The Moments that Mattered 2025

2025

THE MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

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INSIDE

COVER Photo by Jimmy Do NEWS 3

GO EAST, YOUNG MAN

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LIVE FREE, LOCALLY

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YEAR IN REVIEW

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CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS

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BOOK REVIEW

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EAT & DRINK 11

FAMILY FAVORITES

12 GAZEDIBLES 14 CLASSIC CUISINE 15 HANNUKKAH CELEBRATION

ARTS & CULTURE 16 LOUD CLOUD ANIMATION STUDIO 17 BOLT TOWER DEDICATION 19 BEST MOVIES 2025 21 RICKIE LEE SHEEF 22 OG PICKS

MUSIC 24 THE SOUND BAR 25 SHINE ON OK

FUN 26 PUZZLES 27 ASTROLOGY

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Go East, Young Man

Northeast Edmond and Arcadia are OKC Metro’s New Frontier.

By Drew Williamson

Wayne Gretzky famously said, “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” That phrase rings true in business, investing and many other life endeavors. In the Oklahoma City metro, the puck is clearly heading to the north and east of I-35, as corridors collide to create an exciting yet tranquil lifestyle that takes you to a new world of peaceful, country living. If you haven’t ventured up the interstate to see what’s happening as of late, the area has tapped into the desires of those wanting acreage, privacy, nature and amenities. Edmond, the once sleepy community that became known mostly for its traffic, has become a world class suburban area for families of all lifestyles and sizes to call home.

Starting at Memorial Road, venturing north toward Waterloo and both east and west of I-35, is a trifecta of residential development, commercial growth and infrastructure that creates OKC Metro’s newest hot spot. Leading Edmond and OKC Realtor Wyatt Poindexter, has seen the trend for several years. “After COVID, buyers started looking for more land, privacy and areas where neighbors aren’t stacked on top of each other with crowded amenities.” The surging demand is made visible by recent land prices. Poindexter sold a 2 acre lot in the sublime residential area of Sugar Hill, just off Route 66 and east of I-35, for $500,000. The same lot that sold for $200,000 just a few years earlier. In addition to Sugar Hill, numerous luxury estates are being built in Sweetwater, Shoreline, The Falls, Quo Vadis and other areas that offer much to buyers in search of luxury real estate away from the city. There are plenty of options below a million dollars, offering choices for young families as well.

With increased housing comes previously unimaginable commercial development, including the announcement that Whole Foods Market is coming to Edmond’s Legacy at Covell, along with Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Shake Shack and Dick’s Sporting Goods. If Whole Foods isn’t your thing, Crest Foods just opened a massive new location in the same area. Legacy at Covell is being developed by Dallas based Raptor Properties as a mixed-use, walkable destination with restaurants, shopping and community focused spaces. This “lifestyle hub” will make East Edmond even more appealing and create more development in every direction.

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“This area feels like nothing done in Oklahoma before,” states John Matteson, a renowned custom home builder whose properties typically range from $1 million to $5 million. “It will just create more growth and opportunity that compares to development previously associated with major markets like Dallas or Atlanta.”

A further example of this growth is the recent opening of Blockman’s Chophouse, an “all wagyu” steakhouse on Route 66, located next to Chicken Shack. Future additions to the area include a state of the art Edmond YMCA and Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park, which will exist alongside numerous healthcare facilities, new church locations and some of OKC’s best public and private schools. All this, with still large plots of land available for investment and future development, including two large parcels located west of I-35 and 33rd Street.

Growing pains will include a need to upgrade city infrastructure and roads, and that’s where it gets complicated. Edmond Mayor Mark Nash recently stated, “Every single house that we add, new homes built in Edmond, the city loses money. It costs us more because of trying to provide police, fire, street maintenance, water, all the utility connections, all the things you do to keep it running.” It will take economic development to sustain this infrastructure, as Edmond voters rejected a large proposed property tax increase in last year’s election.

Edmond is growing a suburban lifestyle culture that any city would be proud of. This includes more niche development along 2nd street around the University of Central Oklahoma and all the way into Downtown Edmond, which is emerging as a new hub of activity that appeals to students, artists, hipsters, retirees and urban lifestyle seekers alike. Next year’s centennial anniversary of Route 66 and the buildup toward OKC being a host city for the 2028 Olympic Games make the future very bright and promising for all.

Drew Williamson is managing partner of Red Center Media, LLC, publisher of the Oklahoma Gazette.

Vaping doesn’t solve problems — it creates them.

4 out of 5 teens who vape think it will improve their mental health, but the nicotine inside makes it worse.

Learn how to talk with your kids about the dangers of vaping at

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Live Free, Locally How a National Movement Took Root in Oklahoma

By Julie Porter Scott

Live Free Oklahoma is part of a national effort to rethink public safety, but its work unfolds at street level—in neighborhoods where gun violence, trauma and systemic neglect intersect daily. Originally launched in 2023 in northeast Oklahoma City, the organization represents a localized expression of Live Free USA, a national movement that has spent more than a decade advocating for community-based solutions to gun violence and mass incarceration.

At its core, Live Free’s model challenges the assumption that safety can be achieved through punishment alone. Instead, it centers prevention, credible messengers and long-term community investment—an approach increasingly recognized by public health researchers and violence-prevention experts as effective, though chronically underresourced.

Live Free USA was founded in 2011, emerging from organizing and violenceintervention work in Oakland, California, where coordinated community strategies helped reduce shootings and homicides.

Under the leadership of Rev. Michael McBride—often known as Pastor Mike— the organization grew into a national network focused on ending gun violence, mass incarceration and what it describes as the mass criminalization of communities.

Rather than operating as a single centralized program, Live Free USA functions as a hub, providing training, advocacy support and investment for local leaders and organizations that implement violenceintervention strategies in their own cities.

Education, policy advocacy and funding support form the backbone of the national organization’s work, but the day-to-day activities and interventions happen through local affiliates like Live Free Oklahoma.

That structure allows communities to adapt proven strategies to local realities, an important distinction in a state like Oklahoma where political, cultural, and funding landscapes differ sharply from the coastal cities where violence-intervention programs first gained national attention.

Live Free Oklahoma was founded by Jabee Williams, an Oklahoma City artist and community advocate whose work is shaped by personal loss: his brother was killed by gun violence. Williams’ leadership bridges culture, activism and grassroots organizing, positioning Live Free Oklahoma as both a service provider and a movementbuilding effort.

“This is the right time because people are tired of watching and hearing about loved ones in our community dying because of gun violence,” Williams said.

“Everybody’s asking the same things: how can we help, and what can we do? The

support is there. People are wanting to help, not just talk about it.”

In 2024, Williams was named as one of TheGrio’s Heroes. The awards are an annual initiative by TheGrio, a Black-focused media platform, to recognize “everyday heroes”: ordinary African Americans making extraordinary positive impacts in their communities and uplifting Black culture, often without mainstream recognition. Honorees are selected through nominations and work across fields including social justice, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship.

Recognition culminates in specials and features around Juneteenth, highlighting their efforts to improve lives and foster community.

Though he got his start as a rapper, Jabee can hold his own on any microphone when the topic is helping his community. | Photo Provided

The award underscored the visibility of Oklahoma’s emerging violence-prevention work, even as it continues to face challenges around local funding and sustainability.

“Oklahoma has grown a lot. We’ve added population, infrastructure and jobs. We’ve garnered national attention, and that’s a good thing. But, that growth hasn’t reached everybody. There are still neighborhoods dealing with the same pressures [they’ve dealt with] for decades,” Williams said.

“The gap between who is benefiting and who is being left out is real. Live Free exists to make sure progress doesn’t only belong to a few.”

The organization’s initial focus has been northeast Oklahoma City, an area that has experienced persistent financial neglect alongside higher rates of gun violence. Live Free Oklahoma deploys trained “Peacemakers”—trusted community members—who work directly with individuals at the highest risk of being involved

A Jabee cameo is cause for celebration in classrooms across the city. | Photo provided

in violence, whether as victims or perpetrators. Their role includes mediating conflicts, de-escalating tensions and connecting people to services like mental health care, housing assistance and employment resources. The work is relational. It is slow and steady by design, prioritizing trust over enforcement and long-term stability over short-term metrics.

While direct violence intervention is central to Live Free Oklahoma’s work, the organization also invests in community engagement and political advocacy. Events such as the Peace Needs Conference and Peace Expo bring together residents, service providers, and local leaders to discuss what safety looks like beyond policing.

This broader vision aligns closely with Live Free USA’s national priorities, which include advocating for public funding for community violence intervention and shifting the narrative around public safety toward prevention and healing. Nationally, Live Free USA has supported coalitions that have unlocked significant public investment in violence-prevention programs, while also training local leaders through Peacemaker Bootcamps and leadership institutes.

“This model works,” Williams said, “because it has been proven in other cities, with real people. In places like Chicago, Oakland, Richmond and New York, community-led violence intervention has helped reduce shootings and homicides by focusing on relationships and meeting the needs of the community.”

For Oklahoma, that connection provides both legitimacy and infrastructure, access to research-informed practices and national advocacy, while local organizers navigate challenging funding environments.

Despite growing evidence that community-based violence intervention saves lives, programs like Live Free Oklahoma often operate amidst uncertainty. Funding is frequently short-term, politically vulnerable or tied to narrow outcomes that do not reflect the complexity of the work.

“The biggest challenge is funding, resources and understanding what this work actually is,” Williams said. “Community

violence intervention isn’t volunteer work, and it isn’t a side project. It’s a profession.

People who can step in during high-risk moments are credible messengers; they have to be trained, supported and paid to do this work safely and effectively. If we want real results, we have to treat community violence intervention like the lifesaving work it is.”

Live Free Oklahoma’s experience reflects a broader national tension: community organizations are asked to prove their effectiveness while simultaneously struggling to secure the resources needed to sustain their work. The national-local relationship with Live Free USA offers technical support and visibility, but it does not insulate local chapters from the realities of municipal and state-level funding decisions.

Still, for Williams and his team, the work remains rooted in people rather than policy cycles. “Transformed people transform communities” is a guiding belief of the Live Free movement, one that places individual healing and accountability at the center of public safety.

Together, Live Free USA and Live Free Oklahoma illustrate how national movements are built: not through replication, but through adaptation. The national organization provides strategy, advocacy and investment; the local chapter provides presence, trust and lived experience.

The local leaders of Live Free Oklahoma are well known and trusted in their communities. In Oklahoma City, that means safety work that looks less like enforcement and more like relationship-building. It is a quiet, often invisible labor that happens long before violence makes headlines.

To learn more about Live Free Oklahoma, or to support the work of hiring and training credible messengers, visit https://livefreeoklahoma.com.

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Year In Review

By Phoebe Grandi

67 years after Clara Luper led the historic sit-in at Katz Drug Store, Oklahoma City finally honored Luper’s legacy by installing the Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza at the intersection of N Robinson and Main Street. The dedication ceremony included impassioned speeches from her students and daughter, reflecting on the profound impact the Oklahoma City teacher and civil rights activist had on the city and country. | Photo by Todd Scott

2025 marked 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony––an event honoring the victims, their families, the first responders and all of the Oklahomans whose lives were shattered that day––was held at First Church. | I

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On April 27, 2025, thousands of runners participated in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and its counterpart races. Al Maeder (pictured) was the men’s overall winner, finishing at 02:26:56. Ashley Carreon was the women’s overall winner, finishing at 02:56:35. | Photo provided.

NEWS

Jalen Williams (left) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) hold the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy while posing with fans at the Oklahoma City Thunder Championship Parade. The Thunder won the 2025 NBA Championship title after beating the Indiana Pacers in game seven. Gilgeous-Alexander also took home the NBA’s 2024-2025 Most Valuable Player award. | Photo by Jimmy Do

JIn May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that prohibited the opening of what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school. The historic lawsuit over St. Isidore of Seville, the virtual catholic charter school, put Oklahoma in the national spotlight. | Photo by Adobe Stock Images

Following a term of controversy––from mandating that the ten commandments be taught in public schools to allegedly showing nude images on the TV in his office––Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters resigned in late September. He left his position to become the CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit opposing teachers’ unions. | Photo provided

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Thunder on 30 Under 30 OKC is buzzing with pride as two locals make the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list! Leading the charge is the incredible Shai GilgeousAlexander, the Thunder’s star point guard. Joining him is Leondre Lattimore, a renowned oil painter who focuses on Black Oklahomans and Western culture. Together, these two are not just transforming sports and art in the city—they’re putting OKC on the national map in a vibrant way. Who knows, maybe they’ll collaborate on something spectacular!

OKC BLM Activist Indicted Oklahoma City activist Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, known for her prominent role in the Black Lives Matter movement, has been indicted on charges of fraud. Authorities allege that Dickerson embezzled over $3 million in funds from the organization. This revelation has sparked outrage among supporters and the community, who expected transparency and accountability in her efforts to champion racial justice. The indictment underscores the pressing need for ethical practices in activism.

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Last month, the Oklahoma City Zoo celebrated the arrival of a delightful baby giraffe named “Juju,” bringing joy to visitors and staff alike! Guests can catch a glimpse of this charming newcomer on exhibit, making it a perfect time for a family outing.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Juju!

