municipal Courts and Family Justice Facilities: 4 public safety projects.

• New police and court annex located across from headquarters.

• New police station in west Oklahoma City.

• New parking garage for police, courts and visitors.

• Enhanced security, tech and training equipment at the new Family Justice Center operated by Palomar.

• $90.6 million for Bridges: 25 bridge projects.

• $81 million for Traffic Systems: 25 intersection improvement projects, including new traffic signals and upgrades.

• $52.48 million for Libraries & Learning Centers: 7 projects.

• Exterior improvements to the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library.

• Roof renovations at Patience S. Latting Northwest Library, Southwest OKC Library and Southern Oaks Library.

• Ralph Elison Library expansion.

• New library located in west Oklahoma City.

• Clara Luper Civil Rights Center exhibit and archival space expansion.

• $47 million for City Maintenance, Data & Services Facilities: 17 city facilities and maintenance projects. Visit okc.gov/bond25.

NEWS

Education fallout

Dozens of Lawsuits and Hundreds of TV Appearances: A Look Back at Superintendent Walters Tenure

By Jennifer Palmer, Oklahoma Watch

Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters resigned Tuesday, nearly a week after his surprise announcement on FOX News that he’s stepping down to take a position in the private sector.

Walters starts his new role leading an anti-teacher-union organization, the Teacher Freedom Alliance, today.

It’s now up to Gov. Kevin Stitt to appoint someone to fulfill the 15 months remaining on the superintendent’s term. One of Walters’ early political allies, Stitt appointed Walters secretary of education in 2020 and endorsed him in the 2022 race for superintendent. But the relationship soured; Stitt publicly disagreed with Walters’ controversial immigration policy, and overhauled the board of education with new members willing to challenge Walters’ proposals.

The Republican culture warrior grabbed headlines throughout his tenure as the state schools chief.

“He’s been anti-conventional in almost every respect,” said Brett Sharp,

NEWS

a professor of public administration at the University of Central Oklahoma. “It’s just so off-the-wall, even for Oklahoma.”

A former high school history teacher, Walters left the classroom in 2019 to lead an education initiative for the State Chamber, which later became Every Kid Counts Oklahoma. The organization bungled an $8 million federal pandemic program, leading to more than $1 million in unauthorized purchases.

Elected with 57% of the vote in 2022, Walters made waves early by removing the Educator Hall of Fame from the Education Department offices and, in a budget hearing at the Capitol, called the state’s teachers’ union a terrorist organization, setting off a firestorm and bringing the committee hearing to an abrupt end.

His administration racked up dozens of lawsuits, on everything from wrongful termination and slander claims to policies over library books, Bible purchases and academic standards. Few have gone his way,

Leadership shift

Lindel Fields appointed superintendent as Stitt overhauls education leadership

By Tristan Loveless and Kevin Eagleson, NonDoc.com

Two days after former Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters officially submitted his resignation, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields to lead the scuffling State Department of Education, announced four other changes in education positions he controls and called for a ballot question to make the state superintendent position appointed instead of elected.

After appointing four new members to the seven-member State Board of Education earlier this year to check Walters’ consistent politicization of education issues, Stitt announced replacements for members Zach Archer

but most are still pending; the frequent turnover in the agency’s legal department led to delays.

Among the lawsuits was one filed by NexStar and KFOR-TV over access to public Board of Education meetings, one of many run-ins Walters had in his highly contentious relationship with state media. A federal judge signed a temporary order granting KFOR meeting access, and in December, facilitated a settlement that ensured KFOR could continue to cover meetings. Walters and his former spokesman were later ordered to reimburse the plaintiffs $170,000 in attorneys’ fees.

and legal studies at East Central University in Ada.

and Sarah Lepak. Stitt named Brian Bobek and Wes Nofire to the board, and he named Dan Hamlin as his Cabinet secretary of education, succeeding Nellie Sanders.

Stitt officially announced Fields’ appointment at a press conference held in Tulsa. A former CareerTech administrator and leadership consultant, Fields will finish the final year of Walter’s term, which runs until January 2027. Stitt said OSDE is in need of a “turnaround,” noting in a press release that for his seven years in office, “it has been clear that the operation of this agency and the wellbeing of Oklahoma’s students have taken

Multiple agencies investigated Walters after two board members reported seeing nude women on a TV in his office during the executive session of the board’s July meeting. Walters claimed the accusations were lies and a political attack on his character. Investigators ultimately determined the images were from an obscure Jackie Chan movie accidentally playing on a cable channel.

“From the beginning to the end, he just tried to politicize our education system in a way that really harms our students and teachers,” said Christine Pappas, a professor of political science

Following Ryan Walters’ resignation, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields, right, as the next state superintendent of public instruction at an event in Tulsa on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. | Photo Tristan Loveless, NonDoc.com

a back seat to the political ambitions of the individual who holds [the position of state superintendent.]”

In his remarks Thursday, Stitt called for improvements in a state where education ranks 50th nationally, beginning with the state superintendent.

“Today is a new day for the Department of Education,” Stitt said. “This appointment is important not just because it marks a new leadership in the department, but because it also signifies this mindset shift that I am talking about. In Oklahoma, if we are going to be top 10 in everything that we do, we obviously need to be top 10 at education in our school system and prepare our students for the road ahead.”

Stitt also reiterated a request he has made before of the Oklahoma Legislature: abolish state superintendent elections and replace the position with a gubernatorial appointment. Making the state superintendent appointed instead of elected would require an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution, which could be proposed as a ballot question by the Legislature and voted on statewide.

“Before I became governor — and many of you are probably like this or

Walters touted his accomplishments in an email to public school parents on Tuesday. Among them: school choice expansion, teacher merit pay, new literacy programs, and bringing Bibles back to classrooms.

“Serving as your state superintendent has been an honor,” he wrote. “Together, we have delivered the most historic education reforms in Oklahoma’s history, in record time.”

Here’s where some of those reforms

CONTINUE READING ON OKGAZETTE.COM

maybe watch it on TV — when I was growing up in Oklahoma, I had no idea that the state superintendent of education was separately elected and kind of had their own political agenda,” Stitt said. “The reality is there has always been misalignment between the governor and the superintendent. At best, we had parallel agendas with very little coordination, and at worst, you might remember back in 2022, the previous superintendent switched parties and campaigned for governor while they were serving.”

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) issued a press release supporting Fields and an end to electing state superintendents.

“Superintendent Fields will bring a wealth of administrative and education experience to the Department of Education, and I look forward to working with him, Secretary of Education Dan Hamlin and their team as we seek to use data-driven research and measurable results to guide decision-making and strengthen education across our state for all students,” Hilbert

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch. org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Ryan Walters chairs a State Board of Education meeting on Jan. 26, 2023. | Photo Whitney Bryen, Oklahoma Watch

From Windsor With Love

OKLAHOMA IMPACT

Hope centered

What began as a small program designed to help students has become an important resource for families in northeast Oklahoma City.

By Julie Porter Scott

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Garicka Jackson and James McHenry realized there was a significant need in their community. Like many children across the country, Oklahoma City Public Schools students were learning virtually, and they needed support. The duo started a small program to help with virtual coursework during the school day.

“When the schools opened back up, we just kept the program running as a before- and after-school program,” Jackson said. “We wanted to give kids somewhere safe to be before and after school, a place where they can get help with homework. We partner with local organizations to provide resources.”

What began as a small project has become Greater New Zion Hope Center.

Located inside Greater New Zion Baptist Church, the center is an inspiring success story: a hyperlocal program formed to create opportunities for school-aged children, which then became a resource for the surrounding

community. It is now a Family Resource Center (FRC) and receives funding from Oklahoma’s Potts Family Foundation.

As the organization increased capacity, it was able to add an all-day summer program, followed by all-day camps during spring, fall and winter break. It keeps costs affordable for the community it serves by using grants to cover staffing. The before- and after-school program costs just $35 per week and includes breakfast, a snack and transportation. There is enough flexibility to adjust pricing depending on the unique needs of each family. Though housed at Greater New Zion Baptist Church, the program is fully separate from the ministry. Still, the safe space the church provides is a critical part of making the program work within the community.

Advanced programming

The before- and after-school program is currently limited to seven schools due to transportation needs. The

PEACE FESTIVAL 2025

Sat, Nov.8 10am to 4pm Hawthorn Suites Hotel Conference Hall* 417 S. Meridian Ave

Join us! Lots of tables with interesting items, gift ideas, and information from a number of great groups. Food and coffee available inside.

We’re pretty sure it will lift your spirits to see so many good people doing good things!

*Hawthorn Suites is south of Reno, a block north of I-40, on the West side of Meridian, set back from the road.

(Landmark to locate Hawthorn hotel: Look for the Big BILTMORE Sign just to the north of driveway to Hawthorn hotel.)

For more information, call 405-885-1115 or 405-740-8612

schools served include KIPP: OKC Public Schools, Millwood Public Schools, John Rex Charter Schools, Western Gateway Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Wilson Elementary Arts Integration School and RISE STEAM Academy.

The summer program, open to children ages 4 to 12, follows a STEAM curriculum that keeps kids engaged and motivated during the long weeks of summer break. Again, the program partners with other community groups to make it as fun and enriching as possible. Every day is different; the 4-H Youth Development program from Langston University brings horses, a mobile STEM bus makes appearances and staff

from the nearby Museum of Osteology taught a hands-on science class using owl pellets. Each summer, the students participate in a water safety class at the YMCA to help them prepare for time in the water. Jackson even brings in a group of poets to work with the children.

“It’s so fun to see the kids’ faces ab -

chicken friedNEWS

Education exploited

As Ryan Walters seemed to want to do exit interviews with every news channel in Oklahoma City, Attorney General Gentner Drummond called for an exit audit of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), sending a request for investigation to State Auditor Cindy Byrd. Whether Byrd follows through on the request remains to be seen, as she is running for Lieutenant Governor in 2026 and will need supporters of Walters. Byrd will be required to conduct an audit of OSDE, but when this will occur is yet to be clarified.

Thunder up

Our hometown NBA Champs kick off their 2025-26 season at home on October 21, with a glitzy championship ring ceremony where they will flaunt their bling in front of Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. MVP Shai GilgeousAlexander will look to lead the OKC Thunder to another championship run, with All Star Jalen Williams ripping the nets and three-year phenom Chet Holmgren blocking shots.

Campaign circus

Step Right Up! Next year’s GOP Gubernatorial Primary seemingly became a three-ring circus recently, with Chip Keating throwing in his hat to battle the frontrunner, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and former House Speaker Charles McCall. If Keating’s name sounds familiar, he is Governor Frank Keating’s son. Drummond has the center-ring spotlight for now, particularly since rumored candidate, Ryan Walters ran off to join an anti-union. Get out your popcorn!

• 75% of the bond program funding is dedicated to projects that meet the basic needs in our community such as streets, bridges, transit, traffic systems and drainage control.

• If approved by voters, the 2025 bond will enable us to meet our growing needs and maintain past investments that have shaped Oklahoma City communities and neighborhoods.

• $50 million will go to Oklahoma City’s affordable housing program.

• This bond will NOT increase the property tax rates. Vote YES on October 14

Mayor David Holt

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

Fixing Oklahoma schools means focusing on what works

By Carrie Hicks

When someone tells you they can “fix” Oklahoma schools by changing who picks our state superintendent, they’re offering a headline, not a plan. Governor Stitt recently suggested that the state should move from an elected superintendent to an appointed one. While I respect his desire to improve our schools, the public debate has missed two fundamental truths. First, whether a state chief is elected or appointed is not, by itself, a reliable lever for raising student achievement, and second, Oklahoma’s real problems in education are fixable, but only if we focus on proven strategies that support children and educators in classrooms every single day.

Across the country, states use different governance models. Some give voters the direct power to elect the chief state school officer; others vest appointment authority in the governor or a state board. Each model creates different incentives and different checks. Elected superintendents are directly accountable to voters; appointed chiefs can be aligned with an elected governor’s policy agenda. But large comparative studies show that this choice – elected versus appointed – does not consistently explain differences in student outcomes. Where kids succeed, it’s because teachers are supported, early learning is prioritized, and resources are targeted to students who most need them, not because of how the superintendent was chosen.

Another overlooked factor in this debate is qualifications. In Oklahoma, the constitutional requirements for a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction are surprisingly minimal. A candidate must be at least 31 years old and

have been a registered elector in the state for at least 10 years. These requirements ensure basic eligibility but do not guarantee professional expertise or educational leadership experience.

By contrast, many other states impose stronger professional standards for candidates. For example, in California and Texas, candidates often must possess advanced degrees in education, administration, or a related field and demonstrate substantial experience in educational leadership. Some states even require valid superintendent certification and a minimum number of years in educational administration. These qualifications help ensure that the person guiding public education has both knowledge and hands-on experience in leading schools.

