Cover Story
Celebrating cinema
A lot can change in 25 years. But deadCenter Film Festival’s commitment to bringing incredible films and the people who make them to Oklahoma City won’t. Since 2000, deadCenter has grown from a single-venue event to an ever-growing weekend packed full of cinematic experiences. This year’s fest is literally bigger than ever, as it showcases…
Capsized: Oklahoma Taxpayers Left Holding Canoo’s Dead Battery
Out of all the unusual, unbelievable, and ultimately unattainable ambitious Oklahoma business projects that have been announced over the past couple of years – from amusement parks to large giant skyscrapers to even larger giant skyscrapers – I think my favorite one was the effort by Stitt to lure the electric vehicle scheme Canoo to Oklahoma. Granted,…
Run, Ryan, Run
Oh, Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s fearless Superintendent of Public Instruction, you absolutely must run for governor in 2026! Your dazzling track record as the state’s top education official is a masterclass in leadership — or at least in how to keep headlines churning with chaos, controversy and a touch of Christian Nationalist flair. Why confine your…
Significant diversion
You hear this phrase a lot: break the cycle. It has become part of the lexicon, a phrase we toss around loosely in relation to a great many things. In doing so, we’ve made it commonplace, and its meaning has become muddled. What does it really mean to break the cycle? How does that work,…
Inevitable change
In Sam Anderson’s brilliant 2018 history of Oklahoma City, Boom Town, the New York-based writer offered some observations of OKC that at the time were very true, but 2012 — the year his assignment began — was the last year those things were true. “In the larger economy of American attention, Oklahoma City’s main job…
deadCENTER picks
As always, deadCenter Film Festival offers an embarrassment of cinematic riches. These are a few notables that look particularly interesting: Free Leonard Peltier 8 p.m. Friday, June 13 Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Noble Theater 415 Couch Drive 7 p.m. Sunday, June 15 Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 – Auditorium 15 150 E. Reno Ave.…
Oklahoma Trailblazer: Shannon Rich
Shannon Rich is the CEO and president of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Oklahoma City. After working in the hospitality sector, Rich joined the state’s Hall of Fame in 2004, which for nearly 100 years has honored exceptional Oklahomans and hosted various educational events and scholarship programs. Oklahoma Gazette: You were…
Oddly good
Jimmy B’s Culinary + Krafted 1225 N. Broadway Ave. jimmybsculinarykrafted.com 405-676-8250 What works: The hospitality, happy hour and patio are top-tier. What needs work: If you don’t order wisely, you can end up with a big bill, though not necessarily a full tummy. Tip: Make a reservation. The restaurant and patio can fill up quickly.…
Nature, nurtured
Discovering Ansel Adams Tuesdays-Sundays through Sept. 28 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive 405-236-3100 okcmoa.com Free-$19.95 Born in San Francisco in 1902, pioneering photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams remains one of the most important artists of our time. The groundbreaking exhibition Discovering Ansel Adams, at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive,…
deadCenter Pass Perks
deadCenter has partnered with local businesses across Oklahoma City to create Pass Perks. To unlock exclusive deals at participating locations, just present your physical pass. We rounded up all the food and drink pass perks; more deals are available by checking out deadcenterfilm.org. Abe’s 617 W. Sheridan Ave. instagram.com/abescampsite 405-265-5733 Acai bowls are buy one,…
Aloha Aurora
You can’t talk about the current Aurora without a trip down memory lane. When Social Deck + Dining opened in late 2018 in the low-slung building formerly occupied by Chae, it was an immediate hit. Those were heady days in Oklahoma City’s restaurant scene, and Social made a name for itself as both a neighborhood…
Pride on 9th
Celebrate Pride on one of OKC’s most colorful streets! Factory Obscura and its Ninth Street neighbors invite you for Pride-themed dancing, art, music and more! All are welcome. Events include a Pride Artist Market featuring more than 25 local artist vendors (7-10 p.m.), and Ninth Street turns into a dance club with outdoor performances by…
Joyful chorus