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OKC Zoo Arrival!

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In a victory for educators and historians, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has blocked the controversial social studies standards pushed by disgraced former state superintendent Ryan Walters. The court’s decision is a refreshing reminder that, sometimes, common sense prevails over political agendas. Here’s hoping this decision sparks positive change in Oklahoma classrooms!

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Book Review James Lankford’s “Turn Around: America’s Revival

By Major General (R) Lee Baxter

OP-ED

In “Turnaround: America’s Revival,” Oklahoma’s Senior Senator, James Lankford, charts a path to relieve the frustration that most assuredly affects millions of Americans as well as members of Congress.

The issue, of course, is the virtually paralyzing divide in our country between Democrats and Republicans both in the American public and within the halls of Congress. But, citizenry must act to find the path prescribed by Lankford.

The hoped solution, over time, is that individual leadership, renewed faith and even our inherent values can and will influence large organizations like our government. It will take character, commitment and perhaps most importantly, Lankford suggests, a willingness for the ordinary citizen to be present when and where decisions are made. The old Oklahoma adage, “if you’re not in the room, you are not in the deal” seems to describe the philosophy well.

Throughout this comfortable read, Senator Lankford talks about leadership, focusing on his own surprising ascent from Oklahoma Church Camp Director to the US House and ultimately the Senate. He outlines several themes intended to assure that a turnaround becomes a national priority

and a call to serve to each of us.

As a former veteran of the army, considered a senior leader, I find Lankford’s takes on leadership to be consistent with my own and representative of the best practices out there for the contemporary leader. Here are 3: “Leadership is About Responsibility, Not Position”: Many of the most effective leaders in organizations lack titles, lack even extensive experience, but are committed to the well-being of the organization, its mission and people. This certainly applies to Congress, which, Senator Lankford contends, is bent but not broken and accomplishes much which is less visible to the public but essential nonetheless. Much work across the aisle is accomplished by congressional members without acclaim “Ordinary People Can Step Into Extraordinary Roles”: For me, this approaches heroism. It is both heroic and brave when inexperienced community members are willing to make the drive from Anadarko to Oklahoma City for a committee meeting, or are willing to lead a local advocacy group for transparency in government.

“Washington is Broken, But Not Helpless”: An argument exists that this can be helped when individuals approach service with integrity, curiosity and a willingness to work to negotiate solutions to differences. It is reminiscent of the days of President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill. Nothing seemed impossible.

The Senators own mini-memoir includes his unique experiences leading one of the largest church camps in the world without experience, crediting his ability to collaborate, his practicality and his frugality. All these practices have enhanced his rather remarkable ability to work across the political spectrum to pass key legislation within Congress. Making decisions under pressure, forming effective teams, and dealing correctly in crises were key skills used in camp leadership and are key skills applicable to his role in Congress. His decision to run for public office, triggered by a friend and fueled by his discomfort with the direction of the country, developed the idea that leadership often comes from those willing to serve rather than those many might consider more experienced and ready.

His first campaign, which was run without

a political apparatus, very little name recognition and few political connections, produced a win powered by communitywide leaders, authenticity, and meeting face to face. It was a satisfying and outstanding electoral win.

Senator Lankford’s experiences in Congress have been vital to his continued election. His attacks on the bureaucracy and zeal for transparency should resonate with all. Senator Lankford’s book is personal. While deeply conservative and grounded in his faith, the book is essentially bi-partisan. It is a cry for all American citizens to serve, lead, step forward and contribute to what they believe our country should be. His takes on leadership are terrific. Any citizen who reads “Turnaround: America’s Revival” should be motivated to help in any way possible.

Major General (R) Lee Baxter is the former Commanding General at Fort Sill, a business owner and real estate developer who currently lives in Oklahoma City.

Debacle on 23rd Street?

OCU’s dissolution of golf programs shows void in leadership.

By Drew Williamson

In 1979, Oklahoma City University was in crisis, facing extinction as an institution. As a United Methodist University, the church conference decided to name a young and upcoming minister to lead OCU back, and Dr. Jerald Walker became OCU’s fourteenth President, presiding over an unpredictable and improbable comeback that occurred during a difficult economic era for Oklahoma. The Miracle on 23rd Street became the reference of choice and was highlighted by an article in this publication some 35 years ago, as a tribute to Walker’s leadership and OCU’s success. Founded in 1904 as Epworth University, OCU has many prolific alumni, including Mayors David Holt and Ron Norick, Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Kristin Chenoweth, The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison and numerous Miss America winners. Adding to that are numerous local business leaders and a strong presence among prominent Methodists in the state.

Today is a much different story, as OCU struggles in a period where Oklahoma City and

our state’s economy are thriving and experiencing record growth. Dr. Walker’s leadership was filled with memorable quotes and homage to OCU’s history, but most notable was his conviction that “every great city needs a great university.” OCU is Oklahoma City’s University, but the school has not kept pace with our city and seems to be in a leadership void both at the executive and board levels. This lack of leadership has created a ripple effect that has caused a clear case of mission creep toward numerous online and certificate type programs to generate revenue, out of state graduate programs and a clear lack of vision for the undergraduate college at OCU. The university status in OKC is slowly dying, along with the school’s long-time benefactors, most of whom were cultivated during Dr. Walker’s tenure. The United Methodist Conference seems to exist in name only, providing a fraction of the support OCU once received from the church while still holding numerous board seats with people that are inactive, neither giving support nor helping to

generate it.

On Nov. 20, OCU announced they were dissolving the men’s and women’s golf proOklahoma City University. Photo by Andy Rine. grams, who have determined to defund sports versus defending collectively won 19 national titles in the last 30 an important part of OCU’s history and culture. years, most likely being the most successful What is the difference between thriving program in OCU’s vaunted athletic department, during the 1980s oil bust vs barely surviving known to be among the NAIA’s best for many during Oklahoma City and our state’s economyears. This made national news, highlighted in ic resurgence today? It’s simply leadership, and Golf Digest and numerous other publications.

OCU needs a vision for a future that looks The decision appeared to be made in a small brighter, and one OKC deserves. vacuum, as no alumni were consulted in the decision-making process, but were instead Drew Williamson is managing partner of simply informed after the announcement. ConRed Center Media, LLC, publisher of the Oklasidering the wealth that exists in the alumni homa Gazette. base that played on both men’s and women’s golf teams at OCU, one has to wonder what’s really going on. While other small universities are leaning into athletics during a challenging period for academic institutions, OCU seems O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6

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FEBRUARY 11

VENICE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA with violinist Chouchane Siranossian Bow Duel in Venice

FEBRUARY 19

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7:30 PM TUESDAY, FEB. 3 BUY TICKETS NOW!

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From Italy With Love

F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Family Favorites At Carletti’s, dinner is a family record.

By Julie Porter Scott

Carletti’s 1226 NE 63rd Street 405-286-1594 https://carlettis.com/ The building at 1226 NE 63rd Street has already lived several lives. Carletti’s opens not as a reinvention, but as a revelation. The restored Kentucky Club— once a Prohibition-era speakeasy, later a neighborhood landmark—now holds an Italian restaurant built on memory, migration and meals that have survived more than a century. Where some Italian restaurants manufacture nostalgia, Carletti’s has it in spades, tucked into every well-appointed corner.

The Kentucky Club first opened in 1939, operating as an infamous speakeasy during Prohibition. The project’s ownership team—historic preservationists Gina Foxhoven, Chip Fudge and Larry Davis—approached the building as something to be listened to, not overwritten. Their goal was not to stage a themed experience, but to let multiple histories exist at once: the Kentucky Club’s role as a social refuge, the building’s working-class past and the immigrant story that Carletti’s brings into focus.

That story begins far from Oklahoma City, in two Italian villages. Giovanni Carletti arrived in the United States in the late 1800s, eventually settling in Hartshorne and later Haileyville, Oklahoma, where he worked in coal mines before opening a grocery and boarding house. Around the same time, Roberto Ravaioli left Italy after learning to cook while working at his village church—skills passed down by priests who saw promise in him. He, too, landed in Oklahoma, eventually boarding with the Carlettis.

The families’ histories intertwine not just through marriage—Palma Carletti and Antonio “Tony” Ravaioli wed in 1925—but through shared labor and shared tables. In 1929, Tony joined Palma’s brother to open C&R Grocery & Meat Market, a community anchor where neighbors lingered and food served as both sustenance and social glue. That spirit—practical, generous, deeply relational—runs through Carletti’s today.

For Gina Foxhoven, that lineage is not abstract. She is the great-granddaughter of the restaurant’s namesake.

Foxhoven has built a career around restoring forgotten buildings and reintegrating them into contemporary life.

But, this project carries a different weight. It is the merging of her professional calling with her family’s story,

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of making sure treasured recipes aren’t lost with her generation.

While those recipes were a part of day-to-day life for the Carletti and Ravaioli families, extensive research and development turned them into something that could be placed on the menu. Foxhoven and her family spent countless hours working to translate recipes and perfect them into something that could be executed perfectly, time and time again.

The team made a smart choice in bringing on consulting chef Chris Becker, founder of Della Terra Pasta.

Becker brings a technical precision and a deep respect for tradition to the kitchen. He applies that attention to detail to a singular task: bringing the sacred recipes of the Carletti family together with the highest-quality ingredients and the best possible execution.

Even in these early days, that execution is on point.

The antipasti set the tone. Arancini arrive crisp and golden, resting on marinara rather than swimming in it.

Giovanni’s Meatball—large, tender, and slow-simmered—is unapologetically traditional. Calamari are lightly fried, brightened with banana peppers and

capers rather than buried under batter.

Nonna’s antipasti board is antithetical to the Instagram charcuterie board— simple, straightforward, and intentionally unshowy.

Salads skew classic Italian-American, a choice that feels purposeful. Iceberg lettuce, black olives and Italian vinaigrette make no attempt to masquerade as something trendier. Caesar Classico is crisp and creamy, while the Italian Chop adds chickpeas, mozzarella, roasted peppers, salami and pepperoncini for heft.

Pasta is where Carletti’s speaks most clearly. Nonna’s Lasagna—layered with fresh pasta, whipped cottage cheese and ricotta, and slow-simmered beefand-pork bolognese—is presented not as a signature dish but as an heirloom.

The recipe dates back to the 1800s, and it tastes like something designed to feed many people well, rather than impress a few. The Ravaioli Bolognese—handmade ravioli filled with seasoned beef and finished in rich sauce—leans fully into its lineage, offering a dish that feels both specific and deeply familiar. Other pastas fill out the table with balance: fusilli al pesto with toasted almonds, bucatini alla carbonara folded with pancetta and pecorino, and spicy rigatoni with meatballs in tomato cream.

Secondi offerings continue the theme of Italian-American comfort. Chicken Piccata arrives finished in lemon-caper butter. Steak Florentine features a prime ribeye, grilled and sliced, served simply with rosemary frites or vegetables. The Boarding House Burger, topped with provolone, roasted mushrooms and

The arancini are perfectly prepared, as are the cocktails. The Palma and the Sidecar are pictured here. | Photo Provided

lemon-garlic aioli, offers a quiet nod to the grocery and boarding house that started it all.

Desserts complete the narrative. The Derby Torta, whiskey-soaked and finished with caramel glaze, ties back to the Kentucky Club’s horse-racing history. For the indecisive, a spoon-ofsugar option is available: order one spoonful of anything sweet for $3. Or, spring for the quartet, a tasting flight of the four signature desserts for $10.

The footnote reads: “Because choosing just one never ran in our family.” Here, abundance is an expression of care.

As I finished my meal in a comfortable booth with a sweeping view of downtown Oklahoma City, the road from 1860s Italy to to a stunning view of the Devon Tower in a former speakeasy seemed implausibly wild, and, in that boomtown sort of way, exactly what we have come to expect as Oklahomans.

Today’s would-be similar stories of immigration are now being unwritten—erased, deported, disappeared. I could not keep from thinking of families being torn apart rather than brought together. What will these chapters say about us? It is worth spending time thinking about the restaurants that will not be opened, the recipes that will not be shared or passed down. These 50 states will surely be missing a few brilliant great-granddaughters 115 years from now. We don’t have the arithmetic to measure that loss.

On the brighter side, if your time at Carletti’s inspires you to spend more time gathered around your own hearth, you are in luck. A small C&R Grocery is tucked into a corner, honoring the beginning of it all. The experience makes you want to buy some bucatini, host a dinner party and drink too much Chianti with the people who make up your own story.

Finally: for a city that has grown as at such a clip, the bar scene has not scaled as successfully. The reimagined Kentucky Club, the on-premise bar and lounge, aims to help correct that deficit.

During Carletti’s operating hours, access to the Kentucky Club is available via the restaurant, but after 10:00 p.m. you’ll have to go speakeasy on that deal, entering through a separate door. To be sure, this is no longer a clandestine situation. But if you suspend your disbelief, ever so slightly, you might just catch a glimpse of what it might have been like to go here during Prohibition.

By all indications, it will become one of the places to see and be seen.