Oklahoma’s current system allows voters to elect someone who meets the minimum age and residency requirements, but it does not ensure that our students are guided by a professional with the skills necessary to navigate complex educational challenges. This is not a criticism of our electorate – it is a call to elevate the standards for leadership in our schools. Requiring advanced degrees, superintendent certification, and professional experience in educational leadership would strengthen accountability while preserving voter choice.

We have a recent, local reminder of how governance dynamics play out.

Governor Stitt appointed Ryan Walters to serve in lead education roles; Walters later became Oklahoma’s state superintendent and has been a lightning rod for controversy. His tenure included aggressive policy changes that raised

real questions about process, transparency, and whether decisions were being made to advance students or push politics into classrooms. Those controversies illustrate how concentration of appointment power can create friction, not clarity, if institutional checks are weak. At the same time, Oklahoma’s elected system gives voters a direct line of accountability; when policies harm trust in public schools, the political fallout is immediate.

So, what should Oklahoma do? First, let’s stop treating the selection mechanism as a silver bullet. Instead, let’s act on measures that research and practice show actually lift student learning –measures that are affordable, politically achievable, and fast to implement.

Low-to-no-cost actions that deliver real gains include:

• Targeted tutoring and early literacy interventions. Small group tutoring and extra reading help can make a big difference for students who are struggling. School districts can scale volunteer programs, leverage partnerships with universities, and redirect existing title funds to proven tutoring models.

• Coaching for teachers, not top-down mandates. Peer coaching, high-quality professional development, and classroom coaching raise instructional quality far more reliably than a string of new mandates. These programs can be implemented quickly and use existing staff and grant funds.

• Better use of existing data. Many districts underuse the data they already collect. Early detection and intervention teams help teachers catch problems before they become crises.

Smart investments with big returns include:

• Expand high-quality early childhood education. Children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are less likely to need intensive remediation later – this is cost saving long-term and a practical route to higher achievement.

• Competitive teacher compensation and retention packages. Turnover is costly. Investing in teachers keeps kids in experienced classrooms, where student outcomes improve.

• Mental health support and school counselors. Addressing trauma and behavioral barriers enables learning; counselor and mental-health staffing are investments with high academic dividends.

Now, a tough but practical governance issue: Oklahoma currently lacks a statewide recall mechanism that would allow voters to remove a state official before the end of a term. That matters. Our Constitution provides impeachment as

a tool to remove officials who commit high crimes or serious malfeasance, but impeachment is a legislative process that is necessarily political and rarely used. As some lawmakers have signaled, the reality of divided government and supermajorities is that impeachment is often off the table, no matter how urgent accountability needs are. By contrast, a carefully constructed recall process would give Oklahoma voters a direct, democratic way to remove an official who acts against the public interest – a pragmatic safety valve short of impeachment. I support a constitutionally sound recall process that protects against frivolous use, while preserving voter power.

If legislators are worried about stability, here’s a compromise that respects both good governance and democratic accountability – keep the office elected but strengthen safeguards. Require clear transparency rules, legislative confirmation of appointments to senior agency posts, and statutory standards for decision-making, including public notice requirements for major rule changes. Provide for independent audits and an inspector general in the education agency. These reforms preserve voter voice while making sure the office cannot be used to push sweeping policy changes without public review.

Oklahoma families want practical improvements, like more reading coaches in early grades, smaller class sizes that make individualized teaching possible, and teachers who stay because they are respected and compensated fairly. These are the policies that move the needle. Changing the selection method for the superintendent is a political debate, and a valid one, but it is not the substitute for the work that actually helps our kids.

If we are serious about better schools, we must move past flashy governance fights and get to work on the evidencebased policies that make a difference in classrooms today. I’ll keep pushing for commonsense transparency reforms, support for teachers, and investments in early learning that give every Oklahoma child a fair shot. That’s how we build a stronger Oklahoma – not with a new way of picking leaders, but with better decisions for students.

Carri Hicks earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications and political science from Oklahoma City University and a master’s in leadership management before working for United Way and Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church, where she developed skills in fundraising, advertising, and publishing. After earning a second master’s in early childhood education, she taught for seven years before running for office in 2017 to advocate for better education funding. Hicks lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Spencer, and their three children, and continues to volunteer for education-related causes.

Sen. Carri Hicks emphasizes that improving Oklahoma schools requires investing in teachers, early learning, and proven classroom strategies. | Photo Adobe stock

EAT & DRINK

Italian revival

Malfi Enoteca brings la dolce vita to Midtown.

By Julie Porter Scott

Built in 1925, the Packard building at the corner of NW 10th Street and N. Robinson Avenue was reimagined in 2013. For over a decade, it was home to Packard’s New American Kitchen. For a long time, Packard’s was packed: a popular lunch spot for downtowners, a happy hour hub and a favorite with the weekend brunch crew. A rooftop bar was also part of the mix, weather permitting, unless it was closed for one of the many private events the restaurant hosted from the prime perch. Over the years, and even as Oklahoma City experienced a modern-day boomtown of new restaurants and bars, Packard’s maintained a steady business, until it didn’t.

When the restaurant announced its closure in June 2024, it came as little surprise. The once-busy spot had been quiet for months, having never fully recovered from the effects of the pandemic, which included an overall decline in dining out. A March 2025 article by Jaya

Saxena in Eater points out that dining at home more often is one of the “pandemic pivots” that has stuck.

Enter Elliot Nelson. In May 2025, JaNae Williams announced in The Oklahoman that McNellie’s Group had signed a lease on 201 NW 10th St. in Midtown Oklahoma City. Tulsa’s Brookside welcomed the first Malfi Enoteca, which opened in early 2025 to solid reviews and good press. In the same article, Williams revealed that McNellie’s Group also has plans to open Bar Serra in the Phillips Murrah Building, after enjoying success at their first location in Utica Square.

Malfi is one of the newest concepts in Elliot Nelson’s McNellie’s Group portfolio, which the prominent Tulsabased restaurateur formed in 2004 after a study abroad in Dublin led him to open the first McNellie’s in Tulsa. The group has grown to 25 locations encompassing 17 concepts throughout Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas.

were missing this specific niche: the casual neighborhood joint falling somewhere between workaday and upscale, between rustic and modern.

The list of the full team behind the concept reads like a roster of Tulsa’s James Beard nominees. Nelson was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur in January. Malfi cofounder Sheamus Feely’s Noche Woodfire Grill & Agave Bar was named a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. The menu was designed by Ben Alexander, of Mr. Kim’s fame, also a James Beard semifinalist (Best Chef Southwest, 2023). Rounding out the team is Executive Chef Connor Underwood, who most recently served as the executive chef at The Jones Assembly. His background includes time spent in Italy, learning how to roll pasta by hand, which comes in handy at Malfi, where the pasta is made daily in-house.

Cheeky menu

McNellie’s filled a void when it brought a neighborhood pub to Midtown in 2008. The busy, fun pub was an early anchor for the neighborhood, before it was really “Midtown” and not just “that area over by the hospital.”

The group did it again when it opened Fassler Hall, in 2014, the same year it opened Dust Bowl.

“For nearly two decades, McNellie’s Group has been a catalyst in our redevelopment of Midtown,” said Chris Fleming, president and partner of Midtown Renaissance.

“McNellie’s Irish Pub was first. Then came Fassler Hall and Dust Bowl. And now, with Malfi’s opening in the historic Packard building, we are thrilled to continue and grow the connection between McNellie’s Group and Midtown.”

And though no one could say we are short on Italian in the metro, we

basil cream, pesto and whipped burrata.

If you still have room, there are three desserts available to finish out your meal, including a perfectly prepared vanilla panna cotta, which has long been missing from dessert menus in the 405.

Coastal vibes

The vibes may be just as enticing as the vittles. The good juju starts the minute you walk in the door. The host stand is crafted from a vintage scooter, and bold coral stripes connect the space. Gone is the large, industrial hanging bar that surrounded the old bar at Packard’s, leaving an open and airy feeling perfect for a spot that aspires to evoke the Amalfi Coast.

The menu, a playfully cheeky newspaper, gives you a good idea of the straightforward nature you can expect from this spot. Divided into two sections, Pasta and Not Pasta, the menu has a total of 21 items, from starters and salads to pastas, entrees and desserts. Everything about it reads unfussy, unassuming and devoid of attitude, all hallmarks of the group.

The bar stays on-brand: perfectly prepared classics like a Limoncello Spritz and Vesper. The cocktail menu blends Italian-inspired classics with inventive twists, including rye-forward Away Kit, made with rye, Cocchi Americano and orange bitters. Frozen Jungle Bird, layered with rum, Campari, pineapple, lime and shaved ice, is another highlight. A zero-proof menu is also available and contains excellent options. The beverage program is helmed by Brett Herrin, who joined Malfi from the beloved Bar Sen.

In the Not Pasta section, there is a little something for everyone. Starters include rich pork and beef meatballs, indulgent arancini, and burrata and prosciutto. Salads are shareable as an appetizer or serve as an excellent entrée. The most intriguing is the kale salad, with tart cherries, gorgonzola, pistachio and balsamic. Four entrées are available, including herb-roasted chicken, sliced prime sirloin and roasted salmon, but the standout has to be the Barbera boneless short rib and jus atop polenta.

The Pasta section offers five different pastas, each homemade in-house: a comforting and deeply savory tagliatelle Bolognese; a delicate and indulgent tagliolini al burro with butter, Parmesan and chives; a basic rigatoni with vodka sauce; a classic spaghetti; and the absolute star of the pasta menu, bucatini with

It certainly doesn’t hurt that the view from the floor-to-ceiling east-facing windows is one of the best examples of Neoclassical Revival style architecture in Oklahoma City. This is truly the one spot in OKC where the backdrop can make your photos look like you’re in Vicenza, central dome and all.

Like much of Midtown, the restaurant will probably be different things to different people at different times of the day. Power lunches will give way to a fun happy hour. Weekends will be a bit of a scene; it can definitely get loud in the space, which only has capacity for a little more than 100 people. And as is the case with particularly photogenic spaces, a certain subset may be there more for Instagram cred than the food. Going at the right time for your own vibes is likely the best way to get the most out of Malfi.

Finally, locals have fond memories of the rooftop at the Packard building, with its view of downtown. There are reportedly plans to open the rooftop again, but there is work to be done before the space is ready for a star turn. Upon seeing the interior of Malfi, it’s fun to imagine just how unique a rooftop space could be, and it would give Malfi the one thing it is missing: outdoor seating.

With Malfi open and Bar Serra on deck, maybe if we’re all really on our best behavior, next we can get a Maple Ridge Grocer. Visit malfienoteca.com.

The Carpaccio di manzo with tonnato, Parmesan, arugula and lemon. | Photo Valerie Wei-Haas

EAT & DRINK Sparrow soars

From starters to Italian favorites, Sparrow Modern Italian in Edmond is perfect for dining in or picking up food on the go.

By Julie Porter Scott

Sparrow Modern Italian

507 S. Boulevard, Edmond sparrowitalian.com | 405-818-3463

WHAT WORKS: The menu has something for everyone, and the bar is the best in Edmond.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: It closes at 9 p.m. on weeknights, which feels pretty early for busy couples and families.

TIP: Sign up for the mailing list so you can stay up to date on Sparrow’s wine dinners and other special events.

Edmond-area Realtors probably owe at least a percentage of their commission to Sparrow Modern Italian. Part of Holloway Restaurant Group, Sparrow factors into the calculus when deciding if you can handle the move to Edmond from Oklahoma City’s urban core. It fits nearly every need: happy hour with other parents from your kid’s school or a date night with your spouse that doesn’t require another round trip to the city. From book club meetups over a bottle of wine and appetizers to a big family dinner when people are in from out of town for the holidays, Sparrow always feels right.

Edmond has lots of good pizza, burgers and smoothies; there’s also no shortage of sushi, Thai or fast casual. But a place like Sparrow, with its excellent wine list, cocktail menu, delicious starters and house-made pastas — I just can’t really imagine living in Edmond without it. At once both upscale and approachable, the food is wonderful, and the service is outstanding.

None of this is surprising once you know the project is a collaboration between chefs Joel Wingate and Jeffery

to detail, both in the preparation of the meals he creates as well as the presentation. Holloway is the head of culinary at Holloway Restaurant Group, where he oversees menu development for Café 501 Edmond, Boulevard Steakhouse, Holloway Catering and Sparrow. Holloway is the son of Sheree and Peter Holloway, who founded Café 501 in 1995 and later opened Boulevard Steakhouse and then finally Sparrow in 2019. These three concepts sit next to each other on Boulevard, and together they make up the best local dining Edmond proper has to offer across three very different genres. Peter Holloway, the patriarch of the family as well as the namesake restaurant group, passed away in 2021. The family has worked hard to keep his legacy alive, and based on my recent visits, the Holloway legacy is thriving at Sparrow.

