Back-to-School Edition 2009
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SUMMER’S BEST MUSIC »
Dusty Somers, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051
OUDAILY.COM
Take a look back with The Daily at the best albums of summer, including Grizzly Bear’s “Veckatimest.” Page 6C
ELIZABETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY
Park dwellers swim and relax at Lake Thunderbird State Park in east Norman. Lake Thunderbird is one of many Norman spots people can go for outdoor entertainment.
Head out into Norman’s great outdoors MEGAN MORGAN The Oklahoma Daily
As the summer comes to a close and school starts up again, you can still recapture the adventurous spirit of summer by heading outdoors. Norman offers several different locations and many activities for those looking to postpone the fall semester, if only mentally. Sutton Wilderness, tucked away in east Norman off 12th Street, is a park that has something for everyone. Sutton has with beautiful wooded trails for hikers, as well as a small lake and a few ponds perfect for fishers. The many different trails connect to each other frequently, which makes it possible for hikers or adventurous walkers to see something new during almost every visit. Smaller trails branch off of larger ones, which can be explored by bicyclists or dog-walkers or those out for a quiet hike. And those who enjoy Sutton should check out Lake Thunderbird State Park. Larger than Sutton but quite a bit further away from campus, this park offers similar activities (biking, hiking, fishing) but on a much bigger scale. But in addition, there are also camping sites available and horseback riding at the Thunderbird Riding Stables. For $20, you can ride around the site’s trails at your own pace. Near Lake Thunderbird is the Little River Zoo, a non-profit
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Ducks and geese swim at the duck pond on Lindsey Street. organization that is home to more than 400 animals, including kangaroos, lemurs and lynxes. Many of the animals at this zoo have been rescued. Little River Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and adult tickets cost $7. But there is also plenty to do outside close to campus. The OU duck pond, located right off Lindsey, has been a favorite place for students for generations. If you bring a picnic,
though, be on your guard – some of the geese are huge and if they sense bread, they will usually want it for themselves. Other parks in Norman include Andrews Park, home a skate park and basketball courts among other amenities, and Reeves Park, which has a large wooden playground and a lot of open space. Geocaching is a popular outdoor activity that involves a GPS receiver and is a lot like a worldwide treasure hunt. With the GPS, participants find coordinates where a geocache box is located. Inside the box, there are small trinkets that the finder can keep and there is a log that the finder can sign. Usually the finder puts new things in the box and puts it back or hides it in a new place and logs the coordinates. To geocache, check out www.geochaching.com. Norman also has both varieties of golf. Disc golf courses are located at NE Lions Park and at Colonial Estates Park and the Jimmy Austin golf course offers a lower price to students. After all this activity, however, a little cooling off may be required. The OU outdoor pool is located south of the Huston Huffman Center and is free with your student ID during the school year. To use it for free before school starts, however, you must be enrolled in summer school. Westwood Pool and Water Park, 2400 Westport Drive, costs between $3-$6 depending on when you go, but this pool includes water slides and a sand volleyball court.
CAMPUS EVENTS HELP WELCOME FRESHMEN TO OU MEGAN MORGAN The Oklahoma Daily
The Campus Activities Council is welcoming returning students and freshman with a big, hearty howdy. The first week of the fall semester is Howdy Week, an annual series of events hosted by the CAC. CAC President Kely van Eaton said that Howdy Week is one of two major events that the CAC organizes during the first few weeks of the school year. “Howdy Week, which happens all week long, is CAC's premier event meant to welcome all students to campus with some fun programming and free food,” van Eaton said. Van Eaton said that this year’s theme for Howdy Week is “Best Week Ever.” During this time of the year, freshmen are given many chances to meet lots of new people., he said “This is the best thing about the first few weeks of school,” van Eaton said. “[Freshmen] get an exciting look into campus activities and all the things they can get involved with over the next few years.” Van Eaton said that he hopes the CAC events will help freshmen ease into their new environment. “With a mixture of all the free food and events campuswide, we hope to provide loads of opportunities for them to make friends and become accustomed to life at OU,” van Eaton said. In addition to Howdy Week, the Big Red Rally is another CAC-planned event that takes place during the first few weeks of school. Scheduled for Sept.11, Big Red is the first pep rally of the semester. The event is traditionally attended by the OU spirit squads and the OU marching band, The Pride. Football head coach Bob Stoops has been in attendance in these past pep rallies. Jake Elliot, CAC member and Big Red Rally chairman, said he hopes that the Big Red Rally crowd and participants will come out in even larger numbers than in the past. “This year we are hoping to continue to expand upon the success of last year's rally and increase the attendance even
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A student gets a wax mold of her hand made in the Union during Howdy Week’s “Nite at the Union” in August 2008. The event also included free food, a casino night and a free showing of the movie “Iron Man.” further,” Elliot said. The Big Red Rally is an event not just for freshman and students, he said. “We hope to create an event that everyone — including students, staff, faculty, alumni and families from the surrounding communities — will enjoy,” Elliot said. Van Eaton said that with these two events, the CAC has several goals. “Our goals as the Campus Activities Council are two-fold the first week of school,” he said. “Of course we want to throw
some great events and excite everyone to be back to campus, but we also want to make a great impression on the students who will want to get involved in CAC and carry on the torch for years to come.” Students can find other opportunities and events, such as the free movies shown in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium on Friday nights, by keeping an eye out for “This Week at Your University” emails and by checking posters around campus, as well as listings in The Daily’s campus calendar.r.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Check out a preview of some of the films hitting theaters this fall, including “Where here the Wild Things gs Are.” PAGE 6C
Now’s the time to start getting excited about concerts happening this fall around the state, including U2 coming to Norman in October. PAGE 7C
MUSIC
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FOODD »
Hungry? Norman has plenty ty of restaurants to choose from, andd The Daily is here too guide you through your culinary options. ions. PAGE 8CC