Carletti’s does not ask diners to understand every reference or trace every lineage. It simply invites them to sit at the table. In doing so, it proves that preservation is not only about saving buildings or recipes, but about continuing to use them, to gather around them and to let them keep doing their work of bringing us together.

GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Cue The New

By Julie Porter Scott

2025 is ready for her curtain call, and 2026 is waiting in the wings to take her place. For some, it’s been a blockbuster year. For others, the finale can’t come soon enough. A host of top local spots are getting ready to help you ring in the new year in style.

Bring your main character energy and your supporting cast to wine and dine your way through this year’s closing scenes. Here is a star-studded lineup of New Year’s Eve favorites, including both ticketed and non-ticketed events, worthy of a standing ovation.

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Cloud Puncher at Lively Hotel

Grey Sweater

OKANA

Greet the new year with style at Cloud Puncher’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Begin the evening with a chef-curated prix fixe dinner and swoon-worthy cocktails in the beautiful restaurant housed in the Lively Hotel. Be sure to grab tickets to the, ahem, lively rooftop party, featuring DJ Kora Waves, craft cocktails and a champagne toast at midnight. Our advice: book your room at the Lively for December 31, get 50% off your tickets to the party.

Reflect on the past year and welcome 2026 with an unforgettable night at Grey Sweater, crafted by James Beard Award–winning Chef Andrew Black. Each year, the renowned restaurant delivers a one-night-only tasting menu highlighting what Chef Black does best: surprise, delight and celebrate the joy of the season.

Indulge in a beautifully curated multi-course dinner, sip champagne and enjoy an intimate evening filled with warmth, elegance and unexpected touches that only Grey Sweater can deliver.

Start your evening with a delicious New Year’s Eve buffet dinner in the Sunset Ballroom, where you will enjoy a wide selection of soups, salads, seafood, carving stations and decadent desserts, all while soaking in the festive atmosphere. Dinner reservations also grant access to a private Gatsby-themed celebration with a live DJ, photo booth, dessert station and champagne toast.

5101 N. Pennsylvania 7:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. https://www.livelyhotelokc.com

100 NE 4th Street Multiple seatings from 5:30 p.m.-midnight https://www.opentable.com

639 First Americans Blvd.

5:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve Buffet https:// www.okanaresort.com

First National Center

Black Walnut

Mary Eddy’s

Spark

Celebrate the New Year at the First National Center. The glamorous New Year’s Eve dinner at the First National Center includes a 5-course dinner, live music and dancing in the iconic Great Hall, all before guests welcome the new year with a midnight toast and countdown.

Want something a bit more intimate? Head down to the Library of Distilled Spirits in the basement of the First National Center.

After years of warmth, connection and culinary exploration, Black Walnut will serve its final guests on New Year’s Eve. This moment marks the end of one beautiful chapter and the start of another. On Valentine’s Day of 2026, Chef Black will unveil Dougla Kitchen, inspired by his Caribbean roots––his most personal concept yet. Book your table to honor the legacy of a restaurant that redefined Oklahoma City dining, and look toward a delicious future.

One of the most delightful reimaginings of any Oklahoma City restaurant this year has to be Mary Eddy’s Italian renaissance. The full menu launched at the beginning of the year, and the team recently added a perfect Sunday brunch. This New Year’s Eve, book a table to experience the legendary hospitality and delicious fare. Stay for live music, extended bar hours, and a complimentary champagne toast.

If your New Year’s Eve dance card includes the inaugural NYE Party in the Park at Scissortail, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better dinner option than SPARK. Dance the night away at the free, family-friendly event.

When you decide it’s time for fuel, head over to SPARK for their excellent, affordable fare.

The free event and budget friendly food is a win for families, young professionals and anyone hoping to stick to those new year’s budget resolutions.

120 N. Robinson 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., New Year’s Eve Dinner, 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., New Year’s Eve Dinner https://firstnationalokc.com

100 NE 4th Street Seatings from 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. https://www.blackwalnutok.com

900 W. Main Reserve between 5:00 p.m-9:00 p.m. https://maryeddysokc.com

300 Oklahoma City Boulevard Serving food and drinks until midnight. https://www.eatatspark.com

Au revoir 2025, Bonjour 2026! words

E

La Baguette Bistro offers fresh bakery goods, deli favorites, and wines worth savoring.

7408 N May Avenue LaBaguetteBistro.com (405) 840-3047 OPEN 7 DAYS 8AM TO 3PM

TA KE OUT ORDE RS 405-602-8984

1903 N Classen Blvd OKC

@labaguettebistro O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6

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F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Classic Cuisine At Le Parisien, the classics are the point.

By Julie Porter Scott

Le Parisien 440 NW 11th Street 405-357-1869 https://www.leparisienokc.com Sometimes a restaurant arrives that you didn’t know was missing. It seems so obvious now: of course Midtown needed a cute French bistro.

Cozy and informal, Le Parisien is a place to post up with a small group of friends for appetizers and wine before kicking off the weekend. It also feels like a perfect place for a casual business meeting, a first date or a fiftieth.

Le Parisien opened on Dec. 5 in a spot previously occupied by the beloved Café do Brasil, but you’d never know it. The space has been so reimagined that, if you were brought in blindfolded, you’d never guess it was once the vast Brazilian café. Gone are the murals of Cristo Redentor and the burlap coffee bags. The addition of a large bar, along with a wall running down the center to create space for intimate booths and plenty of soft lighting, makes the room nearly unrecognizable.

The room sets the tone. It’s intimate and unfussy, designed for conversation rather than spectacle. Tables are close, the lighting warm, the energy welcoming. It feels less like a destination restaurant and more like a neighborhood fixture—somewhere you could plausibly visit weekly, sometimes for cocktails, sometimes for charcuterie, sometimes for brunch. Always for wine.

It’s nice and new now, but it’s also the kind of place that will be much im-

proved by the patina of a few years and about a thousand bottles of wine. It will benefit from being a little more lived-in, like a good pair of corduroys.

The menu feels like you found a French chef’s well-worn Moleskine of bistro staples: moules frites, poulet rôti, steak au poivre, gnocchi à la Parisienne.

For diners conditioned to expect clever reinvention, that restraint may feel almost radical. But at Le Parisien, that seems to be the point. You won’t find fusion or modern flair. You will find beautifully executed classics of French home cooking, served alongside a wellconsidered list of approachable wines from Rhône to Bourgogne and Loire to Bordeaux. And, of course, Champagne.

Moules frites is an early signal of what Le Parisien does best. The PEI mussels are plump and sweet, opening easily in a shallow bowl filled with a creamy white wine broth scented with garlic, herbs and just enough Dijon to keep things lively. The broth walks a careful line: crème fraîche brings richness, while white wine keeps it from being heavy. Fries arrive hot and crisp, not as a garnish but as an essential companion, quickly enlisted to soak up every last spoonful of sauce. It’s the kind of dish that quietly resets expectations for the rest of the meal.

Steak au poivre leans more assertively indulgent. The ribeye is served with a toasted peppercorn sauce that blooms with warmth rather than sharp heat. Paired with fries, it’s classic French bistro fare at its most satisfying:

Beet salad with whipped goat cheese, vinaigrette, toasted walnuts and chives. | Photo Provided 14

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This really is the upscale French bistro you’ve been looking for. | Photo Provided

rich, direct and perfect for sharing.

My recommendation? Opt to share the richest dishes, like the steak au poivre, and add individual salads. The bibb salad was especially lovely, dressed with a Dijon vinaigrette and fresh black pepper. What stood out most was the velvety texture. I’m not sure what they did to that lettuce, but if all salads tasted like that, I’d consider going full rabbit.

The gnocchi à la Parisienne offers a shift in texture and tone. Unlike potato gnocchi, this version is made from baked choux pastry, resulting in a light, pillowy bite. The classic, creamy Chablisienne sauce brings brightness, while oyster mushrooms add savory depth. Finished with Parmesan, the dish lands somewhere between comfort and elegance. Gluten-free diners should be advised that this gnocchi is of the choux variety, rather than the starchy, gluten-free–friendly potato kind.

Even the sides feel comforting.

Mornay frites transform a familiar staple into something unapologetically indulgent. The fries are coated in warm, velvety béchamel. It’s the kind of dish that encourages negotiation at the table—you know you should order these to share, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Steak tartare doesn’t make enough appearances on menus in the 405, so it was nice to see it here.

Escargots, French onion soup and a charcuterie board are also crowd-pleasers in the appetizers section.

Perhaps in a nod to the restaurant group’s other concept, Bar Arbolada, a Parisian burger also appears on the menu. With pub cheese, pickled caramelized onion, foie gras aioli and frites, it’s the bougier French cousin of the Bar Arbolada burger, which was famously called the best double cheeseburger in America by Alton Brown in 2021. Oui, s’il te plaît.

Le Parisien isn’t trying to redefine French food in Oklahoma City. Instead, it focuses on technique and timing. This

approach feels particularly well suited to Midtown, where the once-young people who flocked to McNellie’s back in the day have grown up. It’s easy to imagine becoming a regular here, provided you like the barman (and he likes you); the kind of place where you might have a regular table, a standard order, a favorite server.

Le Parisien feels like an ideal place to go with a big group. By offering entrees like the burger, they’ve included a little something for everyone without giving up any of the je ne sais quoi.

It also seems like a perfect brunch spot, and I look forward to trying things like the jambon beurre and the classic French omelette. It also, blessedly, feels like the kind of place that will encourage better behavior than some of the brunch spots around town that shall remain nameless.

Spare a few unseasonably warm days, it’s not quite patio season yet. But once it is, this will likely be a coveted spot. Café do Brasil’s patio was never especially popular, but Le Parisien’s refreshed version feels poised to become a hotspot for connection, consumption and, of course, people-watching. New ideas will be scribbled on the backs of napkins; someone will probably be smoking. Maybe we’ll get a new beat poet out of the deal, or an Okie Hemingway. In any case, it seems fitting that the patio has been completely refurbished, ready for its debut once the days grow longer and the weather cooperates.

For those who have been looking for a new regular spot, I think they’ll find Le Parisien to their liking. I know I’ve been missing the comfortable neighborhood bar we once had in Packard’s.

While I haven’t spent enough time here yet to know whether Le Parisien could replace that particular hospitality, the relaxed vibe and well-executed cocktails made for an enjoyable visit—and I’ll be happy to research it further.

F E AT U R E

EAT & DRINK

Latkes, Kugel and Salmon, Oh My! Get an inside look into the Hanukkah celebration of one of OKC’s Torah study groups.

By Phoebe Grandi

On Monday Dec. 15, a wide array of baked brie, mac & cheese, dolmas, salmon, kugel, and salads stretched out before me. “I think the cranberry sauce is really good,” said the woman beside me in the buffet line. “But that’s just because I made it,” she smiled. At the end of the counter sat a pile of freshly baked latkes, which was frequently replenished.

I was graciously invited to join the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City’s Torah study group at their Hanukkah celebration. The group’s leader of nearly 30 years, Helene Harpman, hosted the luncheon at her home.

The house was trimmed with banners saying “Happy Hanukkah” and paper cutouts in the shape of dreidels.

There were four tables spread between two rooms, each having its own menorah and a plethora of dreidels and gelt––the spinning top and chocolate covered coins used for the traditional Hanukkah game of Dreidel.

This year, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah began on the night of Dec. 14 and ended after nightfall on Dec. 22.

The holiday, whose dates shift annually according to the Jewish calendar, originates from a story taking place in 168 B.C.E. If the Hanukkah story is relatively new to you, you’re not alone. For my sake, the hosts of this party were gracious enough to not just tell, but reenact the Hanukkah story as written in the rhyming picture book “Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah” by Tilda Balsley.

“This story takes place during a time when Syria ruled over much of the land, including Jerusalem,” began Dr. Roberta Sloan, the founder and artistic director of the Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma, who was asked to lead this informal play.

“Historically, Antiochus III was open to allowing Jews to completely worship in their own way. But when Antiochus V came along, that was not the case.

That’s where we start.”

The four women reading the story played the parts of the narrator, Antiochus V, Mattathius Maccabee and his son, Judah Maccabee. The story told of how the Syrian army, under the leadership of Antiochus V, desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and outlawed Judaism. Resisting the persecution from Antiochus, Judah and the Maccabees fought the Syrian army and, despite being outnumbered, won. “Sometimes it only takes a few / who know what’s right / and do it too,” read Sloan, who played the story’s narrator.

Because I was the only person at this party who was not familiar with the

origin of the holiday, there was an evident level of lightness among those hearing the story for the millionth time.

Laughter rippled through the room when “Antiochus” had to hold her script away from her face to accommodate her farsighted vision.

Now, for the part you may be more familiar with: After the battle, the Jewish community needed to re-sanctify the desecrated Temple. But, they could only find enough oil to provide light for one night. They decided to light the little oil they had anyway and, miraculously, it lasted eight whole nights.

Hanukkah is now referred to as “The Festival of Lights,” and for eight nights each year, Jewish households light their menorahs to commemorate this miracle.