Part of the reason for its success is the bar program. This is one of the best bars in Edmond, from the Italianinspired cocktail menu to the wine list, which features Italian wines from every region. For wine lovers in Edmond, Sparrow is hard to beat. Jeff’s brother, Andrew Holloway, is one of the two winemakers at Rombauer Vineyards, and the family enjoys deep connections in Napa Valley. The wine dinners at Sparrow are frequent and legendary. If you’re a wine aficionado in central Oklahoma, make sure you add your name to Sparrow’s mailing list so you never miss a wine dinner.

Starters

Before I even set foot in Sparrow, I’m already trying to figure out what starters to order. It’s always an impossible decision: warm garlic knots slathered in shallot butter or savory pizza rolls with Italian sausage, Parmesan,

Pomodoro meatballs with whipped ricotta or potato nests with pomodoro and gremolata? This time, we settled on the burrata. You can get burrata in lots of local restaurants these days, but at Sparrow, it’s served with beautifully roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil pesto and slices of grilled rustic bread. We also decided to order the pizza rolls, which we usually love, but they were a little off-balance this time around.

Next up, salads. Every salad on this menu is one to write home about. I usually get the Italian house salad because I love the whole-grain mustard vinaigrette and the butter lettuce. My husband loves the Caprese, especially when local heirloom tomatoes are in season, and we almost always order at least one Caesar salad.

I absolutely dream of the Italian chopped salad, but it’s an entrée for me. Made with baby gem, red onion, heirloom tomato, pepperoncini, salami, crispy pepperoni, mozzarella, chickpeas and house Italian vinaigrette, it’s as close to La Scala as we can get in the 405. I’ve been known to order one to go for dinner on the rare night I find myself solo. This salad, a glass of Australian Shiraz, and Netflix can fix any number of ailments.

Entrees

Deciding what to order for entrees is always a bit of a negotiation in my family, especially when I’m there for a review. We had one order of spaghetti and meatballs — an absolute must for my children — although we all love the handmade meatballs, sized small but served with a generous hand. It was perfect, as usual: just the right ratio of al dente noodles to flavorful pomodoro.

We also ordered the blackened salmon, which is served with garlicthyme potatoes, charred zucchini and radicchio, and a tomato reduction. It was my first time having this, and it did not disappoint. The charred zucchini and radicchio were just the most deli cious touch, and the potatoes definite ly had some sort of witchcraft involved to be so perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

When dining with my family, I simply order my favorite thing on the

lasagna with Bolognese, whipped ricotta, garlic, béchamel and basil. It is always perfectly prepared with rich layers, melty cheese and just the right amount of crispiness on the outer edges of the noodles. It’s rich, but not as rich as you might think. As I’m always sharing it, I always get just the right amount of the melt-in-your-mouth layers of Bolognese, ricotta and béchamel. This is a Holloway family recipe, and we’re all lucky they decided to share it with us.

We skipped dessert this time around, but the desserts at Sparrow are always on point. With our kids, we almost always get the tiramisu, and the DIY cannoli is also a lot of fun, especially for a family.

Go-to takeout

The other thing I have ordered from Sparrow at least a dozen times is the chicken Parmesan pizza-style. This is my go-to takeout order when entertaining at home. This beautiful chicken parm is the size of a medium pizza, with sauce and cheese layered on top. It’s cut into eight pizza-style pieces, and it is my life hack for effortless entertaining. I make a Caesar dressing from scratch and toss a giant salad, serve Sparrow’s chicken Parmesan and mix a specialty cocktail. Guests bring bread, desserts and wine. It’s the easiest dinner party of all time, and friends are always impressed by the dish. At $34, it’s also a very affordable way to host a small group.

I’ve had Sparrow on so many occasions, you might think it had become commonplace, but it’s the opposite. I’ve come to associate it with family, comfort, and making sure even normal days are tinged with something special

EAT & DRINK

Flavor, ladled

As autumn settles in, Oklahoma City’s kitchens simmer with warmth. From classic French onion to aromatic pho, these standout soups promise comfort, flavor and seasonal soul in every spoonful.

By Julie Porter Scott and photos by Sara Stewart and provided

Bar Sen

1630 N. Blackwelder Ave. barsenokc.com 405-702-1500

Highlights at Bar Sen include Khao Piek Sen, a Lao noodle soup made with house chicken stock seasoned with fish sauce, handmade rice noodles, chicken breast, quail eggs, herbs, garlic oil, fried shallots, cracked pepper and lime. Another standout is the Suki Yaki, featuring pork broth with bean thread noodles, roasted pork belly, shrimp cake, napa cabbage, bok choy, trumpet mushrooms and fried garlic. The ingredients create complex layers of flavor that elevate soup to new heights.

The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

6418 N. Western Ave. metrowinebar.com

405-840-9463

When you crave soup but also want an upscale, leisurely meal, there’s only one place to go. Slide into a booth and order the French onion soup, with its rich caramelized onions and melted Gruyère. This dish stays on the menu year-round, as does the perfectly chilled vichyssoise. For fall and winter, enjoy the seasonal butternut squash and apple bisque, or try the soup of the day, which rotates based on fresh, in-season vegetables.

VII Asian Bistro

2900 N. Classen Blvd., Suite G viiasianbistro.com 405-604-2939

VII Asian Bistro’s signature pho features aromatic bone broth, rice noodles and your choice of protein — comfort food at its best. Top it with bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeños for a customized bowl. Another option is the egg noodles in pork broth, also served with your choice of meat. To round out your meal, try the pork-andvegetable egg rolls or the wok-seared Asian spare ribs glazed with a flavorful barbecue sauce.

Cafe 7 Delicatessan and Pastaria

14101 N. May Ave., Suite 117 cafe7okc.com

405-748-3354

At Cafe 7, a different soup recipe rotates daily. Monday-Saturday features French onion, Provençal mushroom, cream of spinach and artichoke, loaded potato, chicken enchilada and roasted red pepper bisque. Sundays feature the chef’s seasonal selection. In addition, the chef offers a second selection on Mondays, and tomato basil soup is always available. The prices are unbeatable: $3.75 for a cup and $6.50 for a bowl.

Four J’s Laotian

2920 S. Agnew Ave., Suite 3 facebook.com/fourjsdiner 405-512-3944

This small, family-run Laotian restaurant has long been a lunch favorite. Two soups headline the menu: Tom Kha and Tom Yum. Both feature galangal (a ginger relative), lemongrass, kaffir lime, basil, mushrooms, cabbage, baby corn, onion, green onion, cilantro and lime. Tom Kha is rich and creamy with coconut milk, while Tom Yum has a spicier kick from chili paste and tamarind. Both come with rice and can be customized with tofu, vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or a seafood mix.

Soup Soup

7654 N. Western Ave. soupsoup.org 405-843-7095

For more than 25 years, Soup Soup has been preparing hearty, homemade meals to take away. It offers about 30 different soups, available by the pint or quart. Choices range from chicken noodle and chicken tortilla to white bean chili, vegetable barley and clam chowder. It also sells quiches, salads, grain and pasta salads, and entrées. Soup Soup is a reliable source for weeknight meals or feeding a crowd without the hassle of cooking.

Discover

La Baguette Bistro

7408 N. May Ave. labaguettebistro.com 405-840-3047

It’s hard to pass up La Baguette’s gazpacho packed with shrimp and avocado no matter the season. Served year-round for $13, it’s practically a meal on its own. The bistro also offers hot soups, including French onion gratinée, lentil and potato, and a rotating soup of the day. Prices remain refreshingly affordable at $5 for a cup and $7 for a bowl. Each soup is served with sliced baguette and soft butter. Insider tip: Order the French onion and pair it with truffle pommes frites.

Hidden Gem

Presented by:

Will Rogers World Theatre

4322 N. Western Avenue, OKC

Over 20 Food and Wine Vendors, Champagne and Whiskey Tastings, Live Auction, Silent Auction, and More!

Tickets $79 VIP Experience +$39 tickets on sale

ARTS & CULTURE

Tickled pink

The Girlie Show makes its triumphant return to Farmers Public Market this November.

By Julie Porter Scott

“You had to be there.”

If you didn’t live in Oklahoma City in 2003, it’s hard to explain what it was like. Twenty-two years ago, there was no Devon Tower, no arena. There was no Oklahoma City Thunder, and even the Hornets team didn’t come to Oklahoma City until 2005. You could absolutely flip a U-turn in the middle of Broadway Avenue and no one would think twice. Parking? Forget about it. It was never a concern. Traffic? Please. Maybe one week of the year: during the state fair.

The impact of MAPS was just beginning to show. The Bricktown Canal had opened a few years prior. There was no Plaza District, just NW 16th Street. It would be five more years before we had James E. McNellie’s Public House and a revitalized Midtown.

What we did have was a small, deeply connected group of local artists. They supported each other’s endeavors and the art scene at large. They attended each other’s opening nights at one of the few local galleries and gave countless hours to the arts organizations that supportived local artists. From gallery openings at IAO to an event at City Arts Center or a performance at Stage Center, a small group of artists kept the scene alive.

But it was, after all, 2003. There weren’t many outlets putting on traditional art shows, much less anything outside the black-and-white boundaries of what constituted “art” at that time. Women were often left out of the mix, especially if their art fell somewhere

outside the borders.

That’s when three friends, all artists in their own right, decided to try something new.

“At the time we started The Girlie Show, the art scene in OKC was much different than it is today,” said The Girlie Show co-founder Dawn Harth. “Our somewhat self-serving goal at the time was to create a place where the things we were making ourselves would fit in, things that landed in that creative zone between fine art gallery walls and church craft bazaar tables. That place didn’t seem to exist, so we decided we should create it and see if anyone else was looking for that too.”

In an Oklahoma Gazette article by Joe Wertz in October 2007, Harth recounted the inaugural event: “Harth said she and others ‘prayed’ for a few hundred people to attend 2003’s inaugural show at TAP Architecture,” Wertz wrote, “but when 800 visitors showed up, they knew they were on to something.”

Harth and co-founders Erin Merryweather and Marilyn Artus had struck a chord, both in terms of local artists who needed to find a foothold and an audience hungry for an art-centric celebration. By year two, the event had moved to Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., and had become a two-day affair.

“As the show evolved, it became a place where you might find a beautiful statement piece for your wall and you also might find a crazy-looking plushie that you just had to have, and your new favorite handcrafted ring, too,” Harth said. “Add in food, cocktails, music, en-

tertainers and people having a great time, and it was just a whole lot of big, pink energy you didn’t want to miss.”

For a decade, The Girlie Show was one of the most important art events in the city — and, arguably, the most fun. Friday night was the big event: a 21-andup party with aerialists, burlesque dancers and female musicians who performed while crowds perused the art, which included everything from paintings and sculptures to clothing, jewelry and furniture. Saturday was open to all ages, with tickets offered at a low price point and a focus on shopping.

“The artists loved it because up-andcomers got an opportunity to get their work out there and established artists got exposure to new crowds. This wasn’t necessarily your regular art-show crew; these people came to The Girlie Show for the experience,” Harth explained.

In 2006, the event shifted from only accepting Oklahoma artists to accepting applications from across the country. In-state or out-of-state, for many of the artists, it was their first show ever. The event was a smashing success for 10 years before the final installment in 2013.

“We created The Girlie Show because we cared about providing opportunities for other women creatives and ourselves. After hosting the show for 10 years, we had done a lot of what we set out to do, and that anniversary felt like a good place to stop,” Artus said.

“It’s exciting to see what a different city we all live in today,” Harth said. “It’s almost as if The Girlie Show foreshadowed what the city could feel like, how much energy you could get in one place for one event. And although Oklahoma City has a lot more going on now, it’s not as if something has come along to replace those old-school Girlie Shows.”

Triumphant return

So it was absolutely delightful to learn last November that Arts Council Oklahoma City was working with the trio to bring The Girlie Show back — now as a fundraiser for its All Access Arts program, which brings participatory, high-quality arts instruction directly into under-served schools across Oklahoma City, enriching thousands of young lives each year through expressive arts that can lead to improved academic outcomes and emotional growth.

“When the Arts Council OKC approached us to bring it back, it was a no-brainer,” said Artus.

Harth continued: “We couldn’t resist. It’s a beautiful collaboration of everything that feels right, right now: celebrating bold, brilliant women of every kind, funding local arts programs and adding to the reasons OKC is a damn good place to be.”

This year’s event is once again at Farmers Public Market Nov. 14-15. A total of 44 artists were jury-selected to show their work. Performing artists, including musical acts, acrobats, showgirls and burlesque dancers, are being booked both days by Arts Council Oklahoma City’s All Access Arts program. General admission tickets are $35, and VIP tickets, which provide early access to the show, food and a cash bar, are $95.

