April 2019 (Vol. 33, No. 4)

CHERRY BOMB WHERE TO DINE

EXPLORE A FOODIE’S PLAYGROUND AND EXPERIENCE AN INCREDIBLE RANGE OF EPICUREAN DELIGHTS ALL WITHIN THE ENCHANTING BLOCKS OF THE CHERRY STREET DISTRICT

W H AT TO D O

WHERE TO FIND IT

WHEN IT’S HAPPENING

APRIL 2019

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

HOW REFRESHING BEING OUTDOORS IS FUN, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT’S GOOD FOR THE BRAIN

ELEVEN ALLERGY STRATEGIES THAT BRING RELIEF

BLACK GOLD

COMPOST YOUR WAY TO A RICH, THRIVING GARDEN

of the Spring is the season when nature bursts back into life in an explosion of sight, sound and color.

What better invitation to get out than the Azalea Festival.

GLADYS KNIGHT WALK OFF THE EARTH THE DOOBIE BROTHERS WAITRESS A BETTER WAY SECRET GARDENS CANDLE COMPANY MCNELLIE’S PUBLIC HOUSE YOKOZUNA FARRELL BREAD

PREVIEW918.COM

J U S T V I S I T I N G ? L I V I N G LO C A L? W E ’ V E G OT YO U C OV E R E D.

M FROM THE MAYOR As mayor of Tulsa, it is my honor to welcome you to our great city. Whether you’re visiting, or have deep roots here, I invite you to take time to explore our beautiful city and discover all the things that set us apart from other cities.

Tough bike racing, the Tulsa Run, the Route 66 Marathon and the NCAA basketball tournament. The Tulsa area offers more than 80 miles of pedestrian and bicycle trails for a great way to see Tulsa.

I highly recommend Preview 918 as your go-to guide to navigate our incredible city.

For more than 30 years, Preview has covered the 918, offering Tulsans and visitors alike the inside scoop to area restaurants and cafés, lodging, local attractions and events, world-class entertainment venues, tourist destinations, and unique shopping venues that are bound to please and delight.

Our city is home to the world’s greatest collection of western art at the Gilcrease Museum as well as Italian Renaissance displays at the Philbrook Museum. It’s a treasure trove for lovers of architecture from mid-century modern housing to the downtown Art Deco District and our iconic BOK Center, designed by the internationally acclaimed architect César Pelli.

Tulsa is also a city on the move. In 2018, we opened the Gathering Place. The Gathering Place is a world class riverfront park designed to welcome all to a vibrant and inclusive public space that engages, educates and excites.

I’m pleased so many of you have made your home in Tulsa. If you’re visiting our city, please enjoy your stay here. I also want to invite you to come back often to experience opportunities you won’t find anywhere else.

In the meantime, you can find out more about Tulsa by visiting cityoftulsa.‌org.

Sports spectators can look to the University of Tulsa or Oral Roberts University athletic programs, Tulsa Oiler hockey games, and Tulsa Roughnecks soccer. Or time a visit to coincide with special events, such as Tulsa

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | DIRECTOR OF BRAND AND STRATEGY Chris Greer chrisg@previewgreencountry.com MANAGING EDITOR | SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Michele Chiappetta michele@previewgreencountry.com CREATIVE TEAM Jared Hood jared@previewgreencountry.com Beth Rose beth@previewgreencountry.com

4 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

PREVIEW918.COM

For over 30 years, Preview 918 magazine has been the best resource for discovering Tulsa, Green Country and locating the perfect place to eat, visit, shop and be entertained, whether you are here on business or just enjoying a few days away from the grind. Located in the heart of Oklahoma, Tulsa is a year-round destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, scenic views, hikes and adventure. The rich history of Tulsa and its surrounding areas is reflected in the diversity of its museums, landmarks, history, wildlife, attractions, fine dining and friendly locals. In Tulsa, situated on the Arkansas River at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, enjoy a performance or sporting event at the BOK Center, fish in one of the area’s many lakes, check out the sharks in the state’s only freestanding aquarium, explore any of the lush parks or break out the clubs and tackle any of the 16 public golf courses. Considered by many to be the cultural and arts center of Oklahoma, Tulsa offers full-time professional opera and ballet companies and one of the nation’s largest concentrations of art deco architecture. Regardless of your personal tastes or budget, Tulsa offers a down-home, yet cultured experience for all ages.

In over 100 area Hotels and Motels

Preview 918 is proudly displayed in the rooms, lobbies and/or front desks of over 100 hotels and motels in the Tulsa and surrounding Green Country communities. Copies are also available at hundreds of other locations including Oklahoma travel information centers, Tulsa International Airport visitor displays, Expo Square, office complexes, hospitals, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and in over 200 area restaurants. You can also find Preview 918 at participating QuikTrip, Reasor’s, CVS Pharmacies and Panera Bread locations as well as in Preview 918 yellow boxes throughout the Tulsa area.

For a night on the town, Tulsa serves up family entertainment at the Guthrie Green and Tulsa Drillers baseball at ONEOK Field.

The Tulsa Performing Arts Center attracts Broadway musicals, renowned musicians and excellent local theater productions, and is home to the Tulsa Ballet.

FACEBOOK.COM/PREVIEW918

VOL. 33, NO. 4

Best regards, G.T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa

Tulsa’s unique entertainment and shopping districts provide enjoyable experiences for the entire family. From an art crawl in the Tulsa Arts District, to a concert at the historic Cain’s Ballroom, to a trip to the Tulsa Zoo or a leisurely drive along Route 66 — there’s no end to what you can experience here.

LIKE US!

PREV EW

FOLLOW US! PREVIEW918

G.T. Bynum

FOLLOW US!

@PREVIEWTULSA

MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Marc Rains marc@previewgreencountry.com

FIELD OPERATIONS MANAGER Stephen Hurt stephen@previewgreencountry.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Elizabeth Wollmershauser

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Ann Murphy ann@previewgreencountry.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chris Greer, Michele Chiappetta, Tiffany Duncan, Donna Leahey, Rob Harmon, G.K. Hizer, Gina Conroy, Lindsay Morris, John Tranchina, Lindsey Mills, Jennifer Zehnder, Sarah Herrera, TravelOK.com

ROUTE DISTRIBUTION Rachel Blanchard, Cory Blanchard, Garrett Rinner SENIOR CONSULTANT Randy Dietzel PUBLISHERS Robert and Amy Rinner robert@previewgreencountry.com

READ US!

WWW.ISSUU.COM/PREVIEWMAGAZINETULSA Local advertising and business inquiries: 918-745-1190. Copyright 2019

by Preview 918. Preview 918 is an affiliated publication produced by Fore Today Media Group. All rights reserved. Preview 918 is published 12 times a year. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Preview 918 ’s right to edit. While Preview 918 makes every reasonable effort to provide accurate and errorless information, it can’t be responsible for the consequences of any erratum or inadvertence.

Preview 918 claims no credit for any images published in this issue unless otherwise noted. Images are copyright to their respective owners.

The workouts, exercises and advice provided in Preview 918 and preview918.com are for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Consult a physician before performing any exercise program.

Preview 918, 10026-A S. Mingo, Suite 322, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133 preview918.com info@previewgreencountry.com © Fore Today Publications LLC

Modern diner with all-day breakfast, weekend brunch, and late-night food.

402 E. 2nd St. (918) 938-6382 dillydiner.com

German-inspired beer hall with house-made sausages and a huge beer garden.

304 S. Elgin Ave. (918) 576-7898 fasslerhall.com

Eight-lane bowling alley with full-service bar and food.

Irish-style pub with great food and Tulsa’s biggest beer selection.

211 S. Elgin Ave. (918) 430-3901 dustbowllounge.com

409 E. 1st St. | (918) 382-7468 7031 S. Zurich Ave. | (918) 933-5250 mcnellies.com See our feature on page 82

Sports bar and pizzeria with an on-site brewery.

Upscale cuisine, great wines, and craft cocktails in a relaxed setting.

325 E. M.B. Brady St. (918) 986-9910 elginparkbrewery.com

201 N. Main St. (918) 949-9801 taverntulsa.com

Classic Tex-Mex favorites plus downtown’s only rooftop patio.

Sushi, noodles, cocktails, and happiness.

332 E. 1st St. | (918) 382-7482 8161 S. Harvard Ave. | (918) 728-7482 elguaposcantina.com

309 E. 2nd St. | (918) 508-7676 9146 S. Yale | (918) 619-6271 yokozunasushi.com See our feature on page 86

mcnelliesgroup.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS APRIL 2019

C ON THE COVER

F FEATURES

68

24 POWERFUL PAIRINGS

Many music fans have dreamed of sitting down with their favorite artist to share a conversation, a drink, and maybe even a song or two. Vox Pop is making that dream a reality.

26 PIE HOPES

Waitress serves up laughs and heartbreak as Jenna, a pie-maker extraordinaire, longs for a life away from her diner job, small town and loveless marriage.

36 SPRING FEVER

Open all year, Honor Heights Park really shines in the spring when colors burst forth and vibrantly paint the area thanks in large part to the 30,000 blooming flowers that are a part of the Azalea Festival.

76 CHERRY BOMB

Some of Tulsa’s best restaurants and bars are found in the Cherry Street District. Come explore a foodie’s playground and experience an incredible range of epicurean delights all within a few enchanting blocks.

28 HIGH-ROLLER HANGOUTS

Complete with a vintage Las Vegas lounge vibe that feels both retro and modern, the Grottos at Osage Casino Hotel are perfect for meetings, gatherings, parties and corporate brainstorming.

30 TALK DIRTY TO ME

After the long, dark, winter months, spring is literally a breath of fresh air. And as the days get longer, the nights get shorter, and it starts to feel warmer, nature responds in a big way. Step outside and be rewarded with a crescendo of bird song, a display of flowers bursting into colorful life and the welcome sight of animals not seen since last year. This month we’ve compiled plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy the season including the annual Azalea Festival in Muskogee. What are you waiting for?

22

From grocery store to fridge or farm to fork — however you source your meals, it’s likely food waste piles up along the way.

Composting is a great solution for these scraps and spoils, and for home gardeners, the process creates a rich fertilizer.

Spring means flower buds and blooming trees — and if you’re one of the millions of people who have seasonal allergies, it also means sneezing, congestion, and other bothersome symptoms. Try these strategies to keep seasonal allergies under control.

26

From classic to cutting edge, Yokozuna delivers the triumphs of Japanese fusion cuisine through a lineup that spans nearly every preference while also embodying the vibrant culture that is downtown Tulsa.

90 FLOUR POWER

The partnership between Farrell Bread and the JTR Group gives people even more reason to break their keto diet to enjoy some amazingly good, floury carbs.

D DEPARTMENTS

76

8 $91.80 in 48 Challenge 10 Music + Concerts +

COVER CREDIT Photographer: Marc Rains Model: Skye McCorkell Venue: Honor Heights Park | Muskogee

44 Sports Central

68 Eats + Treats

47 Sports Schedule

70 Restaurant + Bar Finder

49 Downtown Locator

72 Failed It or Nailed It

12 Happenings

50 Tulsa Locator

74 Food for Thought

14 Street Talk

56 Style + Shopping

90 Masters of Flavor

16 Conversation Starter

60 Health + Fitness

92 Get to Know

24 Sound Check

64 Launch Pad

94 Shelf Life

40 Homegrown Heroes

66 Taken with Tulsa

96 Showtime

Comedy

56

6 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

86 WRESTLING WITH GREATNESS

34 NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

18

16

82 LOVE AT FIRST PINT James E. McNellie’s Public House wants you to feel at home when you’re there. Whether it’s the welcoming ambience, the great service, over 350 beers or the pub grub, McNellie’s strives to make you comfortable and relaxed.

The only catch was that they had to spend it at places, events or shops profiled in the March 2019 issue of Preview 918.

918 $91.80 IN 48 CHALLENGE The mission posed to Giovi Perez and Steve Cluck was to spend $91.80 (we used the local area code for the amount) in two days. And if they could find fun and free activities … bonus.

SO, PROVIDING AN ENVELOPE OF CASH AND TELLING PEOPLE TO SPEND IT IN 48 HOURS ISN’T EXACTLY A CHALLENGE, BUT IT MAKES THIS ASSIGNMENT SOUND A LOT MORE INTERESTING.

We are two friends united by our love of vegan dishes, Star Wars, chihuahuas, and unicorns. We are kids at heart.

Supporting local is super fun because Tulsa is home to some of the coolest shops and restaurants. Tulsans are some of the most compassionate, creative, and friendly people, and that is why we love Tulsa. Don’t hate the 918.

STOP #1

For several months we have traveled far and wide throughout Tulsa, devouring vegan dishes and documenting our experiences on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Of all of the food we have sampled, one of our favorite restaurants is The Tropical. If you like your food hot and spicy, The Tropical can hook you up.

COST: $14

STOP #2

Playing games is essential to us, so we went to Dave & Buster’s. Our knack for Angry Birds allowed us to rack up several tickets and win prizes. Most exhilarating of all was our game of Mario Kart, where Donkey Kong just narrowly beat Princess Peach in a photo finish. Dave & Buster’s is a great place to have fun for kids of all ages.

COST: $15

STOP #3

We went to The Boxyard to enjoy all of the locally-owned shops and the scenic downtown views. Modern Mess had several cute outfits and accessories, including ‘90s throwbacks that Gwen Stefani would love. Okie Dokie had clever stickers and greeting cards. Rose Rock Microcreamery had the most amazing, life-changing, vegan ice cream. We got the vegan chocolate and vegan cinnamon flavors.

COST: $8

STOP #4

After indulging in ice cream, we went to Roof Sixty-Six Bar at the Hotel Indigo.

We had the Roof Sixty-Six Saison and a glass of rosé. Hotel Indigo is a wonderful new addition to Tulsa’s Blue Dome District. The bartenders are always friendly and knowledgeable.

There is an incredible view from the rooftop, where you can see downtown. It is exciting to see downtown flourishing and full of life. Roof Sixty-Six Bar is a magical space to meet up with friends and enjoy a breathtakingly beautiful view of Tulsa.

COST: $20

STOP #6

STOP #5

The EXPERIENCE is an interactive and fantastical art environment on the second floor of ahha Tulsa. Just as Alice fell down the rabbit hole, you can explore a place full of wonderment and curiosity. If you ever want to show out-of-towners how progressive and hip Tulsa has become, take them directly to The EXPERIENCE. It is a jewel in the center of the Tulsa Arts District. And did we mention there are My Little Pony dolls?

COST: $22

Go back in time when you visit The Max Retropub. This bar boasts a mixture of retro arcade games from the ‘80s and ‘90s along with swanky new pinball machines. Be prepared to invest bucket loads of tokens into games such as Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, Street Fighter II, and Pac-Man. Perhaps best of all, you can challenge your friends to games of skee-ball. We can never play enough games.

COST: $13 PLUS LOADS OF GAME TOKENS

THINK YOU CAN BLOW OUR CASH IN INTERESTING WAYS? 8 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

Like us on Facebook and drop a message with some of your ideas.

We might just lace your pockets with green and turn you loose.

STOP #7

The smiling employees at Ida Red Boutique are always happy to help you pick out just the right gift. Ida Red is the one-stop shop for tons of Tulsa-themed merchandise. There, you can get one of the worldfamous I Heart Tulsa and Don’t Hate the 918 T-shirts for kids and adults. If that is not sweet enough, they also have candy, soda, and lots of unicorn stuff.

PREVIEW918.COM 9

H HAPPENINGS APRIL LIVE MUSIC VENUES 5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE BAR | RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT

8330 Riverside Parkway | Tulsa

BLACKBIRD ON PEARL

MUSIC+CONCERTS+COMEDY

1336 E. 6th St. | Tulsa

BOK CENTER

200 S. Denver Ave. | Tulsa

BRADY THEATER

105 W. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa

CAIN’S BALLROOM

423 N. Main St. | Tulsa

2

RUSKO

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

CROW CREEK TAVERN

3

DOG IRON SALOON | CHEROKEE CASINO

Brady Theater | Tulsa

GUTHRIE GREEN

111 E. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa

3-6

IDL BALLROOM

The Loony Bin | Tulsa

3534 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 20900 S. 4200 Road | Claremore

230 E. 1st St. | Tulsa

INNER CIRCLE VODKA BAR 410 N. Main St. | Tulsa

JIMMY BUFFETT’S MARGARITAVILLE | RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT 8330 Riverside Pkwy. | Tulsa

MERCURY LOUNGE

1747 S. Boston Ave. | Tulsa

OKLAHOMA JAZZ HALL OF FAME 5 S. Boston Ave. | Tulsa

PARADISE COVE | RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT

8330 Riverside Pkwy. | Tulsa

PEORIA SHOWPLACE | BUFFALO RUN CASINO & RESORT

1000 Buffalo Run Blvd. | Miami

RABBIT HOLE

116 S. Elgin Ave. | Tulsa

REDS

325 E. 2nd St. | Tulsa

RIFFS | HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 W. Cherokee St. | Catoosa

SKYLINE EVENT CENTER | OSAGE CASINO HOTEL

MR. SHOWTIME

4

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

THE BEACH BOYS

The Joint: Tulsa | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa | Catoosa

5

BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2019

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

7

9

STS9

10-13

THE COLONY

2809 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa

THE FUR SHOP

17-20 BELLAMY BROTHERS

Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort | Tulsa

CRAYONS IMPROV COMEDY SHOW

222 N. Main St. | Tulsa

TRACK 5 | HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 W. Cherokee St. | Catoosa

WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER

102 E. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa

10 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

The Loony Bin | Tulsa

25

THEPIANOGUYS

Brady Theater | Tulsa

18

Track 5. | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa | Catoosa

WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER 6TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

FOREIGNER

Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort | Tulsa

MIKE RYAN

19

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

13

ERIK KNOWLES

The Loony Bin | Tulsa

BELL BIV DEVOE

Skyline Event Center | Osage Casino Hotel | Tulsa

SODOWN

IDL Ballroom | Tulsa

MELISSA ETHERIDGE

The Joint: Tulsa | Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa | Catoosa

Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort | Tulsa

SAN HOLO

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort | Tulsa

KESHA

Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort | Tulsa

CARTER SAMPSON

Brady Theater | Tulsa

The Joint: Tulsa | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa | Catoosa

The Joint: Tulsa | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa | Catoosa

HIPPO CAMPUS

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

DESERT DWELLERS

IDL Ballroom | Tulsa

28

CARPE DIEM STRING QUARTET

20 DIANA ROSS

27

MICHAEL CARBONARO

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

ROBIN TROWER GLADYS KNIGHT

Woody Guthrie Center | Tulsa

26

Soul City | Tulsa

11

CODY CANADA AND THE DEPARTED

26-28

Heritage United Methodist Church | Broken Arrow

224 N. Main St. | Tulsa

THE VANGUARD

DANTE

BOK Center | Tulsa

THE HUNT CLUB

777 W. Cherokee St. | Catoosa

The Loony Bin | Tulsa

24-27

SNOOP DOGG

520 E. 3rd St. | Tulsa

THE JOINT | HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

JAMES ERVIN BERRY

Soul City | Tulsa

12

Brady Theater | Tulsa

SOUL CITY

409 N. Main St. | Tulsa

JOHN MCCUTCHEON

JOHN FULLBRIGHT

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

SOUNDPONY

14

Woody Guthrie Center | Tulsa

HOZIER

951 W. 36th St. N. | Tulsa 1621 E. 11th St. | Tulsa

11

WALK OFF THE EARTH

Skyline Event Center | Osage Casino Hotel | Tulsa

30

LEON BRIDGES

Brady Theater | Tulsa

THURSDAY

05.02

WEDNESDAY

05.08

SATURDAY

05.11

STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES

8PM

THURSDAY

ALANIS MORISSETTE

8PM

05.09

CHICKS WITH HITS

8PM

05.18

SATURDAY

SATURDAY NITRO 05.25 COMEDY TOUR 8PM

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP SCAN TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Schedule subject to change.

FRIDAY

05.03 ROBERT CRAY 8PM

JONNY LANG

8PM

GOOD CHARLOTTE

8PM

H HAPPENINGS EVERYWHERE

1

April Fool’s Day

ALSO IN APRIL 1-7

5-6

Living Arts of Tulsa | Tulsa

Tulsa Garden Center Mansion | Tulsa

NEW GENRE FESTIVAL

1-21

TULSA BOTANIC BLOOMS Tulsa Botanic Garden | Tulsa

SPRINGFEST

5-14

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Broken Arrow Community Playhouse | Broken Arrow

6 15

Tax Day

AZALEA FESTIVAL

8-13

SYMPOSIUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN Northeastern State University | Tahlequah

HERBAL AFFAIR AND FESTIVAL

Triangle Park | Sand Springs

16-21

10

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

THE WEDDING SINGER

Palm Sunday

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

FRANK ABAGNALE

1-30 14

RACHMANINOFF’S SYMPHONIC DANCES

AQUARIUM RUN

Oklahoma Aquarium | Jenks

11-13

KENDALL WHITTIER ART FESTIVAL

Kendall Whittier District | Tulsa

11-14

TULSA LITFEST

Various locations | Tulsa

12

WAITRESS

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

18

MASTER GARDENERS PLANT SALE Expo Square | Tulsa

Honor Heights Park | Muskogee

18-19

4-7

INDUSTRIAL AND TOOL SHOW Expo Square | Tulsa

20 19

Good Friday

AMERICAN DREAMS

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

5

TULSA’S BEST STORYTELLER FINALS

THE COLOR RUN

River West Festival Park | Tulsa

6-7

WANENMACHER’S TULSA ARMS SHOW Expo Square | Tulsa

6-MAY 5

SARAH PARCAK

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

ORANGEFEST

Downtown Okmulgee

12-13

CHILI AND BBQ COOK-OFF Muskogee Civic Center | Muskogee

21

Easter

TULSA ROOTS GLOBAL BASH

Guthrie Green | Tulsa

FIRST FRIDAY ART CRAWL Tulsa Arts District | Tulsa

12 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

TRAIL OF TEARS ART SHOW

Cherokee Heritage Center | Tahlequah

13

TRIAL BY JURY

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

EASTER IN THE PARK

Tenkiller State Park | Vian

TULSA HEART WALK ONEOK Field | Tulsa

22-28

SIXTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Woody Guthrie Center | Tulsa

23-28

BARE BONES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Roxy Theater and various venues | Muskogee

HAPPENINGS H 24

See our feature on page 26

WOODY GUTHRIE: THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH

FLOWER POWER BIKE RIDE

25-27

THE 17TH ANNUAL ‘80S PROM

Woody Guthrie Center | Tulsa

WOOLY WEEKEND

Shepherd’s Cross | Claremore

25-28 ROUTE 66

Coleman Theatre | Miami

26-27

TWISTER DAYS

Downtown Morris

RED FERN FESTIVAL Downtown Tahlequah

GREEN COUNTRY CLASSIC RANCH RODEO AND TRADE SHOW Claremore Expo Square | Claremore

ROY CLARK MEMORIAL CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO Osage County Fairgrounds | Pawhuska

26-28

Three Forks Harbor | Fort Gibson

Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa

PARTY IN THE PARK

Honor Heights Park | Muskogee

PARKSIDE’S BY YOUR SIDE 5K AND FUN RUN Mohawk Park | Tulsa

SMOKE & GUNS VI BOK Center | Tulsa

PHILBROOK WINE EXPERIENCE

Philbrook Museum of Art | Tulsa

MURAL FEST 66 Downtown Miami

27-28

OKLAHOMA GUN SHOW Expo Square | Tulsa

27-JUNE 2

TULSA BALLET: NEXT GENERATION

1212 E. 45th Place | Tulsa

SPRING HOME & OUTDOOR LIVING EXPO Expo Square | Tulsa

27

OKLAHOMA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL The Castle of Muskogee | Muskogee

TULSA BALLET: MEGHADOOTAM

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

28-MAY 5 SASSY MAMAS

Tulsa Performing Arts Center | Tulsa

PREVIEW918.COM 13

ST STREET TALK

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? Be yourself, everybody else is already taken. (Oscar Wilde)

Lily Don’t let a win get to your head or a loss to your heart.