For each night of the holiday, one candle is lit, in addition to an extra candle named the shamash—the candle designated for lighting the others (for the linguaphiles reading this, “shamash” translates to “helper” in Hebrew). So, on the first night of Hanukkah, two candles are lit: one representing the first night and the shamash. By the last night of Hanukkah, menorahs around the world glow with nine candles: eight representing the past eight days of Hanukkah and the shamash. The candles continue to burn until they’re gone, watching over friends and families as they eat dinner or play games together.

The holiday is also celebrated by eating latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and other foods fried in oil, honoring the miraculous oil from centuries ago.

As members and friends of the Jewish Federation’s Torah study group ate their abundance of homemade Hanukkah foods, they talked about everything from personal news to politics to OU football.

In the middle of each table, a variety of dreidels laid atop trays with ample room for spinning. Harpman instructed, in her leader’s voice, that each table should play Dreidel because there would be prizes for winners and runnerups. Perhaps due to beginner’s luck, the first two times I spun the dreidel it landed on the Hebrew letter gimel, meaning that I got the entire pot of gelt (twice).

However, most of the other tables were too engaged in conversation to play the game. We managed to do both.

“One time, when I was in Kosovo training peacekeepers,” began Dr. Stephen Sloan, a Professor Emeritus of OU’s political science department. He was wearing a blue sweater that fea-

The menorah gifted to Helene Harpman by her grandmother sits in the entryway. | Photo by Deborah Targoff

tured a menorah with blinking lights and the words “Too Lit To Quit.” “This group of kids ran up to me,” he continued. “They started pointing to my white beard, saying ‘Santa Claus! Santa Claus!’” He laughed, and I asked the natural follow-up question: Did you pretend to be Santa Claus? “Of course!

Ho, ho, ho!” said Sloan, dropping into a deep, Santa Claus-like voice.

As is known to avid readers of The Gazette’s food features, meals are a special way to rejoice in community and bring loved ones together. While large dinners or parties are not required for celebrating Hanukkah, the Torah group’s celebration lent itself naturally to the holiday exemplifying Jewish joy and perseverance.

At a time when anti-Jewish attacks are becoming more prevalent worldwide—a deadly mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration in Australia

just one day before Harpman’s luncheon—spending an afternoon at such a joyous Hanukkah celebration was an important reminder of Jewish resilience through community.

The menorah lighting concluded the luncheon. Guests stood around the largest table, which was thoughtfully placed next to the abundant dessert table, and sang the blessing for lighting the menorah as the candles were lit.

Even though most party-goers communed around the largest table, menorahs throughout the house were illuminated.

One particularly beautiful metal menorah stood on a table in the house’s entryway. “This was a wedding gift from my grandmother,” said Harpman.

“It can hold oil, but I use candles. I’m not that old,” she laughed.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6

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F E AT U R E

ARTS & CULTURE

This Studio is Bringing Stop-Motion to the Midwest OKC’s own Loud Cloud Animation Studio uses handmade puppets, photography and creative passion to bring stories to life.

By Phoebe Grandi

Xerxes, the beloved baby Asian elephant born at the Oklahoma City Zoo this past July, lives just 5 miles southeast of an even smaller elephant. Xerxes’ counterpart is made of felt and sits in a snowy scene at Loud Cloud Animation Studio. He waits for animators to delicately adjust his position as they create a winter-themed stop-motion advertisement for the Zoo. “This has probably taken an hour so far,” said Mason Drumm, the founder and creative director of Loud Cloud Animation Studio. He points to the screen hanging over the crafted scene, which shows a seconds-long clip of miniature Xerxes playfully moving his head. “I’m only about 30 frames in, and that’s pretty fast.”

Loud Cloud is an Oklahoma Citybased animation studio specializing in stop-motion storytelling. Adapting to their increasing demand, the group moved to a bigger space last month. The new workshop is populated with scenes from current projects and includes wellventilated spaces to accommodate safe woodworking, spray painting and plaster pouring practices.

Drumm originally fell in love with stop-motion animation while working in the marketing department at the University of Oklahoma, where he would occasionally be asked to make stop-motion videos for social media.

“In making those videos, I got to work with my hands, do photography and tell stories. I realized that stop-motion was this mix of all these things that I really love.” Drumm started pursuing stop-motion projects in his free time, turning his garage into a makeshift studio.

Fast forward a decade, Drumm now works full-time as an animator at a stop-motion studio in his hometown.

“This is a dream,” he smiled. “I love that we have an animation studio here in Oklahoma City.”

Loud Cloud is not only the sole stopmotion animation studio in Oklahoma City, it is the only one in the Midwest.

While individual animators work throughout the region, Loud Cloud is currently the only studio that consistently facilitates large, big-budget projects aligned with industry standards.

With stop-motion studios mostly concentrated in Los Angeles and Portland, Loud Cloud’s base in central Oklahoma is certainly unusual.

Throughout the first month of being in the new space, Loud Cloud’s fabrication lead, Josie Howe, could be seen painting “Made In Oklahoma” across one of the studio’s main walls. “Being in Oklahoma

is the reason that we’re able to have an animation studio,” said Drumm, proudly. “There’s no way we would have been able to grow to this point––or be able to afford a space like this––on the West Coast.”

Since their founding, Loud Cloud has animated videos for the Oklahoma Tourism Department and Tobacco Stops With Me, created a Super Bowl ad for Crowson Law Group in Alaska and produced social media content for companies like LEGO, YETI, Mortal Kombat and Campbell’s Soup. One of their biggest projects thus far was a 90-second film titled “Love Next Door” for title.com, which was commissioned

by Fidelity National Financial.

For those, like me, who may be wondering: What does it take to create a stop-motion animation video?

Shorter videos, like the one for the Oklahoma City Zoo, might only require 2 or 3 people and 1 week of work.

On the other hand, “Love Next Door” took 25 people––not including those who worked with Finch Digital, an Edmond-based company that helped develop the project––and months of work. “We had everything from set fabricators, prop fabricators, storyboard artists and graphic designers to a colorist, production manager, lead animator and art director,” Drumm

said. They also flew in acclaimed and award-winning animators like Justin Rasch, Lindsay Berkebile and Sarah de Gaudemar to help with the process. The entire operation was enough to fill a 64-page process book post-production.

From collaborative narrative creation to custom puppet crafting to meticulous animation, stop-motion can be a laborious creative endeavor. A video that can be watched in less than a minute could have easily taken a multitude of days to create. “It’s crazy. I love it, but it’s crazy,” laughed Drumm. “It’s a very intensive process.”

While it may sound overwhelming to some, it is precisely this intensity that makes stop-motion animation enticing for Loud Cloud’s clients. “They come to us because they want to really differentiate themselves and they’re willing to spend money on telling stories that are inherently handcrafted and, therefore, implicitly human,” Drumm said.

The notion of “implicitly human” is a throughline of Loud Cloud’s work.

And, it is something that grounds the studio as AI grows more rampant in the worlds of art and animation. “I think the pendulum is gonna swing as AI becomes more prevalent,” said Drumm, highlighting that human-made art will become more novel with the rise of AI.

Top and bottom: Loud Cloud’s animators work on video for the Oklahoma Tourism Department. | Photo provided

“While I believe that AI will eventually be able to make something that looks like stop-motion, that doesn’t change the fact that clients want things made by humans. They want to be able to say, ‘Hey, there were 25 people that put their heart and soul into this.’ And, stop motion is just a really great way to do that.”

Even if the proliferation of AIgenerated videos on social media paints a negative picture about the future of smaller animation studios, a movement within the animation world is centering the work of smaller, more innovative studios. For example, the winner of the 2025 Best Animated Feature Oscar, “Flow,” was a film made by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis using free animation software and a budget of $4 million. It beat out “Inside Out 2,” which had a budget of $200 million, and “The Wild Robot,” which had a budget of $78 million.

“The industry is shifting,” said Drumm. “The mindset is turning into, ‘How can we tell stories for cheaper?’

That’s not targeted at not paying people fairly, but rather the idea that there are creative people that can do more with less. Even though stop motion categorically is more expensive than other mediums, because we’re in Oklahoma and because the tide is shifting in our favor, I think we’ll be able to be a bigger player in telling stories that get more acclaim and recognition.”

Beyond evolution within the animation industry, growth here in Oklahoma––from winning the 2025 NBA championships to hosting Olympic events in 2028––is enough to fuel excitement. “I want to be part of the momentum that’s happening here,” Drumm said. “I’m trying to be intentional about doing an animated feature, which would be the ultimate dream for our studio. It would mean providing a lot of jobs for creatives in Oklahoma and flying in really great animators to influence other artists here.”

Beyond future aspirations, Loud Cloud currently represents another, more present sort of growth. Creating a thriving space for animators, and artists more broadly, to flourish in the Great Plains is an accomplishment that should not be overlooked. Oklahoma City should be very excited to see how Loud Cloud Animation Studio expands the city’s artistic frontiers.

For those who want to keep an eye out for Loud Cloud’s work, you can find them at www.loudcloudanimation.com or @loudcloud _animat ion on Instagram.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6

16

Book Bin go Jan. 1 - Feb. 28

F E AT U R E

Winter Reading

ARTS & CULTURE

“Bolt Tower” Brings the History of the Fairgrounds to Life.

The new 72-foot sculpture and corresponding time capsule will be officially welcomed to Oklahoma City’s public art collection on January 6, 2026.

By Phoebe Grandi

On Jan. 6, Oklahoma City will officially welcome the newest addition to its evergrowing public art collection.

“Bolt Tower,” a dynamic 72-foot-high structure commissioned by the city, was installed at the OKC Fair Park this past fall. The upcoming dedication ceremony will allow the public to get acquainted with the tower, and will include the burial of a time capsule led

by Mayor David Holt and the structure’s creator, Jenny Sabin.

The staggering art piece, which rests between the Bennett Event Center and the OG&E Coliseum, commemorates the illustrious history of the fairgrounds. From the Oklahoma State Fair

to sporting events to the former Space Tower, the fairgrounds have colored the memories of countless Oklahomans.

And, it is these memories that artist Jenny Sabin sought to honor.

Sabin, an Ithaca-based artist, is a professor of architecture at Cornell University as well as the chair of their new Design Tech Department. Her practice, Jenny Sabin Studios, specializes in sculptures made using computational design and digital fabrication.

What sets Sabin and her team apart, though, is what they refer to as their “generative design process.” “It’s about designing with relationships and systems, as opposed to starting with a

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Read five books to win an exclusive mug and a chance to win a prize pack with Apple AirPods, library swag and a YMCA pass.

Read 25 books to enter the grand prize drawing for an iPad, VIP tickets for Literary Voices with author Jonathan Franzen, and a YMCA membership. Prizes for adults only and while supplies last. Drawing winners must have a valid adult Metropolitan Library card in good standing on file in Beanstack.

metrolibrary.org/bookbingo

“Bolt Tower” illuminates the fairgrounds at night. | Photo provided 17

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

predetermined idea of what the final form will be,” said Sabin. “The process evolves generatively and in a bottom-up way, so the final form emerges from that process.”

Their generative process is both enhanced and informed by their use of modern technology, like 3D printing and robotics, as opposed to more traditional art practices. “We’re able to design the algorithm that controls, for example, the 3D printer, which allows us to think about both geometry and form as a set of linked relationships,” said Sabin. “This process was very much at the center of the development of ‘Bolt Tower.’ With the addition of community input and the fairgrounds’ history, we were able to think about everything as an ecology of relationships.”

Due to the generative process, “Bolt Tower” is an authentic product of extensive research into the history of the fairgrounds. Every aspect of it was informed or inspired by Oklahoma City’s memories of the beloved spot.

Even the time capsule, which will be buried at the base of the structure, was an idea conceived from the generative process. In her research, Sabin requested historic and personal photos of the fairgrounds from the Oklahoma City community. Impressed with the breadth of memories captured in these photographs, she suggested the idea of a time capsule to the city’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs program manager, Randy Marks. “I just thought that it would be a meaningful way to wrap up the work we did, by literally bringing the community in through their memories,” Sabin said.

While every component of the structure is both intentional and interesting, perhaps most intriguing is its “skin”: “The patterns and various colors on the sculpture’s exterior fabric were informed by a series of generative studies that incorporated actual videos of horse events that take place at the fairgrounds every fall,” Sabin said. “The videos were not used for literal representation, but rather allowed us to use the horse’s movement as a way of generating a pattern that would be lively and dynamic in conjunction with the lighting program.”

The lighting program is what makes “Bolt Tower” a must-see art piece for families in the OKC metro. “It simulates a day to night sequence over the course of about 22 minutes,” said Sabin. The goal was to create a highly transformational experience. So, someone visiting just for 20 minutes can experience quite a lot of change in how they view the structure.”

Surrounding “Bolt Tower” is a pedestrian plaza, the creation of which was equally as intentional. “It’s a place people can sit, hang out, or gather,” said Sabin. “The plaza will invite people to come up close and engage with the project.”

By experiencing the structure up close, Oklahomans will realize that the

true dynamism of “Bolt Tower” comes from how it stands. It is a tensegrity structure, meaning that equal and opposite forces and weights work together to uplift the various components.

Three rings, referred to as “flying rings,” define the spine of the structure.