The team from the arts council is just as pleased.

“Speaking as a first-time Girlie Show attendee but a lifelong supporter of our local arts scene, it’s clear to me that the return couldn’t be more timely,” said Dan Tigert, communications director for Arts Council Oklahoma City. “An event that celebrates the creative force of femininity will be impactful and uplifting. I have no doubt The Girlie Show will reclaim its position on all of our holiday calendars.”

Dawn Harth agrees.

“The heart of why we did it is still very much the same. The thrill of seeing a young female artist step out there and show the world her work and gain the confidence to build herself up; the fun of seeing a room full of people of every age, every demographic, every background, every style coming together; the opportunity to contribute to the great things our city has to offer. Now we get the chance to partner with the Arts Council OKC and help benefit arts in schools through All Access Arts.”

Visit thegirlieshowokc.com.

The Girlie Show Nov. 14-15

Farmers Public Market 311 S. Klein Ave. thegirlieshowokc.com | 405-232-6506

$35-$95

Marilyn Artus, Dawn Harth and Erin Merryweather started The Girlie Show in 2003. | Photo Peter Dolese

Farmers Public Market, the once and future home of The Girlie Show. | Photo Peter Dolese

Fall into Fun with Your Library this Autumn

ARTS & CULTURE

Good bones

By Jeremy Martin HALLOWEEN

After dazzling at NYC’s Under the Radar theater festival, Dead as a Dodo migrates to Oklahoma Contemporary.

On a freezing January night in New York City, Jackson Gifford planned on staying home.

“My roommate’s grandmother had just passed away a night or two before, so she was feeling very somber,” Gifford said. “We were just having a cozy night in, and it was really cold out.”

But the chance to grab last-minute seats at Dead as a Dodo, an otherwise “completely sold-out and impossible to get a ticket to” production at this year’s Under the Radar theater festival was too tempting to pass up. Drama Desk nominated it for an Outstanding Puppetry award, and The New York Times called it “outlandishly inventive” and “as morbidly poetic as The Nightmare Before Christmas,” but going in, Gifford had only heard a couple of intriguingly incongruous details through word of mouth.

“They basically were like, ‘Oh my god! It’s so great! You are going to cry so much,’” Gifford said. “I was like, ‘Huh? I thought this was a puppet show.’”

Both things turned out to be true.

“I’m very emotional, but I never really find myself crying at much theater,” Gifford said. “In this rare circumstance, my roommate, who obviously was coping with a loss, and me

many of whom I would call a discerning audience and who were just weeping and enjoying this puppet show.”

Gifford, who divides his time between NYC and OKC as the artistic director for Southern Plains Productions, emailed Dead as a Dodo creators Wakka Wakka Productions to tell them how much it moved him. Several emails and months later, OKC audiences will have the chance to see Dead as a Dodo at Oklahoma Contemporary, 11 NW 11th St., Oct. 23-25. Tickets are $45-$50.

Immersive journey

Drawing inspiration from Dante’s Inferno, Tales from the Crypt, 16thcentury Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch and Disney’s Silly Symphony cartoons (think spooky, scary skeletons playing themselves like xylophones), Dead as a Dodo opens in a sparkling underworld where two skeletons, a boy and a dodo, search for replacements for their missing bones.

“For the first half of the show, it’s almost entirely in black and white,” Gifford said. “It’s a lot of muted colors, and then as these two best friends, these skeletal figures, go on their journey, the world starts to open up

Dead as a Dodo plays at Oklahoma Contemporary from Oct. 23-25. | Photo David Zadig

mately completes a transformation of their physical being.”

Both the background scenery and the puppeteers are covered in black sequins.

“The sparkle of the sequins allows for the puppeteers to effectively ‘disappear’ into the scenography like magic — creating a shifting glittering surface that surrounds the puppets,” explains the production’s press material. “Each movement by the puppeteers allows the world to both expand and contract as if it were alive.”

Gifford said the effect will be particularly striking in Oklahoma Contemporary’s 250-seat Te Ata Theater.

“People are really going to be able to be up close with these very intricate puppets,” Gifford said. “The opportunity to be up close and really engage with these actors as they bring the story to life is something so captivating and so unique. These actors have embodied these characters so well, both with the physicality, with their voice. ... There’s just something real about it.”

Digital projections and thoughtful sound design add to the immersive experience, Gifford said, and the production’s technical inventiveness and creative ingenuity encourage audiences to become emotionally invested.

“It really comes down to storytelling and how they’ve been able to create such a specific and unique world with the puppets,” Gifford said. “It just leaves you very taken care of by your storyteller. So as soon as the show starts, you trust immediately, and you’re really able to go on the journey. And when it leads you to that place of heartbreak, you really go there with them.”

Recommended for audiences age 7 or older, the production also includes fog, loud noises, strobe lighting and, of course, discussions about death.

“That’s a pretty heavy subject matter, especially for a show that is advertised to be for ages 7 plus,” Gifford said. “In a way, it exposes our most basic fear, and there’s something really interesting about that. Death is such a hard topic, a hard thing to digest, especially as a kid. And it really asks some hard-hitting questions that I think are important for

people of all ages to discuss.”

Whether audience members are adults or children, Dead as a Dodo writers and directors Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage never underestimate their intelligence, Gifford said.

According to the production’s Director’s Notes: “As a species, our idea of what death is has changed over time, as humanity has evolved from early humans until the present day. And as individuals, from the time we are children until we become old, our idea of what death is also evolves.

“Present day humans have attained a god-like status, creating life ourselves (and not the old-fashioned way). In our lifetime, the birth and growth of AI, gene editing and bio-technology have all thrust into new realities and ideas of what is possible. ... Dead as a Dodo engages with this new present and the future that will come of it.”

Gifford said working with Oslo, Norway-based Wakka Wakka to bring the production to Oklahoma aligns with Southern Plains’ mission to “create theater that enriches our local community while elevating global voices.

“It’s so exciting to bring internationally acclaimed theater and different perspectives to our local community in a way that’s meaningful,” Gifford said.

In 2026, Southern Plains plans to bring two more productions to Oklahoma City: Brian Quijada’s hip-hop inspired Civil Rights Movement examination Where Did We Sit on the Bus? and Jason Robert Brown’s Drama Desk Award-winning musical The Last Five Years starring Erin Elizabeth Clemons.

Visit southernplainsproductions. org.

Dead as a Dodo

Oct. 23-25

Te Ata Theater Oklahoma Contemporary 11 NW 11th St. oklahomacontemporary.org | 405-951-0000

$45-$50

Dead as a Dodo combines large-scale puppets with digital projections. | Photo Erato Tzavara

• Lovingly Curated Bookshop

• Members-Led Writers Co-Op

• Boutique Publishing Company

workshops, and live events. Open seven days a week. Check out all our events on our website.

Gallery II: Small Art Show

ARTS & CULTURE

Creativity blooms

By Julie Porter Scott

A devoted mom to two young children, Adaeze Elijah, founder of Bloomfield Kids Arts & Crafts Studio, 610 S. Kelley Ave., Suite Y, in Edmond, knows that art and creative activities boost academic performance and support mental health.

A 2019 report by Houston’s Arts Access Initiative stated, “Students with access to arts programs report lower levels of stress and higher levels of engagement and wellbeing. Students in schools with increased arts education experienced improved school engagement and reduced disciplinary infractions.”

Elijah also knows how hard it is for parents to consistently incorporate art into everyday life.

“I have two kids, ages 6 and 4, and my 6-year-old son is very artistic,” Elijah said. “I struggled to find resources. I struggled to find things that he could do.”

Finding age-appropriate projects, gathering supplies, helping when necessary and then cleaning up can often feel daunting, especially when considering the prep-work-to-reward ratio for little ones with short attention spans.

“One of the things that really threw me off with art projects was the mess that comes with it,” Elijah said. “I would find myself restricting him a lot when we did activities. I was not letting my child express himself through art, and I think part of the concern was the mess. I was trying to work, trying to parent and trying to keep a clean house.”

She’s not alone. Most parents can identify with the tension between wanting to encourage their kids’ creativity and wanting to keep a clean home. Paint, glitter, slime, clay, glue and ink are in direct conflict with protecting countertops. But just like so many aspects of parenthood, just because it’s challenging doesn’t mean you should skip it.

According to Professor Peter Fonagy, CEO of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, “The arts take us to another world where we can explore our thoughts and feelings free

of fear of stigma or judgement. They help children and young people to express things that they sometimes cannot say in conversation, and to celebrate feelings and thoughts that previously troubled them. The creative process can also be a curative process.”

Artistic education

Elijah founded Bloomfield to provide a supportive space for children’s creativity and to help busy parents encourage their children’s artistic endeavors. The art studio offers diverse programs, including sewing, crochet, ceramics and painting. Bloomfield opened in November 2024 and has been steadily adding classes, programs and instructors as word spreads.

The instructors are mostly students working toward art education degrees at the nearby University of Central Oklahoma. Many also have experience in child care or as camp counselors.

“It is a good part-time job for our instructors,” Elijah said. “They are getting more experience teaching and managing a classroom. Our students are getting the best teachers, who bring a wealth of knowledge into our programs.”

There is something for every interest and age group, although Elijah notes most of the students are age 12 and under. Visual arts classes cover drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed-media techniques. Sewing introduces both handand machine-sewing through projects that build real skills over time. Digital media uses kid-friendly tools to teach basic design by creating posters, digital

ARTS & CULTURE

Happy haunting

Scare up some fun with OG ’s Halloween events guide.

By Jeremy Martin

Remember being scared of vampires and werewolves and, like, Freddy Krueger and other cool monsters instead of pretty much every facet of daily life? Nowadays, Halloween is perhaps the most relaxing time of the year, so let’s pumpkin spice it up. Here’s a lucky 13 or so fun-sounding goings-on going on in the metro this month. If you’re scared we left something out, visit our online events calendar at okgazette.com/community for even more occult options or to add an event of your own.

Do you like scary movies?

See films ranging from spooky fun to genuinely terrifying screens around town, including perhaps the silliest movie inspired by the Salem witch trials, 1993’s Hocus Pocus at Outdoor Movie Night, starting at sunset on Friday, Oct. 17 at Lion’s Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., in Norman. Admission is free.

Oklahoma Film Exchange, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., is screening seasonally appropriate selections all month long,

including D(e)AD on Saturday Oct. 11, Night Hunter on Friday, Oct. 17 and The Night of the Living Dead on Friday Oct. 31. Visit oklahomafilmexchange.com for a full list. Most screenings start at 7 p.m., and admission is pay what you can.

Flix Brewhouse, 8590 Broadway Extension, is also screening holiday classics including The Lost Boys on Saturday, Oct. 11 a classic Dracula and Frankenstein double feature on Monday, Oct. 27 and, appropriately enough, Halloween on Friday, Oct. 31. Dates have multiple screening times, and tickets are $9.49. Visit flixbrewhouse.com for a full schedule.

They(’re) live

If you prefer to get your goosebumps from live performers, you can do “The Time Warp” again at the recently resurrected Rocky Horror Show at Lyric Theatre, 1725 NW 16 St., through Nov. 1. Tickets are $32-$88, available at lyrictheatreokc.com. For more creepy choreography, sink your figurative teeth

OCTOBER 30

THUNDER NIGHT

Opens 2 hours early at 5pm, get a scare in before tip off.

OCTOBER

into Oklahoma City Ballet’s production of David Nixon’s Dracula at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $39-$130 and available at okcballet.org.

Skeletons aren’t complete without funny bones, so take some time to laugh at death before it laughs at you. At Murder Night in Blood Forest, the latest touring live production from the podcast Welcome to Nightvale, where “murder” means “a gathering of crows,” but also the other kind of murder, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 at Tower Theatre. Tickets are $39.12-$51.99, available at towertheatreokc.com. Haunt to Go!, meanwhile, offers “An Occult Cocktail Experience” with paranormal investigators, possessed artifacts, psychic mediums and other Halloween treats for fans of interactive sketch comedy at

NOVEMBER 1

Ghosts from Latin America take over the attraction for our final night.

DEAD MAN’S CROSSING: A KILLER EXPERIENCE

presented by Baker Street Escapes

From the creators of Baker Street Escapes comes OKC’s first gamified haunted house, Dead Man’s Crossing — a labyrinth where killer characters hunt you down. For kids and the faint of heart, a toned-down version is available on request.

Want an extra thrill? The Nightmare Pass lets you submit a friend, co-worker or loved one’s info ahead of time so scares can be personalized just for them.