(Chuck D)

Chris Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

(Mark Twain)

Carla The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool. (Lester Bangs)

Tuesday Some days you feel so discouraged you want to cry.

Go ahead and cry. Rend your garments and wail to the heavens like some biblical mourner. Get it all out. (Rachel Hollis, Girl, Wash Your Face)

Heather Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.

(Robert Frost)

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others, and if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. — (Dalai Lama)

Sarah S. Nothing will work unless you do. (Maya Angelou)

Nephele The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. (Carl F. H. Henry)

Ronnie

Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things will always work out.

(Gordon B. Hinckley)

Ryan

Maren

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. (Zig Ziglar)

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen.

Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. (C.S. Lewis)

Patricia You cannot exploit women in one country to empower them in another.

Kara

Sara S 14 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

Ann The rooster may crow, but the hen delivers the goods.

Olivia

I shall not accept defeat by the means of my own hands.

Shanda

Aaron I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. (Maya Angelou)

Dee

I’m going to build a great big beautiful wall, and Mexico’s going to pay for it. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.

Kevin Contentment ends where comparison begins. (Craig Groeschel, Life.Church pastor)

What we do for a living does not define us. What defines us is how well we rise after falling.

I have great insight. I’d use it on myself only I don’t have any problems.

Lindsey

WANT TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION? We’ll post a question on our Facebook each month. Give us an answer and photo, and you might end up in our magazine.

PREVIEW918.COM 15

GLADYSKNIGHT

CS CONVERSATION STARTER

VERY FEW SINGERS OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS HAVE MATCHED GLADYS KNIGHT’S UNASSAILABLE ARTISTRY.

BY G.K. HIZER

16 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

CONVERSATION STARTER CS and opening the segment with a moving rendition of “Amazing Grace” in honor of the beloved soul icon.

When asked by the media about the tribute just after Franklin’s passing, Knight shared, “I am so very honored to have known her since we were both little girls. The fact that her music has been so pure over these years — she touched everybody with her music simply because she chose it with her heart; she didn’t choose anything she didn’t believe. I’m the same way in the industry, so we had those things in common as well. She deserves this recognition, this tribute, and all of these things for being around for this long.”

GLADYS KNIGHT

The Joint: Tulsa | Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa 777 W. Cherokee St. | Catoosa 918-384-ROCK (x7625) hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Knight also led the tribute to her friend and peer, Franklin, at the 2018 American Music Awards, reaching back to her gospel roots

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Over the years, however, Knight hasn’t slowed down. She has released two solo albums in the last six years, as well as her first dance track in over 20 years (“Just a Little”), and has another album in the works. Knight has also stayed in the spotlight with television appearances including the 2012 season of Dancing with the Stars, an unexpected turn as Bee in this year’s The Masked Singer (coming in as runner-up to surprise winner T-Pain), and performing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl LIII.

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What some people may not realize is how young Knight was when she first tasted success.

She initially won Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour in 1952 at the age of 7. That same year, she formed the original incarnation of The Pips with brother Merald, sister Brenda, and cousins William and Eleanor Guest. By 1960, Brenda and Eleanor were replaced by cousin Edward Patten and his friend Langston George and the group recorded its first single, “Every Beat of My Heart” in 1961. By 1962, Gladys Knight and the Pips had their first record deal and released an album.

Fast forward to 2019 and you can be sure that 7-year-old girl never imagined she’d be dubbed the Empress of Soul and have a career that included over 38 albums, international touring, acting roles on film and television, two books, and even a celebrated run on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café.

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Say what you want, but the breadth of Gladys Knight’s career is undeniable. Some may argue that she has been overshadowed by names like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross. She boasts a resume that includes 13 No. 1 singles, six No. 1 albums, and seven Grammy Awards, as well as forays into acting and writing, cementing Knight’s place as a legendary performer.

Although the Pips have long been retired and honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, you can be sure that Knight will delve into the group’s catalog of hits when she arrives April 11 in Tulsa for a show at The Joint: Tulsa. Pips staples like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “If I Were Your Woman” are sure to stand next to Grammy-winning singles “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” and signature track “Midnight Train to Georgia.” You can also expect a visit to the ‘80s with one of the Pips’ last big hits, “Love Overboard,” and a rendition of the No. 1 hit that Knight shared with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick on “That’s What Friends Are For” (1985).

April 11: 8 p.m.

Must be 21 or older to attend

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BY DONNA LEAHEY

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS HAVE BEEN DELIVERING MIND-BLOWING, ROOTS‑BASED, HARMONY-LADEN, GUITAR-DRIVEN ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FOR OVER FOUR DECADES.

The Doobie Brothers are stamped indelibly on the American cultural consciousness. You’ve heard them on the radio, on TV, and in movies. With timeless singles like “Listen to the Music,” “Black Water,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “You Belong to Me,” and more, The Doobie Brothers have sold more than 48 million records worldwide, including three multi-platinum and seven platinum. They’ve earned four Grammy Awards, and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

Their music continues to be relatable,

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connecting with people’s lives through generations of fans.

The Doobie Brothers began in 1969 when percussionist John Hartman got together with singer/guitarist Tom Johnston and bassist Greg Murphy. At that time, the trio was called Pud and their first album was released in 1971.

By that time, Patrick Simmons had made the trio a quartet and the band changed their name to The Doobie Brothers. It was a name many in the band disliked and planned to change at some point.

HEDOOBIEBROTHERS

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Since then, the band has undergone several personnel changes including Michael McDonald handling vocals and keyboards, but the high quality of their music and playing has never wavered.

Vocalist Simmons has helped establish the unique sound of The Doobie Brothers by blending his folksy guitar style with Tom Johnston’s more R&B style. It’s part of what makes The Doobie Brothers resonate with almost everyone who hears them.

Simmons took time from the touring schedule to talk with Preview 918.

BIEBR THER

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Q. THE MUSIC

INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED SO MUCH SINCE THE LATE-‘60S/ EARLY-‘70S. HOW HAS THE DOOBIE BROTHERS CHANGED WITH THE TIMES? HOW HAVE YOU STAYED THE SAME?

A. We have become somewhat

We continue to appeal to our core audience, which passed on their music to their children and their grandchildren. The other reason is media, the internet, and films are still playing our music.

WORLDWIDE AND DOING ROUGHLY A HUNDRED SHOWS A YEAR. HOW DO YOU KEEP UP THAT PACE FOR DECADES?

A. Easy. That’s half of the

dates we used to do. I try to take care of myself physically, eat the right foods and exercise.

Q. WHO ARE SOME Q. THE DOOBIE OF YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

BROTHERS ARE KNOWN FOR QUALITY, RELEVANT MUSIC THAT As a kid, I listened to some RESONATES WITH traditional music like Chet Atkins, PEOPLE. HOW DO YOU Lead Belly, The Weavers, and MANAGE TO PUT OUT Johnny Cash. At the same time, I THAT KIND OF MUSIC listened to a lot of rock ‘n’ roll, like SO CONSISTENTLY?

HED

A.

the Everly Brothers, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, Ricky Nelson, and Little Richard. Later I really got into the blues, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Howlin’ Wolf and of course all the ‘60s music like the

A. I wish it was all as easy

as that. We work hard at doing what we do, and we still love playing. We are working on new stuff right now that we are really excited about.

A. As headliners, we will

be playing longer and be able to add more songs from all the various eras.

Q. WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE GROUP?

A. We recently played two

nights at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City. We recorded and videoed both nights and it’s coming out this year. We played Toulouse Street (1972) and The Captain and Me (1973) front to back just as we recorded them. We have a great bunch of players, including Billy Payne on keys and an amazing horn section led by our own sax player, Marc Russo.

More recently we have begun recording new songs for another upcoming release. We’ve been working with producer John Shanks, known for his work with Bon Jovi and Melissa Etheridge, among many others. Tommy [Johnston] and I have been

writing with John and think we have some great songs. We are really happy with what we’ve come up with. They probably won’t be released until early 2020.

Q. IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO 1970, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE DOOBIE BROTHERS JUST STARTING OUT?

A. Don’t get taken

advantage of, and hold on to your publishing. There are many unscrupulous characters in the music business and they’re always trying to talk writers out of their publishing. Don’t sign away your publishing.

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS Paradise Cove | River Spirit Casino Resort 8330 Riverside Parkway | Tulsa 888-748-3731 riverspirittulsa.com

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A. There is a twofold reason.

Q. YOU’RE TOURING

YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS TOUR?

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IS MADE UP OF GENERATIONS OF FANS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

Q. WHAT CAN

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Q. YOUR AUDIENCE

Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape. I could go on forever.

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media savvy. We have a website and a very active Facebook audience as well as Twitter. We approach all of our recording these days using a digital format, which includes recording platforms, digital instruments, plugins, etc. We still release a lot of our music on vinyl so we keep the aspect of analog alive. And of course, as musicians we play real instruments: guitars, drums, keyboards and so on. We have continued in a traditional vein.

April 19: 8 p.m.

Must be 21 or older to attend

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TA TULSA ARTS DISTRICT

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TA TULSA ARTS DISTRICT

Live Music

Check Website for Dates!

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WALKOFFTHEEARTH

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BY G.K. HIZER

A CANADIAN FOUR-PIECE BAND, WALK OFF THE EARTH, MAY HAVE FOUND FAME WITH COVERS AND YOUTUBE EXPOSURE, BUT THE GROUP ALSO PRODUCES PLENTY OF CATCHY ORIGINAL TUNES.

For those not familiar, Walk Off the Earth formed in 2006 and started out as a college band that mixed original and cover tunes with a sense of humor as the group developed. In early 2012, the band gained widespread notoriety when it posted a live cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” on YouTube and the video went viral, gathering 175 million views in four months. After receiving positive reviews from Gotye and co-writer Kimbra, the band released a video of all five members playing the tune simultaneously on one guitar, which

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led to the band’s appearance on Ellen DeGeneres and a record contract with Columbia Records.

By the time the band’s debut album was released in 2013, the group had also done a variety of covers by Magic!, Adele, LMFAO, Maroon 5, and even Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” cementing the group’s crossover appeal and party band reputation.

After Rolling Stone streamed the band’s debut, R.E.V.O., online, the group set out

on a major North American and European tour. In the years since, Walk Off the Earth has toured internationally, landed two albums in the Top 10 in Canada, scored a gold single, and won a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) in 2016 for Group of the Year.

The band sets out on a fresh international tour this year, with a new album on the way. Founding member Gianni “Luminati” Nicassio took time to catch up with Preview 918 before the band arrives in Tulsa at the Skyline Event Center April 26.

CONVERSATION STARTER CS

A. The vibes come naturally

for us as that’s who we are. That being said, when we started this band we had a big college fan base, and we had an edgy comedic side to the band that we enjoyed portraying. Over the years, our music and videos started drawing a lot of attention from younger fans and families, so we’ve found ourselves having to cut back a bit on the college humor. It’s all good, though, as we all have families now, so maybe it was time for us to grow up a bit. Just a bit.

Q. HOW ESSENTIAL

DO YOU FEEL SOCIAL MEDIA AND STREAMING MEDIA ARE FOR INTRODUCING AND BREAKING NEW ARTISTS NOW?

A. We feel that social media

is everything right now in regards to building a fan base. That being said, it also makes it that much

Q. WHAT ARE YOU harder to stand out because so many talented musicians are releasing content online. You need social media skills but you also need great content.

Q. WHAT HAVE

YOU FOUND TO BE THE ADVANTAGES TO GOING THE INDIE ROUTE?

LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST WITH THIS TOUR, AND WHAT MAKES THE EXPERIENCE MOST ENJOYABLE FOR YOU?

A. The hour and 20 minutes

onstage singing at the top of our lungs with 2,000 “WOTE-lings” is something that will never get old and something we’ll never take for granted. It’s always such a memorable experience. Each

THE PASSING OF BANDMATE MIKE “BEARD GUY” TAYLOR THIS PAST DECEMBER AFFECTED THE CHEMISTRY AND VIBE OF THE BAND?

A. Of course it’s changed

our chemistry. He was such a presence and he was a massive part of our live show. It was a really hard decision to continue the tour without him. We knew that Beard Guy loved Walk Off the Earth and our fans so much that he would be disappointed if we didn’t carry on. We locked ourselves in the rehearsal space for a month and came up with a powerful show that brings the spirit of him with us.

Q. SHOULD WE

BE EXPECTING NEW MUSIC SOON?

A. We have a full-length

original album coming this summer. There are many more cover videos and a few special collaborations with some wellknown artists also coming. We’d also like to let our fans know that for most U.S. tour dates, if you buy a ticket, you will receive a code to redeem for a free copy of our upcoming album.

WALK OFF THE EARTH Skyline Event Center | Osage Casino Hotel 951 W. 36th St. N. | Tulsa 877-246-8777 osagecasino.com

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ILY KNOWN AS AN UPBEAT, FEEL-GOOD TYPE BAND WITH AN ACUTE POP SENSIBILITY.

Q. HOW HAS

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Q. YOU ARE PRIMAR-

show has something different and special about it.

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experience under a major label as it taught us a lot about that side of the industry, although we are extremely happy to be out of the deal. As an independent operation, we are able to release much more music and we have the freedom to release music in more unconventional ways. We still dabble with major labels for some of our original single releases, as it takes a lot of money to release and promote original music. Licensing the songs to majors is a good way to get your music worked to radio without breaking your bank account.

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A. We don’t regret our

April 26: 8 p.m.

Must be 18 or older to attend

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SC SOUND CHECK

Chris McCabe

Powerful Pairings Music means different things to different people, but what’s undeniable is that it continually makes a personal connection with listeners across all backgrounds, regardless of genre. For many listeners, the live setting makes that connection even more palpable.

Many fans have even dreamed of sitting down with their favorite artist to share a conversation, a drink, and maybe even a song or two. Vox Pop is making that dream a reality as the house-concert series gets ready to stretch into its third year, bringing national and regional artists into a living room setting for a private concert and interactive experience for music fans.

Over the past two years, Vox Pop has brought a variety of nationally known artists to Tulsa for that type of experience.

Names like Derek Webb, Griffin

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House, Kim Richey, Leigh Nash, and Jennifer Knapp populate a broad roster of musicians who have made the Vox Pop calendar one to watch with anticipation.

The fact that most of the shows have been held in the home of series founder Chris McCabe in a neighborhood just east of Riverside Drive, at roughly 18th Street and Cheyenne, makes each night even more personal.

Vox Pop started when some of McCabe’s friends saw that Webb posted online that he was looking to book an entire tour of house concerts. With their encouragement (and the blessing of his wife), McCabe visited Webb’s website and filled out an online form. Once his request was approved, the ball was set in motion.

“That was May 2016 and it was such an amazing experience that my buddies and I wanted to keep it going,” says McCabe.

Many music fans have dreamed of sitting down with their favorite artist to share a conversation, a drink, and maybe even a song or two. Vox Pop is making that dream a reality.

BY G.K. HIZER || PHOTOS BY MARC RAINS

“I’d moved from Pittsburg, Kansas, which had a similar type of house concert program, Olive Street Concert Series, so I was familiar with the format.

I just didn’t know how it would work here. Fortunately, I’ve got three really good friends who help out and a great, professional sound engineer, Ken Lewellen, who does it all for free but really makes all the difference. Not once have we held a show without the artists mentioning how great it sounded that night.”

Part of what makes the shows so interesting is that while McCabe books regional or nationally touring headliners, he usually pairs them up with a local artist to open the show, often mixing genres within the show to keep things even more interesting.

“I love to be eclectic, and really enjoy the contrast of putting together two artists

you might not normally think would go together,” McCabe says. “I’ve been to so many shows where the acts were so much alike that it felt like an evening where it was all the same. By mixing things up, it keeps things fresh and makes the audience think a little. For example, I paired up Damion Shade with Leigh Nash, which might not work on paper, but made for a great night for everyone.

“What really strikes me after every show is that when I book the local artists, there’s really no gap in quality. The talent level is there and it’s just as high as our headliners. One night, we had Lauren Barth, who’s a beautiful songwriter, but most of her music is darker and has an almost hopeless feeling. We paired her with Annie Oakley, a group that is more upbeat with a more hopeful message, and it worked out wonderfully.”

paradise never sounded So Good.

Bat-Or Kalo

Another thing that really makes it work is that all of the artists have been great about telling stories about the songs and being more interactive with the audience.

“I think the format and more intimate setting helps with that, but it feels more like an art conversation between the artists and the audience, even when they’re singing,” says McCabe.

“Because the venue is so intimate, I feel like people are more appreciative of the art of what’s going on. It’s like going to a museum — there are all types of art, but you appreciate it more once you’re there. That’s kind of my vision for Vox Pop, for people to see more in the different types of music,” he says.

Live Music

7 Nights a Week

And at 9 pm in 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and 10 pm every day in Margaritaville!

Visit margaritavilletulsa.com for a complete schedule.

VOX POP voxpoptulsa.com

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Although he has helped arrange concerts at a couple of other

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A lot of factors are involved when choosing the artists for the shows. Sometimes it starts with a recommendation from friends, other times a recommendation from one of the booking agents he has worked with. Now that the series is wrapping up its second year and building a solid reputation, he’s even receiving requests from touring artists on a weekly basis.

venues, McCabe says that he’s not interested in becoming a concert promoter, instead choosing to focus on house concerts and creating a unique concert experience.

bellamy brothers apr 11 foreigner apr 18 the doobie brothers apr 19 kesha apr 26 michael carbonaro apr 27 Sammy Hagar may 4 Earth, Wind & Fire may 18 Rocktopia may 23 Southern Momma may 25

81st & RIVERSIDE • 888-748-3731 • RIVERSPIRITTULSA.COM

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Pie Hopes WAITRESS SERVES UP LAUGHS AND HEARTBREAK AS JENNA, A PIE-MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE, LONGS FOR A LIFE AWAY FROM HER DINER JOB, SMALL TOWN AND LOVELESS MARRIAGE. Real life. Real struggles. Real triumphs. That’s what Waitress brings to the table. Yet while the themes may be darker than Broadway-goers are used to, there’s no despairing about this hit Broadway musical making its Tulsa debut. In fact, the show dishes up a slice of real life topped with healing and hope.

“It’s not your boy meets girl love story,” says Christine Dwyer who plays the lead — Jenna, a smalltown waitress who discovers she’s pregnant and doesn’t want to raise a family in an abusive marriage.

“It’s a show about friendship and female empowerment, but everyone can connect to the story even if you haven’t been through the specific circumstances.”

Dwyer explains Waitress is a show about personal growth and the friendship between three women

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who are all going through real, but different, life struggles.

“Watching the story unfold and following these women who struggle with real-life issues people all around the world are struggling with, and seeing how Jenna finds her courage and gets herself out of those circumstances makes our show special and unique,” says Dwyer. “The show doesn’t say men are terrible. It’s not isolating in that way. Men are affected emotionally just as much as the women are. ” The storyline is not the only unique element of the show. Waitress, served alongside the empowering pop songs of seven-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, has the first ever all-female creative team on Broadway.

“In a lot of ways, it’s crazy to me that this hasn’t happened before 2019,” says Dwyer. “Every woman who is part of our creative team

BY GINA CONROY

is very supportive of our story and knows how groundbreaking it is. There’s nothing like it on Broadway, and that I get to be part of something like this is special.”

Dwyer, whose credits include Elphaba in Wicked and other strong female leading roles in Rent and Finding Neverland, relates to Jenna the most compared to other parts she has played. Though originally performed and sung

by Bareilles on Broadway, Dwyer says it’s written in a way that each actress can bring their own voice and real-life experiences to the role and still satisfy fans of the pop star.

“I think every woman who plays this part feels it’s an easy story to connect to,” says Dwyer. “I’ve been through similar things I’ve had to overcome. Jenna has her baking that gets her out of her own head, and she can pour all of her feelings, emotions, and struggles into the pies she bakes.

We all have something like that whether it’s cooking or running around for people or music or art; everyone has that one thing that takes them out of their real life and they can pour themselves into something else to get through stuff and overcome their struggles. I definitely have that through music and theater.”