“They’re called Flying rings because they look like they’re flying. The central mast [which runs between the rings] operates as the main compressive element. So, all of the stainless steel cables are in tension, interweaving with the rings,” Sabin said. “It was important to me that the structure achieved great height, but that it would also be very lightweight and dynamic.”

With the vast amounts of thought put behind each artistic decision, it is clear why the city chose Sabin’s studio for such a special project. For her, the decision to take on this project was obvious. “I like projects that are not just about sculptures as objects. With projects like this, there’s an interest in it being a part of the city and the many relationships that inform the production of the sculpture.”

While Sabin herself is not from Oklahoma City, many people on her team were. From her general contractor to her lighting designer and fabricator, Sabin wanted a team of Oklahomans who understood the history of the fairgrounds.

The brilliance of “Bolt Tower” comes from its marriage of dynamic artistic design and genuine care for Oklahoma City’s history, culture and memories.

The tower’s future will be graced by our community’s appreciation for art and our pride in Oklahoma history.

“My hope is that ‘Bolt Tower’ becomes a new iconic structure that the community finds to be as equally beloved as the previous structures were,” Sabin said, thoughtfully. “The real success of a project happens when the community takes ownership of it; when it becomes a part of their daily lives and the ways that they participate with the fairgrounds.”

Welcome “Bolt Tower” alongside Sabin and the Oklahoma City community at the dedication ceremony on Jan. 6, 2026. The event will start at 10:30 a.m. at the OKC Fair Park, located at 3101 Gordon Cooper Boulevard.

The inside of “Bolt Tower” is mesmerizing. | Photo provided O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6

18

REVIEW

ARTS & CULTURE

The 10 Best Movies of 2025 2025 had its fair share of riveting films. These ten scored high on my list.

By Phil Bacharach

For cinephiles, 2025 was—much as with every other aspect of society— not for the faint of heart. Netflix’s intended purchase of Warner Brothers Discovery, not to mention Paramount’s hostile takeover bid, holds ominous implications for the long-term future of movie theaters. The introduction in September of a fully AI-generated actress named Tilly Norwood flipped out Hollywood. New ideas continued to take a back seat to existing intellectual property, with “Zootopia 2,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and Disney’s live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch” winning at the box office. The murders of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele end the year on a truly horrific note.

Thankfully, 2025 also offered plenty of terrific films. Here are my picks for the year’s best, with one big caveat: as of this writing, I have not seen Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme,” which is certain to rake in lots of awards, or James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which is certain to rake in lots of money.

10. “Jay Kelly” It wasn’t a stretch for George Clooney to play a handsome movie star, but the latest work from writer-director Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”) gave the actor his best role since 2011’s “The Descendants.” In “Jay Kelly,” Clooney is a hero of the big screen thrust into a mid-life crisis after a series of unexpected events. In different hands, this material would be Hollywood navelgazing, but Baumbach, who co-scripted with actress Emily Mortimer, gives us multidimensional characters and dialogue that is smart and funny.

Special mention goes to an excellent Adam Sandler as Jay’s mensch of an agent.

9. “Eddington” Given that “Eddington” is a merciless skewering of the political divides, culture wars and free-floating rage that dominate American life in 2025, the idea of watching this film might strike some as slightly more pleasant than open-heart surgery. Even with a top-tier ensemble cast featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone, the movie polarized audiences, which is a specialty for writer-director Ari Aster (“Beau Is Afraid,” “Midsommar”). But for those of us with a taste for pitch-black comedies and a side of misanthropy, this bilious 19

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tale of politics in smalltown New Mexico is enthralling.

8. “Sorry, Baby” Perhaps surprising for someone who launched their showbiz career through online sketch comedy, the film debut of writer-director Eva Victor is a remarkably assured tonal balance of humor and heartbreak. Victor stars as Agnes, a Massachusetts college professor struggling with a past trauma about which she has only confided in her best friend (Naomi Ackie). The movie is a sensitively crafted and acted examination of endurance, but with a lightness of touch that eschews melodrama. There is not a single false note in “Sorry, Baby.”

7. “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” While most Academy Awards prognosticators think Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is a lock for Best Actress (and she is excellent, don’t get me wrong), if there were any justice in such things, Rose Byrne would be Oscar-bound for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” a febrile dark comedy from writer-director Mary Bronstein. As Linda, the melting-down mother of a girl with an unidentified illness, Byrne chafes against a world that appears to be conspiring against her at every turn.

Linda’s every interaction is fraught with peril—Conan O’Brien is particularly memorable as a prickly work colleague—while she continues to make dubious, if all too human, decisions.

Mobasseri) to suspect

6. “Train Dreams” Loosely adapted from Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella, “Train Dreams” follows Robert Grainier ( Joel Edgerton), a reclusive logger and railway worker who drifts through the 20th century, quietly observing life’s grandeur and injustices. Writerdirector Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar (they also collaborated on last year’s “Sing Sing”) imbue their film with lyricism, beauty and the hushed reverence of being in a forest at dusk. Edgerton perfectly conveys taciturn soulfulness, with excellent supporting performances from the likes of Felicity Jones and William H. Macy. “Train Dreams” also boasts one of cinema’s most poignant endings in a year that had some doozies.

5. “It Was Just an Accident” A chance encounter leads Iranian auto mechanic Vahid (Vahid

From the top down: Vahid Mobasseri (left) stars in Jafar Panahi thriller “It was Just An Accident.”

Eva Victor plays main character Agnes in her directorial debut “Sorry, Baby.”

Rose Byrne (right) acts alongside famed rapper A$AP Rocky (left) in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro argue in a scene from Ari Aster’s “Eddington.”

that the unassuming family man who has come to him with car trouble is none other than the “Peg Leg,” an unusually sadistic member of the despotic regime who tortured him years earlier. Vahid enlists the help of fellow ex-inmates to determine if this man with a prosthetic leg, Rahid (Ebrahim Azizi), is the one who subjected them to manifold horrors. How sure can these traumatized people, all of whom were blindfolded while in captivity, be in their identification? If Rahid is that monster, what revenge, if any, does he deserve? The naturalistic camerawork of “It Was Just an Accident” ratchets up the tension. Dissident Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi comes from a very knowing place, having spent several years imprisoned in Iran for “propaganda.”

4. “Weapons” In 2022, writer-director Zach Cregger’s “Barbarian” came out of nowhere with a combustible mix of horror, comedy and a playfully nonlinear narrative reminiscent of the Tarantino playbook. Three years later, Cregger topped himself with “Weapons,” which boasts the same ingredients as that prior movie but now with the assuredness of someone fully in command of his storytelling powers. Segmented into chapters, each focusing on a different character, “Weapons” revolves around a central mystery: why did nearly all the students of a third-grade classroom race from their homes at 2:17 a.m. one morning and disappear? Julie Garner is the classroom teacher whom many parents believe is somehow responsible. Cregger deftly navigates the multiple storylines, and he is ably assisted by a knockout cast that includes Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and an unforgettable Amy Madigan.

3. “Sinners” After languishing in the Marvel cinematic universe with “The Black Panther” franchise, Ryan Coogler had the opportunity this year to stretch his imagination. “Sinners” is nominally a vampire picture, but the writer-director sets his movie in 1930s-era Clarksdale, Mississippi, smack dab in the curdled heart of the racist Deep South. Long before any bloodsucking begins, Coogler takes his time introducing his array of characters, particularly young bluesman Sammie (Miles Caton) and twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan pulling double duty) who are busy starting up a juke joint. If vampires and Jim Crow are two legs of the three-legged narrative stool found in “Sinners,” music is the third leg. As Clarksdale is the birthplace of blues, Coogler gets to celebrate the genre and its storied legacy. By all rights, this mashup should be a mess, yet “Sinners” is a blast.

2. “Sentimental Value” The Norwegian import that won a 19-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival is a powerful exploration of parenting, grief and reconciliation. Such themes can be heavy stuff, but writer-director Joachim Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt (the pair also did “The Worst Person in the World”) are too smart and nimble to let weightiness overshadow vibrant storytelling and richly drawn characters. Stellan Skarsgård is Gustav Borg, a once-celebrated filmmaker who comes back to his former home after the death of his ex-wife. His return provides an opportunity to patch things up with his estranged adult daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Nora is having none of it, however, especially when Gustav asks her to star as her own grandmother in a thinly veiled autobiographical film. The lead performances are tremendous.

1. “One Battle After Another” Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood,” “Licorice Pizza”) spent 20 years wanting to adapt Thomas Pynchon’s presumably unfilmable book “Vineland,” which makes it even more extraordinary that this comedy-drama feels so immediate. “One Battle After Another” feels like it was written and shot mere months ago: amid a federal clampdown on illegal immigration and the shadowy workings of a secret society called the Christmas Adventurers Club, an ex-leftist terrorist-turned-burnout goes searching for his teen daughter who has been kidnapped by a racist Army colonel.

Leonardo Di Caprio is the burnout, Chase Infiniti is the girl, and Sean Penn is the military man; all are assured of Oscar nominations. Anderson’s ensemble cast also includes Benicio del Toro stealing every scene as a fix-it sensei and Teyana Taylor as a revolutionary with the memorable name Perfidia Beverly Hills. A rollicking blend of action, comedy and family drama—including perhaps the movies’ best car chase in 40 years—“One Battle After Another” is a masterpiece from arguably the most exciting American filmmaker working today.

Honorable mentions: “Bugonia,” “28 Years Later,” “No Other Choice,” “Eephus,” “The Shrouds,” “Rental Family,” “Companion,” “Influencers,” “Wake Up Dead Man,” “Warfare” and “F1.”

EXPERIENCE FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK

Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 | 6-9pm

ARTS DISTRICT

In the Paseo Arts & Creativity Center at 3024 Paseo

Gallery I: Angelika Ejtel Gallery II: Nick Blocha and Kevin Carbajal Gallery III: Patricia Morgan The Paseo Arts District has local and national art, great food, art classes & plenty of shopping!

#FirstFridayPaseo

405.525.2688 • thepaseo.org

/ō’jē/ slang, noun : someone or something that is an originator and especially one that is highly respected or regarded.

The term OG is believed to have originated within hip-hop culture. It typically refers to someone who is respected for their experience, wisdom or authenticity.

Today, the term has been adopted by many people outside of the hip-hop community and is often used as a general term of endearment or admiration.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Ricki Lee Scheef Ricki Lee Scheef, an Oklahoma City-based pastel artist who has garnered nearly 200,000 followers on social media, recently opened her first gallery in the Verbode Real Estate office in the Wheeler District.

By Phoebe Grandi

How would you describe your practice?

I love the word practice to describe art because it’s just trying over and over again, to just figure out what your visual language is, what you want to say, and who you are. And, the practice genuinely never ends.

My practice is incorporated into my life in many ways. Being an artist is something that you just can’t separate from yourself. I guess describing my practice is more like describing me.

A lot of my work is floral. I like to work with concepts of grief and sorrow–– heavier ideas or emotions––expressing them through color and seemingly cheerful motifs, vignettes and compositions.

When you look at a flower painting, it seems a little more inviting. I think that that eases people to be able to explore some of the tougher emotions that we might have.

I would say my practice is very emotional, figuring and exploring my own emotions and wanting for people to also explore theirs. It’s like a conversation.

How did you find your art style?

I haven’t been doing artwork for very long; it’s been about three years. I remember deciding that I wanted to be a painter three years ago, but I had no experience at all. And, it’s funny that we just talked about practice—I just decided that I had to start practicing. I made a promise to myself to paint a painting every day for 30 days. And it’s emerged from that.

I used to do a lot of abstract work, and then emerged into a more floral, light and airy sort of look. I also lived at this flower farm, Ralph’s Ranch, when I was starting my art journey, and that environment has been infused into my work.

Flowers are beautiful. They’re seen as this very delicate aspect of nature. But, I also feel that they’re underestimated. I think that they’re really strong. Flowers add so much to our lives. We like to cut them and bring them into our homes; they’re what you give to someone whenever you’re telling them that you love them. And, people spend a lot of time and work growing flowers. They represent so much more than just soft, sweet emotions.

What inspires your work?

My lived experience and things that pull at my heart inspire my work. I like stories of people and their lives.

There’s this painting over in the corner [of the gallery] of this woman in front of her 100 year old Rhododendron tree. She planted it when she was one, so it’s a 21

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100-year-old woman in front of the 100yearold tree. Whenever I look at that painting, especially after I finished it, I realize that she is standing in front of her life. I decided to call the painting, “I Love You This Much.” I love themes of abundance and overwhelm because, to me, the Rhododendron tree looks kind of like an explosion.

I find a lot of inspiration from my friendships and the people in my life that I really care about. I’ll be hearing a story about what one of my loved ones is going through, and I’ll want to paint it. And, a lot of the time it comes out in florals.

What do you find challenging and/or rewarding about using pastels?

Pastels are really hard to use. There was a time in my practice, maybe a year and a half ago, where I stopped trying to control it. It’s dusty and it gets everywhere. I do use oil paint too. But, I like to use oil paint sticks, which are chunky and hard to control. I find it really rewarding.

