Cover Story
Cover: What we ate in ’68
In 1968, the biggest national restaurant news was the transition of a regional favorite into a coast-to-coast phenomenon as McDonald’s added the Big Mac to its permanent menu. In Oklahoma City, the restaurant scene was still dominated by cafeterias, but Mexican food began to establish a stronghold, and the city’s first true fine dining experience,…
HALLOWEEN: Goth style
On Oct. 8, a team of creative and enthusiastic designers, photographers, videographers, models, makeup and hair artists, wardrobe stylists and props masters descended on The Paramount OKC, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., all for the purpose of shooting an Oklahoma Gazette Halloween cover unlike any other in our history. It came at a momentous time; having…
Original print
Did you know that an Okie from Muskogee currently reigns as America’s premiere sly and comedic history writer? Or that a seminal novelist in neo-crime noir was born and bred in Anadarko up until his father fled his post as sheriff amid embezzlement charges? Such is the far-flung and colorful nature of an array of…
Bloody good
Slasher Friday Nov. 3 Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com 405-232-6500 $5-$25 In preparation for directing the horror-comedy play Slasher, director Terry Veal went on a rampage, ripping through episodes of a popular scary TV show on an online streaming service. “I’ve kind of gotten hooked on American Horror Story,” Veal said. “I’ve…
Help wanted
Since city manager Jim Couch announced his retirement on Sept. 17, Oklahoma City Council has addressed the issue of finding a replacement in each of its public meetings. The discussions could be done in private Ward 2 councilman Ed Shadid said. An opinion issued by Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Mike Hunter, however, suggests that all hiring…
Flowering minds
Imagine a high-tech camp where every aspect of the property is built to help young women engage with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and a new potential learning experience waits around every corner. There’s a rock wall in the cafeteria, a zip line and treehouses for stargazing. Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma plans to…
Shooting food
4U Café 400 S. Vermont Ave., Suite 110 405-947-4117 What works:The onions on the onion burger are nice and caramelized. What needs work:Chopped chicken led to inconsistent bites in the chicken salad. Tip:Order the onion rings over the french fries. Located inside H&H Shooting Sports with its 90,000 square feet and 61 shooting lanes —…
Court jester
Why Not?? Comedy Show 8 p.m. Oct. 26 Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. layups2standup.com 405-708-6937 $40-$1,000 Why Not?? Comedy Show returns to Oklahoma City for the third consecutive year Oct. 26, bringing along with it a lineup of celebrities and comedians alike. Hosted by Demetrius “Juice” Deason and his longtime friend, Oklahoma City’s favorite…
Book beginnings
Oklahoma Book Festival 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday OKC Boathouse District, 800 Riversport Drive okbookfest.org Free To paraphrase a famous utterance by Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, sometimes it would be nice to call up an author and talk about his or her book. The magic of reading,…
Pop stars
Time for Three’s Joy 7:30 p.m. Thursday Armstrong Auditorium 14400 S. Bryant Road, Edmond armstrongauditorium.org 405-285-1010 $23-$48 Time for Three has played Carnegie Hall, the Indy 500 and Dancing With the Stars since forming in 2001, but the trio just recently started singing. Newest member and violinist Charles Yang encouraged violinist Nicolas Kendall and double-bassist…
Chicken-Fried News: Free enterprise
For anyone who grew up taking field trips to Enterprise Square USA — the interactive museum designed to be a glorification of free enterprise in the face of evil communism at the height of the Cold War — on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University knows that the market dictates laissez-faire economics. The same market…
Sick boys
Social Distortion 8 p.m. Oct. 24 Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S. Eastern Ave. diamondballroom.com 405-677-9169 $32.50-$175 To call Social Distortion one of punk’s most influential groups would not be hyperbolic, considering lead singer Mike Ness’ songwriting helped usher in a wave of new sound just as the genre arrived in Southern California. Their music is still…
Burger boom
As regional director of operations in charge of new restaurant openings for Austin-based Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Damon Biggins has had a very busy 2018 as the gourmet burger purveyor continues its fast-paced expansion. Biggins helped open the Nichols Hills location at 1125 NW 63rd St. in June and returned for the new Chisholm Creek location,…
Gazedibles: Soup’s on
It might have taken until the middle of October for a chill to finally hit the air, but it’s here. There is no better way to warm your soul than with a bowl or cup of a tasty soup. Not to be confused with its cousin the stew or variants like pho or ramen, the…
Metal Country
Avatar 7:30 p.m. Friday Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S. Eastern Ave. diamondballroom.com 800-514-3849 $23 If metal were a country, Swedish band Avatar’s new album suggests, the boundaries would be hard to define and immigrants would always be welcome. “It’s time to open up the borders of Avatar Country,” said lead singer Johannes Eckerström about the band’s…
Wondrous production
Alice (in Wonderland) Oct. 26-28 Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. okcballet.org 405-848-8637 $15-$75 When the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon ask Alice to recount her adventures in Wonderland, she initially refuses. “But it’s no use going back to yesterday,” Alice protests, “because I was a different person then.” Oklahoma City Ballet performs…
Essential testing
Sexual assault advocates say the revelation that thousands of rape kits have been left untested in Oklahoma is serving as a catalyst for reform within a state that is finally joining a national movement towards justice for victims. Imagine being violently raped, left to pick yourself up off the ground and call the police.…
Chicken-Fried News: Stitt show
As grizzled veterans of election coverage, the Chicken-Fried News War Room analysts know that endorsements during political campaigns are hard-fought and sometimes make about as much sense as the last skit on any given Saturday Night Live episode. And last week, we were left scratching our heads so much we drew blood. You see, we…
Thunder eats
Chef Andrew Murin has worked in Chesapeake Energy Arena longer than the Thunder has been in Oklahoma City. During Murin’s 16 years of leading food services for the concourse-level concessions, he has seen the menu offerings change over time, with increased emphasis on Oklahoma influence and the use of local ingredients from within a 400-mile…
Hunting eggs
The Blind Rooms 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday The Lightwell Gallery OU School of Visual Arts 520 Parrington Oval, Norman ou.edu/finearts 405-325-2691 Free A cluster of 10 black, cushioned headphones hung at one end of the The Lightwell Gallery underneath a looming, multi-story abstract tapestry. On the other end of the gallery, a squat, top-hatted creature…
Midtown move
The liaison Thirty-six-year-old oil-and-gas business owner Nathaniel Harding does not deny his privilege. The son of an oil-and-gas tycoon, Harding learned early in life that there are things money can buy and things that can never be paid for. Money couldn’t, Harding learned, cure his mother, Margo, of a rare brain disease that took her…