STREET

8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at Holiday Inn & Suites, 6200 N. Robinson Ave. Tickets are $40-$60 and available at hahamuseum.com. We’re also classifying The Operating Theatre as comedy because we wouldn’t know where else to put it. Part of the Theatre Crude Fringe Festival, the production promises a “part-game show, part-choose your own autopsy” that hearkens back to a time when “surgeries and dissections used to be attended by paying audience members.” Remaining showtimes are 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 at 3rd Act Theatre Company, 12000 N. May Ave. Tickets are $15, available at theatrecrude.org. Local artists will stretch the meaning of “live music” by performing songs from no-longer-living legends including

The cast of The Rocky Horror Show | Photo provided

ARTS & CULTURE

Leonard Cohen and Freddy Mercury at Night of the Singing Dead at The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., in Norman at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26. Admission is paywhat-you-can. Visit normandepot.org for more information.

Beloved local ’90s tribute act My So-Called Band will play its annual Halloween show at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Tower Theatre, but believe it or not, some of the original artists who played those songs way back before the turn of the century are still alive today. Tickets are $21.09-$43.49, available at towertheatreokc.com. And you can keep the spirit of the season alive through the Day of the Dead at the Costume Party Creep Show at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., where Keathley, Coat and Major Good are scheduled to perform. Admission is $5 at the door. All three shows mentioned in this paragraph will have costume contests because it’s the actual most wonderful time of the year.

Mad monster parties

Speaking of costumes, Mix-Tape After Hours will give adults 18 and older a chance to get their own Halloween get-ups together with provided crafting supplies at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16,

at Factory Obscura, 25 NW Ninth St. Tickets are $24, available at factoryobscura.com. But where do you show off your diabolical DIY duds? You can head back to Factory Obscura on Friday, Oct. 31 to join the Hallow’s Eve Procession, departing at 7 p.m. Admission to this outdoor event is free, but tickets to the Halloween Concert and Dance Party inside are $18-$20, available at factoryobscura.com.

You can party like it’s 1925 at the Halloween Jazz Masquerade starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Uncanny Art House, 106 E. Main St., in Norman, where you can don Roaring-’20sinspired attire, listen to live jazz by Butter and the Genre, drink cocktails from Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, and check out the art in the gallery’s immersive exhibition In the Company of Paintings. Tickets are $10-$15 and available at uncannyarthouse.com.

For more sophisticated spoopiness, hit the opening of the goth-inspired exhibition Dark Hearts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Mycelium Gallery, 2816 N. Pennsylvania Ave., where you can enjoy local art, live music and, of course, a costume contest. Tickets are $10 and available at myceliumgallery.com.

Frighteningly family friendly

Most of the events we’ve mentioned so far are pretty adult-oriented, but we’re

told children also enjoy Halloween. Gourdenthusiasts of all ages will want to take a trip to Pumpkinville, open through Sunday, Oct. 26 at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., which boasts a bustling pumpkin population artfully arranged in murals and other museum-inspired displays. Tickets are free-$10, available at myriadgardens.org.

On Saturdays and Sundays throughout October, Haunt the Zoo at the Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, offers trick-ortreating and seasonal photo ops alongside the animals, who may or may not think it’s any weirder that the people gawking at them are dressed as Labubus or whatever for a few weekends. Tickets are $9-$10, available at okczoo.org.

Tickets are $20, available at nationalcowboymuseum.org, but admission is free for children age 12 or younger.

Boot-scootin’ boogeypeople will want to giddy up to HalloWest at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., where they can trickor-treat in the museum’s model town, Prosperity Junction, and enjoy crafts, face-painting and a Halloween hoedown.

And finally, you can find something for the whole family (if your family is cool) at Paranormal Fest 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave., where you can watch movies, shop vendor booths and learn about cryptids, tarot cards and local hauntings from guest experts. Admission is free, but registration is required at metrolibrary.org.

Pumpkinville at Myriad Botanical Gardens runs through Oct 26. | Photo Jesse Edgar

ARTS & CULTURE

Spooky streaming

These eight horror films are worth your time this Halloween.

By Phil Bacharach

As any horror aficionado knows, October means Halloween is around the corner — wearing a hockey mask and holding a butcher knife, no doubt — and that means we have a good excuse to load up on scary movies.

This time last year, I recommended some largely overlooked horror flicks available for streaming. In keeping with this storied tradition that I just now made up, I sought inspiration from some recent clickbait via The New York Times. Over the summer, that newspaper canvassed hundreds of moviemakers, film scholars and assorted celebs to arrive at its ballyhooed 100 Best Movies (so far) of the 21st century. The past 25 years have been particularly fertile for the horror genre, and it got me thinking of some lesserknown gems worthy of recognition.

These are not my favorite horror pictures of this century, but for whatever reason, their spooky awesomeness has flown under the proverbial radar. If you like getting creeped out in the comfort of your living room but knowing the sensation ends once the credits roll, check these out. All eight are available for streaming.

Slither(2006)

Long before taking the helm of DC Studios, James Gunn was an amiable schlockmeister who cut his teeth in the Troma school of exploitation pictures. His directorial debut, the delightfully campy Slither, hearkens back to the tongue-in-cheek cartoon horror of the 1980s (think Re-Animator, The Return of the Living Dead or They Live). A fictional small town is beset by spermshaped creatures from outer space that take over human bodies by crawling into any unguarded orifice, all the while squeaking like a dog’s chew toy. Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion and Gunn regular Michael Rooker are ostensibly the leads, but the real stars are those alien slugs. (Streaming on YouTube)

MurderParty(2007)

This first feature from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier shows little of the craftsmanship that would distinguish his later works Green Room and Rebel Ridge, but this microbudget offering

hits the bull’s-eye for Halloween-centric farce. Chris Sharp plays a sad-sack New York City meter maid so pathetic, even his cat bullies him. Our hapless hero comes across a random invitation for a so-called “murder party” and to “come alone.” Being an apparent imbecile, he resolves to go, clad in a knight’s costume made of cardboard. The “party” turns out to be psychopathic art students in an abandoned warehouse ready to carve out some poor dope in hopes of winning an arts grant. Trick meets treat in this bonkers black comedy that doesn’t skimp on the gore. ( Streaming on Plex and YouTube)

UndertheShadow(2016)

In setting Under the Shadow in postrevolution Iran of the 1980s, writerdirector Babak Anvari uses the stifling repressiveness of that regime to underpin the more supernatural horrors that await. Narges Rashidi is riveting as Shideh, whose physician husband is off serving in the Iran-Iraq War. Thwarted in her attempt to return to medical school, Shideh struggles to protect her young daughter (Avin Manshadi) while bombs periodically drop on their apartment building in Tehran. But the war is the least of Shideh’s concerns when her daughter reports that her favorite doll has been stolen by a demonic creature called a djinn. This meticulously crafted chiller is a modern-day masterpiece. ( Streaming on Netflix)

Revenge (2017)

Anyone who saw The Substance last year knows that Coralie Fargeat doesn’t have much use for subtlety. The French filmmaker likes her imagery big, bloody and stupendously grotesque. That same aesthetic is evident in Fargeat’s directorial debut, Revenge, along with her penchant for dark humor and savage takedown of misogyny. Matilda Lutz plays Jen, Barbie-doll mistress to rich French bro Richard (Kevin Janssens). The couple’s clandestine weekend in the middle of nowhere goes very, very awry when two of Richard’s pals show up a day early for a hunting excursion. Marked by a dazzling visual style and

bombastic sound design, this rape revenge picture is more than just-desserts payback, although there’s plenty of that, too. ( Streaming on Mubi and YouTube)

SaintMaud(2019)

Morfydd Clark delivers a chilling performance as titular Maud, a timid and earnest health-care worker with a vaguely traumatic past assigned for live-in hospice care of Amanda Kohl (Jennifer Ehle), a worldly choreographer. Maud is devout but deeply unhinged, and she comes to believe the Almighty has placed her here to save the soul of Amanda, a sharp-tongued nonbeliever. Deeply unsettling hijinks ensue. Saint Maud is a marvel of sustained, sexually charged creepiness. The shockingly self-assured debut from writer-director Rose Glass was followed by 2024’s terrific neo-noir Love Lies Bleeding. ( Streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube)

Hatching(2022)

This demented treasure suggests that director Hanna Bergholm and screenwriter Ilja Rautsi are not “bird people.” Yet the concept of a “bird person” figures prominently in this body-horror outing about Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a mousy Finnish preteen under pressure from her mother (Sophia Heikkilä), a preening social-media influencer, to become a champion gymnast. There is some ugly business in the opening minutes when a crow invades the family’s immaculate home and crashes into anything breakable. The scene ends with a dead bird and Tinja resolving to keep warm an orphaned egg. As you might deduce from the film’s title, that egg eventually hatches. Without getting into specifics about the emerging creature, let’s just say there’s a reason the phrase is a “murder of crows.” Hatching is a very flocked-up movie. ( Streaming on Kanopy and YouTube)

birth/rebirth(2023)

Anchored by remarkable performances from Judy Reyes and Marin Ireland, this directorial debut from Laura Moss grounds the tropes of the Frankenstein legend in relatable themes of maternalism and grief. Reyes is a warmhearted OB nurse mourning the recent death of her child. Ireland is a sociopathic pathologist who spends her free time trying to reanimate dead things. See where this is going? birth/rebirth is smart, relentless and disturbing as hell. ( Streaming on Hulu, Kanopy and

YouTube)

InaViolentNature(2024)

I thought Canadians were known for their niceness, but this export from the Great White North has me rethinking such preconceived notions. In a Violent Nature is no-frills slasher goodness. The threadbare plot plops us into the perspective of Johnny (Ry Barrett), a decomposed but hulking spirit lumbering through the woods slicing and dicing everyone in his path. What Johnny lacks in personality, he makes up for with remarkably inventive ways of dispatching victims. Writer-director Chris Nash opts for long takes and the absence of a music score. His deliberate pacing can be occasionally maddening, but the slow burn sets the stage for some banger kills, as the kids say, particularly one memorable incident involving a severed head being pulled out through the victim’s tummy. ( Streaming on Hulu, Kanopy, Plex and YouTube)

CALENDAR

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

FILM

Awkward Gawker World Premiere

Join The Martin Duprass for the world premiere of their first all-original short film, Awkward Gawker at Oklahoma Film Exchange! After accidentally going viral, our apologetic hero encounters unhinged adversaries and unhelpful childhood heroes on her quest to keep her job.

Directed by Lauren Thomas-Martin, Starring: Lauren Thomas-Martin, Jessi Kyle, Heath Huffman, Jacob Threadgill and Jeremy Martin, The short will be followed by a behind the scenes documentary by David Steele! Red carpet photo opportunities begin at 6:30pm and seating is first come, first served! $5 suggested donation for entry, but all events at OFX are pay what you can! $5 suggested donation, Sat. Oct. 18, 6:30-9 p.m. Oklahoma Film Exchange, 701 W Sheridan Ave, 4058153275, facebook.com/ share/1DBgCQ3cSa. OCT 18

THE EXORCIST BREWFEST The power of beer compels you. Join us for THE EXORCIST BREWFEST: a screening of William Friedkin’s genre-defining horror classic paired with a curated menu that includes three beers, an appetizer, and an entree. Whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth, THE EXORCIST still delivers a sense of dread few films can match. Tue. Oct. 14, 6:45-9:30 p.m. Flix Brewhouse Oklahoma City, 8590 Broadway Ext, 405-766-5900, flixbrewhouse.com/ events/48864-the-exorcist-brewfest. OCT 14

COMEDY

Killers of Kill Tony Get ready for a night of unfiltered, rapid-fire comedy when Killers of Kill Tony hits The Criterion on Friday, October 17th! Door time is subject to change. Oct. 17, 6 p.m. The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. 405-308-1803, criterionokc.com. OCT 17

Monster Moist: Consenting Creatures Catcall Competitively Moist Battle brings you a special Halloween treat: Monster Moist! This comedy competition provides a healthy consensual environment for thirsty little goblins to be hilariously horny to each other and this time the Monsters are out to play! Your battlers for this special episode are: A Demon, The Jersey Devil, Medusa, Bobby “Boris” Picket, The Hat Man and The Mothman! Your frightful judges: Vlad the Impaler, Freakenstein and Death! Costumes highly encouraged! $10-$15, Oct. 17, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Mycelium Gallery, 2816 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 4055196027, facebook.com/ share/1FCkzdFEwW. OCT 17

Fred Armisen: Comedy for Musicians But Everyone is Welcome EMMY-nominated comedian Fred Armisen is taking Tower Theatre’s stage on October 19 for his Comedy for Musicians But Everyone is Welcome Tour. Fred Armisen does it all—comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He co-created and starred in the Emmy-nominated Portlandia, plays Uncle Fester in Netflix’s Wednesday, and voices characters in Big Mouth and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. An 11-season SNL alum, he also led the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers from 2014–2024. Don’t miss him perform live in OKC! Perfect for fans of John Mulaney, Mike Birbiglia, and Nick Kroll. Oct. 19, 7 p.m. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. (405) 708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. OCT 19