There’s always stuff in art that mimics life: the more you can try and control the medium, the worse it is. I think there’s such a difference between working with pastels and painting with pastels. You want to work with them and let them do what they want. You’re also a medium for the medium, if that makes sense.

What does it mean to be a full-time artist?

The most common question I get asked about painting is, ‘how long did this take you?’ And I can understand why people ask that question because maybe they want to sensationalize that it took 90 hours or whatever. But, I don’t think good art is predicated on whether someone’s a full-time artist or how long something took them. I think that if someone’s an artist, regardless of if they have a nine to five, they’re a full-time artist. Someone can constantly be an artist even if they are, for example, a doctor, too.

A lot of people are really obsessed with the title of a “full-time artist.” I think that, coming from someone who doesn’t really have another source of income, that’s a silly aspiration. People get really caught up in the time aspect of art, and it’s like, “No, don’t worry about the time.

Worry about the art.”

How has the internet kind of shaped your career?

The internet has allowed me to be selfrepresented. It’s also been an incredible tool for connection. I have a marketing background, and so I will put on my marketing cap instead of my artist cap to share my work, which was super embarrassing at the beginning. But, I had to keep reminding myself that art is meant to be shared. The internet has connected me with people from all over the world. I’ve sent paintings across the globe, and that would just never have happened without the internet. It’s all about connection, which is why this gallery exists.

Connection is the reason why I wanted to create this gallery space in the first

place. I wanted to actually talk to people, see them in person, and show them my work.

What does it mean for you to open your own gallery?

It was really surreal. It came a lot faster than I was expecting. It was a dream that I thought about every day for three years.

It definitely wouldn’t be possible without Sarah Bytyqi and the Verbode team. She is a huge partner with me in this, graciously shares her space with me, and is also just like an art lover herself.

Verbode has been hosting art shows in Oklahoma City for about 10 years, and so having almost what I would consider a residence here has meant a lot to me. It means a lot to me to invite people into a space and show them what feels like all of my thoughts and emotions.

What’s your favorite Oklahoma art museum?

Probably the Western Heritage Museum, which is kind of a curveball for my work. My grandfather and my grandmother are big Western art collectors, so I grew up seeing all of these bronzes and horse paintings. I love going to the Western Heritage Museum and looking at the Native art. I love Remington, his bronzes and night scenes. It’s funny, because I don’t gravitate towards collecting Western art or even really making Western art, but I just love that museum because it reminds me of my childhood.

What artists have inspired you?

There’s so many. I feel very inspired by Monet and the greats, but when I think about my favorite artists, it’s my neighbor Isaac who makes ceramics. Or it’s my friend Brittany Phillips, who owns a vintage shop (and curation is an art). Or, it’s my friend Britta Newton-Tarron who wrote the poem for the gallery opening.

Those are the people that I feel the most touched and inspired by.

What would you say to someone who wants to be an artist?

The best art comes whenever you’re really taking care of yourself. I’ve noticed that I do my best work whenever I’m wellloved, well-fed, and really good to myself.

If someone wants to be an artist, in any real sustainable capacity, I would say––at least for me––it was a lot of inner work.

And I remember writing ‘I want to paint.

I want to do it so badly. I don’t know why I don’t just do it’ for months on end. It took me a really long time to actually act on that. I think that I only was in the right headspace to act on my creative impulses when I started focusing on my well-being.

If someone wants to be an artist, my advice is to take care of yourself first and I promise the art will follow shortly after.

Scheef stands in front of “I Love You This Much” (left) and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” (right) in her studio.

Photo by Brittany Phillips

CALENDAR - JANUARY

New Year’s Eve OG Picks New Year’s Eve at OKANA

Time: 5pm-1:00am Cost: Adults: $129+ | Kids (5-12): $49+ okanaresort.com Ring in 2026 withincredible food, live music, and Gatsbyinspired fun. Begin with a New Years Eve buffet dinner in the Sunset Ballroom featuring soups, salads, seafood, carving stations, and desserts. Dinner reservations include access to a private Countdown Party in the Sunrise Ballroom for late-night celebration.

Renaissance Masquerade - Sinners And Saints

ResHead NYE

Time: 9pm Location: Resonet Head, Capital Hill District Cost: $15-25, 21+ resonanthead.com The night features standout local acts cursetheknife, King Pink, and SUNFO, with live music leading straight to the countdown. At midnight, a full ball drop kicks off an emo-themed dance party with a DJ, plus a champagne toast for guests 21 and older.

Time: 8pm-10am Location: Anthem Brewing Cost: $65 to $110, 21+ anthembrewing.com Enter New Years Eve through an immersive masquerade of light and shadow. Angels and demons share the stage as acrobats, dancers, and singers weave temptation and wonder.

Music, movement, and theatrical spectacle guide guests into midnight, where mystery reigns and celebration welcomes the new year.

Speakeasy 90s-2000s Dance Party

NYE Party in the Park

Uptown Get Down w/ Ghostland Observatory

Time: 9:30pm–12:30am Location: Love’s Travel Stops Stage, Upper Park Cost: FREE. Tip: Bring extra $$ for food, drinks & parking Family friendly scissortailpark.com Oklahoma City welcomes 2026 with a free, family-friendly New Years Eve celebration at Scissortail Park. The downtown party features live music by Drive, Oklahoma’s Party Band, food and drink trucks, local vendors, and an official midnight countdown at the Love’s Travel Stops Stage.

Time: 9pm-1:30am Location: 51st st. Speakeasy Cost: $10 at the door, 21+ 51stspeakeasy.com It’s our favorite night of the year! Head into 2026 with ALL THE JAMS you loved in middle school/high school/college.

We’ll provide the Boozy Capri Suns, all the glow sticks you can handle, and a free champagne toast at midnight! You just provide the scream-singing!

Time: 9pm Location: Tower Theatre Cost: $40-60, 21+ towertheatreokc.com Uptown get down nye returns for year eight at Tower Theatre with a high-energy start to 2026. Ghostland Observatory headlines, joined by special guests Husbands and DJ Isis Payne. Expect a packed dance floor, sounds, and a midnight moment that makes this one of okc top new year eve parties.

Ponyboy NYE with A Stranger Things Theme Time: 9pm Location: Ponyboy Bar Cost: FREE with RSVP. 21+

FILM

Back in Time: “Route 66 turns 100” screening and panel discussion Oklahoma History Center The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) and the Oklahoma Historical Society host a FREE premiere screening on Route 66 turning 100. okhistory.org JAN 8, 1PM OETA’s Ken Burn’s The American Revolution screening, panel, and workshop.

Experience history like never before with a special program featuring a select portions of Ken Burns’ new documentary The American Revolution. okhistory.org JAN 24, 10:30AM

Jerry Seinfeld Civic Center Music Hall okcciviccenter.com/events JAN 16, 7PM Rory Scovel Tower Theatre towertheatreokc.com JAN 17, 7PM Jeff Dunham Artificial Intelligence Paycom Center paycomcenter.com JAN 29, 7PM

VISUAL ARTS Jakian Parks: The Black Land Oklahoma Contemporary Art oklahomacontemporary.org THROUGH JUNE 1

Paul Reed: A Retrospective Oklahoma City Museum of Art okcmoa.com THROUGH APRIL 12

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Time: Doors open at 7pm Location: The Jones Assembly Cost: $67.64 to $99.57, 21+ (booths are sold out!) thejonesassembly.com Celebrate New Years Eve at The Jones Assembly with everyone’s favorite 90s band, My So Called Band, and the most popular DJ, DJ Lite Brite. Doors open at 7pm for a 21 and over party with live music, dancing, and a midnight champagne toast.

PERFORMING ARTS

COMEDY

22

New Years Eve with My So Called Band and DJ Litebright

2nd Friday Norman Art Walk Walker Arts District in Downtown Norman 2ndfridaynorman.com JAN 9, 7PM The Cowboy: An Immersive Journey National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum nationalcowboymuseum.org JAN 2

ArtNow 2025: Materials and Boundaries Oklahoma Contemporary Art oklahomacontemporary.org THROUGH FEB 14

Dean Wean Bricktown Comedy Club bricktowncomedy.com JAN 11, 7PM

Time: 10pm Location: Civic Center Music Hall Little Theatre Cost: $63-95, 18+ to enter adelewolf.com Ring in the new year with a dazzling Vegas style revue featuring showgirls and gravity defying circus acts. Produced by award winning Adèle Wolf Productions, the show highlights top regional talent and guest performers from acclaimed productions including Moulin Rouge, Cirque du Soleil, and Absinthe Las Vegas.

Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk Pasep Arts District thepaseo.org JAN 2, 6PM

FanFest - SPACEBALLS! FREE souvenir glass with admission Flix Brewhouse Mel Brooks’ intergalactic spoof is back with a FANFEST screening! SPACEBALLS skewers everything from Star Wars to Star Trek... flixbrewhouse.com JAN 26, 6PM

Ms. Pat Bricktown Comedy Club bricktowncomedy.com JAN 2, 7PM

Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve Follies

1515lg.com THROUGH JAN 31

Resurrection Oklahoma City Museum of Art okcmoa.com JAN 2, 8PM Technicolor Wonderland Film Series Oklahoma City Museum of Art Presented as a vibrant companion to “Paul Reed: A Retrospective,” OKCMOA’s Technicolor Wonderland film series celebrates the expressive power of color. okcmoa.com JAN 3-24, 2PM “Written on the Wind” JAN 3 “Bigger Than Life” JAN 10 “Marnie” JAN 17 “Juliet of the Spirits” JAN 24

ponyboyokc.com Celebrate New Years Eve in the upside down with Gold Lincoln and Cozy Boys at Ponyboy. Dress as a favorite character for a themed costume contest, then toast at midnight to welcome 2026. Music, costumes, and a Stranger Things inspired atmosphere set the tone all night.

Eduardo Sarabia: Green Vines Oklahoma Contemporary Art oklahomacontemporary.org THROUGH APR 13

American Surrealism Oklahoma City Museum of Art okcmoa.com THROUGH MARCH 22 Paul Reed: Works on Paper 1515 Lincoln Gallery

Afrique En Cirque OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater occc.ticketsage.net JAN 13, 7:30PM Pictures From Home by Sharr White Carpenter Square Theatre carpentersquare.com JAN 16-FEB 1, 8PM Open Mic Night Factory Obscura factoryobscura.com JAN 8, 7PM OKC Philharmonic presents Mozart’s Rivals: Race to the Top Civic Center Music Hall okcphil.org JAN 10, 7:30PM OKC Philharmonic presents Tango Caliente!

Civic Center Music Hall okcphil.org JAN 30 & 31, 7:30PM OKC Broadway presents: Beauty & the Beast-The Musical Civic Center Music Hall okcbroadway.com JAN 20-25 Giselle OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater occc.ticketsage.net JAN 29, 7:30PM Red Dirt Poetry Literati Press Bookshop literatipressok.com, FEB 4, 11, 18 7PM

HAPPENINGS Bingo Loco: World’s Biggest Bingo Party Tower Theatre towertheatreokc.com JAN 3, 4PM & 8:45PM Full Moon Yoga at Mix-Tape factoryobscura.com JAN 4, 6PM Glitterball 2026: “The Road To Oz” benefiting deadCENTER Film Oklahoma Contemporary deadcenterfilm.org JAN 10, 8PM Martin Luther King Jr. Events in OKC Features a silent march, bell ringing, parade, job fair and more. Features a silent march, bell ringing, parade, job fair and more. okcmlkalliance.org JAN 17-19 25th Annual United Way Gala National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum unitedwayokc.org JAN 23, 5:30PM Chocolate Decadence Leadership Square downtownokc.com FEB 5, 6:30PM OKC THUNDER home games Paycom Center okcthunder.com OKC Thunder vs. Charlotte Hornets JAN 5, 7PM OKC Thunder vs. Utah Jazz JAN 7, 7PM OKC Thunder vs. Miami Heat JAN 11, 6PM OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs JAN 13, 7PM OKC Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers JAN 23, 8:30PM OKC Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors JAN 25, 6PM OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans JAN 27, 7PM OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets FEB 7, 2:30PM

s

CALENDAR MUSIC Shortt Dogg University of Central Oklahoma calendar.uco.edu JAN 2, 8PM Factory Follies Factory Obscura factoryobscura.com JAN 3, 7PM Miss Brown To You Full Circle Bookstore fullcirclebooks.com JAN 3, 7:30PM Jessica Tate Full Circle Bookstore fullcirclebooks.com JAN 4, 3PM Pet Sounds Live: The Music of The Beach Boys The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 8, 7:30PM MO Blues Fest ft. Aina Cook, Jackson Stokes, The Fried Crawdaddies, & Fox Deluxe The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 9 & 10, 7PM Wade Bowen Tower Theatre towertheatre.com JAN 9, 7PM Brent Blount and Friends University of Central Oklahoma calendar.uco.edu JAN 9, 8PM Curiousiday: Paleo to Pop Sam Noble Museum samnoblemuseum.ou.edu, JAN 10, 10AM Dismal Niche Presents The Bad Plus The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 21, 8PM William Beckmann Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 10, 8PM Bricks In The Wall (Pink Floyd Tribute) Tower Theatre towertheatreokc.com JAN 10, 8PM Randy Cassimus Full Circle Bookstore fullcirclebooks.com JAN 10, 7:30PM Beau Jennings And Cheyenne - I Am Alive 20th Anniversary Performance The Blue Door bluedoorokc.com JAN 10, 8PM

These are events recommended

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

Tyler Halverson Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 15, 8PM Dolly Parton and Edgar Allan Poe Dance Party and Birthday Bash Northwest Library metrolibrary.org, JAN 16, 10AM DIVA & Honduh Daze & Labadie House & The Burn Notice Resonant Head resonanthead.com JAN 16, 8PM Alex Williams & Mando Saenz The Blue Door A long-haired writer and singer of songs. bluedoorokc.com JAN 16, 7PM The Brothers Comatose Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 16, 7PM GZA featuring Phunky Nomads Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Liquid Swords Tower Theatre towertheatreokc.com JAN 16, 7PM Red NOT Chili Peppers: RHCP Tribute Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 17, 7PM

Niko Moon at The Jones Assembly, Jan 29.