Mama Pearl’s Special Edition Pride Show Sun., June 15, 7 p.m. Mycelium Gallery 2816 N. Penn Ave. www.myceliumgallery.com $10 Sing along if you know this one, or even if you don’t. Mama Pearl’s Sing-Along Drag Show returns to Mycelium Gallery, 2816 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 7 p.m. Sunday June 15 for a Special Edition Pride Show.…
Crushing it
David Archuleta at Oklahoma Pridefest Fri., June 27, 7 p.m. Scissortail Park 300 SW Seventh St. okpridealliance.org/pridefest Free Last year, David Archuleta returned to the American Idol stage to perform “Hell Together,” a song inspired by his mother’s response to his coming out as queer. “You said, ‘If I have to live without you, I…
Summer Breeze
Summer Breeze Every other Sunday June 15 – August 24, 7:30 p.m. Lions Park 1800 Northcliff Ave normandepot.com/summer-breeze Free Except for the random days when a wrathful god seems to be dispensing storm-based-justice on our state for any number of justifiable reasons, summer evenings are an ideal time for outdoor music, and The Depot’s Summer…
Proudly owned
Elemental Coffee 815 N. Hudson Ave. elementalcoffee.com 405-633-1703 Elemental Coffee first began roasting coffee in OKC in 2008, and its Midtown cafe started serving breakfast, lunch and pastries in 2011. Satisfy your brunch craving with chilaquiles: house-made corn tortilla chips cooked in red chili sauce, fried egg, sour cream, onions, queso fresco and cilantro. A…
Reel PRIDE
Oklahoma is for everyone. And so is its largest film festival. For 25 years, deadCenter has exposed attendees to thousands of organic, touching stories that the average filmgoer may rarely — if ever — encounter. These movies often have the power to shape us, widen our lens and meaningfully consider the people who surround us. …
Proud city
By the time you read this, Pride will have been going strong in OKC for nigh on a fortnight and in the metro for more than a month thanks to Norman Pride in May. But whether you’re just getting started or getting your second (or third) wind, there are still plenty of loud and proud…
Still free
Juneteenth on the East Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21 NE 23rd St. between N. Hood Street and N. Kelham Avenue https://www.withloveokc.org/juneteenth Free Issued by President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation freed people enslaved in the Confederate States — on paper at least. In reality, news of emancipation only traveled as fast as…
Train derailed?
The Heartland Flyer, Oklahoma’s only passenger train service, is chugging toward its final stop, thanks to budget cuts in Texas. While the train, which connects Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, averages just a couple hundred passengers a day, ending the route will be a blow for a city that has been trying to increase rail…
Sponsored: Bison Coloring Contest
How to enter: 1. Color Spirit Buffalo and take a picture of the colorist with the buffalo and/or a picture of the colored Spirit Buffalo alone 2. Submit the image and complete the profile at okgazette.com 3. Share your image to collect votes Entries for contestants under the age of 18 must be submitted by…
Session showdown
The Oklahoma Legislative session adjourned sine die on May 30. Gov. Kevin Stitt celebrated the win for policy priorities set out in his February State of the State address, including: quarter point tax cut (lower than the half point desired), the establishment of business courts, elimination of virtual school days and a ban on phones…
Care crisis
Congress is eyeing over $880 billion in Medicaid budget cuts as part of President Trump’s grand budget and tax plan. Apparently, making America great again includes making rural hospitals poor again. The loss of these funds could be devastating for some rural hospitals in Oklahoma, where roughly 1 million Oklahomans rely on Medicaid (SoonerCare). “For…
Parents opt out
State Supt. Ryan Walters has long championed more parental choice in Oklahoma schools. Well, he’s finally getting his wish! It turns out many parents are opting their children out of social studies lessons that would teach skepticism about the 2020 presidential election results. Walters, who slyly snuck “conspiracy theory 101” into the state’s curriculum, has…
Housing hit
Democrats rarely manage to pass a bill these days, but Oklahoma City Democrat Sen. Julia Kirt nearly pulled off a miracle by securing bipartisan support for Senate Bill 128. This bill would’ve extended eviction wait times, giving renters a much-needed breather. Despite getting a thumbs-up from the Oklahoma Legislature, a feat in itself, Gov. Kevin…