HAUNT TO GO! An Occult Cocktail Experience We’re conjuring curses, cocktails, and comedy. World renowned paranormal investigators Ken and LeeAnn Hodgeson present a selection of haunted, cursed, and possessed artifacts from their infamous traveling museum. Joins us and do your own research with real ghost hunting technology. Communicate with the other side via our psychic medium. Enjoy potions brewed by our on-staff witch. Explore and experience the extraordinary supernatural exhibit. $60 (4 alcoholic drinks included); $40 (water included), Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 8-10 p.m. Holiday Inn & Suites Oklahoma City North, an IHG Hotel, 6200 North Robinson Avenue, 9195844242, hahamuseum.com. OCT 25 and NOV 1

YOUTH

Fall Y’all Spend your fall break with us! Visit the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for our special fall break programming with crafts and activities running daily from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Enjoy free entry, fall-themed crafts, art activities, games, story time and more. We can’t wait to see you! FREE. Oklahoma Hall of Fame GaylordPickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomahof.com/program/fall-yall. OCT 15-17

Kid’s Haunt the River Cruises Bring the kids to cruise on the decorated boat. Costumes are encouraged. Candy, prizes, and color pages will be given out onboard. This cruise is a part of the public ferry. View the schedule online to determine the best location and time for your departure. Pay as you board. Adults $12, Seniors and kids 7-17 $6, and children 6 and under are free. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 25. Oklahoma River Cruises Stockyards Landing, 800 S. Agnew Avenue, 405-702-7755, embarkok.com/ferry/ public-ferry. SATURDAYS

PERFORMING ARTS

Alyssa Edwards - The Haunted Mansion Halloween Party Alyssa Edwards, renowned as one of the most famous drag performers in herstory, is bringing The Haunted Mansion Halloween Party to Tower Theatre with special guests DJ AEVYO, Patty Bourey, and Nikita the Queen on October 30! Hailed as the “sickening queen supreme” by The Times, Alyssa reached a new pinnacle by winning RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All-Stars in 2025, earning the title of the first-ever “Queen of the Mothertucking World.” This historic victory cemented her as a global icon of drag excellence. Don’t miss her perform live in OKC! COME IN COSTUME, DRESS TO IMPRESS! Thu. Oct. 30, 8 p.m. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. (405) 708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. OCT 30

Hasta La Muerte Hasta La Muerte is an enthralling new production celebrating Life and Death, in the spirit of the Indigenous/Mexican practice, known as Day of the Dead. From the imagination of Las Cafeteras, “Hasta La Muerte” is a 2 act, multi-dimensional theatrical and musical performance that explores the stages of grief and loss through the celebration of life and death. Hasta La Muerte showcases mesmerizing choreography, poetry, combined with a score of original and traditional songs, to showcase a night of transcendent color, sound and a moving invitation to travel through time, rhythm and memory. $40 - $75, Wed. Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S. May Ave. 405-682-7579, occc.ticketsage.net/Home/ViewEvent ?PerformanceId=343493&ClientId=225. OCT 22

Oklahoma Shakespeare presents The Lion in Winter join Oklahoma Shakespeare for an intimate performance in our 57-seat Paseo Indoor Theatre, featuring Alissa Branch and guest artist Tim Grimm. Don’t miss this timeless clash of wills! Step back to Christmas 1183, where royal ambition, betrayal, and family conflict take center stage. The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, tells the gripping story of King Henry II, his imprisoned queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their scheming sons—all vying for the throne. With wit, drama, and razor-sharp dialogue, this modern classic brings the Plantagenet family’s battle for power to life.

Thursday, October 9, 7:30pm, Friday, October 10, 8pm, saturday, October 11, 9pm, Sunday, October 12, 2pm, Thursday, October 16, 7:30pm, Friday, October 17, 8pm, Saturday, October 18, 8pm, Sunday, October 19, 2pm, Oklahoma Shakespeare, 2920 Paseo St. 405-2353700, okshakes.org/lion-in-winter. OCT 9 -19

Open Bookish - An Open Mic at Bookish Comedy. Poetry. Music. Whatever. No bullies. Second Fridays at Bookish. Free. Hosted by The Martin Duprass. second Friday of every month, 7-10 p.m. through Dec. 31. Bookish: Used Books and Art, 1005 NW 36th St, 4059927570, facebook.com/even ts/1841949556642261/1841949589975591. OCT 19

THE QUEEN’S SIX - From Windsor with Love Based at Windsor Castle, members of The Queen’s Six make up part of the Lay Clerks of St George’s Chapel, whose homes lie within the castle walls. This rare privilege demands the highest musical standards, as they sing regularly for the royal family at both private and state occasions; in 2022, they sang at the Committal of the official funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II. “From Windsor With Love” features music heard at recent major royal events, as well as arrangements of pop love songs from the group’s recent album of the same name. From $54 (adult), $45 (youth), Thu. Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400 S. Bryant Ave. 405-285-1010, armstrongauditorium.org/ performance/the-queens-six. OCT 30

Rocky Horror Picture Show (2025) Every three years, Lyric Theatre does “The Time Warp” again, staging the raunchy, hysterical, and uproarious 1973 rock musical to the delight of the show’s enthusiastic fans. Well, hot patootie, bless my soul, one of the most popular cult musicals of all time returns to Lyric’s stage in an all-new 2025 production featuring the signature Texas theme that made Lyric’s 2022 production a sold-out hit. Only Lyric Subscribers may secure their tickets now as an add-on to subscription renewals before single ticket buyers snatch up all the seats. Go ahead; I see you shiver with antici… (say it!) … pation! Tuesdays-Sundays. through Nov. 1. Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16th St. 405-524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com/shows/the-rocky-horror-show-2025. THROUGH NOV 1

Theatre Crude Fringe Festival Experience live performance like you’ve never seen before. This performing arts festival packs plenty of activities and live entertainment for a full fringe festival experience. This 10-day event will feature over 85 performances from 23 multidisciplinary performance groups. On each day, audience members will have the opportunity to attend a different line-up of performances as well as free special events. Performers will demonstrate multiple disciplines like comedy, opera, dance, puppetry and more. $15 or less, Wed. Oct. 8, 5:30-11 p.m. Thu. Oct. 9, 5:30-11 p.m. Fri. Oct. 10, 5:30-11 p.m. and Sat. Oct. 11, 1-11 p.m. Multiple venues, Various, 405-673-1061, theatrecrude.org. THROUGH OCT 11

Welcome To Night Vale: Murder Night in Blood Forest Welcome to Night Vale’s brand-new touring live show, Murder Night in Blood Forest, is coming to Tower Theatre on October 24! Beloved former teen militia member Tamika Flynn is joining a few hundred of her friends for the annual Murder Night in Blood Forest, a celebration of crows, ravens,

and all corvids. But a masked killer is hunting these carefree partiers one by one. Who would ruin Murder Night with murder? Can Cecil and Tamika solve the mystery before the murderer has gotten them all?, Both fans of the show and newcomers will be able to enjoy this stand-alone performance. Fri. Oct. 24, 7 p.m. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. (405) 7086937, towertheatreokc.com. OCT 24

VISUAL ARTS

ArtNow 2025: Materials and Boundaries Discover Oklahoma Contemporary’s ArtNow 2025: Materials and Boundaries exhibition, highlighting new and recent art from a selection of artists active in the state. Twenty-six artists explore identity, place and experimentation through boundary-pushing practices and material innovation, offering a fresh and nuanced vision of contemporary Oklahoma. Visit okcontemp.org for gallery hours. Free, Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through Feb. 15. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St. 405-951-0000, okcontemp.org/artnow2025. THROUGH FEB 15

Dark Hearts: A Goth Themed Art Show Calling one and all to the Deep Dark! If you crave the creepy, delight in dark art, frolic in fright, then don’t miss this goth art show, it will be a black celebration night! Dark Hearts, local artists will dazzle you with their creations and you will enjoy live music, fabulous food, our magnificent mocktail bar and you can even enter the costume contest! $10, Sat. Oct. 18. Mycelium Gallery, 2816 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 5802789431, myceliumgallery.com. OCT 18

Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Walk peruse art from over 80 artists with 25 participating businesses for a night of special themed exhibits, refreshments and a variety of entertainment opportunities, 6-9 p.m. first Friday of every month. Paseo Arts District, 3024 Paseo St. 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org. NOV 7

Pieces + Patterns Art Exhibit Open Pieces + Patterns: Modern Oklahoma Textiles showcases the works of artists rooted in Oklahoma who are transforming quilting and textile traditions into vibrant, contemporary expressions of identity, place, and history. This exhibition explores the evolving role of fabrics in contemporary art and reflects on the enduring power of fiber art traditions. Each artist reimagines the language of textiles as a living, evolving practice—one that weaves together memory, material, and meaning. This exhibit is curated by Mattie Barlow and Ann Solinski. Featured artists included are Beverly Kirk, Shannon Conley, Vicki Conley, Devida Bushrod, Lela O’Dell, Mike O’Dell, Jason Wilson, Ann Solinski,, Through Dec. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oklahoma Hall of Fame GaylordPickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomahof.com/museum/exhibit/pieces-patternsmodern-oklahoma-textiles. THROUGH DEC 11

Spotlight: Monsters in the Museum Dare to step into the shadows and uncover a world of monsters in the museum. Listen closely for mysterious footsteps and ghostly echoes in the galleries, shape-shift with glow-in-the-dark face painting, and build your own monster in a hands-on art activity inspired by hybrid creatures from ancient lore. Enjoy sweet treats along the way, but beware, there might be a trick or two lurking in the dark. Don’t miss out on this family-friendly event where discovering, playing, and creating take the spotlight. Included with museum admission. Children (17 and under) free; Adults $12, Sat. Oct. 18, 1-3 p.m. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave. (405) 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. OCT 18

Village Arts Festival This landmark event will be the first arts festival in the history of the City of The Village. The celebration will feature a vibrant lineup of 40 local artists, 9 live performers, and 12 food vendors from The Village and the surrounding Oklahoma City metro area. Festival guests can look forward to experiencing an array of visual art, live music, interactive performances, and delicious local food. In addition, community members will be invited to contribute to a lasting legacy project: painting rocks for a new community rock garden, a creative installation designed to symbolize kindness, creativity, and connection. Free, Sat. Oct. 11, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The Village Civic Plaza, 2304 Manchester Drive, tvaok.org. OCT 11

HAPPENINGS

Haunt the River Cruises Haunt the River | October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31. Put a watery spell on your Halloween. Join Oklahoma River Cruises and let’s Haunt the River. Enjoy the decorated boat, haunted tunes, light snacks, and cash bar on board. This cruise boards at 7:45 pm and departs at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Seating is limited, groups of 6 or more should book a private charter. Must be 21 and over to attend. For more information visit www.okrivercruises.com or call $35, 8-9:30 p.m. through Oct. 31. Oklahoma River Cruises Exchange Landing, 1503 Exchange Avenue, 405-702-7755, embarkok.com/ferry/specialtycruises. THROUGH OCT 31

AltFest Interested in the niche, alternative, underground, or atypical? Welcome to the event just right for you! Learn new DIY skills from experts, check out a “human book” to engage with a different perspective, and vote on the winners of our first Battle of the Bands. And don’t forget the Monster Pageant! FREE, Oct. 11, 11

a.m.-4 p.m. Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave. (405) 231-8650, metrolibrary.org. OCT 11

Murder Mystery Night: The Mysterious Death of Miss Zoey Zielman A mystery is hiding in our galleries. Can you solve it?, Your ticket gets you a Case File to help you solve the mystery. Designed for ages 18+. Don your trench coat, grab your magnifying glass, and step into the shadows—this case won’t solve itself. Dress the part, Detective. Your investigation begins on October 16. Oct. 16, 5-7 p.m. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405.236.3100, okcmoa.com/visit/events/ murder-mystery-night. OCT 16

Affair of the Heart Find something you love at Oklahoma’s favorite shopping event, when Braum’s Affair of the Heart returns October 17-19 at the OK State Fair park! Explore more than 400 local boutiques, small retailers, artists, craftsmen and homemade vendors to find everything from home goods and seasonal décor to unique crafts, holiday gifts, tasty treats and boutique clothing. Reignite the joy of shopping small at Braum’s Affair of the Heart. $12, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd. 904594-1253, okcfallaoth.com. OCT 17-19

Paranormal Fest Join us at the Downtown Library for our eighth annual Paranormal Fest, featuring guest experts, vendor booths, children’s programming, and a movie marathon! You can learn more about bigfoot and other cryptids, explore local hauntings, dive into the tarot and more! FREE, Oct. 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave. (405) 231-8650, metrolibrary.org. OCT 18 HalloWest Get ready for a Halloween hoedown at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s HalloWest. Don your best Halloween costumes and enjoy thrilling festivities with a western twist. Join in on trick-or-treating through the museum’s turn-of-the-century town, Prosperity Junction, and explore Town Square. There will also be crafts, face painting, and lively western dancing. Cowboys and cowgirls alike won’t want to miss the HalloWest event at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum this October. $20, Oct. 23, 5:30-8 p.m. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org/event/hallowest-3. OCT 23