Eric Hagen - Make Country Music Sad Again Tour The Blue Door bluedoorokc.com JAN 22, 8PM Ian Moore Tower Theatre towertheatreokc.com JAN 22, 7PM Logan Ryan Band Beer City Music Hall bluedoorokc.com JAN 23, 7PM Latin Night COMO Presents Retros Del Reggaeton ft. DJ Jonny Fuzion & DJ Zay The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 23, 9PM Dave Laurence Music Core4 Brewing Company core4brewing.com JAN 23, 7PM Turnpike Tributedours: A Tribute Tower Theatre towertheatre.com JAN 23, 7PM Zac Lee University of Central Oklahoma calendar.uco.edu JAN 23, 8PM Mania: The ABBA Tribute Tower Theatre towertheatre.com JAN 24, 7:30PM

Miss Brown to You University of Central Oklahoma calendar.uco.edu JAN 10, 8PM

DCF Concerts Presents Smells Like Nirvana w/ Special Guests Deadoriginal and Index Paradox Diamond Ballroom diamondballroom.com JAN 17, 7PM

Morrissey The Criterion criterionokc.com JAN 13, 8PM

A Cellist’s Tour of the Americas University of Central Oklahoma, UCO Jazz Lab calendar.uco.edu JAN 18, 5PM

Seattle Royale ft. Tribute Sets of: Alice in Chains + Pearl Jam + Soundgarden + Nirvana The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 24, 8PM MeSo with special guests Xenotype and Jalaya Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 24, 7PM

mc davo (David Sierra) & Sabino Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 14, 8PM

Aranda w/ The Founder and A.D.A.M. Music Project Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 18, 6PM

Garrett Jacobson Quintet University of Central Oklahoma, UCO Jazz Lab calendar.uco.edu, JAN 24, 8PM Shelly Belly

The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 27, 7PM Niko Moon The Jones Assembly thejonesassembly.com JAN 29, 7PM Shame Beer City Music Hall beercitymusichall.com JAN 29, 8PM Josh Ward Diamond Ballroom diamondballroom.com JAN 30, 7PM Brian Gorrell and Jazz Company University of Central Oklahoma - Jazz Lab calendar.uco.edu JAN 30, 8PM Rewind: The Ultimate 2000s Rave Tower Theatre towertheatre.com JAN 30 9PM Club 90’s Presents 2000’s Night The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 30, 9:30PM FROSTBITE, FOLK & FIDDLE The Blue Door thebluedoor.com JAN 31, 7PM Tribute To The Cranberries with Violet And The Undercurrents The Blue Note thebluenote.com JAN 31, 7:30PM Hostage Situation: Hostile Frequencies Tour Beer City Music Hall beercitymusicall.com JAN 31 7PM DCF Concerts presents: INSIDER: A Tribute to Tom Petty Diamond Ballroom diamondballroom.com JAN 31, 7PM All Your Friends - The Indie Party 89th Street Collective

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F E AT U R E

MUSIC

Step Inside Oklahoma City’s Living Room Jay Shenker’s SoundBar provides a haven for OKC’s Audiophiles.

By Phoebe Grandi

Towards the back of Oklahoma City’s only vinyl bar sits a large window overlooking the lit up buildings adorning the city’s December skyline. It is a breathtaking view, not because it’s particularly grand or even rare for buildings lining Automobile Alley, but because of its striking intimacy. It’s the perfect view for a space designed to be Oklahoma City’s living room.

The SoundBar, the passion project of entertainment lawyer Jay Shanker, subtly sits atop Zamzam Mediterranean Cuisine and Ash Cigar Lounge on Broadway Avenue.

While the ascent up to the loft feels eerily quiet, the moment you open the doors you are greeted with whatever song is featured on the night’s themed playlist. As you move through the space and towards the windows in the back, you are enveloped by every note, lyric and breadth of the vinyl playing.

On Friday Dec. 5, the theme was “Femme Alt & Beat.” Those populating the bar’s numerous couches and tables speckled with art books were accompanied by music from the “boundry-pushing women redefining R&B, soul and electronic music.”

As you sat just feet away from high-quality speakers playing SZA and overlooked the holiday lights outside (or, perhaps, gazed upon the fractal imagery projected on screens throughout the loft), it was easy to feel carried away from the cold air or everyday worries that felt cumbersome just a floor below.

It was this high-end listening experience that Shanker sought when he created the idea for SoundBar. “During COVID, I was listening to a lot of music at home alone, and music is meant to be shared,” he said. “My wife and daughter didn’t exactly like my music or the volume I like to listen to it at.

And, I joke––although my wife will deny this joke––that one night she said, ‘You need to get a room.’ So, I did.”

For someone who has worked in entertainment law for 45 years and has been collecting vinyl for 60, the bar has an unmistakable touch of sophistication. The walls are lined with boxes holding over 15,000 records for guests to look through, listen to and buy. The sound equipment is of exceptionally high quality. The furniture and decorations are intentionally reminiscent of a well-loved living room, inspiring patrons to linger and admire the hung textiles that Shanker has collected from past travels. The bar’s entirety is representative of its owner’s belief that music is meant to be experienced communally.

Public spaces for people to listen to recorded music, especially in a bar-like capacity, are not new. Listening rooms, also known as vinyl lounges, have a vast history that dates back to the mid-20th century.

“They emerged in Tokyo in the 1950s, when GIs were headed home from occupation and leaving their audio gear and records, largely jazz and country,” said Shanker. “Taking advantage of the musical detritus left behind, these listening lounges started opening up 24

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all over the country, became popularized and continued through the years. Eventually, they evolved into clubs, karaoke and all kinds of other trends. But, the original concept was intimate, like being in a library.”

Over the next decades, as Japanese businessmen traveled abroad and American artists began visiting Japan, listening rooms spread internationally. “I visited some of these in my travels,” he said. “I was intrigued, and I had a large record collection that I was looking to share with people.”

Oklahoma City’s own iteration of the listening room is a unique take on the social phenomenon. While the sheer volume of vinyl records gives the space a library-esque feel, you won’t be glared at if you strike up a conversation with your neighbor. Rather, the space’s hospitable design naturally fosters community. “Groups of varying sizes can come in and sit with people they’ve never met before, sit with people that they’ve come in with or sit alone while they listen,” Shanker said.

The inviting atmosphere attracts diverse clientele spanning age, style, extroversion and music taste. What defines the space, though, is its intimate feel. “If you’re going out with friends to get rowdy, there are better places to do it,” said Shanker. “People come here respectfully, and the respect extends to the fact that we don’t see this as a

pickup bar. It’s more of a dating bar. It’s a place for people who want to get to know somebody new. As a result, we get a lot of women who come in because they know that they are going to be respected and can enjoy an evening in a hip environment that gets the culture. That’s gratifying for us to know.”

Perhaps, though, your preference is to experience the musical magic alone. Or, maybe, your taste skews more post-punk than the music played in the main room. If that’s the case, your oasis might be the bar’s “Speakeasy.”

Tucked behind the bar, the Speakeasy is a small room filled with a variety of vintage audio equipment for sale. “It’s a lot of fun, particularly for the older folks who say ‘I used to own that,’” said Shanker, laughing.

“And I respond, ‘Well, don’t call the cops if you see your name on the back.’”

The gear is not just for browsing and buying. Whoever finds themselves in the room has the opportunity to play whatever music they want on the high-quality speakers, undisturbed by the sounds of the main room.

As the rest of the bar bathed in music by Solange and FKA Twigs on “Femme Alt & Beat” night, the Speakeasy felt like it was a handful of sand away from being a private Santa Cruz. Three young men were tossing

their heads back laughing, drinking beer and listening to “Santeria” by Sublime at full volume.

The sonic separation between the main room and the “Speakeasy” is emblematic of the technical alchemy of SoundBar. Both rooms are outfitted with high-quality speakers and wall decorations that maximize the quality of the soundwaves as they hit your ears.

“The magic is these high-fidelity speakers,” said Shanker, pointing to the massive stereo set-up towards the back of the bar.

“You can sit 10 feet away, and you’ll be listening at 90 decibels, which is almost club level. But, because there’s no distortion and we have the room tuned with plush wall treatments that help absorb the reverberations, you can sit 10 feet away with music on high and have a conversation at normal volume. You won’t go home feeling that you lost your voice last night speaking with somebody just three feet away.”

While the bar typically plays music from its vast vinyl collection, certain nights featuring newer releases––like those played during “Femme Alt & Beat” night––require albums not yet included in the physical record library. But, you likely wouldn’t realize that based on sound quality alone. “Even listening to streamed music on an exquisite sound system can be magical,” said Shanker.

“It’s the difference between seeing a movie in a theater and then on your phone. The story’s there, but all the magic starts to disappear.”

To make sure that every guest can experience their preferred music on the sophisticated speakers, the nightly themes will oscillate between music genres. This month’s lineup included: a night highlighting artists with weekdays in their names, a night dedicated to the “original sounds of Louisiana” like Zydeco, the monthly night devoted to artists celebrating their birthday that month and the famed “Celestial Jukebox” night that allows patrons to play any record from the collection.

The diversity of the music played and the relaxed environment has already made SoundBar home to some of Oklahoma City’s social groups. The Okay Chess Club holds frequent get-togethers in the space while a variety of local organizations and nonprofits reserve the main room for private events.

Even on regular nights, the bar can be home to anything from spirited conversations to quiet enjoyment of the surrounding sounds.

While current-day Automobile Alley is certainly different from the mid-century streets of Tokyo, SoundBar’s reverence for the connection fostered by sharing music is timeless. Like the best living rooms, the bar’s charm comes not from its well-loved furniture and thoughtfully curated art, but its authentic, approachable, and warm atmosphere.

Top: The view from The SoundBar lights up at night.

Botton: Friends sing along to music in “The Speakeasy.”

Photos provided

MUSIC F E AT U R E

The Story Behind Gayla Peevey SHINE on Oklahoma Music sheds light on the artist behind “I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas”

By Brian Maughan

For 72 years, children and adults alike have sung along to the holiday classic, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” It’s one of those songs that nearly everyone knows the words to.

What you might not know, though, is that it was first sung and recorded by a young girl from South Oklahoma City named Gayla Peevey.

Peevey was a mere 10 years old at the time of the recording. She had already been singing in public for a couple of years by the time she got her big breakthrough record deal.

A full-length interview with Peevey will be available on YouTube later this month as part of the SHINE on Oklahoma Music series. The video includes dozens of photos and videos from her illustrious career as she tells her life story.

She is one of four Oklahoma Music Hall of Famers who got their start at KLPR radio station in historic Capitol Hill, which is located at the corner of SW 25th and Robinson Street in Oklahoma City. Just down the street from the historic building, there is an Oklahoma City/County Historical Society marker affixed to the front of the Yale Theater.

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highlights Gayla

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Peevey’s name along with Wanda Jackson, Pretty Miss Norma Jean, and the late Tommy Collins. Each of these singers were discovered on the small radio station, which led to their successful musical careers. Peevey was the only one to go directly from the radio station to a major recording contract.

Columbia Records signed Peevey, who was only 10 years old at the time, and immediately brought her the nowfamous “Hippo” song. It was a smash hit right away, prompting a coveted invitation to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan had taken such a liking to Peevey after meeting her that he invited her to appear on the show multiple times, giving Peevey national recognition. Taking advantage of her growing success, the Peevey family moved to California to be closer to the Columbia studios as well as the film and television sets where Peevey would frequently perform.

Her popularity was so immense she was able to harness it into a fundraising drive across the United States to help purchase a real-life hippopotamus named Matilda. In 1953, she donated Matilda to the Oklahoma City Zoo,

sparking a lifelong affiliation with the zoo that continues to this day. In fact, this past July, a statue of young Peevey and Matilda the hippo was unveiled

by Mayor David Holt and zoo officials.

It commemorates not only the extraordinary hippo story, but also the many decades of support Peevey has given the zoo and her home state.

Following “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” only few more singles would be released under her real name.

