Sports
Greg Horton
While the Oklahoma City Barons square off against the San Antonio Rampage in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, Barons team captain Bryan Helmer has proven to be a leader both on and off the ice.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
Even the most ardent wine lover can get a little weary of the “big four” on restaurant wine lists: Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
Farmers’ Almanac promises a mild summer, and we probably deserve it after last year. With warm weather here, it’s already time to hit the patios.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
Rosé can be a tough sale.

News
Greg Horton
John Shelby Spong
7 p.m. Friday
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua, Norman
normanucc.org
free

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
The word “flexitarian” probably first appeared in Dawn Jackson Blatner’s 2008 book, The Flexitarian Diet. The idea was simple: Substitute a few meals each week with vegetarian-only entrées. Among the happy side effects Blatner listed were improved heart health, weight loss and a healthier planet.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
Of the three main categories of booze — wine, beer and spirits —the former is by far the most difficult to produce organically, at least in the U.S. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s certification process, organic wines cannot contain added sulfites, which are chemicals added to wines to inoculate against bad bacteria.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
First, the bad news: According to a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, local honey does not alleviate seasonal allergies any more efficiently than placebos.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
The first Sunday of each month, Boulevard Steakhouse, 505 S. Boulevard in Edmond, offers customers access to Dinner Club, established in 1998 by Jimmy Stephney. Owner Pete Holloway said the idea is to offer guests a casual dinner with a set menu and hand-selected wine pairings.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
The list of winemakers at Lewis Cellars over the years reads like a who’s who of Napa: Joe Cafaro, Helen Turley, Paul Hobbs, Randy Lewis and Brian Mox. Their craftsmanship helped make Lewis one of the world’s most sought-after wines. The newest Lewis, Mason’s Cabernet, is now available in the metro.

News
Greg Horton
A touring group of LGBT activists, Equality Ride, is scheduled to visit Southern Nazarene University on Monday, part of what the group describes as a nationwide effort to visit schools that “openly discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals,” through university policies.

News
Greg Horton
After 79 years of educating Oklahoma students, Villa Teresa School will be closing on July 31. Administrators of the school, which is located in Midtown, cited issues that included financial concerns, dilapidated buildings and the age of the Carmelite nuns who run the school.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
Remember your mother or grandmother foraging for pokeweed to make poke salad? You might be surprised how many Oklahomans have foraged over the years. Some Native American tribes call it “wildcrafting”; it’s the practice of finding edible plants that grow wild in a given geographic area.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
The next best thing to learning how to play a musical instrument is drinking wine to help someone else learn to play. E & J Gallo Winery and William Hill Estate have partnered with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation to help restore and enhance music programs in local schools by donating $1 for every case of their wine sold throughout March and April.

Food and Drink Features
Greg Horton
The scale of the school is immediately impressive. Massive pillars and vaulted ceilings are made inviting by soft lines, curving hallways and earthtoned upholstery. Everything about it says excellence.