India Food & Arts Festival 2025 The India Association of Oklahoma invites everyone to a full day of delicious Indian food, vibrant cultural performances, art & craft activities, jewelry & clothing booths, henna stalls, fashion show, culinary workshops, and exciting activities for all ages. Whether you’re a foodie, art lover, or just looking for a fun day out, there’s something for everyone! Free, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7th St. (405) 445-7080, scissortailpark.org. OCT 26

Dave & Boo-ster’s Boo Bash Enjoy family-friendly Halloween fun with crafts, activities, and games at Dave & Buster’s. Enter the costume contest for a chance to win free game play for a year, enjoy unlimited simulator games, and make memories in a safe indoor environment. The first 100 ticket holders will receive souvenir cups. Get your tickets now! $14.99, Oct. 31, 4-7 p.m. Dave and Buster’s, 5501 N. May Ave, (214) 904-2240, feverup.com/m/472943. OCT 31 Luther Pecan Festival Celebrate community, creativity, and Oklahoma’s favorite nut! The Luther Pecan Festival began in 2017 as a way to showcase our beloved pecan orchard, support local artists, and bring the town together. In 2025, we’re bigger than ever! With the new Visit Luther sign on Route 66 drawing more travelers, we’re expanding to TWO venues—downtown Luther and the pecan orchard— and returning to a two-day festival. Enjoy shopping from local artisans, a variety of food trucks, pecans, pecan pies, and pecan treats galore. Plus live music, a children’s entrepreneur market, pony rides, family photo opps and more. FREE, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dawn Shelton, PO Box 311,, 4058889946, lutherregister.news/luther-pecan-festival-nov-8-9-2025. NOV 8-9

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon the first Wednesday of the month. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OG live music see page 25

Radioactive dreams

Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo find common ground and redefine Americana with new collaborative album In the Earth Again.

By Jeremy Martin

When we spoke to guitarist Hayden Pedigo about his excellent album I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away back in June, he seemed at least as excited about his upcoming collaboration with Chat Pile, In the Earth Again.

“I think we found an entirely new thing,” Pedigo said at the time. “It’s like melding both sounds, but it created this whole new thing that I don’t know if any of us have ever done before. It just felt brand new and really, really cool.”

Following singles “Demon Time” and “Radioactive Dreams,” the album will be available for streaming and purchase on Friday, Oct. 31. On their own, Pedigo and Chat Pile already make music that resists classification: Pedigo’s fingerstyle guitar is commonly compared to acoustic guitar hero John Fahey’s American primitivism, while Chat Pile’s sonic onslaught was perhaps best described by guitarist Luther Manhole in

sounding alternately heartbroken, horrified and hate-driven, sometimes within the same song. The album closes on a moment of intimate grief, “A Tear for Lucas,” an elegy for local writer and close friend of the band Lucas Dunn, who died in 2024. Busch said Pedigo and the members of Chat Pile all think of their music as “Americana-adjacent at least” and this certainly sounds like America in 2025.

No joint performances are planned at the moment, but Chat Pile plays 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16 at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., the band’s first show at the venue and only OKC date in a busy 2025. Tickets are $40.92-$53.79. We talked to Manhole, Busch and bassist Stin to get their perspective on In the Earth Again

How did this collaboration come together?

up a little friendship that way and actually met him in person for the first time at a Nightosphere show at The Sanctuary, and we just kind of hit it off, like, right away. And then just kind of after hanging out a little bit back and forth, one day, we actually went to the tiki bar, the whole band and Hayden, and just kind of sat down and talked about, like, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we just, like, made a record together?” And like literally a week later, we were in the studio working on it.

Manhole: We’re not the most prolific band, and when we do work on something, we work on it for months at a time, so it was definitely cool. And I wasn’t expecting it to be so quick, but we kind of just banged it out, like, three to four weeks.

Stin: The easiest project we’ve ever worked on. It just came together so naturally, and we didn’t really overthink anything.

Well, do you think that was because of the nature of collaborating with Hayden, or was it partially that y’all feel more comfortable working together as a band now?

Stin: At this point, we have our workflow figured out really well, so that was definitely a major factor that went into it. But I would say that’s only, like, 50 percent of it. When you play music with someone you’ve never played music

melodic things I had been trying to get worked in, and it felt like this was kind of the time. I know Ray had some guitar parts. … It was a lower-stakes thing. It’s, like, we’re all just hanging out, making random stuff. It wasn’t like we have to sit down and write the follow-up to our debut album that people liked or something. I didn’t really feel a ton of pressure with that, but there is more pressure with that than just getting together with a new friend and seeing if we can jam. It’s, like, “Oh. Well, I have a couple ideas that I’ve been wanting to use,” and, “Oh, I have a couple ideas,” and all of a sudden, you have 40 minutes of music, basically.

Were y’all familiar with Hayden’s work before he reached out?

Stin: I was not, actually. I was friends with him first before I knew his music. I think Raygun was familiar with him, though.

Busch: Stereogum had written an article about him, and I like that kind of music, but it was kind of like I heard about him right before we met. I think maybe I read that article and I listened to it and I posted it, and then Stin was like, “Hey, did you know that this guy has reached out to us?” And I was like,

His music’s really cool, but that American primitivism, John Fahey stuff, I’ve always liked the stuff I’ve heard of that, but I’m just not knowledgeable on that. I’m not really tapped into the new stuff in that type of music.

And that’s kind otf an interesting thing about this collaboration is that it was really born more out of friendship than it is taste, I guess, if that makes sense. I mean, now, retroactively, I’ve come to really love Hayden’s work. And seeing him write in real time is really amazing. I think he actually might be a genius to a certain degree. But when we first went into this, I couldn’t admit to being, like, a No. 1 Hayden Pedigo fan. I just was like, “Oh, this guy’s cool. We should make some guitar music together.”

Visit chatpile.net.

Chat Pile

Guitarist Hayden Pedigo (front, center) and Chat Pile will release their collaborative album In the Earth Again on Friday Oct. 31. | Photo Bayley Hanes

Chat Pile plays at Tower Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 16. | Photo James Cooper

MUSIC Startup sound

By Jeremy Martin EVENT

Computer Girl brings “wacky uncle energy” to fulllength debut album Screech.

OKC electronic rock band Computer Girl’s new full-length debut Screech is the follow-up to 2021’s self-titled EP. So what’s changed in three years?

“Everything,” said drummer Jenna Bennett.

Computer Girl the EP, which began as a home-recorded COVID-era collaboration between bassist Chris Raun and lead vocalist and electronic wind instrument player Hannah Edmondson, predates Computer Girl the band. The EP was Raun’s master’s project when he studied remotely at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

“It was just a recording project, and then we made the band shortly after it released and started playing shows around town,” Raun said. “Most of the recording was done over email pretty much.”

Bennett and guitarist Tristan Gfeller, who also played on the EP, joined Raun and Edmonson onstage post-pandemic for a one-off live performance that led to more gigs and more songs.

“Somebody saw the show and was like, ‘Can you do that again?’” Bennett said. “It just kind of kept happening, and now we have another album coming out.”

Screech debuts Friday, Oct. 10. Computer Girl will play an album release show the following day at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St. Admission is $5 at the door. Baileyboy and Monte share the bill.

Working title

The members of Computer Girl knew each other before the band. They all attended Oklahoma State University. Gfeller and Bennett have known each other since elementary school, and Bennett and Edmonson have been friends since high school.

“We played together a bunch, but nothing as serious as this,” Bennett said.

But Edmonson was quick to disagree.

“No. We had a very serious project in college called Thunderslutz with a Z,” Edmonson said.

Thunderslutz notwithstanding, transitioning from socially distanced recording to live performance was not completely smooth.

“We all recorded separately because it was COVID,” Bennett said. “When they asked us to play live, that’s kind of when we just started practicing together for the first time.”

“At first,” Raun said, “it was pretty bad.”

Faithfully recreating the heavily electronic EP live wasn’t really an option, and getting Bennett’s electronic drum kit to sound good onstage was

a challenge. The band said Screech is more representative of the band’s live sound, and the songwriting process incorporated everyone’s input.

“It was a lot more collaborative,” Raun said. “We worked on all the songs, aside from a handful, together during rehearsals. I wrote several songs, but most of them we would say were a collective effort.”

Raun provided sketches that the rest of the band filled in.

“[He] gestated all the songs, and then we kind of crafted them by playing them,” Gfeller said.

“Chris would come with the bass, and he’d be like, ‘I really like this one. I can’t wait to do it,’” Bennett added. “And we would jam it, and it was terrible, and then we would come up with a different one or something would come out of that.”

Gfeller compared his writing process to throwing stuff at the wall till something sticks, while Edmonson takes a different approach.

“Usually I’m just trying to get someone else to do my job,” Edmonson said. “So you’ll notice that everyone sings on this record, which is awesome. It’s also a little less work.”

However, this is not reciprocated.

“She actually never does our job, which is crazy,” Bennett said.

“I never do any of the other instruments,” Edmonson agreed. “But I will ask that they do what I’m supposed to do, and it’s worked out handsomely. They sound really good, and I think it makes the record more diverse and fun to listen to.”

Sharing the vocal duties resulted in more collaborative lyric writing.

“When you’re putting your voice on it, you’ll know if it feels wrong,” Edmonson said. “That’s what’s cool about different singers on different songs, is like they automatically apply their own style because you don’t want to sing something out loud that’s so not you or that just sounds totally unnatural coming out of your mouth. So then they sort of take on the shape of their singer no matter what.”

This back-and-forth could lead to conflict. A song Bennett wrote with the working title “Captain Underpants” proved particularly problematic.

“Obviously, that wasn’t going to stick,” Bennett said of the title. “I was like, ‘I don’t write lyrics. I’ll sing if I must, but I’m not going to write lyrics.’ So Chris actually wrote some lyrics, and I read those and I said, ‘I’m not singing that. That’s crazy.’

“Chris was, like, really upset about it. That’s probably the closest we got to a big band split. He got on the group text message and was like, ‘Guys, she’s being crazy about this. And everyone was like, ‘No, Chris. She’s not singing that.’ … So anyway, they changed dramatically. I don’t think a single word was kept.”

Electronic noises

Though the band’s approach has also changed dramatically between albums, at least one pandemic-era element remains: Edmonson’s electronic wind instrument, a Roland Aerophone synthesizer.

“I picked that up during COVID out of boredom,” Edmonson said. “They can send one to your door if you wire the funds. Then all of a sudden, you have a new hobby. … It lent itself to the original Computer Girl EP project, and then it turned into something fun that we could play live that would sort of supplement some of the sounds that were on that EP, because Chris is really good at making noise with the computer. ... There was a juicer and all kinds of weird found sounds that ended up on the EP. So it was kind of a means of, ‘OK. I don’t really play piano. How do I maybe make some noises?’”

The Aerophone also adds to the band’s playful vibe.

“We have wacky uncle energy,” Edmonson said. “Our whole thing is a little bit whimsical. With a lot of bands, you get a lot of more confessional songwriting, and it tends to be about relationships and things like that. We’re definitely more on the offbeat side of things, rather than the cool, hip, suave side of things.”

Bennett laughed.

“So we’re still really bad? That’s what you’re saying?” Bennett asked.

“We’re funky,” Edmonson clarified. “I think we’re really interesting.”

Visit computergirl.bandcamp.com to stream or purchase Screech, and go to okgazette.com to watch a video interview with the band.