Dwyer also relates to the character who has a close-knit group of friends who help her through tough times. In real-life Dwyer

is close to the cast; in fact, she’s engaged to Matt DeAngelis who plays her abusive husband in Waitress.

“We thought it would be weird at first, but it’s turned out to be a rewarding experience for both of us,” says Dwyer. “Because we trust each other so much, I think it makes the relationship between Jenna and her husband feel real.”

Even though the work is emotional, taxing, and DeAngelis has to yell at her every night, Dwyer says it’s been fun working together.

music. It’s just told in a unique way that allows for anyone who plays Jenna to bring their unique voice to the stage.

“No one will be disappointed they’re not hearing Sara’s voice,” says Dwyer. “Her voice comes through regardless and is looped throughout the whole show on prerecordings. When Jenna is creating pies, you’ll hear the theme of sugar, butter, flour; it’s all Sara’s voice.”

Whether you’re a fan of Bareilles, an empowering “We travel together with our dog heartfelt story, or musical and see the country together,” says theater you will not be Dwyer, who has never worked disappointed. Waitress has it with her fiancé before this show. all on the menu.

“It’s been awesome, and we’ve become better actors playing “The story is truly warm opposite each other.” and heartbreaking in all the ways you want,” says Dwyer.

Though some directors might “You will laugh and cry and hesitate casting real-life feel all the emotions you couples together in such an want to feel in all the ways emotional role, there was you want.” never a question about Dwyer and DeAngelis. It was done successfully between Bareilles and her partner.

Although Bareilles is not taking center stage, fans will get what they want because it’s all her

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Tulsa Performing Arts Center 110 E. 2nd St. | Tulsa

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“We don’t bring our personal stuff to work,” says Dwyer.

“We’re there to do a job. The fact that we’re together makes it even more special and our relationship onstage more real and comfortable.”

April 16-18: 7:30 p.m.

April 19: 8 p.m.

April 20: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.

April 21: 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

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Complete with a vintage Las Vegas lounge vibe that feels both retro and modern, the Grottos at Osage Casino Hotel are perfect for meetings, gatherings, parties and corporate brainstorming.

By Michele Chiappetta // Photos by Marc Rains

The Grottos are versatile and can serve a number of purposes, depending on what is needed.

As hospitality rooms, they offer comfort and seclusion for executives and guest speakers of conferences. Each room has a small kitchenette, stocked with china, glasses and silverware.

There’s also a bar area where people can sit and have a drink and snacks while relaxing.

Businesses can bring in any food they like, stock the minirefrigerators with water and

“People love the rooms,” says King. “We’ve had people reserving them for corporate brainstorming sessions, bachelorette parties, and bowl games. Twice now, we’ve had the same corporation using the Grottos for an executive brainstorming session, a way to get away from the office.”

Corporate parties can use it as their hospitality suite, offering premier guests a pre-party before the big, formal party, he notes.

And the rooms have also been popular with sports fans wanting

The feel is both unique and entertaining, making for plenty of fun that can carry over into other activities, such as time playing games on the casino floor, a visit to Nine Band Brewing, attending a concert in the new Skyline Event Center, or a stay at the hotel.

The Grottos are located right across from the hotel’s pool area, creating an additional luxury feature for guests making use of the rooms.

“The Grottos offer a great way for you and friends to enjoy a pre-party and after-party for concerts,” says King. And with guest rooms right nearby, users of the Grottos can conveniently access any part of the hotel they wish to enjoy.

The rental fee for the Grottos is $399 per night, per room.

OSAGE CASINO HOTEL 951 W. 36th St. N. | Tulsa 877-246-8777 osagecasino.com

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The result is that the Grottos have a vintage Las Vegas lounge vibe that feels both retro and modern because of the amenities. The rooms are inviting and luxurious, with warm wood paneling. Bright carpeting, attractive tiling, rich curtains and other decorative features emphasize comfort

The Grottos also feature the artworks of local Osage artists such as Kimberly Jones, whose works are featured throughout the rest of the casino and hotel as well. This local artistic connection lends a unified look to the casino, and the Grottos tie into that theme nicely. “We call it prairie chic,” says King.

The Grottos are also designed to be tech-friendly for visitors.

Each room is equipped with two large flat-screen televisions, for starters. “There’s surround sound in each room, built into the ceiling and walls,” says King. Visitors can videocast from their laptops to the TVs. And they can use the Bluetooth in their laptops or smartphones to play background music through the room’s sound system. Each room is also essentially soundproof, ensuring there is no intrusive noise from neighboring rooms, hallways, and other nearby spaces.

to host a fantasy football draft, a Super Bowl get-together, or a March Madness watch party. One of the room’s tables can be flipped over to double as a poker table.

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When designing the Grottos, King says the casino’s team aimed to create something unique — a look and feel you won’t find at other local venues. “We looked for something different than other spaces have,” he says. “We challenged our design team to come up with something that would stand out from other hotels and casinos in the area.”

There’s plenty of space for guests to sit — at tables, at the bar counter, and on couches. The furniture features western and southwest touches like cowhide, bright orange leather chairs and bar stools, and light tan couches that speak of indulging yourself casino-style, a bit like Elvis might have done.

other cold drinks, and be assured their guests are enjoying a private space that makes them feel comfortable. There’s even a pullout Murphy bed in each of the Grottos, so guests can enjoy a quick nap if needed — appealing to business travelers who may need rest before a big meeting.

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There are four Grottos available at the Osage Casino Hotel says hotel manager Kasey King.

“Each one is a little over 700 square feet, and enough room to accommodate 12–15 people.”

as well as privacy for whatever meeting you might hold there, whether it’s an executive planning session or a chance to watch the big game in style.

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Business luncheons… brainstorming sessions… family gatherings… sports viewing parties with your pals… They all share one common thread: You need a fun, flexible event space to host them. Fortunately, just north of downtown Tulsa, there are convenient, beautiful spaces to hold meetings and parties to your heart’s content — the hospitality rooms known as the Grottos, available for rental at the newly refreshed, expanded Osage Casino Hotel.

PREVIEW918.COM 29

Natalie Mallory

Talk Dirty to Me

From the grocery store to fridge or farm to fork — however you source your meals, it’s likely food waste piles up along the way. Composting is a great solution for these scraps and spoils, and for home gardeners, the process creates a rich fertilizer.

By Gina Conroy Photos by Sarah Eliza Roberts

No doubt your greatgrandparents, possibly your grandparents, lived by the 20th century pop culture mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.” For the pre-baby boomer generation, the three Rs weren’t a response to the surplus of waste and the impact it had on the environment; they were a matter of economic survival.

During World War II, when resources were at an all-time low, people planted Victory Gardens at the urging of the

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government since fruits and vegetables were in short supply.

They reused their waste to create compost piles that produced rich organic soil — the secret to flourishing gardens.

Today, whether you garden for hobby or sustainability, or just want to give your shrubs and flowerbeds the best soil available, you can learn to get down and dirty like generations past to produce a rich, thriving garden through composting.

Natalie Mallory of Full Sun Composting, an artisan composting company that processes and manufactures compost from local food waste, says the key to a healthy and productive garden is the amount of organic matter in the soil.

“Twenty-five percent of the soil in gardens should be organic or living,” says Mallory.

When most people think organic, they think about the USDA organic standards. When Mallory talks about organic, she

is talking about adding living organisms or things that used to be alive to the soil.

The best way to add these nutrients to the soil is through composting, which recycles and reuses organic material such as leaves and food waste.

The waste decomposes over time into something gardeners call “black gold.” This black gold or nutrient-rich, organic soil is the key to longer growing fruits, vegetables, foliage, and flowers.

“There’s good stuff in the food that gets wasted,” says Mallory.

“And the beauty is when you add organic waste to the soil, you’re helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem you can’t see.”

Part of Full Sun Composting’s services include collecting food waste from area restaurants for composting instead of being dumped in the landfill. After the waste is composted, it is ready for resale to the community.

“We pick up food waste from restaurants up to three times a week, and then give a portion back to the restaurants so they can use it in their flower pots, landscaping, or home gardens,” she says.

Though they sell compost to the public, Natalie wants people to know composting is easier than they might think. She suggests striving for 5 percent organic soil.

“Almost anything that’s alive or was alive can be composted,” says Mallory, who cautions

Mallory suggests adding the compost to your soil a few months before you plant or after you clear out your garden. “Not only will it help to retain rain water, but the roots will have better aeration and you will grow healthier plants,” says Mallory.

Whether you are growing vegetables from your garden or you’re practicing sustainability, it’s never too early or too late to start composting. You may not be planting a Victory Garden, but by reducing, reusing, and recycling food waste into compost, you will be creating a win-win for the next generation.

Basic Ingredients Needed to Start Composting CARBON: From brown materials like shredded paper, leaves, straw and other dry yard waste.

NITROGEN: Green materials like garden trimmings, grass, vegetable and fruit scraps.

AIR: Allows microorganisms to work.

WATER: To keep things moist and warm.

How to Compost While there are different methods for composting, one of the most popular is the three-bin hot compost method.

1. SITE: Pick a bare-soil site that is level, well drained and close to a water source. Keep it partially shaded to prevent moisture from evaporating.

2. PILE SIZE: The most effective piles or bins measure one cubic yard. Maintain a series of three bins for different stages of decomposition.

3. INGREDIENTS: Maintain a ratio of 1:2 green materials to woody materials. Add a bit of soil or finished compost every 9-12 inches as a starter.

4. PARTICLE SIZE: Aim for particles that range anywhere from a half-inch to 1.5 inches. Anything smaller compacts.

Anything larger takes longer to break down. Shred or chop woody plant material.

5. WATER: Moisture is hard to maintain in some areas of Oklahoma, but too much water is also bad. Compost should be kept damp, like a wet sponge wrung out. Too little water and the compost will take longer to decay.

Too much water and nutrients may run out, or unpleasant odors and pathogens may form. Cover piles during heavy rains.

6. MIXING: Turn piles weekly using a pitchfork for aeration.

As one pile begins to heat up (temperature naturally increases within the pile as organisms work to break down materials), start a new one. By the time the third bin starts working, the first bin should be usable. Test the temperature using a thermometer or your hand. Aim for 120-160 degrees, or a temp that is uncomfortably hot to the touch.

FULL SUN COMPOSTING 720-201-0976 fullsuncomposting.com

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When Natalie and her husband, Don, first moved from Colorado, they realized Tulsa didn’t compost on a larger scale. That’s when they decided to start Full Sun Composting — because they knew they could do something good for Tulsa and the ecosystem.

“Turning the pile creates oxygen which helps bacteria thrive and breaks down the food waste,” says Mallory. “It also helps to control the odor. Pockets that don’t get enough oxygen will give off odors; that’s why it’s important to turn the pile.”

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“All the organic life like worms, insects, fungi, and bacteria produced by composting create a healthy ecosystem and rich, soil-based garden,” says Mallory.

If you want to try backyard composting, Mallory suggests starting with kitchen scraps of fruits and veggies. No special containers are needed. You can set up chicken wire in a ring around the compost pile to keep it contained, but it’s not necessary. Simply pile the food waste in a corner, add a 6- to 8-inch layer of leaves and wood chips, and turn it every once and a while.

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According to Mallory, if you’re adding liquid or single nutrients to the soil, as soon as it rains or your plants grow, you use the nutrients. Composting helps soil regeneration so that the soil isn’t lost or stripped of nutrients.

against composting anything cooked with dairy, meats, and bones because it takes longer to break down, which can cause odors that attract critters.

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“If the nutrients aren’t in the soil, the plants and food won’t develop,” says Mallory, a registered nutritionist and dietician. “The closer you can get the produce to being ripe, the more nutritious the food will be.”

7. CURING: A working pile should stay hot for several weeks, then begins to shrink in half. Let it sit for another four to eight weeks to “cure” or cool down to 80-110 degrees.

Once it cools, it’s ready for use.

PREVIEW918.COM 31

See our feature on page 56

32 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

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PREVIEW918.COM 33

Nothing

at

SPRING MEANS FLOWER BUDS AND BLOOMING TREES — AND IF YOU’RE ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEASONAL ALLERGIES, IT ALSO MEANS SNEEZING, CONGESTION, AND OTHER BOTHERSOME SYMPTOMS. TRY THESE STRATEGIES TO KEEP SEASONAL ALLERGIES UNDER CONTROL. BY LIND S AY MOR R I S Do you spend the spring hiding indoors in order to avoid pollen?

Do you stock up on over-thecounter allergy medications and pray for the best? Spring is here, which means Oklahoma allergies are guaranteed to rear their ugly heads.

Seasonal allergies are not just annoying; they can even be embarrassing. Your eyes start watering, and get itchy and red.

You start sneezing uncontrollably and your nose won’t stop running.

You’ve spent your fair share on tissues and allergy meds, and you’re tired of explaining to your friends that you’re not sick — you just have allergies.

Obviously, allergies can be caused by a lot more than just the changing seasons. Things like animal dander, dust mites

34 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

and mold also cause allergy flare-ups. Sometimes, avoiding allergens seems like it’s next to impossible.

It’s time to come out from the fear of allergies. It’s time to stop hiding from beautiful, colorful spring flowers and instead stroll through Woodward Park with your head held high, breathing in all the scents of spring deeply.

It’s time to stroll around your friend’s house without sneezing uncontrollably after petting her cat.

Here are a few handy tips on how to avoid allergies this spring.

CLEAN YOUR HOUSE

One of the first areas to start is your bed. Beds collect all of the allergens that stick to us throughout the day. Wash all of

your bedding once a week. Be sure to dust regularly. If the actual process of dusting causes your allergies to flare up, then wear a mask while you clean. Vacuum once or twice a week. If you have skin allergy sensitivity, you’ll want to avoid using scented detergent and other products.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Having a stronger immune system can make you less susceptible to allergies. Practical ways to boost your immune system include avoiding smoking, excessive alcohol and unhealthy foods. Also, avoid infections by washing your hands regularly. Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly and do all you can to minimize stress.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Having a strong immune system

is one of your best defenses to kicking allergies to the curb.

GET YOUR BLOOD TESTED OR YOUR SKIN PRICKED

Blood tests look for antibodies that are specific to a certain food type of allergen. It will take a few days to find out the results.

While slightly riskier than blood testing due to the fact that it can trigger a reaction, skin prick testing can be done on your back or arm with a comb-like tool. A suspected allergen is added over the pricked area. A positive reaction could occur within a few seconds or could take 15 to 20 minutes.

CONSIDER A SINUS RINSE

A saline solution can restore moisture to nasal passages and sinuses and curb inflammation of the mucous membrane.

Products like Neti pots can help thin mucus, give you less postnasal drip and cleanse nasal passages of bacteria.

You can also purchase an over-the-counter saline spray, which will clear pollen from your nasal passage. Or you can make your own nasal solution by mixing 3 teaspoons of noniodized salt with 8 ounces of previously boiled water and insert it into your nose with a small squirt bottle.

GET ALLERGY SHOTS

With allergy shots, natural allergens are injected under the skin of the arm that cause the body to produce antibodies that block allergic symptoms over time. Obviously, allergy shots can be pricy, depending on what your insurance covers, but if you’re having severe allergies, this may be a good route for you to go until you become less sensitive to the allergen. It requires a time commitment as well, with visits needed one to two times a week at first.

CONSIDER ACUPUNCTURE

Maybe having tiny needles inserted under your skin sounds worse to you than actually having allergies. But if not, acupuncture might be for you! In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who tested positive for pollen allergies showed improvement in reaction to allergies after two months of acupuncture treatments.

While the study concluded that more research regarding acupuncture treatment for allergies needs to be done, it may be worth exploring.

CARE PROPERLY FOR YOUR HAIR

Especially during allergy season, your hair can actually store pollen and be your worst enemy. Be sure to wash your hair each day. The best time of day to wash it is before bedtime to avoid transferring pollen to your pillow case. If daily washing

makes your hair too dry, then thoroughly rinse it instead and follow up with a leavein conditioner. Avoid using products like hairspray, dry shampoo and mousse because they can actually trap allergens.

TRIM YOUR LAWN

Not only will your manicured yard be the envy of your neighbors, the shorter blades won’t trap as much pollen from trees and flowers. But because mowing can stir up pollen, ask someone else to do it — or cover your nose and mouth with a face mask or handkerchief.

TIME WHEN AND HOW YOU GO OUTDOORS

Windy days will be most likely to kick up your allergies. The best time to go outside is after a good rain, which clears pollen from the air. If yard work kicks up your allergies, then delegate those duties to a family member, or consider hiring lawn care. If you must do work outside, remove your clothing immediately after coming inside and launder it. Consider wearing a mask when doing outside chores.

RUN RIGHT AFTER IT RAINS The best time to hit the pavement is immediately after a downpour, because the moisture washes away the pollen for up to several hours.

But once the air dries, take cover: The additional moisture generates even more pollen and mold, which can hang around for a few days afterward.

PUT PETS IN THEIR PLACE

Dogs and cats that frolic outdoors can collect pollen in their fur and transport it into your home. During hay fever season, ban your pet from your bedroom or at least keep him off the furniture. Bathe your pets as frequently as possible or wipe them down when they come in from the yard with a premoistened cloth.

PREVIEW918.COM 35

Spring FEVER Open all year, Honor

By Lindsey Mills

As spring comes into full bloom, so do the azaleas at Honor Heights Park in Muskogee. This park, operated by the City of Muskogee and open to the public, sprawls over 132 acres and boasts over 625 varieties of azaleas. That’s a lot of flowers. In addition to the azaleas, this botanical garden is also home to many tulips and wisteria. Hues of pink, red, purple and gold spread across the park and transform it into the perfect backdrop for any special occasion or relaxing day off.

The sun seems to shine a little brighter, the temps are steadily rising, and when it rains there is a fresh scent of the new season wafting about.

An abundance of color begins to stretch over a hillside in eastern Oklahoma.

The park also offers a variety of trails, lakes, and ponds as well as a butterfly sanctuary and tree arboretum. There’s a playground, tennis and volleyball courts, and plenty of spacious lawns for the whole family to lounge or enjoy recreationally.

Heights Park really shines in the spring when colors burst forth and vibrantly paint the area thanks in large part to the 30,000 blooming flowers that are a part of the Azalea Festival.

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Open all year, the park really shines in the spring when colors burst forth and vibrantly paint the area. Each year the park celebrates this display of more than 30,000 blooming flowers by hosting events that are a part of the Azalea Festival.

The festival that begins in April will draw crowds from all over the world to partake in the celebration surrounding the bloom of these brilliant flowers.

Originating in 1968, the festival has been held annually and is responsible for the estimated 500,000 visitors in the town this spring to enjoy the colorful array of flowers as well as the park’s dogwoods, redbuds, and other blooming plants.

“I believe the reason the festival continues to grow

each year is the Muskogee Community,” says Justin O’Neal, marketing manager for the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.

“When people think of the Azalea Festival, they might think it is one committee putting on one event, but that is not how it works. Many organizations in Muskogee make the festival possible. So many community members are involved to make this festival happen and succeed.”

With such a spectacular natural event unfolding each spring, it’s easy to see why the whole town revs up to celebrate.

In 2019, the festival will continue the traditions from previous years as well as add

AZALEA FESTIVAL Honor Heights Park visitmuskogee.com/ azalea-festival

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The festival is perfect for the entire family and offers ample opportunities to relax or get social. Visit the park to admire

What sounds better than a day spent enjoying a beautiful park followed by delicious food and quality entertainment? We can’t think of anything. Grab your sunglasses, your picnic blanket and your favorite people, and head out to embrace spring.

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“My favorite part about the Azalea Festival is the great amount of community pride that Muskogee shows for all of these events. Being able to share everything happening in Muskogee with people from all over the world really keeps the sense of community pride alive and blossoming, pun intended,” says O’Neal.

This beautiful display of nature and the enjoyable events surrounding it are sure to make this festival one you want to return to each year, either to enjoy your favorite part all over again or try something new as the celebration continues to expand each year.

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Cruise through the park in your car, on foot, or on a bicycle to take in the stunning nature. Stop for a picnic at one of the park’s many gazebos or picnic tables.

Jog or bicycle around on a perfect spring day or make a day trip to attend one of the special events for delicious food and live entertainment.

the flowers, snap some social media worthy pics, and then head into the town to enjoy a local restaurant.

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new events to the lineup.

Concerts, wine tastings, 5k runs, arts and crafts shows, car shows, living history days on a WW II submarine, and so much more are all on the schedule this year.

PREVIEW918.COM 37

38 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

HH HOMEGROWN HEROES

Uneasy

Donnabeth Mitchell

Helping those experiencing homelessness on the homefront, Tulsa’s A Better Way initiative is providing many panhandlers job opportunities that have the potential to turn their lives around for the better.

BY MICHELE CHIAPPETTA || PHOTOS BY SARAH ELIZA ROBERTS

Ever driven by someone asking for money or food on the side of the road and thought to yourself, “There but for the grace of God go I”? Perhaps you’ve handed them a little cash or a bottle of water or a sandwich. You may have wondered whether it’s possible to turn their lives around in a meaningful way.

Tulsa’s A Better Way initiative is aiming to change all that.

This innovative program, one of the first-ever of its type in the entire nation, has already helped many panhandlers find jobs that have the potential to turn their lives around for

40 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

the better. And as the program moves into its second year, it has set its goals even higher to make lasting changes for some of Tulsa’s most vulnerable inhabitants.

That’s where a program like A Better Way makes a huge difference. A joint initiative by the City of Tulsa, Tulsa Area United Way, and Mental Health Association Oklahoma, A Better Way has already reached over 800 panhandlers in its first year.

The program assists those who are panhandling or experiencing homelessness in two ways.

Contrary to popular belief, many people who panhandle are not doing so because they don’t want a job. Many, in fact, have ended up on the streets due to issues as varied as suffering from PTSD after military service, untreated mental illness, being unable to pay the rent, or even being mentally challenged and then abandoned after their parents died. Life has gotten the better of these people, and they need help.

First, those in need are given an opportunity to earn a day’s wages. The program’s van runs three days a week, reaching out to panhandlers at various “hot spots” in the city, picking up those willing to work, and bringing them to area parks to clean up trash and debris.