As Peevey became a teenager, recording executives decided to change her image and name. Her new name would be Jamie Horton. The new image would have her be a 1950’s teen idol who toured on package shows. She was often booked on the Dick Clark’s famous “Caravan of Stars” with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, among others.

What is especially impressive about Peevey is that she was among the very first female singer/songwriters. And, regardless of gender, she was also among the youngest songwriters of her time.

Her penned song, “My Little Marine,” charted the Billboard Top 100 hit list in 1960. The song solidified Peevey as a musical talent, even if its success had been achieved under a new name and identity. Beyond the songs she wrote and recorded herself, she also penned tunes for others.

Peevey’s recording of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” has placed in the holiday charts every single year since its release in 1953. As of Dec. 2025, Peevey’s recording has over 139 million streams on Spotify and more than 65

million plays on YouTube. And, these numbers do not even include the countless radio plays all over the world. Moreover, her holiday recording has been featured in movies, television shows, commercials, and even inside Hallmark greeting cards.

In 2018 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. In 2023, Peevey returned to Capitol Hill for the dedication of the historical marker that bears her name. In 2025, she came home once again for the dedication of her statue at the Oklahoma City Zoo. On all three occasions multiple other Oklahoma music stars attended the functions in her honor, each making sure they got a picture with the legend herself.

Peevey has always said that she is proud to be from Oklahoma. Everyone who has met her loves her; she is a caring and compassionate person who has truly devoted her life to bringing joy to others. For that, even more than her amazing musical success, we too are all proud that Gayla Peevey is from Oklahoma.

Brian Maughan serves as Oklahoma County Commissioner, Dist 2 and does a series of interviews with Oklahoma music stars for the Oklahoma History Center called SHINE on Oklahoma Music.

Top: Peevey looks out at hippo named “Matilda.”

Botton: Peevey after being inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Photos from the Gayla Peevey Collection

PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE CHANGE LOCATIONS | 1125

By Zachery Edward-Brown Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

Across

1 Marvel superhero who can manipulate weather patterns 6 Something fun to take out for a spin 9 Shaquille O’Neal’s alma mater, for short 12 Parts of a hand 17 Irritate 18 Recaps 20 Paul whose house is one of the 16 historic sites of Boston’s Freedom Trail 21 False alarm announcement?

23 Jedi in training 24 Sensible 25 TV host Brzezinski 26 No. 1 choice, in slang 27 ‘‘No ____, ands or buts!’’

28 Pollution-fighting org.

29 ‘‘Game of Thrones’’ actor Gillen 31 River that borders the Black Forest 33 ‘‘Render ____ Caesar …’’

34 Major coin producer 37 Viking I or II 39 Astronaut Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space 40 Nickname for Mark’s unsevered best friend in ‘‘Severance’’ 41 They turn red litmus paper blue 42 First chimpanzee to orbit Earth 43 Football blocker?

46 Hair-raising stuff 47 Remodel and resell some real estate 49 Marching band tempo setters 54 Who said ‘‘It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am’’ 55 Season to enjoy une glace 56 Ruler before 1917 58 ‘‘Black-ish’’ airer 59 It’s a numbers game 60 Clothing for SWAT teams 62 ‘‘The Simpsons’’ character who becomes obsessed with crossword puzzles 64 Puff piece?

66 Like the number of Oscars vis-à-vis the number of Emmys 67 Plant watcher, for short 68 Camera type, in brief 69 Site of some Santa sightings 71 Longtime record label of Elvis Presley 73 911 responder 74 ‘‘Hilarious!’’

77 ‘‘I mean, kind of ...’’

80 ‘‘Don’t give up!’’

81 ¬ or ~, in logic 83 Beat poet ____ Cassady 84 Like some milk, idiomatically

87 ____ on the past 88 Indication of bad service 90 ‘‘Much obliged’’ 92 Crossed the International Date Line from east to west, or west to east (depending on how you look at it) 97 Bundled up 98 Articles are written in this 99 Brand name for naproxen 100 ____ Miss 101 Doll that comes in multiple body types, skin tones, eye colors and hair colors 102 Drink known also as ‘‘honey wine’’ 103 Frosty 105 Subject of Newton’s first law 108 Enjoying a soak 110 1980 horror film starring William Hurt ... or what the shaded squarescontain?

112 Fundamental rules of math 113 Loopy writing 114 Star pitcher?

115 ‘‘Fiddler on the Roof’’ matchmaker 116 Letters for an unscheduled event 117 Prefix with natal 118 Like a bubble bath

Down

1 Surveyed, with ‘‘out’’ 2 Early track star Jim 3 Resident of Honolulu, e.g.

4 Touchless payment tech 5 Internet ____ 6 Cheat on, in a way 7 Surgery sites, in brief 8 Video game character with an endless appetite 9 Be in a chat room but not chat 10 Soldiers with long arms 11 Alternative to the euro, in brief 12 Relinquish 13 Director DuVernay 14 Turns back the clock, maybe?

15 Opposite of volunteer 16 Parts of many robots in robot-sumo 19 Area inside the free-throw line, in basketball slang

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20 ‘‘Gaspard de la Nuit’’ composer 22 Addresses angrily 23 Variety of violet 26 Urban safety hazard 30 Australia’s largest carnivorous mammal 32 Word used 10 times in Roger Ebert’s review of ‘‘North’’ (1994) 33 Dissimilar 35 Part of a legendary boast 36 Skips all the ceremony?

38 The brother in ‘‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’’

40 What might be made while clasping one’s hands 42 Engineer Gray who, arguably, invented the telephone — and battled Alexander Graham Bell over it in court for years 44 Ballpark figure 45 Kind of tea 46 Sierra automaker 47 Shylock’s security 48 Adele song with the lyric ‘‘I must have called a

7 8 1 6 8 7 1 3 4 5 3 9 1 5 7 9 6 3 9 26

82 Where high schoolers work on their numbers?

84 Starship’s medical facility 85 Ren faire prop akin to a halberd 86 ‘‘Sign me up!’’

87 Hair-care item associated with Black culture 89 Like YouTube offerings 91 Commences 92 Rough drafts?

93 Interview guest whom Ali G calls ‘‘my man Buzz Lightyear here’’ 94 Like lowercase i’s and j’s 95 Sci-fi sequel of 1986 96 Like soft rolls 102 Wordless entertainment 104 Other, to Octavio 106 Brief announcements from a pilot 107 ____ alla bolognese (slow-cooked sauce) 109 Like hell!

110 Play a part, or part of a play 111 Part of N.Y.E.

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

SUDOKU MEDIUM | N° 9769 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com Grid n°9769 medium

5

thousand times’’ 50 Nonpremium option in a rideshare app 51 Gaming mogul Gabe 52 Ernst Stavro Blofeld, to James Bond 53 Put into piles, perhaps 54 Swear 57 Parking space for an Airstream, say, in brief 61 Did some school reporting?

63 Exceptionally hard timber 65 Amy Winehouse, e.g.

66 Thumbprint alternative on iPhones 68 Reluctant to ask out one’s crush, maybe 70 Particularly particular 72 Cafeterias 75 Like many indie films 76 Many characters in the 2007 comedy ‘‘Superbad’’ 78 He had a Billboard Hot 100 hit with ‘‘Rubber Duckie’’ 79 Tortilla de patatas, por ejemplo

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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4 6 1 7

5

Puzzle No. 1116, which appeared in the November 2025 issue.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY - JANUARY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before major eruptions, volcanoes may emit harmonic tremors. Lasting for hours or days, they are signals that pressure is building. A similar phenomenon is simmering in your sphere, Aries.

Be alert. What rhythmic clues are vibrating through your system? What pressure is mounting that could eventually erupt? I’m not saying you should interpret them with a worried mind. In fact, they are offering you valuable intelligence about what needs to be released. You can either ignore them and let the eruption surprise you, or you can pay attention and arrange for controlled venting.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your heartbeat isn’t regular like a metronome, but slightly irregular.

The phenomenon is called heart rate variability and is a sign of health. A perfectly regular heartbeat is actually a warning sign. Your heart knows something your mind might not believe: Perfect consistency is pathological. Variation is vitality. The rhythm of life includes the beautiful irregularity of a system that’s alive enough to respond and adapt. Keep these truths uppermost in mind during 2026, Taurus. You will thrive on changeability and fluctuation.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Greenland shark waits for animals to fall asleep, then eats them while they’re unconscious. Since it’s too slow to chase anything, it has evolved a patient approach to hunting. It acts on the understanding that everything eventually lets its guard down. I suggest you cultivate similar patience in 2026, Gemini. There’s no need to rush toward what you want. Position yourself correctly and wait for moments of opportunity.

You’re playing a long game.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Atmospheric rivers are massive moisture highways in the sky.

Meteorologists have been documenting newly identified patterns in how these marvels work.

They’ve learned that tiny changes in ocean temperature can redirect thousands of miles of incoming rain. This will be an excellent metaphor

for you in 2026, dear Cancerian. You’ll be in atmospheric-river mode. Small shifts in perspective and slight recalibrations of intention will send your momentum flowing in different and better directions. No drama required! Simple micro-adjustments will reroute larger currents.

Attend devotedly and zestfully to the subtleties.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Certain fungi can break down pollutants like pesticides and plastics into less toxic substances. These mushrooms digest what’s considered indigestible, transforming poison into nutrients. I suspect you will have a metaphorically comparable capacity in 2026, dear Leo: a superpower that enables you to metabolize blight and taint. I predict you will exult as you eliminate stuff that’s useless and harmful. Please indulge your unusual talent to the max!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The US Library of Congress adds 60,000 items to its collection every week but only catalogs a fraction of them immediately. So vast amounts of knowledge sit there, acquired but not yet processed, waiting for librarians to create the finding aids that make them accessible. You’re in a similar situation, Virgo. You’ve accumulated extraordinary amounts of information, experience, and skill.

But how much of it is cataloged? How much is accessible when you need it? In the coming months, I hope you *won’t* acquire more.

Instead, you will spend time with your archives and process what you’ve already gathered. What do you know that you’ve forgotten you know?

What experiences hold wisdom you’ve never extracted?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Vault doors often require *two* keys, turned simultaneously, to open. Why? Such a practice furthers risk reduction and fraud prevention. Let’s make this a potent metaphor for you in 2026, Libra. It will symbolize cooperation and balance as well as an enhancement of your security. The treasures you’ll be trying to access will require dual input.

One key is yours: intellect, agility, charm,

initiative. The second must come from a collaborator, mentor, friend, an unexpected stranger, or even a spirit guide. Just assume that the vault won’t open through brilliance alone. It will require synchronization.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In December 1968, US astronaut Bill Anders was orbiting the moon inside the Apollo 8 spacecraft. He snapped a photo that showed the Earth as a blue-and-white sphere rising over the gray lunar surface against the blackness of space. This iconic image helped fuel the environmental movement and transformed how humans understood their home. You’re at a comparable pivot, Scorpio. In 2026, you will see familiar situations from new angles, and this will reorganize your understand about how life works. That’s a good thing! Be alert for watershed moments that bring revolutionary blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is made of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed when ancient lava cooled and contracted. Legend says a giant built it as a bridge to Scotland. Both stories are true, one geologically and the other mythologically. Your life in the coming months will remind you that multiple explanations can coexist without canceling each other. The scientific story of lava cooling doesn’t make the giant story less meaningful. The giant story doesn’t make the geology less accurate.

Conclusion: You don’t have to choose between competing narratives about your life as if only one can be true. What if both are? The practical explanation and mythic explanation describe the same phenomenon from different angles. You can be both the cooling lava and the giant building the bridge.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He intentionally didn’t patent his creation, but gave it away freely. Universal access mattered more to him than personal profit. That single decision in 1991 was a profound gift to the

world. Because he chose openness, billions benefited. In his generous spirit, dear Capricorn, let’s ask whether you’re keeping proprietary anything that would be better released into the commons. Are there ideas, knowledge, or resources you’re holding in reserve that could multiply through sharing? In 2026, I invite you to be like Berners-Lee: a magnanimous strategist who understands that some things gain value through distribution, not restriction. Your intelligence will almost certainly be worth more unleashed than protected. Your innovations will need the crowd to fulfill their purpose.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the myths of Mali’s Dogon people, Nommo is an amphibious, telepathic being who brought language, rhythm, and balance to Earth—and then departed. If things fall out of harmony, it’s believed, Nommo will return, speaking the lost syllables that realign the cosmos. You’re a bit like Nommo these days, Aquarius. Parts of your world may be in disarray, and your sacred task is to listen for the lost syllables. What’s missing in the dialogue? What notes aren’t being sung? If you seek gently and speak truly, restoration will follow.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves, but most games end in under 40. Chess masters don’t win by seeing every possibility. Instead, they recognize patterns and anticipate which paths are worth exploring. Let’s apply this as a useful metaphor, Pisces. In 2016, it’s crucial that you don’t waste energy by considering improbable scenarios that will never materialize.

You should be determined not to miss emerging themes because you’re too busy calculating unlikely variations. According to my prognosis, you don’t need to see further; you need to see more precisely and accurately. The chess master’s advantage isn’t exhaustive analysis; it’s knowing what to ignore. Ninety percent of your options don’t matter. Ten percent do.

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