In the world of competitive barbecue, there are two big contests a year, and to some, it’s more important as the Super Bowl and World Series combined. There was one glorious year when Oklahoman Donny Teel attained barbecue immortality by winning first prize at both of them.
But those victories were still far in the future the summer that a...
When the Mars 2020 Mission Perseverance Rover launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., early on the morning of July 30, Oklahoman Lauren White was there.
NASA is exploring the past habitability of Mars, and Perseverance will search for signs of ancient microbial life; the mission’s duration on Mars will last at least one year. White, a 36-year-old published scientist who...
During the three years since it opened, the big and glitzy Bond Event Center has hosted numerous glamorous weddings and black-tie charity galas. Then, the pandemic stopped those events cold, leaving the McNellie’s Group with a huge, empty, state-of-the-art kitchen.
The restaurant group has always been in the dream fulfillment business, flawlessly recreating the perfect Irish bar, the perfect side-street...
People go to libraries for knowledge and solutions. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the shutdown of businesses and services in Oklahoma, public libraries also had to shutter their doors — and access.
This meant no story times for kids, no place of solitude for teens to do homework, and no access to important resources for adults.
But the full closures...
Dining at OKC’s Grey Sweater is an adventure like few others you will experience in the state. It is a restaurant, yes, but one more like the Michelin-starred experiences of my travels than what I would expect to find five miles from my home.
“The seat is yours for the night.” One of the standout elements of a dining experience...
In an effort to escape the bizarre climate of today’s society, many are picking up their lost love of reading. There is, in fact, a camaraderie in seeing a masked stranger out in public reading the same paperback you’re poring over. Fortunately, reading is a safe, socially distanced activity. But how have book clubs fared during these strange times,...
Yuchi chief Felix Brown is 64 and has developed neuropathy in his feet, so he’s no longer able to stomp dance until dawn.
“But I try to stay awake,” he says. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
Brown is one of two chiefs of the Duck Creek Ceremonial Grounds in Okmulgee County, which his great-uncle helped found in 1941 as a...
New recruits get hugs and candy bars. Deployed personnel receive ‘Freedom Boxes’ filled with toiletries and Girl Scout cookies. Returning veterans find camaraderie and comfort.
And when it’s time for the final goodbye, grieving families are supported at the service and at the cemetery.
Across Oklahoma, volunteers serve in nonprofits designed to ease the burdens of veterans and active-duty military personnel.
“The...
Martial arts training is defined as codified systems and traditions of combat, practiced for a number of reasons, such as self-defense. Training requires frequent and close contact.
But in this era of COVID-19 protocols, with some people isolating and independently training, martial arts training has given an opportunity for academy operators to focus on presenting a regime that is mentally...
The Pandemic Pet Boom
Pet adoptions have skyrocketed during the pandemic, as work-from-home measures are keeping Oklahomans indoors and looking for ways to stay occupied and motivated. That boom is a good thing – but owners should be aware of possible issues and complications of a pandemic adoption.
Hank Johnson, board member and treasurer for the Humane Society of Tulsa, explains...