Those who work a full day receive $65. But this day of work is just the start of A Better Way’s impact.

Those who participate with A Better Way can also consult with a service navigator and employment specialist, who helps connect the participants with lifechanging services in the community, such as housing, mental health, addiction treatment, and employment assistance. The end goal is to help participants find more sustainable employment that can help keep them off the streets for good.

To make this happen, A Better Way is forging strategic partnerships with area businesses willing to give those in need a second chance. One of these partnerships launched in January with Tulsack, an area manufacturer that has already hired seven participants from A Better Way and is looking forward to hiring more.

Street Tulsack’s site leader Jarrod Dyess, production manager Ed Almendares, and HR coordinator Lianne Torianyk all agree that working with Tulsa’s homeless and panhandling population is a great opportunity to create lasting changes in the community.

For 35 years, Tulsack has been employing Tulsans to help manufacture paper-handle shopping bags. “Locally, you would see our bags at places like Zios, On the Border, and Reasor’s,” says Dyess. “We do some national chains like Adidas, H&M and Macy’s, larger department stores as well.”

Tulsack grew by about 20 percent in 2018 and anticipates growing another 15 percent this year. “So, we’re adding jobs,” says Dyess. And that’s partly why the company connected with A Better Way — to find good workers. Their experience partnering with A Better Way to help people find employment has been a good one.

“They’ve surpassed our expectations,” says Torianyk of the Better Way participants

they’ve hired. “I would have never guessed, to be honest, that they were homeless or going through struggles. I was here that next day [after their first day on the job], and there were smiles on their faces. They just could not believe it. They seem to love it here, and we love them.”

“They seem pretty excited just to have a shot and a chance to work,” Almendares adds.

Beyond finding good employees, Tulsack has another reason for working with A Better Way. “It’s in Tulsack’s DNA to be community-focused,” Dyess says. Many Tulsack staff members have faced struggles of their own. Dyess and Almendares both remember growing up eating low-cost items like eggs and government cheese at times.

“We try not to forget where we come from,” says Almendares.

“Things weren’t easy growing up, and we understand people need help now and then.”

Donnabeth Mitchell, one of the participants of A Better Way who works at Tulsack these

days, is grateful for the help she has received through the program. “Without A Better Way, I would not have found my job at Tulsack,” Mitchell says. “I’m learning new skills and I have a solid, full-time job making better money, working with good people.”

Mitchell isn’t the only participant finding success at Tulsack. Another member of A Better Way’s program has done so well that he’s being promoted to a backup forklift position.

For Tulsack, partnering with A Better Way has been a win-win for everyone involved. “It’s a pretty painless way in which companies can get better involved in their community for a positive outcome,” says Almendares.

Dyess agrees. “It’s a great program. It’s consistent with the values of our city and our community. It’s certainly consistent with Tulsack’s values.”

The City of Tulsa is also pleased with the progress A Better Way has made in its first year.

Mayor G.T. Bynum, who has championed the program since

it launched in March 2018, says, “A Better Way program is using a whole community approach to panhandling by connecting individuals to life-changing services and employment.

Thanks to Tulsack and the many other Tulsa employers of our Better Way program participants, people who were panhandling and experiencing homelessness are getting the help they need to create positive change in their life.”

Donations to A Better Way are welcome and benefit Mental Health Association Oklahoma, which handles the day-to-day operations of the program, as well as the Community Service Council, Iron Gate, John 3:16 Mission, Salvation Army and the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Donors can give online at csctulsa.org/a-betterway or text ABW to 898211.

Getting involved in the effort to end panhandling is worth it, says the Tulsack team.

“Our objective is to hire and develop good people, and good people come from all over the place,” they say.

“Why not give somebody a second chance?”

PREVIEW918.COM 41

FREE Spring Home Outdoor Living 4th Annual

expo

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Come Enjoy the Last Spring Season Home & Garden Show!

April 26th-28th

River Spirit Expo @ Expo Square, Tulsa

• Hundreds of Local Home Improvement Experts • Get Your Home Ready for the Changing Seasons • Create Your Outdoor Oasis!

Featuring:

Popular Attraction TINY •Most •Multiple Tiny Homes home •Walk Through & Around TOWN

Kick Start That Home Improvement!

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Multiple Operating Display of Adoption Garden Railroad Trains Pine Tree Seedlings* Inside the Expo!

Groups Largest Indoor Display Ever Seen In Tulsa!

*While They Last

FREE Document Shredding 10am-2pm Saturday PLUS: $15 off-site shredding vouchers for after the show.

Blood Drive

Friday & Saturday

More Details On:

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A Tulsa Home Shows Production • TulsaHomeShows.com

PREVIEW918.COM 43

SC SPORTS CENTRAL

Eve Doudican

44 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM THE PITCH TO THE GRIDIRON, HOLLAND HALL’S ALEX FELKINS NOT ONLY GOT A LEG UP ON HIS COLLEGE RECRUITING OPTIONS, BUT FOUND HIS WAY INTO A 40-YEAR DECISION, NOT JUST A FOUR-YEAR ONE.

BY JOHN TRANCHINA After playing soccer all his life, Alex Felkins could never have guessed that now, as a senior at Holland Hall high school, he’d have earned a football scholarship to one of the nation’s most exclusive academic colleges, Columbia University in New York City.

Felkins made the transition from the pitch to the gridiron about four years ago and subsequently began, which has opened up doors he couldn’t have imagined.

“Like a lot of kickers, I started playing soccer when I was around 4 years old, probably,” Felkins says. “I got introduced to it because my mom grew up in the Soviet Union and my uncle was a professional soccer player and it was really my first love athletically. And then in the middle of eighth grade, I had a plastic football, and I had no idea what I was doing and no holder, and I went out to the football field at Holland Hall and I just kicked around with my dad a little bit, and said, ‘Hey, this is kind of fun, maybe you could do it, you have a strong leg.’”

A resourceful young man, Felkins sought out people who could help him learn this new skill and it wasn’t long before he became a serious weapon for the Holland Hall Dutch.

“I had absolutely zero technique at the time, no training whatsoever and then I got hooked up with the senior at my school at the time. Drew Klinghagen ended up walking on at the University of Tulsa,” Felkins recounts. “He was friends with my sister, so that’s how I got

PHOTOS BY MARC RAINS

introduced to him, and he just kind of gave me the rudimentary basics of kicking and referred me to a couple of camps, and that’s really where I started getting private training. So that’s how it took off for me.”

Felkins put in a lot of hard work to become a strong kicker, somewhat of a rarity in high school football.

His effort did not go unnoticed.

“He’s gotten there because he works really hard. That’s the biggest compliment I can give him,” says Steve Heldebrand, Holland Hall’s athletic director.

“He’s obviously blessed with physical gifts. Alex is 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. He looks like a specimen if he was to play on the field. But he works at it, so he’s earned every bit that he’s gotten the opportunity.”

Heldebrand estimates that Felkins put about 80 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, and he regularly connected on field goals that many other high school teams won’t attempt because they don’t have kickers they trust.

Felkins had several games this past 2018 season with multiple field goals, but none were bigger than the one he kicked this season late in the Dutchmen’s 15-14 victory over Vian Oct. 18, his third of the game from 36 yards out.

That helped Holland Hall clinch the District 2A-5 championship, as they went on to a 9-3 season, advancing to the second round of the state playoffs.

And as much as he worked at kicking, both in perfecting his technique as well as lifting in the weight room to improve his leg strength, Felkins also

toiled just as diligently in the classroom. Getting a chance to go to Columbia required a few schedule changes and a strong commitment to his schoolwork.

“He really wanted to go to an academic school,” Heldebrand says. “I believe the start of his junior year, he met with our upper school head, talking about, ‘Hey, I want the chance to try to go to the Ivy League or Stanford or someplace like that.’ To put himself in position, he even changed his workload and the classes he was taking, and did extremely well.

Then, obviously, he did well on the ACT to where it all balanced out.

To get the opportunity to go to Columbia was really a dream for him and he just kind of shut down the rest of the recruiting.”

“My parents, they raised me with a huge focus on my academics before anything else, even sports, so grades have always been my No. 1 priority,” Felkins adds. “I never really thought I could get to an Ivy League school until this summer probably, but it was always kind of up there in my goals if I could do it, and I achieved it, so I’m really proud of it.”

study will likely focus on finance.

“That’s a 40-year decision, not just a four-year one, plus the bigcity feel of New York and all that, but really just the academics and internship connections and alumni and all that — no one could match that.”

Despite going to a lower-profile football school, Felkins did get a glimpse of the big time when he participated in the All-American Bowl, a national high school all-star game in San Antonio featuring many elite-level football recruits.

“It was the experience of a lifetime,” says Felkins, who played for the victorious East squad in the game.

“I competed at a camp over the summer and I beat out a few other Power Five commits head-to-head and I got an invite. Adidas put on a really good show. We got a lot of really cool gear. Playing in the Ivy League, it’s not the biggest football stage, you could say, so it was really awesome to get my one taste of big time football, probably, until maybe after college.

It was awesome.”

Now, as he completes the last few months of his high school days, Felkins is going full circle by playing one final season of soccer while he still can. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be lining up as a defender or a striker this spring, but it seemed a fitting way to end his high school athletic career.

Felkins was being recruited by the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as well as Colorado, and turned down an official scholarship offer from the Air Force, even though all those schools have much higher football visibility. Ultimately, the academic reputation of Columbia overwhelmed every other factor. “Football’s really been my main thing probably since sophomore “I just decided to go to Columbia year,” Felkins says. “I just decided to for the academic opportunity,” play soccer one more time this year, says Felkins, whose academic just one more last ride, I guess.”

PREVIEW918.COM 45

JOIN US AT ONEOK FIELD

April 24th 7pm

April 27th 7pm

June 1st 7pm

June 15th 7:30pm

PH. 918-297-6808 roughnecksfc.com

See our feature on page 52

46 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

SS SPORTS SCHEDULE TULSA OILERS

Home games are played at BOK Center (Tulsa, Okla.)

April 2 | @ Kansas City | 7:05p April 5 | vs Kalamazoo | 7:05p April 6 | vs Kalamazoo | 7:05p April 7 | vs Wichita | 4:05p

TULSA DRILLERS

Home games are played at ONEOK Field (Tulsa, Okla.)

April 4 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 5 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 6 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 7 | vs Arkansas | 1:05p April 8 | vs Springfield | 11:05a April 9 | vs Springfield | 7:05p April 10 | vs Springfield | 11:05a April 11 | @ Arkansas | 7:10p April 12 | @ Arkansas | 7:10p April 13 | @ Arkansas | 6:10p April 14 | @ Arkansas | 2:10p April 15 | @ Springfield | 6:30p April 16 | @ Springfield | 11:10a April 17 | @ Springfield | 11:10a April 18 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 19 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 20 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p April 22 | @ Midland | 6:30p April 23 | @ Midland | 6:30p April 24 | @ Midland | 6:30p April 25 | @ Midland | 7p April 26 | @ Corpus Christi | 7:15p April 27 | @ Corpus Christi | 7:15p April 28 | @ Corpus Christi | 2:15p April 29 | @ Corpus Christi | 6:15p –––––––––––––––––– May 1 | vs Midland | 7:05p May 2 | vs Midland | 7:05p May 3 | vs Midland | 7:05p May 4 | vs Corpus Christi | 7:05p May 5 | vs Corpus Christi | 1:05p May 6 | vs Corpus Christi | 12:05p May 7 | vs Corpus Christi | 7:05p May 9 | @ Arkansas | 7:10p May 10 | @ Arkansas | 7:10p May 11 | @ Arkansas | 6:10p May 12 | @ Arkansas | 2:10p May 13 | @ NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 14 | @ NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 15 | @ NW Arkansas | 11:05a May 16 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p May 17 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p May 18 | vs Arkansas | 7:05p May 19 | vs Arkansas | 1:05p May 20 | @ Springfield | 6:30p May 21 | @ Springfield | 6:30p May 22 | @ Springfield | 11:10a May 23 | vs NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 24 | vs NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 25 | vs NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 26 | vs NW Arkansas | 7:05p May 28 | @ Springfield | 6:30p May 29 | @ Springfield | 6:30p May 30 | @ Springfield | 7:10p May 31 | @ Arkansas | 7:10p

TULSA ROUGHNECKS

Home games played at ONEOK Field (Tulsa, Okla.)

April 6 | @ LA Galaxy 2 | TBD April 13 | @ Fresno FC | TBD April 24 | vs Colorado Switchbacks | 7p April 27 | vs OKC Energy | 7p –––––––––––––––––– May 4 | @ Reno 1868 FC | TBD May 18 | @ San Antonio FC | TBD May 25 | @ Las Vegas Lights | TBD –––––––––––––––––– June 1 | vs Austin Bold | 7p June 7 | @ Phoenix Rising FC | TBD June 15 | vs El Paso Locomotive | 7:30p June 22 | @ Sacramento Republic | TBD June 29 | vs Real Monarchs | 7:30p –––––––––––––––––– July 6 | @ Timbers 2 | TBD July 13 | @ Colorado Switchbacks | TBD July 24 | vs LA Galaxy 2 | 7:30p July 27 | vs Phoenix Rising FC | 7:30p –––––––––––––––––– Aug. 3 | @ OKC Energy | 8p Aug. 10 | @ Real Monarchs | TBD Aug. 17 | @ Austin Bold | 7:30p Aug. 28 | vs Las Vegas Lights | 7:30p Aug. 31 | vs Fresno FC | 7:30p –––––––––––––––––– Sept. 4 | @ El Paso Locomotive | 8p Sept. 11 | @ Rio Grande Valley FC | TBD Sept. 21 | vs Orange County SC | 7p Sept. 25 | vs San Antonio FC | 7p Sept. 28 | @ Sounders 2 | TBD –––––––––––––––––– Oct. 5 | vs Sacramento Republic | 7p Oct. 12 | vs New Mexico United | 7p Oct. 19 | vs Reno 1868 FC | 7p

TULSA GATORS

Home games played at ONEOK Field (Broken Arrow, Okla.)

April 6 | @ Lawton Savages | 5p April 13 | vs Muskogee Monstars | 5p April 27 | vs Tri-City Panthers | 5p –––––––––––––––––– May 4 | @ Green Country Phoenix | 5p May 11 | @ Oklahoma City Bulls | 5p

TULSA THREAT

Home games played at Catoosa High School (Catoosa, Okla.)

April 6 | @ Iowa Phoenix | TBD April 13 | @ Arlington Impact | TBD April 20 | vs Arkansas Wildcats | 5p April 27 | vs Acadiana Zydeco | 5p –––––––––––––––––– May 4 | @ Arkansas Wildcats | TBD May 11 | @ Acadiana Zydeco | TBD May 18 | vs Mississippi Royalty | 5p –––––––––––––––––– June 8 | vs Arlington Impact | 5p

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Home games played at Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

April 2 | vs Los Angeles Lakers | 7p April 5 | vs Detroit Pistons | 7p April 7 | @ Minnesota Timberwolves | 2:30p April 9 | vs Houston Rockets | 8:30p April 10 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | 7p

ALL TIMES CENTRAL // GAME DATES/TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Whimsical art for over 20 years!

New Location!

1326 E. 3rd St. Tulsa, OK 74120 Store Hours Monday - Friday 10-5 Saturday 10-3 info@gardendeva.com 918-592-3382 48 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

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BOK Center | C2-6 Dust Bowl | D3-21 Tulsa Performing Arts | D3-15 Tulsa Drillers | 3E-15 Tulsa Roughnecks | 3E-15

Albert G’s Bar & Q | D3-13 Baxter’s Interurban Grill | B1-23 Caz’s Chowhouse | D2-10 Chimi’s | A5-2 Dilly Diner | D3-18 Dust Bowl | D3-21 El Guapo’s | D3-22

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OFFERING TULSA A SELECTION OF INDIE AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGNERS

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THE BOXYARD Elgin Park | E3-34 Fassler Hall | D3-35 Jason’s Deli | A5-30 Juniper | D3-1 McNellie’s Pub | D3-36 Mexicali | D2-11 MixCo | C2-17 PRHYME | D2-12

Sisserou’s | D2-20 Soul City | B5-31 SMOKE. | A5-32 The Tavern | E2-37 Tavolo | C3-3 Ti Amo | C2-4 Yokozuna | D3-38

Blank Med Spa | D3-33 Blue Sky Bank | D3-33 Modern Mess | D3-33 Riley’s Wine & Spirits | D3-33 Rosegold | D3-33 Sweet Boutique | D3-33 The Steel Horse | D3-33 Tonsorial | D3-33

EVERYTHING ELSE

SHOPPING Boomtown Tees | D3-14 Garden Deva | D5-37 Ida Red | D3-33 Modern Mess | D3-33

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Rosegold | D3-33 Sweet Boutique | D3-33 The Steel Horse | D3-33

The Bond | D4-39 Blank Med Spa | D3-33

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TULSA AND SURROUNDING AREAS

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Redbud Valley Nature Preserve

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COUNTY LINE / 193RD E. 209TH E.

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LYNN LANE

MAIN ELM 7

360 Home | D4-21 Antique Restoration | D4-11 Children’s Orchard | A5-18 Edible Arrangements | C4-7, A5-7, G6-7 I-44 Antique Mall | C4-3 Ida Red | C4-50 Landella | D5-45 Miss McGillicutty’s Antiques | A4-54 Secret Garden | A6-47 Tulsa Stained Glass | C5-56 Ziegler Art & Frame | D4-17

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Albert G’s Bar & Q | C4-91 Amazing Thai Cuisine | B7-63 Brownie’s Burgers | D4-29, B5-29 Cafe Olé | C4-35 Celebrity Restaurant | C5-68 Chimi’s | B5-2, C4-2, D4-2 Dave and Buster’s | B6-44 El Chico | D6-93 El Guapo’s | B4-15 Elmer’s BBQ | C4-39 Fat Daddy’s Pub and Grille | B5-64 Flo’s Burger Diner | D4-1, D8-1 Fuji | B5-20 George’s Pub | A4-61 Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs | A5-9 In The Raw | C4-23, B5-23, B7-23 Incredible Pizza | B5-46 Jason’s Deli | D4-30, B5-30 Kitch | A4 -42 Lanna Thai | B5-71 Los Cabos | G6-40, A4-40, B7-40 Maryn’s Taphouse and Raw Bar | A4-58

McNellie’s Pub | B5-16 Molly’s Landing | E8-52 Mondo’s Ristorante Italiano | C4-94 ol’ Vine | A4-5 Ricardos | C5-31 Rozay’s Wingz |C5-22 Rustic Gate | A4-32 Saku Japan | B5-26 SMOKE. | D4-27 Ti Amo |B5-80 The Tropical |C5-62 Village Inn | B5-97, C5-97, C4-97 Waterfront Grill | A4-70 Yokozuna | A5-43 Yutaka Grill Sushi & Buffet | C5-12

ENTERTAINMENT Circle Cinema | D4-28 Dave and Buster’s | B6-44 Got Wood | A4-24 Incredible Pizza | B5-46 Loony Bin Comedy Club | B5-38

CASINO Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa | D7-10 Osage Casino Hotel | E3-19 OTHER OSAGE CASINO LOCATIONS: 222 Allen Road | Bartlesville 301 Blackjack Dr. | Sand Springs 5591 W. Rogers Blvd. | Skiatook 39 Deer Ave. | Hominy 2017 E. 15th St. and Hwy. 99 | Pawhuska

River Spirit Casino Resort | B4-83

EVERYTHING ELSE Blue Cottage | A4-59 Shears | A4-41

PREVIEW918.COM 51

SC SPORTS CENTRAL

IN FOR THE WIN After coming agonizingly close to winning a Texas League championship in 2017, leading the final series 2-0 before it slipped away with three straight home losses, the Tulsa Drillers were motivated all last season to finish the job.

Tulsa opens the 2019 season, its fifth as the Class AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on April 4 at home at ONEOK Field against the Arkansas Travelers.

And they did that, completing the task Sept. 14 by defeating the San Antonio Missions in three straight games to claim the franchise’s first league title since 1998.

The Drillers will likely have a lot of familiar, playoff-tested players back this season. Hennessey is also excited to be returning for his second full season at the helm, helping the team win while also developing players for the parent club in L.A.

Now the question is, what can the Drillers do for an encore?

Predictably, the answer from manager Scott Hennessey is, do it again, of course.

“The players are looking forward to starting the year off, defending their Texas League Championship, and hopefully we can do it again,” says Hennessey, who has an overall

52 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

THE DRILLERS WILL LIKELY HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIAR, PLAYOFF-TESTED PLAYERS BACK THIS SEASON AS THE SCOTT HENNESSEY’S SQUAD COMPETES FOR ITS SECOND CONSECUTIVE TEXAS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.

BY JOHN TRANCHINA

record of 112-85 (.569) in his one and a half seasons managing Tulsa.

“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The Dodgers, they know how we go about it, they know our work ethic, they know how prepared we are, they know how we prepare the players, and I couldn’t be happier to be in Tulsa. It’s just a good fit.”

As far as team personnel is concerned, Hennessey believes the Drillers will have a formidable pitching corps, led by top Major League prospects Tony Gonsolin, Mitchell White and Dustin May. “You never know your club in spring training, but you kind of got a good idea,” Hennessey

says from the Dodgers’ spring training headquarters in Arizona in late February. “But it looks like Tony Gonsolin, Mitchell White, and Dustin May, three very high pitching prospects, could start in Tulsa, and if they do, you’ve basically got three No. 1s and they will be the strength of our club.

Guys with power stuff, all of them have been up to 96-98 [miles per hour] in spring training, in big league games, and it will be really nice to have those guys.”

Gonsolin was 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA in nine starts with Tulsa last year, as well as 4-2 with a 2.69 ERA with the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga, while White

spent the entire 2018 season in Tulsa, going 6-7 with a 4.53 ERA in 22 starts. May went 7-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 17 starts in Rancho Cucamonga and 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA in six starts with Tulsa.

He was also the starting (and winning) pitcher in the Game 3 Championship clincher.