Computer Girl with Baileyboy and

Computer Girl will release debut full-length album Screech on Friday Oct. 11. | Photo provided

LIVE MUSIC

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

THURSDAY, OCT. 9

All Time Low, The Criterion. ROCK

Ballyhoo!, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK

Louie TheSinger: One For The Hometown Tour, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY

Rachel & Griffin, El Coyote Bar & Cantina. FOLK

FRIDAY, OCT. 10

Drake Milligan, Beer City Music Hall. COUNRTY

Garbage, The Criterion. ROCK

Lucius: The Gold Rush Tour, Tower Theatre. INDIE

SATURDAY, OCT. 11

Alex Warren, Oklahoma City Zoo. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Jade Bird, Beer City Music Hall. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

SUNDAY, OCT. 12

Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Mystery Tour, The Criterion. POP

MONDAY, OCT. 13

Djo, The Criterion. INDIE

TUESDAY, OCT. 14

Circle Jerks w/ Adolescents & Negative Approach, Tower Theatre. HARDCORE

Pierce The Veil, The Zoo Amphitheatre. ROCK

Saint Motel, The Jones Assembly. INDIE

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15

Melvins, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK

THURSDAY, OCT. 16

Chase Rice with Charlie Worsham, The Jones Assembly. COUNTRY

Eddie And The Getaway, Beer City Music Hall. COUNTRY

Fleshwater with Chat Pile, Tower Theatre. ROCK

FRIDAY, OCT. 17

Giovannie and the Hired Guns, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY

Stephen Day, Beer City Music Hall. R&B

SATURDAY, OCT. 18

Karaoke Night!, Legally Brewed. KARAOKE

Paul Oakenfold + The Crystal Method, Tower Theatre. ELECTRONIC

Rachel & Griffin, Clark Crew BBQ. FOLK

Spooky Perreo, Beer City Music Hall. ELECTRONIC

TUESDAY, OCT. 21

John Legend, The Zoo Amphitheatre. R&B

Midwxst, Beer City Music Hall. HIP-HOP

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 22

Boney James: Slow Burn Tour, Tower Theatre. JAZZ

THURSDAY, OCT. 23

Boys Night Out, Beer City Music Hall. EMO

L’IMPÉRATRICE - PULSAR TOUR 2025, The Criterion. POP

Rachel & Griffin, El Coyote Bar & Cantina. FOLK

FRIDAY, OCT. 24

Matt Mason, Beer City Music Hall. COUNTRY

SATURDAY, OCT. 25

BETWEEN FRIENDS, Beer City Music Hall. INDIE

My So Called Band, Tower Theatre. COVER T-Pain, The Zoo Amphitheatre. R&B

SUNDAY, OCT. 26

200 Stab Wounds, Beer City Music Hall. METAL

TUESDAY, OCT. 28

Eric Johnson, Tower Theatre. SINGER/SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29

The Revivalists- All in the Family: 10 Years of Men Amongst Mountains, The Jones Assembly. ROCK

Thomas Day: She Got A Thing About Tour, Beer City Music Hall. SINGER/SONGWRITER Vedo, Tower Theatre. R&B

THURSDAY, OCT. 30

Cole Chaney, Beer City Music Hall. COUNTRY LECRAE – RECONSTRUCTION WORLD TOUR, Diamond Ballroom. HIP-HOP

The Oklahoma Opry’s Secret Singer, Oklahoma Ranch. VARIOUS

FRIDAY, OCT. 31

Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners - Colorado’s on Fire Again Tour, Tower Theatre. ROCK WILLIS, Beer City Music Hall. INIDIE

SATURDAY, NOV. 1

ALEXANDRA KAY, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY

He Is Legend, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK Karaoke Night!, Legally Brewed. KARAOKE

Uptown Outside If you’re driving down NW 23rd Street on Oct. 18, you might have to take a detour to avoid a bunch of free fun, but you could just park and join the party. Returning for its fourth year, Uptown Outside is a free street festival featuring skating, local food and art, and best of all, live music. Make your way to the main stage to see scheduled performances by Compost Adjacent (6 p.m.), Sarafina Byrd (7 p.m., pictured), Dinosaur Boyfriend (8 p.m.) and Coat (9 p.m.). Uptown Outside is 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at Bungalow 23, 2419 N. Lee Ave. Admission is free. Visit uptown23rd.com.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 Photo provided

Kevin Gates - The Amilio Tour, The Criterion. HIP-HOP

Table Rockin’ Blues from Big Train and the Loco Motives!, Mojo’s Blues Club. BLUES

Thee Sinseers & The Altons, Tower Theatre. R&B

SUNDAY, NOV. 2

Osees, Tower Theatre. ROCK SunDays with Jared Deck, Legally Brewed. FOLK

TUESDAY, NOV. 4

BUCKCHERRY, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK Willie Watson, Beer City Music Hall. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

THURSDAY, NOV. 6

Kameron Marlowe, The Criterion. COUNTRY

FRIDAY, NOV. 7

The Infamous Stringdusters, Tower Theatre. BLUEGRASS

Planet Perreo, Beer City Music Hall. ELECTRONIC

SATURDAY, NOV. 8

The Band Feel: Into the Sun Tour, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK Nella, OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater. SINGER/SONGWRITER

SUNDAY, NOV. 9

OK Go, Tower Theatre. ROCK

MONDAY, NOV. 10

José González, Tower Theatre. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Lil Darkie, The Criterion. HIP-HOP

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon the first Wednesday of the month. 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.

PUZZLES

By Adrianne Baik Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

jerks

107 Remove, as a coupon

109 Dangerous additive in old paint 110 Whopping 112 Bite-size chocolate-covered wafers ... or a hint to what’s found in five squares in this puzzle

114 Croft of video games 115 ____ homo 116 Some slushies 117 Perform horribly

TV host Cohen 119 Joke around

“No Man Is an Island” writer

Slumps

1 Holiest locales in synagogues, traditionally 2 Applications of polish 3 Tik-Tok in the Oz books, for one 4 Models after 5 1995 Sandra Bullock cyberthriller

6 “V for Vendetta” actor Stephen

7 Uninvited guest

8 Doings before surgery, informally

9 Dubbed ones

10 They might be glowing

11 Astrological lion

12 Filing services?

13 Programs hosted by SoundCloud

14 Happy hour perch

15 Make a big step, perhaps

16 Rabbi’s reading

18 Regular at a park with half-pipes, informally

21 Breaded, fried Japanese pork cutlet

24 Big successes

29 Victor’s cry

31 Creative pursuit

33 Oscar-winning Ariana of “West Side Story”

35 December drink

37 Gone missing

38 Assist illegally

39 1958 romantic comedy that won Best Picture

40 “I made it big time!”

42 Many a skin-care product

45 Hip

46 Black, in verse

47 St. Andrews resident

49 Esoteric knowledge

50 Roald who wrote “Matilda”

51 “… actually, let’s go to Plan B”

52 Members of the mongoose family

54 Jazz composer Garner

56 Swipe

57 Go after, as mosquitoes

60 Graham Greene’s “____ Man in Havana”

61 One way to sell stock

64 Public health agcy.

67 Bank acct. entry

68 Several CBS dramas

69 United Way and UNICEF, in brief

70 ____-chic (dressing style)

71 It incited a famous 18th-century “party”

73 Cleaned up, in a way

74 To be, in Nice

75 Dozes (off)

78 Ambush

79 Neighbor of Lux.

83 Gannett-owned newspaper

86 “Here’s the thing ...”

87 Campground gathering spots

89 Worked hard (for)

90 Farm enclosures

91 Jeans

93 ____ Talks

94 Intense, as an argument

96 Music protector, of a sort

97 Slope

98 Guy

99 What the “dalai” of “Dalai Lama” translates to

100 Broken piece of pottery

101 Insurer with a green mascot

102 Justice Sotomayor

103 Seeking justice, in a way

106 Leave tire marks, say

108 Expressions of disapproval

111 B.S. part: Abbr.

Barbie’s beau

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Homework: May be time to trade in an old symbol of security for a new one. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

ARIES (March 21-April 19): No relationship is like any other. The way we bond with another has a distinctive identity that embodies the idiosyncratic chemistry between us. So in my view, it’s wrong to compare any partnership to a supposedly ideal template. Fortunately, you Aries are in a phase when you can summon extra wisdom about this and other relaxing truths concerning togetherness. I recommend you devote your full creativity and ingenuity to helping your key bonds ripen and deepen.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Poet Rainer Maria Rilke advised, “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” These days, dear Taurus, that’s your power move: to stay in conversation with mystery without forcing premature answers. Not everything needs to be fixed or finalized. Your gift is to be a custodian of unfolding processes: to cherish and nourish what’s ripening. Trust that your questions are already generating the early blooms of a thorough healing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I am a great admirer of Bart Simpson, a fictional fourth-grade student on the animated TV show The Simpsons. He is a constant source of unruly affirmations that we could all benefit from incorporating into our own behavior when life gets comically weird. Since I think you’re in such a phase now, Gemini, I am offering a batch of Bart-style gems. For best results, use them to free yourself from the drone of the daily routine and scramble your habitual ways of understanding the world. Now here’s Bart: 1. “I will not invent a new religion based on bubble gum.” 2. “I will not sell bottled ‘invisible water.’” 3. “I will not try to hypnotize my friends, and I will not tell co-workers they are holograms.” 4. “I will not claim to be a licensed pyrotechnician.” 5. “I will not use the Pythagorean theorem to summon demons.” 6. “I will not declare war on Thursdays.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): During its entire life, the desert plant Welwitschia mirabilis grows just two leaves. They never wither or fall off but continually grow, twist, split, and tatter for hundreds of years. They keep thriving even as their ends are worn or shredded by wind and sand. I love how wild and vigorous they look, and I love how their wildness is the result of their unfailing persistence and resilience. Let’s make Welwitschia mirabilis your inspirational symbol in the coming weeks, Cancerian. May it motivate you to nurture the quiet, enduring power in your depths that enables you to express yourself with maximum uniqueness and authenticity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Have you been to Morocco? I love that so many houses there are built around spacious courtyards with intricate tilework and lush gardens. Sooner or later, of course, the gorgeous mosaic-like floors need renovations. The artisans who do the work honor the previous artistry. “In rebuilding,” one told me, “our goal is to create new magnificence that remembers the old splendor.” I hope you pursue an approach like that in the coming weeks, Leo. The mending and healing you undertake should nourish the soulfulness you have cultivated, even as you polish and refine.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo novelist Agatha Christie often planned her elaborate plots while cleaning her house or washing dishes. She said such repetitive, physical tasks unlocked her creativity, allowing ideas to emerge without force. I suggest you draw inspiration from her method in the coming weeks. Seek your own form of productive distraction. Instead of wrestling with a problem in a heroic death match, lose yourself in simple, grounding actions that free your mind to wander. I am pretty sure that your most brilliant and lasting solutions will emerge when you’re not trying hard to come up with brilliant and lasting solutions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libra architect Christopher Alexander developed a sixth sense about why some spaces feel comfortable while others are alienating. What was the source of his

genius? He avoided abstract principles and studied how people actually used spaces. His best architecture soulfully coordinated the relationships between indoor and outdoor areas, private and public zones, and individual needs and community functions. The “quality without a name” was the term he used to identify the profound aliveness, wholeness, and harmony of spaces where people love to be. In the coming weeks, Libra, I hope you access your own natural gift for curating relationships and cultivating balance. Your solutions should serve multiple needs. Elegant approaches will arise as you focus on connections rather than isolated parts.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Some medieval mystics claimed that angels spoke in paradoxes because the truth was too rich for simple logic. These days, I believe you Scorpios are extra fluent in paradox. You are raw yet powerful, aching and grateful, confounded but utterly clear. You are both dying and being reborn. My advice: Don’t try to resolve the contradictions. Immerse yourself in them, bask in them, and allow them to teach you all they have to teach. This may entail you sitting with your sadness as you laugh and letting your desire and doubt interweave. The contradictions you face with open-heartedness will gift you with sublime potency and authority.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The ancient city of Petra, built in sandstone cliffs in what’s now Jordan, was mostly hidden from the outside world for centuries. In 1812, Sagittarian Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it by disguising himself as a pilgrim. He trained extensively in the Arabic language, Islamic culture, and local customs so he could travel incognito. You Sagittarians can benefit from a similar strategy in the coming weeks. Life will conspire to bring you wonders if you thoroughly educate yourself about the people and situations you would like to influence. I invite you to hike your empathy up to a higher octave, cultivate respect for what’s unfamiliar, and make yourself extra available for exotic and inspiring treasures.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During the 1800s, countless inventors chased the impossible dream of perpetual-motion machines: contraptions that would run endlessly without any fuel source. Every attempt failed; such devices bucked the fundamental laws of physics. But here’s good news, Capricorn: You are close to cracking the code on a metaphorical version of perpetual motion. You are cultivating habits and rhythms that could keep you steady and vital for a long time to come. I predict the energy you’re generating will be self-sustaining.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. They taste with their skin, solve puzzles, and squeeze their entire bodies through coin-sized holes. No wonder they are referred to as the aliens of Earth, just as you Aquarians are the aliens of the zodiac. According to my analysis, now is a perfect time for you to embrace your inner octopus. I authorize you to let your strangeness lead the way. You have the right and duty to fully activate your multidimensional mind. Yes, you may be misunderstood by some. But your suppleness, radical empathy, and nonlinear genius will be exactly what’s needed. Be the one who sees escape routes and paths to freedom that no one else perceives. Make the impossible look natural.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Dear Pisces, it’s like you’re in one of those dreams when you’re exploring the attic or basement of your home and discover secret rooms you didn’t realize existed. This is good! It means you are finding uncharted frontiers in what you assumed was familiar territory. It suggests you are ready to see truths you weren’t ready for before. Congrats! Keep wandering and wondering, and you will discover what you didn’t even know you needed to know.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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