Hennessey also speculated about a number of other key players that he expects to be in Tulsa, citing Keibert Ruiz, Gavin Lux, D.J. Peters, Omar Estevez, and Cristian Santana as likely Drillers to begin the season.

Ruiz, a catcher, batted .268 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 101 games for Tulsa last season. Lux batted .324 in 88 games with Rancho Cucamonga last year, ranking third in the California League, while also hitting .324 in 28 games with the Drillers. Lux also led off Game 3 of the TL Final with a home run. Peters spent the entire season in Tulsa last year, batting .236 with 60 RBI and a Texas League-leading 29 home runs. He also hit a home run in the Game 3 Final clincher. Estevez spent all of last year in Rancho Cucamonga, batting .278 with a league-leading 43 doubles and 84 RBI, while Santana also played all season at Rancho, hitting .274 while topping the California League with both 24 home runs and 109 RBI. “That’s a pretty good start, position-player-wise, a catcher and three prospects on the infield,” Hennessey said. “Omar and Cristian Santana did a really good job in Rancho last year, won a championship, Santana played really well in winter ball, and I’m looking for big things out of him.

Omar is a second base-shortstoptype with power, and going to be a good big leaguer.”

Another player with somewhat local ties who could be in Tulsa this season is former University of Oklahoma backup quarterback Cody Thomas, who batted .285 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI (second only to Santana in the league) with Rancho Cucamonga last season.

“It looks like he has a chance to start with us, and if that’s the case, he’s going to play a corner outfield position and some first base,” Hennessey says of Thomas.

“He can hit for some average with power, and I think as he plays baseball more and gets more live action against better competition, he’s going to be a really good player.”

Hennessey believes that going through the process of winning the Texas League title, along with the players at Rancho Cucamonga who claimed the California League championship last year, will only help them this season.

“I think it’s really valuable,” Hennessey says. “We’re in this business to develop, but in my opinion, you just can’t flip a light switch on once you get to the big leagues and say, ‘OK, you had your fun, now you’re expected to win.’ All these guys have won championships, at either Rancho or this level now, and for the Dodgers, we’re teaching these guys, not only how to win but how to prepare to win and it’s just a part of the process. Just looking for more of the same this year.”

It also helps that there are plenty of positive examples in Los Angeles of players who have been Drillers in the recent past and have gone on to play for the Dodgers, like Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Caleb Ferguson, and Dennis Santana, among others. That shows the players that there’s a pathway for them to also make it and further motivates them.

“Exactly, we graduated those guys, that’s our job,” Hennessey says. “We want you here, but we don’t want you here long.

If we’re doing our job, they’re not going to be here long. Just get them better, move them on and hopefully, they get to Dodger Stadium and become a productive big leaguer for a long period of time. And those guys we have in Tulsa, I think are going to be really good big leaguers for a long period of time.”

PREVIEW918.COM 53

modern mess

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Boxyard | Tulsa @mymodmess

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TULSABOXYARD.COM

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502 EAST 3RD STREET | TULSA, OK, 74120

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SS STYLE + SHOPPING

Making Scents

LOOKING FOR A BEAUTIFUL, PRACTICAL HOUSEWARMING GIFT? LOVE FRESH AND FRAGRANT SCENTS WAFTING THROUGH YOUR HOME? IT’S TIME TO VISIT SECRET GARDENS CANDLE COMPANY. BY MICHELE CHIAPPETTA & PHOTOS BY SARAH ELIZA ROBERTS If you’re a longtime Tulsan, chances are good that you’ve shopped at Secret Gardens before.

The candlemaker opened the doors in 1991. Current co-owners

56 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

Brad Gragert and Joshua Perry took on the business a year ago from the shop’s original owner, and they are scaling up again to meet the needs of Tulsans who

love quality, locally-made candles that are unforgettable.

Perry has loved Secret Gardens for years. As a sixth-grader, he

STYLE + SHOPPING SS

sold the candles during school fundraisers, an experience many Tulsans have had over the years.

He’s happy to be involved now on the business side of things.

His goal, he says, is to continue to offer the original, well-loved fragrances and styles of candles that Secret Gardens has always provided to its customers, while also adding interesting new features and fun times to the candle-buying experience.

All the candles are made and poured in-house using the original recipes created by Secret Gardens’ original owner. “The actual candle fragrances and the recipes we use are the same, original recipes,” Perry says. If you have a favorite fragrance, you can be assured you’re getting the same scent when you visit the new store, which has a new, bright look and a new location in south Tulsa.

If you’ve never been to Secret Gardens, it’s more than a candle store. It is truly an experience.

Perry, Gragert and their staff are focused on making every detail of the Secret Gardens offerings topnotch. It starts, of course, with the candles themselves; they’ve spent hours and hours perfecting their mixing and pouring to give customers what they want.

As you peruse the shelves, you’ll be stunned at the variety

of colors and scents to choose from. “We offer 60 different fragrances,” says Perry. They run the gamut of what you can imagine a candle might be — floral scents like eucalyptus leaves, white timber and jade; food fragrances such as cappuccino, butter rum and peach cobbler; home fragrances like clothesline and lace; and masculine scents like mahogany teakwood, genuine leather, and Oklahoma sky.

“We feel like there’s something for everyone,” he says. “It’s a very wide variety of scents. We also have specialty candles that we do seasonally. We offer three different sizes of candles — small, large, and threewick candles.”

The shop also offers other fragrance options such as room sprays, reed diffusers, wax melts for scent diffusers, and refresher oils that can be added to refresh a wax melt instead of throwing it out. You just put a couple of drops into the melted wax in your scent diffuser, and it brings the fragrance back, saving you money.

In addition, Secret Gardens can take special orders for votives and tea lights. You can also select a candle-holding vessel from the shop’s collection and have it filled with the fragrance

of your choice for a customdesigned order. “Customers can order online on our website, and the products are usually ready for same-day pickup,” Perry says. “Everything is very affordable, so you know when you come in here that you can buy a gift for someone that’s

affordable and very nice. And we also ship nationwide.”

Secret Gardens is dedicated to providing shoppers with many options, and they aim to please with unique services like allowing you to bring in a vessel of your choice for a custom pour.

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SS STYLE + SHOPPING

They carry Topeca coffee and chocolate bars infused with Topeca Coffee, as well as local

58 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

And Perry says they’re looking forward to going “back home” to Broken Arrow where Secret Gardens originated. “In the next couple of years, we do want our second location back on Main Street in Broken Arrow where we originated,” says Perry.

SECRET GARDENS CANDLE CO.

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9999 S. Mingo Road, Ste. Q | Tulsa 918-551-6330 sgcandleco.com

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In addition to candles, Secret Gardens offers a few specialty items — with the goal of offering superb gift items. “One of our best-sellers here is the Scott’s Farm Soups. We’re the only retailer in Tulsa to sell these products,” Perry says.

Secret Gardens candles can also be found in stores around Green Country, including Madsen Massage Therapy in the downtown area, JADE Antiques on Main Street in Broken Arrow, and Lambrusco’z Deli in Brookside.

CA

Also debuting this year will be a candle-pouring party experience, where customers can come in, choose a scent, colors, and a vessel, and pour their own candle, with the help of the shop’s staff. “People will be able to book online to reserve their seat,” says Perry. “The experience will last an hour.

The candle will cool overnight, and we’ll ship the candle to attendees the next day.”

honey and lip balms made by Tulsa Urban Bee Company. They will also be selling Splatterware (an enamel cookware for camping), Oklahoma themed T-shirts, and other nice gift items that fit with the shop’s sensibilities.

LO

“Say a person had a container that they’ve had for years and years and years, and they love it and they’d like to keep it on display, but there’s no candle in it,” says Perry. “Or maybe it never even came with a candle; it’s just a cool container.

They can bring it in, and they can pick from any of the 60 fragrances. We’ll put wicks in it for them and pour a candle in it. And they can use that candle and bring the container back and get another scent. It’s the gift that keeps giving.”

Sunday-Monday: Closed Tuesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Thursday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

4TH ANNUAL

FRIDAY MAY 3, 2019 COX BUSINESS CENTER

A ONE-OF-A-KIND FASHION SHOW HANDCRAFTED FOR A PURPOSE

T I C K E T S N O W AVA I L A B L E AT W W W . P R O J E C T C U F F W AY. C O M

HF HEALTH + FITNESS

He a d 0ut

ARE YOU STAYING IN THIS WEEKEND? CONSIDER MAKING TIME TO GET OUTDOORS. STUDIES SHOW THAT GETTING OUTSIDE IS CLINICALLY PROVEN TO KEEP YOUR MIND HEALTHY AND RELAXED.

Imagine a treatment that is readily available to people of all walks of life with no side-effects that can reduce depression, stress, anxiety, spur on weight loss and is easily replicated across cultures. There’s growing empirical evidence that suggests walks in nature may just be the miracle

drug we’ve all been waiting for. Living close to green spaces has been proven to provide the type of treatment for what ails us time and time again.

Tulsa is on the cutting edge of this type of thinking — with the addition of the Gathering Place to

A NICE NATURE WALK CAN IMPROVE SHORT-TERM MEMORY More than a few studies through the years have shown that a good nature walk has memory-improving effects, while walking on the treadmill in the local gym does not. A University of Michigan trial divided students into two groups. After a brief memory test, one set of participants walked down a city street. The other group ambled through a nearby arboretum. When the participants returned to take the test again, those who had taken the city route did not improve in their results. However, the people who had enjoyed a nature walk had improved their memory results by 20 percent. Amazing!

OUTDOOR TIME REDUCES INFLAMMATION Some of us have chronically creaky joints and inflammation, making it painful to get around. It may seem that no form of arthritis treatment makes a difference. Sadly, inflammation can be associated with autoimmune disorders, depression, cancer and more.

Fortunately, spending time outdoors is likely to reduce inflammation and creaky joints, naturally and pretty darn quick too. A study of senior citizens who were sent on a weeklong trip into a forest produced significant signs of inflammation reduction. Other studies have confirmed these results, and have even shown that blood pressure can also be reduced at the same time.

60 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

BY ROB HARMON go along with so many other beautiful parks, including the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center in Mohawk Park, as well as the Tulsa Botanic Garden in North Tulsa. Visiting these beautiful spaces in our beloved Green Country may have more benefits than we realize. Here are just a few.

OUTDOOR REJUVENATION EQUALS FATIGUE ELIMINATION Just ask anybody on a Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, when not even a spinner or any other fidget toy can help with focus, if brain fatigue really is a thing. We may have a hard time getting our minds in gear at the office, but studies have found that even just looking at pictures of nature can provide the kind of mental boosts we all need from time to time to overcome the doldrums associated with brain fatigue. It goes without saying that your brain will function even better by seeing nature up close and in person.

THE MORE TIME OUTSIDE, THE LOWER THE BLOOD PRESSURE Maybe it goes without saying, but with all this walking around in the woods, you’re bound to lower your blood pressure. Yes, again, studies show it’s true. An eight-year-long Japanese study a few years back showed that spending time in nature reduces blood pressure, citing the calming effects of a world devoid of city stresses and work responsibilities. Makes sense to us. Plus, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature, while walking on trails, you forget you’re exercising and giving your heart a little extra healthy work.

TIME OUTDOORS DE-STRESSES YOUR LIFE Forest therapy is being used more often as a form of de-stressing. Of course, they’ve done a study on that too. Compared to participants

HEALTH + FITNESS HF

who stayed in town, students who spent two nights in the woods, according to one study, ended up having lower levels of the hormone cortisol, which is an indicator for stress.

Sustained high levels of cortisol lead to weight gain, thinning skin, acne and muscle weakness. Having fun and relaxing in the outdoors can be just the thing to lower your cortisol levels.

PEOPLE CONCENTRATE BETTER AFTER A TIME OUTDOORS For some of us, the older we get, the harder it is sometimes to maintain the level of attention we were able to pay in our younger years, but how to get that focus back is the question.

For others, ADHD has been our biggest obstacle and medicine hasn’t always helped. By now, you know what we’re going to say.

Yes, time outdoors can increase your ability to focus in the real world. In one reading retention study conducted, those who came back from spending a little rest and relaxation in nature scored higher than those who were sent to hang out in the city.

So, maybe enough time in the great outdoors can be effective for those of us who have trouble focusing.

BATTLE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY WITH OUTDOOR FUN Going green by spending time in nature combats anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, especially when that’s combined with exercise. Decreased levels of anxiety, moodiness, and other negative outlooks on life have been found when outdoor walks are present, according to a recent study. Nature walks are even a prescribed treatment by some mental health professionals as a supplement to other forms to treatment. Whether it is a walk among trees or along a natural body of water, outdoor fun creates a positive mindset for those battling depression that can’t be achieved otherwise.

FORESTS CAN INCREASE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM’S FUNCTION Researchers admit that more studies need to be done to better understand the relationship, but studies suggest that time outdoors boosts our health. Too much time indoors robs us of the natural health benefits we need in order to stay healthy and free from common illnesses like colds, flus and other infections.

A good, healthy dose of nature gives our bodies the opportunity to build immunity toward strands of airborne bacteria floating around, as well as other infectious organisms we couldn’t become immune to otherwise.

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Free Wi-Fi Internet Access!

Molly’s Landing Open Since 1984

Steak & Seafood Only 3 1/2 miles from Hard Rock Casino on Highway 66 (Route 66)

918.266.7853

www.mollyslanding.com

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LP LAUNCH PAD

Grow

OUTSOURCING CAN PROVIDE CONTINUITY, OPERATIONAL EXPENSE CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT. IT CAN ALSO IMPROVE YOUR WORK/LIFE BALANCE. By Michele Chiappetta

Your Own Way

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Ever heard the saying, “Work on your business, not in it”? If you’re a smallbusiness owner, you probably have heard or read this truism many times. But there’s a good chance you’re not doing it effectively.

Many of us, when we go into business for ourselves, become fixated on that word — self. We feel like we have to do it all. It’s easier to hold on to all the responsibilities than to let go and trust someone else to do them. And when we’re just starting out, we may not have the funds to hand off some tasks. It’s not unusual to meet smallbusiness owners who wear every hat.

But there are only so many hours in a day, and only so many of those hours can be spent working. We need to eat and sleep, after all. Eventually, those of us who run a small business have an important realization: We can’t keep doing it all. We need to delegate.

Yes, that can be hard. It’s not exactly easy to entrust to others the things we care most deeply about. And it can seem overwhelming at times to try to figure out what to delegate and what to keep doing ourselves.

So, to help you make a start at deciding what to delegate or what to do yourself, here are some areas to evaluate.

BOOKKEEPING Keeping track of daily income and expenses, sending out invoices, and balancing your checkbook can be tedious, especially if you don’t love numbers. But there are apps and software programs to help make this easier for you. Consider how much bookkeeping you do, and compare it to the costs of hiring someone to do it for you.

TAXES Business taxes can be complicated and involve potential issues down the road if you don’t do them properly. And a good small business accountant should know all the details about what you can deduct and how to maximize your return.

CPAs can also keep you on track with important payments like quarterly taxes and sales taxes. It’s probably best to hire someone for this unless you yourself are a CPA.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Social media for a business involves a lot more than a quick post to Instagram

here and there. You’ll want to make a plan — when to schedule, what to talk about, what kinds of images and color schemes to use, when and how you’ll use videos, and much more. There are advantages to doing it yourself, because no one knows your business as well as you. But a good social media manager can save you time, review analytics, and schedule posts for you. As you grow, this is a great area to delegate.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT Some types of work, such as home remodeling, require many steps and a lot of oversight. If your business requires juggling a lot of balls on a tight timeline, it may be worth it to invest in a project manager to keep a view of the big picture and make sure things stay on task.

DESIGN AND COPYWRITING Most people are not as good as they think they are at creating an attractive website, attention-grabbing mailers, and persuasive messaging.

But professional artists, designers and writers are well-trained in what colors, words, and imagery will help your business send the right message and draw in paying customers. It’s almost always easier and faster to pay someone to design and write for you.

SALES AND LEAD GENERATION When you’re just starting out, marketing is something you will have to do yourself. And even as you grow, you might want to hold on to this task, especially if you’re good at it and enjoy the personal contact with people. If that’s you, then you might want to hire employees to perform the services you’re selling, to free up your time to keep marketing.

But I’ve seen it work the other way too — there are businesses where the owner performs the services, and hires employees to do the marketing. This seems more common if the service is creative, such as design.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES This can encompass any of the little daily tasks that make a business run — answering phones, filing, taking notes, sending out correspondence. These little to-dos are necessary but timeconsuming. Ask yourself: What can I easily let someone else do for me? Which of these tasks can be done affordably for me through a service like Fiverr?

Delegate or DIY

Quick Guide

Ask yourself these questions to help pinpoint whether a task is better off being handled by you or someone you hire:

HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE YOU TO DO IT? If you delegate the right things, you can save time for work that produces more income. So, use a simple formula: How much will it cost to hand off a task, compared to how much you can make if you use the time to make your product or offer your services? If it’s twice as much or more — delegate.

HOW MUCH DO YOU LIKE TO DO IT? One of the great advantages to being a business owner is getting to do a job you love every day. Why not maximize that by giving yourself more time for what you love to do and delegating what you don’t enjoy as much?

HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD TO PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT? Some tasks can be purchased for a reasonably low cost. Fiverr and TaskRabbit, for example, are good places to browse for a cheap typist or other low-level tasks that are easy to hand off. Social media management, by comparison, costs more to hand off but can be worth it if you feel it will generate more income for you.

I’d love to he ar your suggestions for what I sh ould investigate ov er the next several mon ths in terms of entrepreneur ship in Tulsa.

Feel free to messa ge your idea s to Preview 91 8 on Facebo ok (which I can see anytime) , or email me, or share idea s on Twitter or Instagram w ith the hashtags #lovethe918 or #tulsasmallb usiness.

PREVIEW918.COM 65

TT TAKEN WITH TULSA Cruising down the streets of Tulsa, it’s easy to spot numerous works of art. Extravagant, colorful murals paint the walls of old buildings and back alleyways in smaller communities like the Brookside District and the larger corners of downtown Tulsa. Some of the murals captivate while some fade seamlessly into their surroundings — each beautiful, each with a story.

The Power of the

Urban Canvas LOCAL ARTISTS HAVE HELPED TRANSFORM MANY TULSA-AREA DESTINATIONS INTO OPEN-AIR EXHIBITIONS OF URBAN CREATIVITY.

By Lindsey Mills

In my short time in Tulsa, I’ve admired these murals briefly while driving down the street or walking briskly down a sidewalk. But in my haste to get from one place to another, I have often missed much of the surrounding beauty draped from the city walls.

When it was suggested to me by a friend that I write a story about the abundant works of art painted around T-Town, I jumped on it. I skimmed my memory and weighed the storylines in my mind. A few murals stood out in my thoughts; however, I had no idea just how many lovely works of art are scattered about the city.

elaborate paintings on the side of FUEL 66 (2439 E. 11th St.) and the fence of BUCK ATOM’S COSMIC CURIOS ON 66 (1347 E. 11th St.).

Take the drive down 11th Street and try to pick out your favorites before ending up in the heart of downtown Tulsa to seek out more murals on foot.

According to the Smithsonian, in the U.S., the world of large-scale, outdoor murals can be traced back to the boom of government-commissioned public art under Roosevelt’s New Deal. Over the years, particularly in the ‘60s and ‘70s, graffiti began to appear and evolve alongside the murals, leading to the rise of the street art movement. Beginning in 1984, the Anti-Graffiti Network proposed using murals once again as public works, often to cover up the illegal graffiti coating city walls. It was a combination of both street art and government-commissioned murals that launched a global festival movement to beautify cities across the globe.

Route 66

After a few minutes Googling “Tulsa murals,” I decided I was bound to find some by simply stepping out my door and moving about the town. You could do the same, I’m sure, and find wellknown murals you’ve noticed, but perhaps not admired. If you’d like a little more guidance and direction to some of Tulsa’s most beautiful murals, you can follow my suggested route: down Route 66 and into downtown Tulsa to wander through the Blue Dome District and Tulsa Arts District.

In November 2018, the Taken With Tulsa article “Still Kickin’” focused on the attractions along Route 66, but I was equally impressed by the art as I was by the coffee shops, restaurants and shopping. This historic strip of road is home to beautiful works of art from the sides of businesses like MARIE’S ROUTE 66 TRADING POST (4114 E. 11th St.) to the state names along 11th Street between Allegheny Avenue and Yale Avenue. There are also

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Blue Dome District We made it a point one afternoon to simply move around downtown with no particular destination in mind in order to seek out masterpieces we hadn’t seen and to linger around the ones we had.

The Blue Dome District is home to a dense concentration of exceptional art paintings that are often the work of the Clean Hands Army, a mural and design team.

(For more info on Clean Hands, check out our feature, “Wonder Walls,” on preview918.‌com.)

Park at the Third Street and Elgin lot to start your viewing with the paint sprawled across the wall of POPPI’S (302 S. Frankfort Ave.).

You can spot murals across from the BLUE DOME MARKET (176 S. Detroit Ave.), and down the road on the walls of ROSE PAWN SHOP (316 E. 2nd St.).

Tulsa Arts District Take your wandering northwest to the area that is home to the WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER (102 E. M.B. Brady St.) and the BRADY THEATER (105 W. M.B. Brady St.). Options for food and coffee abound if you need fuel to carry on your adventure; we suggest CHIMERA CAFÉ (212 N. Main St.) for lunch.

More of our favorite finds include the classic Tulsa postcard mural located next to PROVISIONS FINE BEVERAGE PURVEYORS (211 N. Boulder Ave.), a colorful oil tower featuring the Tulsa skyline on the side of BAIRD MANUFACTURING (220 N. Boston Ave.), and the word mosaic down the alley from PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES BREWPUB

(223 N. Main St.).

TI

N

TO

UC

H

What do we do now?

I want to hear your suggestions, whether you’re a native Tulsan or a newbie like us.

GE

After your break, move down the street and take a look behind SETTE ITALIAN BRICK OVEN (114 N. Boston Ave.). There, you’ll find a string of paintings in a back alleyway that would otherwise remain unnoticed to a passerby were it not for the intriguing works of art.

These murals reminded me how paintings like these make a city come alive; they bring beauty to a slice of earth that would either fade into the background or be unused altogether.

We want to know where to hang out, pig-out, shop ’til we drop, and everything in between. If you know a place with a great story, share it with us so we can go check it out.

Every day is an adventure with our little family, and I’m sharing our story because I think some people can relate. Follow us on Instagram and/or search #TakenWithTulsa or #NewInTtown to check out our latest adventures as we seek out new experiences and share our advice on how to embrace Tulsa.

PREVIEW918.COM 67

ET EATS + TREATS

by SARAH HERRERA photos by SARAH HERRERA

Beyond Bunnies

WHEN HOLLOW CHOCOLATE BUNNIES, MARSHMALLOW CHICKS OR CANDY EGGS WON'T CUT IT, TRY THESE DESSERTS THAT YOUR CLOSEST PEEPS WILL PROBABLY ENJOY MORE THAN ANYTHING THE EASTER BUNNY LEAVES BEHIND.

April showers may bring May flowers, but if you’re looking for a little taste of spring and sunshine, then hop on over to these Easter delights. Whether you’re a hungry bunny or hurriedly hunting for some springtime happiness, these desserts are sure to spread your smile wide. With seasonal ingredients

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and silly carrot puns, not only are we prepared for the holiday that is full of hope, we are certain you’ll be daydreaming of these decadent concoctions for months to come.

Break out your blenders and ready your whisks; these recipes won’t just leave

you feeling like a kid in a candy shop — they’ll turn your home into that very thing. It’s a season for blooming and blossoming memories, so what better way to celebrate such a holiday than to make messes together and top it off with a tasty treat?

EATS + TREATS ET LEMON ECLAIR PUDDING

COCONUT MACAROON NESTS Adapted from inspiredbycharm.com Calling all coconut cravers — this one’s for you. If you’re a lover of life’s little pleasures, then we know you’ll simply go coco-nuts for this delectable delight of sweet, flaky goodness.

INGREDIENTS: egg whites 4 1 Tbsp. sugar ½ tsp. salt 1 package (14 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut ½ cup white chocolate chips, melted 70-90 mini candy eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Coat the cups in a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set the pan aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, salt, and sugar to combine.

Then, with a fork, mix in the coconut.

3. Drop two tablespoons of the coconut mixture into each prepared mini muffin cup.

4. Lightly press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes.

5. Let the nests cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Then run a spatula around the edges of the muffin cups to loosen the nests. Carefully lift out the nests and allow them to cool completely.

6. With the melted chocolate in a piping bag (or plastic baggie with a corner cut off), pipe a small amount of chocolate into each nest. Add two or three candy eggs.

Adapted from plainchicken.com When life hands you lemons, pass on the lemonade and go for the scrumptious dessert of lemon éclair pudding. Whether you prefer to pair it with lime or shovel it in with honey graham crackers, there’s no wrong way to tackle this tasty treat.

INGREDIENTS: box graham crackers 1 (break apart) 2 boxes instant lemon pudding 3½ cups milk 1 container Cool Whip, thawed 1 can lemon frosting

DIRECTIONS:

1. In bowl with electric mixer, mix pudding with milk; beat at medium speed for two minutes. Fold in whipped topping.

2. Mix in broken graham crackers.

3. Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds. Pour over the pudding mixture. Allow to cool.

4. Stir once more to combine.

5. Serve with sectioned pieces of graham cracker for dipping, if preferred.

CARROT CAKE WHOOPIE PIES Adapted from jessfuel.com Looking for a classic treat with a tasty twist that even the Easter Bunny can’t refuse? We’ve got it. We may have used his carrot, but don’t worry; it’s so tasty, he won’t “carrot” all.

INGREDIENTS: ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cup quick oats ¾ tsp. baking soda 1¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground ginger 1⁄8 tsp. nutmeg ¼ tsp. salt ½ cup butter, softened ½ cup sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1¼ cups finely grated carrots ¾ cup chopped walnuts

FILLING INGREDIENTS: ounces cream cheese, 4 softened 6 Tbsp. butter, softened Pinch salt ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1½ cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

2. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy (three minutes). Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy.

3. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix on low until mostly combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients. Beat until combined.

4. Fold in carrots and walnuts. Chill dough for an hour.

5. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Drop balls of dough (two tablespoonful size) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

7. Bake 12-13 minutes. Cool, then transfer to a wire rack.

8. Meanwhile, to make the filling, beat together cream cheese, butter, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag (or baggie with the corner cut off).

9. Once the carrot cake has cooled, pipe frosting onto one, then sandwich a second on top.

PREVIEW918.COM 69

RB RESTAURANT + BAR FINDER

We are tapped into what’s trending and delicious, giving you a first-hand look at where to go, what to eat, where the best cocktails are, and how to map out your culinary adventures in the 918. Whatever your mood, whatever you crave, the 918 has a restaurant or bar sure to satisfy. From local classics to chain favorites, a variety of options catering to every palate and pocketbook are available.

FEATURED LISTINGS 2748 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa 918-747-4799 SEE AD | PAGE 38

ALBERT G’S BAR-B-Q

421 E. 1st St. | Tulsa 918-728-3650 SEE AD | PAGE 38

AMAZING THAI CUISINE 1232 E. Kenosha St. | Broken Arrow 918-258-8424

PREVIEW918.COM/DINE-DRINK

717 S. Houston Ave., Suite 100 | Tulsa 918-585-3134

AMERICAN ASIAN BAKERY BARBECUE BARS + PUBS BREAKFAST BRUNCH COFFEE DELI FINE DINING GLOBAL ITALIAN MEDITERRANEAN MEXICAN PIZZA SEAFOOD SPECIALTY STEAK SWEETS

SEE AD | PAGE 62

BAXTER’S INTERURBAN GRILL

SEE AD | PAGE 89

BROWNIES

2130 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa 918-744-0320 SEE AD | PAGE 35

BROWNIES

422 Plaza Court, Suite B. | Sand Springs 918-514-0222 SEE AD | PAGE 35

CAFE OLÉ

3509 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 918-745-6699 SEE AD | PAGE 39

CAZ’S CHOWHOUSE

18 E. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa 918-588-2469 SEE AD | PAGE 20

CAZ’S PUB

21 E. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa 918-585-8587 SEE AD | PAGE 20

CELEBRITY RESTAURANT 3109 S. Yale Ave. | Tulsa 918-743-1800 SEE AD | PAGE 27

CHIMI’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

1304 E. 15th St. | Tulsa 918-587-4411 SEE AD | PAGE 89

CHIMI’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

5320 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa 918-749-7755 SEE AD | PAGE 89

CHIMI’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

6709 E. 81st St. | Tulsa 918-960-2723 SEE AD | PAGE 89

DAVE & BUSTER’S

6812 S. 105th E. Ave. | Tulsa 918-449-3100 SEE AD | PAGE 38

DILLY DINER

402 E. 2nd St. | Tulsa 918-938-6382 SEE AD | PAGE 5

DUST BOWL

211 S. Elgin Ave. | Tulsa 918-430-3901 SEE AD | PAGE 5

SEE AD | PAGE 89

2604 E. 11th St. | Tulsa 918-398-7102 SEE AD | PAGE 89

FUJI

8226 E. 71st St. | Tulsa 918-250-1821 SEE AD | PAGE 67

GEORGE’S PUB

108 N. 1st St. | Jenks 918-296-9711 SEE AD | PAGE 81

GOODCENTS DELI FRESH SUBS

8222 E. 103rd St. | Tulsa 918-364-7827 SEE AD | PAGE 61

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 W. Cherokee St. | Catoosa 800-760-6700 SEE AD | PAGE 11

BUFFET

EL CHICO

9825 E. 21st St. | Tulsa 918-663-7755 SEE AD | PAGE 32

EL GUAPO’S

332 E. 1st St. | Tulsa 918-382-RITA

FLIP SIDE

SEE AD | PAGE 5

EL GUAPO’S

8161 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa 918-728-7482

HWY. 66 DINER MCGILL’S ON 19

SEE AD | PAGE 5

ELGIN PARK

325 E. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa 918-986-9910 SEE AD | PAGES 5, 47

REPLAY RIFFS SALSA

ELMER’S BBQ

4130 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 918-742-6702 SEE AD | PAGE 85

SLICE THE PERFECT CUP

FASSLER HALL

304 S. Elgin Ave. | Tulsa 918-576-7898 SEE AD | PAGE 5

FAT DADDY’S PUB AND GRILLE

8056 S. Memorial Dr. | Tulsa 918-872-6206 SEE AD | PAGE 53

70 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

19322 E. Admiral Place | Catoosa 918-739-4858

FLO’S BURGER DINER ALBERT G’S BAR-B-Q

For those on the move, search our website database with over 200 restaurants and bars in nearly 20 categories.

CATEGORIES

FLO’S BURGER DINER

TRACK 5.

TOBY KEITH’S I LOVE THIS BAR & GRILL

IN THE RAW

3321 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 918-744-1300 SEE AD | PAGE 38

RESTAURANT + BAR FINDER RB IN THE RAW

6151 S. Sheridan Road | Tulsa 918-524-0063 SEE AD | PAGE 38

IN THE RAW

216 S. Main St. | Broken Arrow 918-893-6111 SEE AD | PAGE 38

INCREDIBLE PIZZA

8314 E. 71st St. | Tulsa 539-302-2681 SEE AD | PAGE 3

JASON’S DELI

8321 E. 61st St. | Tulsa 918-252-9999 SEE AD | PAGE 61

JASON’S DELI

1330 E. 15th St. | Tulsa 918-599-7777 SEE AD | PAGE 61

JUNIPER

324 E. 3rd St. | Tulsa 918-794-1090 SEE AD | PAGE 6

KITCH

377 E Main Street | Jenks 918-528-6766

MCNELLIE’S PUB

7031 S. Zurich Ave. | Tulsa 918-933-5250 SEE AD | PAGE 5

14 W. M.B. Brady St. | Tulsa 918-582-3383 SEE AD | PAGE 21

MIXCO

3rd and Denver | Tulsa 918-932-8571 SEE AD | PAGE 6

MOLLY’S LANDING

3700 N. Old Hwy 66 | Catoosa 918-266-7853 SEE AD | PAGE 62

MONDO’S RISTORANTE ITALIAN

3410 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 918-561-6300

951 W. 36th St. N. | Tulsa 877-246-8777 SEE AD | PAGE 2

THUNDER BAR & GRILL

7227 S. Memorial Drive | Tulsa 918-249-5262

NINE BAND BREWING CO. STONECREEK KITCHEN

SEE AD | PAGE 63

300 Riverwalk Terrace #100 | Jenks 918-298-2226 SEE AD | PAGE 9

LOS CABOS

151 Bass Pro Drive | Broken Arrow 918-355-8877 SEE AD | PAGE 9

LOS CABOS

9455 N. Owasso Expressway | Owasso 918-609-8671 SEE AD | PAGE 9

MARYN’S TAPHOUSE AND RAW BAR

400 Riverwalk Terrace, Suite 180 | Jenks 918-946-2796 SEE AD | PAGE 81

MCNELLIE’S PUB

409 E. 1st St. | Tulsa 918-382-7468 SEE AD | PAGES 5

RONI PEPPO’S

OL’VINE FRESH GRILL

3523 S. Peoria Ave. | Tulsa 918-747-9463 SEE AD | PAGE 39

PRHYME: DOWNTOWN STEAKHOUSE

111 N. Main St. | Tulsa 918-794-7700 SEE AD | PAGE 6

RICARDOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

5629 E. 41st St. | Tulsa 918-622-2668 SEE AD | PAGE 85

RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT

8330 Riverside Parkway | Tulsa SEE AD | PAGES 25, 100

5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE BAR

TI AMO RISTORANTE ITALIANO 6024 S. Sheridan Road | Tulsa 918-499-1919

MARGARITAVILLE

SEE AD | PAGE 27

918-995-8080

R UTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

918-995-8600

SCOREBOARD SPORTS BAR TIKI DINER VISIONS BUFFET

TI AMO RISTORANTE ITALIANO 219 S. Cheyenne Ave. | Tulsa 918-592-5151

SEE AD | PAGE 27

TROPICAL RESTAURANT & BAR 8125 E. 49th St. | Tulsa 918-895-6433 SEE AD | PAGE 63

VILLAGE INN

2745 S. Harvard Ave. | Tulsa 918-742-3515

ROZAY’S WINGZ AND THINGS

2627 E. 11th St. | Tulsa 918-271-5051 SEE AD | PAGE 35

RUSTIC GATE CREAMERY 101 W. Main St. | Jenks 918-528-6227

SEE AD | PAGE 81

SAKU JAPAN

LOS CABOS

201 N. Main St. | Tulsa 918-949-9801

LANDSHARK BAR

SEE AD | PAGE 38

OSAGE CASINO HOTEL

THE TAVERN

SEE AD | PAGE 5

JOHNNY ROCKETS

MEXICALI BORDER CAFÉ

SEE AD | PAGE 81

LANNA THAI

FIRESIDE GRILL

8216 E. 71st St. | Tulsa 918-259-9055 SEE AD | PAGE 32

SISSEROU’S CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT 107 N. Boulder Ave. | Tulsa 918-576-6800 SEE AD | PAGE 21

SMOKE. WOODFIRE GRILL

1542 E. 15th St. | Tulsa 918-949-4440 SEE AD | PAGE 63

SWEET BOUTIQUE

The Boxyard | 502 E. 3rd St., #13 | Tulsa 918-900-2238 SEE AD | PAGE 54

TAVOLO

427 S. Boston Ave. | Tulsa 918-949-4498

SEE AD | PAGE 85

VILLAGE INN

3302 S. Memorial Dr. | Tulsa 918-622-5015 SEE AD | PAGE 85

VILLAGE INN

5230 S. Yale Ave. | Tulsa 918-496-1207 SEE AD | PAGE 85

VILLAGE INN

8320 E. 71st St. | Tulsa 918-254-7623 SEE AD | PAGE 85

WATERFRONT GRILL

120 Aquarium Drive | Jenks 918-518-6300 SEE AD | PAGE 9

YOKOZUNA

309 E. 2nd St. | Tulsa 918-508-7676 SEE AD | PAGE 5

YOKOZUNA

9146 S. Yale, Ste. 100 | Tulsa 918-508-7676 SEE AD | PAGE 5

YUTAKA GRILL AND SUSHI BUFFET

6560 E. 51st St. | Tulsa 918-921-3400 SEE AD | PAGE 85

SEE AD | PAGE 6

PREVIEW918.COM 71

FN FAIL IT OR NAIL IT

TO DYE FOR Your kitchen is full of natural dyes for Easter eggs. With a little creativity and some Pinterest tips, common food items can be used to transform plain white eggs into a rainbow of colors.

By Tiffany Duncan When I was little, my mom and I would sit around the kitchen table with newspapers spread out, using those boxed dye kits from the grocery store to color a couple dozen Easter eggs. It was one of my favorite traditions, one of those things that you just don’t really do anymore as an adult. So when I saw all-natural ways to dye Easter eggs floating around Pinterest, I thought it would be fun to give it a try.

Now, as I reflect on undertaking this project, I can say with confidence that there are only three reasons anyone would ever attempt to dye Easter eggs using natural dyes rather than just buying one of those $1 kits: First, you don’t want your family eating eggs dyed with chemicals like yellow 6 and red 3. Second, you use it as a sort of science experiment for young kids. Or third, you are a masochist and wish to unnecessarily torture yourself.

I should know by now that even if something seems easy, it probably won’t be, at least the first time around. Such was the case with the eggs, otherwise known as operation Stink-Up-the-House-

72 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

for-Days. It started out innocently enough; I bought some parsley, some spinach, a beet, and various other food items with natural dyeing pigments. Then I boiled the eggs. Now, we all know what boiled eggs smell like ( for those of you who are somehow unsure, it rhymes with “cart”) and that can be bad enough, especially if you have a husband that hates eggs like mine does.

But then … it got worse. Far, far worse.

What do you think you get when you boil multiple pots of spinach, parsley, red cabbage, onion skin, beet root, and turmeric for two hours, all with vinegar added to them, on top of a kitchen that already smells like rhymes-withcart? I’ll tell you what: some unholy-smelling underbelly of culinary pursuits gone wrong. I nearly ran my poor husband out of the house, it was such a facepunching, eye-watering smell.

Especially the parsley/vinegar combo. If you ever want people to avoid you for a few days, just boil up some of that dank mixture.

The first recipe I followed simply said, “Mix each individual ingredient with 1 cup water and boil for 30 minutes.” I felt like a mad scientist as I leaned over individual pots of boiling food stuffs on all four oven burners, singeing my nose hairs on the smell of vinegar. I had to dump the pot with the spinach in it, as the water totally evaporated. But the blueberry mixture looked like it was ready to seriously dye some eggs, and they ended up being my favorite.

The downside to natural dyes is it takes forever for the color to really take; many even need to soak overnight. So I did a lot of sitting around and waiting for the eggs to dye. The blueberry and red cabbage dyes worked the fastest, and the color deepened beautifully the longer they were left to soak.

The parsley did not work even a little bit. Pinterest tutorials showed that the parsley was supposed to dye the eggs a lovely sea green color, but even overnight the eggs absorbed no dye whatsoever. It’s very possible I didn’t do something right; I think I might have used too much water and not enough vinegar. The Pinterest tutorials also promised onion skin would yield a nice deep shade of orangy-red, and the beets a pinkish-red. But for me, both of those mixtures just yielded shades of diseased-looking brownish-yellow. Not sure what I did so wrong there.

If you ever do this yourself — or heaven help you, with kids — do not let them touch the turmeric if you decide to use that as a natural dye. It works beautifully, but it has a staining power like you wouldn’t believe, from your countertops, to your clothes, to your hair. I got some turmeric root on my hands, and it actually dyed my pinky yellow. I was in a wedding three days later, so luckily the color

finally dissipated. I truly thought I was going to have to be in one of my best friend’s weddings with a yellow pinky — not exactly ideal.

The acidity in the wine and the grape juice ended up really interesting on the eggs; it gave them a stone/marbled look, almost like the striations on Jupiter or Venus. Using blueberries to dye eggs is also interesting, because flecks of the blueberry escape the strainer and end up dotting the eggs, making them look like robin’s eggs. My very favorite egg ended up being the one I soaked overnight in blueberry juice and then wiped with a paper towel in the morning, which caused it to look tie-dyed.

I had no idea there were so many creative and different ways to dye Easter eggs naturally. If you are at all interested in dyeing eggs without chemicals this year, check out Pinterest for some ideas. But be warned: like with all other things, Pinterest is a literal black hole of ideas, and it can be overwhelming with all the different tutorials. Some say it’s better to add the vinegar to the boiling pots of water, some say after. Yet again some say to boil the eggs right along with the boiling food dye, and some say to dye the eggs individual cups after. There

FAIL IT OR NAIL IT FN TURMERIC, soaked two hours

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RED WINE and VINEGAR, soaked two hours

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BLUEBERRIES, overnight, then wiped with paper towel when wet

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GRAPE JUICE, two hours

BLUEBERRIES, soaked one hour

BLUEBERRIES, BROWN EGG, three hours

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RED CABBAGE, then soaked in GRAPE JUICE overnight

are also ones on how to add specks of coffee onto the shells to make it look like flecks of gold, and others detailing how to get an enormous ray of colors and shades by letting

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the egg soak in one dye, and then in another overnight.

Overall, I’d say this was a combination of nailed and failed,

BROWN EGG, RED CABBAGE, overnight

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RED CABBAGE, overnight

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RED CABBAGE, 45 minute soak

TURMERIC overnight, then soaked in RED CABBAGE

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because most of my eggs really did turn out beautifully. On the other hand I would say failed, because I tried to do too many different types and destroyed my kitchen in the

RED CABBAGE, light soak

process. It was a fun project to do this once, but would I do it again?

Nope. Never. My future children will be using cheap grocery store tablets to dye eggs, just like I did.

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FT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Rice up Your life

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT FT White rice

Rice is a delicious, versatile alternative to potatoes and pasta, and there are lots of varieties to choose from.

BY TIFFANY DUNCAN

Rice is one of the only foods that occupies a place in almost every kitchen, no matter where you happen to be in the world.

In that way it’s an almost transcendent food; it unites people of every background and culture — from the street food markets of Southeast Asia, to the deeply fragrant dishes of India, to the meticulously crafted sushi rolls in Japan, to around the corner in the freezer section of your local Trader Joe’s. As a planet, we eat so much rice that it provides more than a fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans.

But depending on the dish you are making or the taste/style you are going for, rice is not a one-size-fits-all ingredient.

Some are better for frying, while others are better cooked over the stove top into dishes like risotto. Rice comes in many different colors and grain lengths, and some should be washed or soaked before use. With varying nutritional content, some are also better for you than others.

How to make sense of all this nuance? Here’s a very short, unofficial guide to selecting your rice:

We know it, we love it, but what is it exactly? Where does it come from? Rice itself is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa, and white rice has been milled further to remove the husk, bran, and germ. This is done to prevent spoilage and to make it shelf stable for years, but unfortunately the processing also removes the nutrients.

Much of the commercial white rice available is enriched with nutrients, because a diet simply based on unenriched white rice can lead to serious health complications. The majority of rice today comes from India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Japan. It is also grown domestically in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, and California.

COOKING TIPS: Simply follow the instructions on the bag.

Brown rice When you go to Chipotle, it’s always a struggle to answer the “brown or white” question because if we are being honest, most of us prefer the taste of white. It has a more neutral, less nutty flavor. Brown rice can have a nearly dirt-like flavor, and it can be an acquired taste.

But brown rice is better for you because the grain still retains the bran and the germ, and therefore the dietary fiber and other vitamins and minerals that white rice has been stripped of.

COOKING TIPS: Typically,

brown rice has a much longer cook time than white rice; if you sub in brown rice for white in a recipe, make sure to adjust the cook time accordingly.

Arborio This short-grain rice is a bit of an anomaly in the rice family,

as it was originally cultivated in Italy (though it is now also grown in parts of the U.S.) and is the primary ingredient of the staple Italian dish, risotto. The grains are fat, pearly white, and slightly oval in shape. Its starch content makes it possible to absorb lots of liquid without becoming mushy.

COOKING TIPS: When making

risotto, Arborio rice must be stirred constantly while adding in any cooking liquid. Also, if risotto is not eaten right away, its starch content will turn the texture stiff and gluey.

Wild rice Wild rice, some people may be surprised to learn, actually comes from a semi-aquatic grass. It grows in the shallows of North American lakes and bodies of water — primarily in the Great Lakes area and California — but some in China as well. Health benefits of wild rice include being a good source of many vitamins and minerals, high in antioxidants, and may also help lower cholesterol.

Wild rice is often accompanied by a higher price tag, as it is very difficult to harvest.

COOKING TIPS: Soaking wild rice overnight can shorten cooking time as well as break down some of the harder-todigest properties, so more of its nutritional content can be absorbed.

Black rice Black rice gets its color from its extremely high content of anthocyanin — the same pigment found in blueberries and raspberries — resulting in the rice turning a deep purple when cooked. It is similar in taste and fiber content to brown rice. Originating in China, it’s tricky to grow and revered as an extremely healthy food, giving it

nicknames like “forbidden rice” or “emperor’s rice.”

COOKING TIPS: Rinsing or soaking the rice will lessen cook time and yield a more tender product.

Jasmine rice Originally from Thailand (and still primarily grown there), jasmine rice has a soft, slightly sticky texture. This rice is prized for its subtle floral aroma, but as it sits on a grocery store shelf it rapidly loses this delicate flavor component.

Many Southeast Asians and connoisseurs of jasmine rice will prefer the current year’s crop, as it will not yet have lost its unique flavor/aroma. Contrary to what the name may lead you to believe, this rice is not named for its floral quality but rather its pristine white color that resembles the Jasmine flower’s petals.

COOKING TIPS: Rinse to rid the rice of excess starch or talcum powder used in processing, but do not soak (this will only make it soggy). To cook perfect jasmine rice, it’s all about getting the perfect ratio of water to rice (about 2/3 cup water to 1 cup rice).

Basmati Basmati is a word that most people have heard in conjunction to rice, but might not know much else about it. Basmati rice largely hails from the Indian subcontinent, and it is long and slender. It is used extensively in many traditional Indian, Persian, and Middle Eastern dishes.

The flavor is distinctively nutty, and the texture is softer than jasmine rice when cooked. It is available in both brown and white varieties.

COOKING TIPS: Soak for at least 30 minutes before cooking to shorten cook time.

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Some of Tulsa's best restaurants and bars are found in the Cherry Street District.

Come explore a foodie's playground and experience an incredible range of epicurean delights all within a few enchanting blocks.

Cherry bom

BY MICHELE CHIAPPETTA AND ROB HARMON

Once upon a time, the Cherry Street District on 15th Street was known for a few staple eateries, such as the Coffee House on Cherry Street, and the laidback neighborhood streets where artists and students often made their

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homes. But Cherry Street is a bit more booming these days, to say the least. Packed with new places to eat, shop, grab a drink with friends, and be entertained, Cherry Street has turned into the cool place to be.

In that spirit, we’ve decided to do a fun, festive look at some of its best haunts. We’ve mixed it up by highlighting a few oldies but goodies, while also mentioning some of Cherry Street’s newest offerings to give our readers

the flavor of what’s happening in this part of town. And don’t forget about our “Also Check Out” list, which includes a full listing of the many great eateries that make Cherry Street so lively in the evenings and on weekends.

Cherry Street Kitchen 1441 S. QUAKER AVE. | TULSA

The owners of Cherry Street Kitchen firmly believe that their business is all about the people who walk in the door.

That’s why they strive to serve great food in a welcoming atmosphere and amazing service. Focusing on breakfast and lunch, the eatery offers favorites like grits, French toast and breakfast burritos, served with locally-roasted Fair Fellow Coffee. Definitely try their famous chicken salad, Caprese melt panini, or the homemade chicken potpie. And don’t forget — they cater too.

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Crushed Red 1529 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Crushed Red’s raison d’etre is that food served quickly should taste great and be good for our planet too. So, when you visit, be aware that you’re visiting a place that engages in practices that are good for the ecosystem. Of course, their made-to-order chopped salads are simply unforgettable. Avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce — yes, you’ll see for yourself.

But don’t forget the spiced pears, ahi tuna, habanero honey dressing, and more.

It’s without question a salad lover’s delight. They also serve handmade pizzas and can make them gluten-free if you request it.

Chimi's 1304 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA Of course, you’re also not going to go wrong by wandering down this part of 15th Street and visiting several spots on our list to enjoy a bit of an impromptu bar crawl — because many of these places have great bars and unique drink offerings.

If the weather’s nice, try wandering the neighboring streets on either side before or after your meal to peruse the creative landscaping of the homes there. It’s all part of what makes Cherry Street so much fun.

With all the changes Cherry Street has undergone, it’s good to know some local favorites have stayed around to keep offering the same delicious food we know and love them for. That’s Chimi’s. Since 1983, they’ve been serving Tulsans some amazing salsa, queso, guacamole, superb house margaritas, and tasty treats like their generously portioned fajitas and the enormous wet burrito that regulars adore. If you’re adventuresome, get their seafood chowder, made with shrimp, white fish, and scallops in a spicy broth that will instantly convert you into a true seafood lover.

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Main Street Tavern 1325 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Tulsa is truly blessed to have a Scarpa family-owned restaurant right on Cherry Street. When Jason Scarpa opened his Main Street Tavern all those years ago in Broken Arrow, it brought BA’s Rose District up a couple notches overnight. It’s hard to argue that the same thing hasn’t happened here. Excellent food, full bar service and a fantastic atmosphere are what you can expect. This isn’t just any bar and grill. It’s a great place to see a game, enjoy the company of good friends and to meet and greet, all while consuming delicious food and cold beverages — a wonderful combination you can’t expect just anywhere.

Jason's Deli 1330 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

If there was a six-out-of-five-stars rating, Jason’s Deli would get it every time. This place is always busy, but that’s not to say you’ll have to wait a long time to be served. It’s busy because it’s so consistently delicious. Every item on their menu is a legitimate contender for “Best Of ” in its unique category. If it’s a salad or sandwich, they’ve got it. Try them once, and you’ll salivate just thinking about your next visit. The great thing about this location is that you can grab a sandwich and then go for a nice walk along Cherry Street.

Nola's Creole & Cocktails 1334 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Memories are created when you visit this Louisianainspired restaurant. Elegant, yet comfortable, with an elaborately decorated speakeasy atmosphere, you’ll be passing a good time every time you order from Nola’s.

Choose something from their mouth-watering menu like plump and juicy oysters on the half shell, tempt yourself with some Cajun-fried alligator, or order up a huge, Beaucoup Fried Platter. Whatever you pick, you’ll be saying, “Lawd, I love this place.” Don’t forget to down a couple of Cherry Street’s best prohibition-era cocktails. Oh, and last but not least, attentive servers make your experience at Nola’s unforgettable.

Prairie Fire Pie 1303 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

A pizza is a pizza, right? Wrong. As a place like Prairie Fire Pie proves, pizzas come in an endless variety of styles. Prairie offers something you won’t find anywhere else in Tulsa — West Coast style pies by way of Seattle influence. The light, bubbly, perfectly chewy crust can be topped with some creative combinations, like their white sauce pizza topped with potato and egg, rosemary, pancetta, and arugula. They also serve salads, wings, wood-fired vegetables, seasonal specials, microbrews, domestic beers on tap, and specialty cocktails. Hip? Yes, and then some.

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Roosevelt's

Also Check Out

1551 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Undoubtedly the best outdoor patio on Cherry Street can be found here. Lined tall with glass, the expansive patio is the place for people watching and for being seen. This lively gastropub has that something special for a date night, night out with the girls or any night of fun and frivolity. With a seemingly unlimited list of beer, wine and cocktails, you’ll forget you’re there to eat. But don’t worry, the food is fantastic.

Try the tasty salmon ratatouille, a steaming plate of meatloaf or one of their yummy vegetarian items, and you’ll understand what we’re talking about. Plus, the Sunday brunch menu is tremendous.

Andolini's Pizzeria 1552 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Hideaway Pizza 1419 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Kilkenny's Irish Pub 1413 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

SMOKE. Woodfire Grill 1542 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Relaxed atmosphere, splendid food and good times — that’s SMOKE. Yes, the restaurant is comfortable and smartly decorated, but let’s be honest, it’s the food that steals the show. The remarkable Black Angus burger, for example, is a fresh blend of tenderloin, rib-eye, sirloin and brisket. Every flavorful meal on the menu satisfies. Trust us. If you’ve never had their crab-stuffed catfish, you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life. Enjoy fantastic fresh-cut fries, potato salad or any of their delicious sides along with your meal, and you will not regret it. SMOKE. is definitely a Cherry Street gem.

Mi Cocina 1342 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Palace Cafe 1301 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Salata 1617 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

STG Gelateria 1601 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Tucci's 1344 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe 1551 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Society Burger 1419 E. 15TH ST. | TULSA

Food that is locally sourced and crafted by hand — this is Cherry Street’s kind of burger joint. And why not? We all love feeling good about a fresh, tasty burger sourced from around these parts. On top of fantastic burgers, all 16 of their beer taps are local beers that you’ve come to love, from right here in Tulsa. Serving handmade hamburger buns, sides and salads as fresh as the day is long, Society Burger aims to please.

Inspired by a trip to Greece, the owners of Taziki’s aim to create not just a delicious food experience, but a place where friends and family can gather and connect over food. Taziki’s is all about creating community and celebrating life. Of course, eating delicious Greek food is a part of the experience. From grilled lamb and beef gyros to hummus and baklava, diners enjoy genuine Mediterranean flavors. Or try the char-grilled lamb or herb-roasted pork, which won’t disappoint.

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REUBEN

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James E. McNellie’s Public House wants you to feel at home when you’re there. Whether it’s the welcoming ambience, the great service, over 350 beers or the pub grub, McNellie’s strives to make you comfortable and relaxed. By Donna Leahey Photos by Sarah Eliza Roberts It’s one of those nights. You want to go out for good food and good times, but you also want to enjoy the comfort of your own living room. You want a beer and yummy bar food and you want to hang out with friends, but you want to relax and feel at home. What are you going to choose? Like the meme says: Why not both? James E. McNellie’s Public House is like your other living room.

McNellie’s opened in downtown Tulsa in 2004, and a second location in south Tulsa in 2013. Both locations have the feel of a genuine Irish pub. “It’s about the atmosphere,” says Jason Ashing, operating partner. “It feels like home, with good drinks, food, conversation. Home and a good time. Our owner, Elliot Nelson, travels to Ireland yearly to look at pubs.

He keeps us authentic.”

McNellie’s wants you to feel at home when you’re there. Whether it’s the welcoming ambience, the great service, or the food and beverages, McNellie’s strives to make you comfortable and relaxed.

The classic rock playing over the speakers is a nice start, as is the spacious

interior. The mismatched tables and chairs make it feel casual and easy.

The bar with 72 taps lets you know you have all the time in the world to explore McNellie’s beer menu. And the menu … oh, the menu. So many options, some straight off an Irish pub menu board, some straight up Americana. All so tasty you’ll have a hard time deciding where to start. Best of all, unlike your living room, someone else is washing the dishes when you’re done.

The appetizer menu ranges from chips and salsa and quesadillas, to fried cheese curds and hummus with bread sticks and veggies. All are an excellent choice for a starter, but consider the artichoke dip. This classic appetizer is made with cream cheese and artichoke hearts, topped with a crispy layer of parmesan, and served warm with pita chips. It’s tangy and savory, with a rich creamy texture. It’s so good you won’t be able to resist going back for just one more bite.

Another great choice is the pulled pork nachos. The secret to this unique flavor combo is the barbecue sauce. The dish is tortilla chips topped with smoked pulled

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MEMPHIS 2.0

pork and generously covered with shredded cheese, white queso, sour cream, and pico. The whole thing is drizzled in sweet and tangy sauce, giving these not-so-traditional nachos a new taste and a new kick.

McNellie’s is famous for their burgers. In fact, the burger is Ashing’s favorite menu item. It’s their biggest seller, so Ashing isn’t alone. The original McNellie’s charburger is a generous half-pound patty, served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. Add your choice of cheese and bacon to make it even more special. This patty is perfectly seasoned and cooked juicy and flavorful.

If you want to get to know McNellie’s, try stopping by on their Wednesday Burger Night. They have their full-size burger, with fries, on special all night for $4. “From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., the place is packed,” says Ashing.

Burger night is just one of their great specials. McNellie’s also offers $6 food specials for happy hour and every Tuesday is half-price Oklahoma beers.

Speaking of seriously good, the fish and chips are a very nice take on traditional Irish pub fare. The North Atlantic cod is fried crispy and golden and served with fresh cut fries every bit as good as the fish. It’s hard to say which is better —the taste or the crunch.

If you’re looking for a banquet space, consider McNellie’s. Their red-walled martini lounge can seat 75, and they have a spacious upstairs room which can seat 200.

Every quarter, McNellie’s offers a beer dinner — a five-course dinner with a beer pairing for each course. You can stop by and pick up your ticket from McNellie’s for this event. The next one will be April 15.

McNellie’s South, near 71st Street and Yale Avenue, has a little different feel, but is still homey and welcoming. They take advantage of a little more space in south Tulsa by setting up a patio with picnic tables. They’re not just like your own living room — they’re like your back porch too.

JAMES E. MCNELLIE’S PUBLIC HOUSE

JAMES E. MCNELLIE’S PUBLIC HOUSE

409 E. 1st St. | Tulsa 918-382-7468

7031 S. Zurich Ave. | Tulsa 918-933-5250

mcnellies.com

mcnellies.com

Sunday-Tuesday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Wednesday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

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The traditional Reuben, though, is something special. The corned beef is lovingly braised, piled high, and topped with sauerkraut, grilled onions, big eye Swiss, and Russian dressing, all cradled between two slices of grilled marbled rye. The bread crunches perfectly as the flavors explode into your mouth. The sauerkraut accents without overwhelming, and the dressing sets everything off perfectly.

This sandwich is seriously good.

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FISH AND CHIPS

If it’s a rainy April-showers kind of day, McNellie’s has housemade soups perfect for relieving the chill. You can choose from creamy potato leek, hearty beer house chili, or their soup of the day.

There’s no wrong choice here.

The sandwich menu has some great choices, from a Caesar wrap to a lobster roll, but there are a couple standouts you should consider. Jimbo’s Grilled Cheese is made with thick, grilled sourdough bread and generous helpings of three cheeses: Lomah cheddar, fontina, and American, all melted together into a creamy bite of comfort food.

Monday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Where the locals have been going since 1975!

Daily ls Lunch Specia am 11 at Open Saturday Monday thru ay Closed Sund

918.622.2668

www.ricardostulsa.com 5629 E. 41st • Tulsa, OK PREVIEW918.COM 85

THE DOPPLER

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WrEStLINg WITH GREATNESS FROM CLASSIC TO CUTTING EDGE, YOKOZUNA DELIVERS THE TRIUMPHS OF JAPANESE FUSION CUISINE THROUGH A LINEUP THAT SPANS NEARLY EVERY PREFERENCE WHILE ALSO EMBODYING THE VIBRANT CULTURE THAT IS DOWNTOWN TULSA.

BY DONNA LEAHEY

PHOTOS BY SARAH ELIZA ROBERTS

When you’re in the Blue Dome District, you know you’ve arrived at Tulsa’s spot for nightlife, entertainment, shopping, and fine dining. Speaking of fine dining, look for Yokozuna’s bright red sign lighting up the night sky over an old-fashioned brick colonnade. It’s a shining signal that you’re in for some of the finest dining in Tulsa.

For 10 years, Yokozuna’s welcoming red sign has been inviting downtown to come in and enjoy Japanese fusion, unique ambiance, and great service.

Japanese fusion is so much more than the cuisine; it’s embodied in everything about Yokozuna. From the exposed brick of downtown Tulsa’s former manufacturing district to the banners of champion sumo wrestlers, Yokozuna is a fusion of classic Japanese culture with Tulsa’s reenergized downtown growth.

When a sumo wrestler achieves the highest rank, when he becomes a grand champion, he is awarded the title of Yokozuna. “That’s what the name is about,” says Jeff Dickason, Yokozuna general manager. “Striving to be the best.

We have high standards for our product, our staff, our service.”

Dickason describes Yokozuna as, “a popular modern Japanese fusion location in the Blue Dome district that embodies the vibrant culture that is downtown Tulsa.” Yokozuna is popular indeed; they will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary this summer. With so much success downtown, Yokozuna opened a second location on south Yale Avenue five years ago.

The unique ambiance of Yokozuna begins before you’re even inside. The brick colonnade was the entrance to a movie theater at one time. Once in the spacious entrance, look up and see if you can spy the dragon hiding in the rafters. You’d be excused for missing it; there’s a lot going on: high wood ceilings, bright banners, and that beautiful exposed brick.

The dining area itself is spacious and full of unique details like the cascading chandelier imported from Japan, light wood panels, wide windows, wooden

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YOKOZUNA

YOKOZUNA

9146 S. Yale, Ste. 100 | Tulsa 918-619-6271

yokozunasushi.com

yokozunasushi.com

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309 E. 2nd St. | Tulsa 918-508-7676

Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-Midnight Sunday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

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The steamed buns cannot be missed. You can choose between sriracha chicken and hoisin pork belly. These traditional bites are flavorful and delightful. And Monday nights, they’re $1 from 5 p.m. to close.

“You’ve got to have them,” says Dickason.

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Don’t skip the appetizer menu. Yokozuna has some amazing offerings. The housecut sweet potatoes are a revelation.

Coated in tempura batter, they’re perfectly crispy and full of that sweet flavor. They’re served with a tasty wasabi mayo and a zesty chili soy sauce. “They’re very popular,” says Dickason. “They’re cut fresh; there’s always someone in the kitchen cutting sweet potatoes.”

Consider dropping by for Yokozuna’s sushi happy hour, every day from 2-5 p.m.

Designated appetizers — like those oh-sotasty sweet potato fries — and rolls — like the popular Hot Mess — are discounted.

That’s every day, so even if you work a regular 8 a.m.-5 p.m., you can still take advantage Saturday or Sunday.

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Be sure to stop by on Sundays for Yokozuna’s Sake and Sapporo Sundays.

Every Sunday from 5 p.m. to close, enjoy $3 Sapporo drafts and $5 large house sake.

The weekly offering is becoming big news in Tulsa. “A lot of industry pros show up,” says Dickason. “It’s something of a who’s who in here on Sundays.”

Yokozuna offers classic rolls as well as their signature rolls. The Dilly roll, the spicy Hot Mess, and the Doppler rolls are some of the most popular options, but for Dickason, the carpaccios, sashimi, and nigiri are for the true fish lover. “That’s where you get the real subtleties of flavor and texture.”

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Dickason is proud of the sake menu.

“We’re constantly curating it,” he explains.

There’s the Ozeki House sake, sake bombs, sake flights, and a list of premium sake ranging from affordable to luxurious.

The heart of Yokozuna is its sushi menu, and Dickason takes pride in it. “We’re chef-driven,” he explains. “Chefs Yutaka Miyazoto and Jin Baek are the engine that drives this. Our fish is flown in fresh on ice. Good chefs and quality fish are the foundations.”

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Start on the cocktail menu, where you’ll find whimsically named concoctions like Now & Zen and Violet Confrontation. “We keep our cocktail menu on trend,” says Dickason. The Flying Lotus is a popular cocktail choice, blending gin, St. Germain and Cointreau with muddled jalapeno, cucumber, and lemon juice. The flavor is complex, with notes of bitter and sweet, sour and hot. The Pen is Mightier is made with Hibiki Harmony Japanese whiskey.

The rich, oaky flavor of the whiskey suffuses through the ginger and fresh lemon juice for a refreshing and unique take on a whiskey cocktail.

MEESH MASH

The poke bowls are another popular choice. “People go crazy for them.”

Consider the Meesh Mash, named for a longtime Yokozuna employee. It’s marinated salmon, ahi, and yellowtail with avocado, masago, sesame seeds and garlic served atop sushi rice, cucumber, seaweed, and ika salad. So many flavors and textures blend together into perfect bite after perfect bite.

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The Yokozuna menu is a journey with stops for everyone, whether you love your sashimi and nigiri, or prefer your fish fully cooked.

The ramen bowls have to be tried to be believed. Forget about the ramen you had in college. This is a decadent serving of pork or chicken with a soy egg and more, in a broth so thick and rich and flavorful your tongue will think it’s died and gone to heaven. Umami for days. “The broth is made fresh from bones in-house,” says Dickason. The care shows. It’s worth a trip to Yokozuna for the ramen alone.

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ceilings, and more. “We wanted to show off the space,” says Dickason. “We left the building as intact as possible, to show its history in manufacturing. These giant windows, for instance, used to be for cars.

We put in skylights to show off the ceiling.

We tried to stay on theme: Japanese fusion and Tulsa’s culture. It’s a place to see and be seen, and we back that up.”

Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

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MF MASTERS OF FLAVOR

Flour

Rick Miller

BY MICHELE CHIAPPETTA PHOTOS BY MARC RAINS

The partnership between Farrell Bread and the JTR Group gives people even more reason to break their keto diet to enjoy some amazingly good, floury carbs.

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The current partnership between Farrell Bread and Thompson began with both a longtime customer relationship and also, a very simple question. “We’ve been buying bread from Farrell Bread for years, pretty much for my entire career,” says Thompson.

“Then one day, the manager asked if I was interested in owning a bakery.”

Though he hadn’t been looking to invest in a bakery, Thomp-

Then, there’s a retail area where customers can browse, shop, and enjoy the opportunity to select their favorite daily items.

“There is new flooring, for example, and we’ve opened up the space more so people can shop,” says Thompson. “The space is brighter. It creates a welcoming shopping experience.”

The bottom line, though, is what the bakery sells. And customers can expect to enjoy the same well-loved baked goods.

“It’s the same great bread, the same recipes,” says Thompson.

“I’m just adding a little bit of my business experience.”

If you’ve never been inside Farrell Bread or haven’t been

“Our sourdough is just flour and water,” Miller says. “We mix it to a certain consistency and then leave the starter on the counter for four to five hours. This gives it time to sour the dough naturally.”

In addition, Farrell Bread is well-known around the area for its rye bread options — which come sometimes with caraway seeds and sometimes seed-free. They also make a pumpernickel and a marble loaf. “We sell a lot of them to restaurants, but we always have some to sell over the counter,” says Miller.

The bakery also makes a popular braided challah, and uses the same dough for burger buns. They also make baguettes, focaccia, raisin bread, pizza dough, whole wheat levain and other

The bakery also offers some sweets daily, such as cookies and two types of pound cake — vanilla and lavender. And then there are specialty items available only on weekends — including croissants and various specialty breads and pastries.

Bread lovers can find Farrell Bread in a variety of stores around the area, in addition to the bakery. They’re available at multiple grocery stores, coffee shops and retail stores throughout Oklahoma. In the Tulsa area, this includes Reasor’s grocery stores, Whole Foods, Akin’s and Sprouts, as well as at restaurants such as McGill’s, Margret’s, The Bistro, The Vault, PRHYME, and Juniper.

You can also find Farrell Bread at the Cherry Street farmers market from April through October. “We’re at the Mother Road Market at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue too,” says Miller.

“We’ve done really well there; we’re pleased with that.”

FARRELL FAMILY BREAD 8034 S. Yale Ave. | Tulsa 918-477-7077 farrellbread.com

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And let’s just make this one thing clear — Farrell Bread will continue to use the same recipes and serve the same loafs you’ve come to love.

It’ll just be done with the style and service that the JTR Group of restaurants is known for — giving Tulsans who love bread the best of both worlds.

If you’ve been by the bakery recently, you’ve probably seen the results of the renovations they’ve been making. There is now an official area for the production side of the bakery, where the breads, cookies and pastries are made — featuring windows so customers can view the baking as it takes place.

What do they do with all that flour? They make bread Tulsans can’t resist. “I think our biggest seller is a Tuscan-inspired loaf,” says Miller. “The sourdough is really popular too. It’s the go-to bread for BLTs in the summer and grilled cheese in the winter.”

And unlike many sourdoughs, Farrell Bread makes theirs as naturally as possible.

delicious loaves. Farrell Bread even caters to singles and small families by offering half loaves. “We make a split loaf,” Miller says. “It fits in the toaster easier, and it’s a little more than a half a loaf. That’s been very popular, and we do it with most of our breads.”

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The bakery, which is located at 81st Street and Yale Avenue, has been a Tulsa staple for years. And recently, chef Justin Thompson of the JTR Group of restaurants (PRHYME, Juniper, Tavolo, MixCo, 624 Catering) came on board behind the scenes to help with the business of persuading Tulsans to temporarily break their keto diet to enjoy some amazingly good, floury carbs.

“I know the quality, I know the product, and it’s great quality, great tasting breads. We kept all the same recipes, the same employees,” Thompson explains.

“The bread is still the same, and so are the people making it. I didn’t want to come in and change everything. The owners did such a great job with the menu, I didn’t want to change it at all. My only contribution has been in looking at the actual facility itself.”

in lately, now’s a great time to visit. You can see for yourself the new, bright space and enjoy delicious breads renowned around town for their taste and their quality ingredients, great flours without fillers, additives or preservatives. Lots of flour, actually. “We go through about 5,000 pounds of regular, unbleached, untreated flour a week, plus the other flours we bake with,” says bakery manager Rick Miller.

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Let’s be honest — just about everyone who loves food will do anything for a fresh, soft, tasty loaf that is deliciously handmade. But the bread has to be seriously good, right?

Not to worry — that’s exactly what you get from the baking crew at Farrell Bread.

son decided to think about it.

After some consideration, he decided to jump in. But that doesn’t mean changing the things about Farrell Bread that everyone loves.

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Who doesn’t love a good piece of bread?

Monday-Saturday: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

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GK GETTING TO KNOW

Rock Stars As a family-run business, Oklahoma Granite and Stone cares about producing attractive, well-made home fixtures at a reasonable price.

When your home or office is ready for a remodel, and you’re in the market for superb, affordable stone work from a talented crew, there’s a local couple you need to know.

Michael and Sandra Connors run Oklahoma Granite and Stone, and they’re creating beautiful stone kitchens, bathrooms, and more for people all over Green Country.

The Connors, who have been married for 33 years, have connections to Tulsa and the

92 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

East Coast, and both have deep experience in home remodeling. Michael is originally from New Jersey, and was once the top recruiter for the Better Business Bureau. Sandra is a Tulsan. They previously owned New England Architectural Remodelers, a design-build company in Boston.

After selling that business, along with their other home in Florida, they decided to move back to Tulsa where Sandra’s parents lived.

“They were getting older, and we decided to come back in 1995 so they could spend more time with their grandchild. So, now I’ve become a genuine Tulsan like Sandra,” says Michael with a laugh.

“When I retired, I didn’t want to sit in a chair,” he adds. When he and Sandra moved to Tulsa, he became involved at St. John’s Hospital. Then, with their experience in the

design-build industry, Michael and Sandra did several kitchen, bathroom, and similar countertop remodels each year for people they knew.

Soon, it made sense to do their stone work full time. “We’ve been very fortunate with the growth we’ve had,” says Michael.

As a family-run business, Oklahoma Granite and Stone cares about producing attractive, well-made stone counters at a reasonable price.

“We do a flat square-foot price,” says Michael.

“We take exact measurements to the quarterfoot, and multiply by a price point of $28 per square foot to calculate the cost of fabrication and installation combined. Most other companies start at a higher price per square foot, and mark up the stone. We wholesale the materials to our clients, so we nearly always turn out to have the best price for any project.

GETTING TO KNOW GK

MARC RAINS

Though the bulk of the work done by the Connors is in the area of kitchen remodels, granite and other stones can make appearances in other parts of your home too, lending many opportunities to create a luxurious look and feel.

The common thread, though, is granite — which is their top seller. “Most of what we sell is granite,” says Michael, “because it’s a beautiful material at a great price.” Quartz starts about three times the price of level 1 granite. In addition to cost advantages, granite offers another benefit — it’s unique.

Unlike quartz, which is man-made in molds,

“Most of our work is kitchens, but we do many other things too,” Michael says. “We create lots of bath vanity-tops and have done several outdoor kitchens over the years. We also do stone windowsills and tops for halfwalls. We can also cover shower liners with stone or with thin synthetic marble.”

No job is too big or too small, and, on average, Oklahoma Granite and Stone needs only two to three weeks of lead time

OKLAHOMA GRANITE AND STONE 918-747-7893

okgranitestone.com

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Often, homeowners know exactly what stone they want. But, if you’re undecided, Sandra is available to help with design at the stone yards, so you can choose a granite or other material that fits your budget. She’ll also help you match your home’s color scheme, blending counters with your floors and cabinets. There are hundreds of colors and patterns to choose from.

“If you choose quartz, you may have the same look as many other homeowners,” says Michael. “But if you choose granite, you’ll never see another kitchen just like yours.”

from the moment a customer picks out their stone until the day of installation.

“We have a real stake in getting the job done quickly and correctly,” Michael says.

“We don’t keep people hanging on, and never ask for any deposits up-front, like others do. We work with clients in a simple way. No pressure, no salespeople. Our clients deal directly with Sandra and me.

We’re a small family company, and we are proud to provide personal service, from first call to final photos.”

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leading to a uniform look, granite is natural, and each slab is distinctly patterned. No two slabs are ever exactly alike.

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“But the big thing is the stone. We buy most of our stone from the oldest stone yard in Oklahoma, located in Broken Arrow. We measure, and that’s the exact price for our labor. The choice of stone is up to the customer, and we don’t make a penny from the material. We feel this approach creates a lot of trust.”

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by MICHELE CHIAPPETTA photos by

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SL SHELF LIFE

NONFICTION/MEMOIR

LITERARY/ CONTEMPORARY

ROMANCE/ WOMEN’S FICTION

MYSTERY, THRILLER AND SUSPENSE

APRIL 2

APRIL 9 APRIL 2 APRIL 2

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE

BY LORI GOTTLIEB

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients’ lives, she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.

ALSO LOOK FOR:

THE EDITOR

LOST ROSES

THE KILLER IN ME

After years of trying to make it as a writer, James finally sells his candidly autobiographical novel to none other than editor Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. But when the book’s forthcoming publication threatens to unravel already fragile relationships, James can’t bring himself to finish the manuscript. Jackie pushes him to write an authentic ending, encouraging him to confront the truth about his relationship with his mother. Then a long-held family secret is revealed, and he realizes his editor may have had a larger plan that goes beyond the page.

It is 1914, and Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs.

But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia’s imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate, facing many dangers. When Sofya’s letters suddenly stop coming, Eliza fears the worst for her best friend.

Years ago, teenager Seán Hennessey shocked his tight-knit community when he was convicted of the brutal murder of his parents and attempted slaying of his sister, though he always maintained his innocence. Now, Seán is released from prison, but his newfound freedom coincides with the discovery of two bodies. Detective Frankie Sheehan will need all of her resources if she is not only to catch a killer, but put to rest what really happened all those years ago.

BY STEVEN ROWLEY

BY MARTHA HALL KELLY

BY OLIVIA KIERNAN

ALSO LOOK FOR: ALSO LOOK FOR:

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FINDING YOUR HARMONY

BY ALLY BROOKE APRIL 30

Fifth Harmony’s Ally Brooke shares her love for music, recalls her journey to fame, and reveals how she has remained true to herself and her beliefs through her most difficult moments.

TWO WEEKS

AMERICAN MOONSHOT

BY DOUGLAS BRINKLEY APRIL 2

As the anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, awardwinning historian Douglas Brinkley takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy’s inspiring challenge, and America’s race to the moon.

94 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

BY KAREN KINGSBURY APRIL 9

BOY SWALLOWS THE AFFAIRS OF UNIVERSE THE FALCÓNS

BY TRENT DALTON

BY MELISSA RIVERO

APRIL 2

APRIL 2

Eli’s father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli’s life is Slim — a notorious felon. As he navigates his life, Eli falls in love, faces off against bad guys, and fights to save his mother, all before starting high school.

Ana Falcón and her family have fled Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City.

In debt to a loan shark, stretched thin by her factory job, Ana becomes desperate. How many sacrifices can she make? And what lines is she willing to cross to protect her family?

Elise has her heart set on mending her wild ways and rediscovering the good girl she used to be. Then she discovers she’s pregnant, threatening her budding new relationship with Cole.

THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW

BY TRACEY GARVIS GRAVES APRIL 2

Anxious in social situations, Annika prefers the quiet solitude of playing chess. Then Jonathan joins the chess club and loses his first game — and his heart — to her.

What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart.

THE TALE TELLER

BY ANNE HILLERMAN APRIL 9

Joe Leaphorn may have retired from the tribal police, but he finds himself kneedeep in a perplexing case involving a priceless artifact.

His investigation takes a sinister turn when the leading suspect dies under mysterious circumstances and Leaphorn receives anonymous warnings — witchcraft is afoot.

CONFESSIONS OF AN INNOCENT MAN

BY DAVID R. DOW APRIL 9

Rafael finds his soul mate in Tieresse. When she is found brutally murdered in their home, he is convicted of the crime and sentenced to die.

But death row is not the end. And he will stop at nothing to deliver justice to those who stole everything from him.

SHELF LIFE SL

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND HORROR

SELF-HELP AND INSPIRATIONAL

YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE

CHILDREN

APRIL 2 APRIL 2

APRIL 2 APRIL 2

THE LUMINOUS DEAD

BY CAITLIN STARLIN

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck meant she’d have a skilled surface team keeping her safe and sane. Instead, she got Em, who sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to ensure the expedition’s smooth operation. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, Gyre must confront the ghosts in her own head if she wants to make it out alive.

THE GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO BEING A D*CK

CATERPILLAR SUMMER

THE LOST

BY GILLIAN MCDUNN

BY NATASHA PRESTON

Ever struggle with how you are as a person, friend, co-worker, partner, mother, or daughter-in-law? This book will guide you through who and what to get rid of from your life, stop worrying about what others think, and how the seemingly small things in life can have a huge impact on the quality of your everyday living. You’ll learn how to embrace your own needs and desires to live the life you’ve always wanted.

In Piper’s hometown, teenagers keep disappearing, and everyone assumes they’re runaways. But Piper and her best friend, Hazel, suspect something more sinister. Their search for answers leads them to the source of the missing people and their captors. Piper and Hazel suddenly find themselves locked in a secluded building in a privately-owned forest. But the building isn’t only meant to keep them imprisoned; every room is a test to see if they can make it out alive.

Cat has been the glue holding her family together, helping her brother, Chicken, as their single mom works to keep their family afloat. When a summer trip doesn’t go according to plan, Cat and Chicken end up spending time with grandparents they never knew.

For the first time in years, Cat has the opportunity to be a kid again, and the journey she takes shows that even the most broken relationships can be healed if people take the time to walk in one another’s shoes.

ALSO LOOK FOR:

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BY ALEXANDRA REINWARTH

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KEEP GOING: 10 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD WASTE TIDE

BY CHEN QUIFAN APRIL 30

Mimi is a waste worker on Silicon Isle, where electronics are sent to be recycled. Caught amid ruthless local gangs, ecoterrorists, and profiteers, Mimi and her fellow workers must decide if they will remain pawns.

DEPARTMENT OF SENSITIVE CRIMES

BY ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH APRIL 16

No case is too unusual, too complicated, or too insignificant for the sensitive crimes team, led

by Ulf “the Wolf” Varg, the top dog, literally.

A PIGLET NAMED MERCY

THE UNDEFEATED

BY KWAME ALEXANDER

BY KATE DICAMILLO APRIL 2

DEMENTIA REIMAGINED:

BY AUSTIN KLEON BUILDING A LIFE APRIL 2 OF JOY AND Life-changing, DIGNITY FROM illustrated advice and encouragement BEGINNING TO END on how to stay

BY TIA POWELL creative, focused, APRIL 2 and true to By the time a person yourself in the reaches 85, their face of personal chances of having burnout or external dementia approach distractions.

50 percent. Powell’s goal is to focus not just on a cure but on care — what we can do for those who have dementia, and how to keep life meaningful.

WE RULE THE NIGHT

BY CLAIRE ELIZA BARTLETT APRIL 2

Revna is caught using illegal magic. Linné has disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They’re offered a reprieve from punishment if they will use their magic in a special women’s military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness.

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE DARK

BY KATHLEEN GLASGOW APRIL 9

It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then Tiger’s mother dies. And now Tiger is alone.

She must learn how to keep going when it feels like her life is filled with darkness.

APRIL 2

Sometimes the Watsons long for something different from their ordinary lives. When a tiny piglet brings love (and chaos) to Deckawoo Drive, the Watsons’ lives will never be the same.

This poem is a love letter to black life in the United States, highlighting the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes.

Release dates are subject to change.

PREVIEW918.COM 95

S SHOWTIME APRIL 5

PETERLOO

The story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful prodemocracy rally in Manchester.

Cast: David Bamber, Alastair Mackenzie, Rory Kinnear RATING: PG-13

MISSING LINK

Mr. Link recruits explorer Sir Lionel Frost to help find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, this trio of explorers travel the world to help their new friend.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson

SHAZAM!

Billy Batson, a troubled 14-year-old orphan living in Philadelphia, is set up to move into a new foster home — his seventh in a row — with the Vazquez family and their other five foster kids. One day, Billy gets on a subway car and finds himself transported to a different realm where an ancient wizard gives him the power to transform into a godlike adult superhero by uttering the word “Shazam!” Billy and his new foster brother, Freddy Freeman, must learn what Billy’s new powers are and how to use them in order to stop the villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana from wielding powers of his own.

Cast: Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong RATING: PG-13

PET SEMATARY

RATING: PG

HIGH LIFE

Violet is a shy teenager who dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a local singing competition that will test her integrity, talent and ambition. Driven by a pop-fueled soundtrack, Teen Spirit is a visceral and stylish spin on the Cinderella story.

Cast: Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Millie Brady RATING: PG-13

RATING: R

APRIL 12

APRIL 19 BREAKTHROUGH

When he was 14, John Smith drowned in Lake Sainte Louise and was dead for nearly an hour. According to reports at the time, CPR was performed 27 minutes to no avail. Then the youth’s mother, Joyce Smith, entered the room, praying loudly. Suddenly, there was a pulse, and Smith came around.

Cast: Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Topher Grace RATING: PG

THE BEST OF ENEMIES

96 PREVIEW 918 APRIL 2019

A group of criminals are sent on an alternative energy finding mission in space. Monte, one of the criminals on board previously had a daughter, Willow, against his will through artificial insemination, but comes to love her as they near the end of their journey.

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth

TEEN SPIRIT

RATING: NR

RATING: PG-13

A woman is transformed into her younger self at a point in her life when the pressures of adulthood become too much to bear.

Cast: Regina Hall, Marsai Martin, Tone Bell RATING: PG-13

Louis Creed, his wife, Rachel, and their two children, Gage and Ellie, move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie pet cemetery located near their home. After the tragedy of their cat being killed by a truck, Louis resorts to burying it in the mysterious pet cemetery, which is definitely not as it seems as the Creeds learn that sometimes, dead is better.

Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow

Ann Atwater, a civil rights activist in Durham, N.C., battles with the Ku Klux Klan leader C. P. Ellis for a decade until 1971, when the two agree to co-chair a twoweek community meeting to deal with a court-ordered school desegregation decree, which changes both of their lives.

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay

LITTLE

AFTER

HELLBOY

Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.

Cast: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane RATING: NR

Jennifer Beals RATING: NR

A young woman falls for a guy with a dark secret and the two embark on a rocky relationship.

Cast: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin,

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA

When Anna Garcia, a social worker and widow raising her two kids in 1973 Los Angeles, is called to check in on one of her cases, she finds signs of foul play. As she digs deeper, she finds striking similarities between the case and the terrifying supernatural occurrences haunting her family.

Enlisting the help of a local faith healer, she discovers that La Llorona has latched herself onto Anna and will stop at nothing to take her children.

Cast: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez RATING: R

OPENS APRIL 12

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE

Sam, intelligent but without purpose, finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment’s pool one night.

The next morning, she disappears. Sam sets off across Los Angeles to find her, and along the way he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace RATING: R

LITTLE WOODS

A modern Western that tells the story of two sisters, Ollie and Deb, who are driven to work outside the law to better their lives. For years, Ollie has illicitly helped the struggling residents of her North Dakota oil boomtown access Canadian health care and medication.

When the authorities catch on, she plans to abandon her crusade, only to be dragged in even deeper after a desperate plea for help from her sister.

Cast: Lily James, Tessa Thompson, Luke Kirby RATING: R

APRIL 26

DIANE Diane (Tulsa-born actress Mary Kay Place) fills her days helping others and desperately attempting to bond with her drugaddicted son. As these pieces of her existence begin to fade, she finds herself confronting memories she’d sooner forget than face.

APRIL 1-4

APRIL 13

TRANSIT When a man flees France after the Nazi invasion, he assumes the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. Stuck in Marseilles, he meets a young woman desperate to find her missing husband — the very man he’s impersonating.

OPENS APRIL 4 THE BEACH BUM The film follows the hilarious misadventures of Moondog, a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his own rules.

OPENS APRIL 5 THE MUSTANG The film tells the story of Roman Coleman, a violent convict, who is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs.

THE AFTERMATH Post-World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the postwar reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.

OPENS APRIL 8

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans RATING: NR NR = A rating was not available as of March 20, 2019

Release dates and ratings are subject to change.

CHARM CITY Filmed during three years of unparalleled violence in Baltimore, Charm City delivers a powerfully candid portrait of those on the front lines. With grit, fury, and compassion, a group of police, citizens, community leaders and government officials grapple with the consequences of violence and try to reclaim their city’s future.

APRIL 11 ALL ABOUT EVE PRESENTED BY NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE An ingenue insinuates herself into the company of an established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.

BEYOND THE ROCKS (1922) A young woman marries an older millionaire and then falls in love with a handsome nobleman on her honeymoon.

APRIL 14 THE BIKES OF WRATH Five Australians attempt to cycle 2,600 kilometers from Oklahoma to California in honor of the westward migration undertaken by The Grapes of Wrath’s Joad family as it did in Steinbeck’s seminal novel.

APRIL 15 PENGUIN HIGHWAY Budding genius Aoyama is only in the fourth grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he finds the source of the penguins is a woman from his dentist’s office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!

APRIL 19-20 STREETS OF FIRE A neon-lit rock ‘n’ roll fable that blends the genres of musical, action, neo-noir, and drama against a stylized 1950s backdrop. Michael Paré stars as a mercenary who returns home to rescue his ex-girlfriend (Diane Lane) who has been kidnapped by the leader of a biker gang (Willem Dafoe).

OPENS APRIL 26 THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM A testament to the immense complexity of nature, this new documentary follows two dreamers and a dog on an odyssey to bring harmony to both their lives and the land.

SHOWTIME S

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Sand Springs 800.FAN.DANG (#1407) CINEMARK TULSA 10802 E. 71st S. Tulsa | 800.FAN.DANG (#1128) CIRCLE CINEMA 10 S. Lewis Ave. Tulsa | 918.592.3456 ETON SQUARE 6 CINEMA 8421 E. 61st St. Tulsa | 918.286.2618 AMC CLASSIC OWASSO 12601 E. 86th St. N. Owasso | 918.376.9191 STARWORLD 20 10301 S Memorial Drive Tulsa | 918.369.7475 WARREN BROKEN ARROW 18 1700 W. Aspen Creek Drive Broken Arrow | 918.893.9798

AMAZING GRACE Concert footage from 1972 of Aretha Franklin performing songs from the best-selling gospel album at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Check Circle Cinema website for times, costs, additional events and more details.

Release dates, showings and ratings are subject to change.

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