Roaring ‘20s. World War I was already a memory. The economy boomed. Money came easily and Americans were spending it on fun. The only way for Americans to get where they wanted to go at the speed they wanted to travel was by car, and it had taken its place as the nation’s favorite way of getting from here to there. Henry Ford’s Oklahoma City plant, like others around the nation, had been churning out cars for 11 years, and Ford hadn’t even made a dent in the demand for them. America loved the car but had only made it to first base.

Into that American landscape was born Route 66. The road’s architects expected it to be a fine addition to the national infrastructure. Nobody imagined that it would consummate the nation’s love affair with the car, make so much American history available to the general public and be the birthplace of styles, designs, looks and attitudes that defined American pop culture during its heyday after World War II. Nobody imagined it would witness the exodus of beaten down, broken Okies looking for a better life in California.

Some have said otherwise, but Route 66 is not dead. The past four decades, however, have been rough on it. Five modern super-highways offer speed and convenience unmatched by their predecessor – and follow, more or less, the same path. They’re ruthless competitors. But 66 is still here. It’s enjoying a renaissance. The interstates will get you there faster, but anybody’s who’s driven Route 66 knows the old cliché is true: It’s all about the journey, not the destination.

Tulsa native and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, Michael Wallis, has written 15 books, most of them efforts to transport readers across time and space to the American West. He is the author of Route 66: The Mother Road and was the first inductee into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame. He’s actively involved in the road’s preservation, as well as its documentation.

After losing her corporate job of 12 years to downsizing, award-winning photographer Sandi Wheaton decided to take a breather of sorts. With a small camper full of cameras in tow, Wheaton took to Route 66, hoping to find cool sites, the perfect shot, interesting people and herself, as well. She chronicled her journey in her blog, www.pictureroute66.com.

Wallis was born and raised on Route 66, his youth coinciding with the road’s post-WWII growth. By the 1970s, Route 66 – or, rather, many of the small towns along its length – was deteriorating, a victim of the interstates, their speed and convenience luring traffic from the old two-lane highway. The federal government began removing the world-famous Route 66 shields and, says Wallis, people began to talk about Route 66 in the past tense.

“I knew that they might have taken down the federal shields, but the road was still out there. There was a lot of what I call ‘Death by Interstate,’ where whole towns were cut off because they didn’t get an off-ramp on the interstate – one of the five interstates between Chicago and Santa Monica that try to take Route 66’s place. But many towns did and have survived,” he says.

So too have survived or sprung up an eclectic array of sites to behold in each of the states outside our own where Route 66 winds, roars and occasionally staggers – all along bringing joy to the generations who seek out her adventure.

Illinois

Heading west, the Route 66 trip starts at Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain. It’s massive, one of the largest fountains in the world. Its design pays homage to the four states touching Lake Michigan: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. In 1927, Chicago resident Kate Buckingham commissioned the fountain in honor of her late brother, Clarence. As far as anybody can tell, he didn’t do anything spectacular during his lifetime. He was just a really nice guy with a caring sister that carried a fat wallet and knew her way around a piece of art.

Built one year after the construction of Route 66 began, it marks the eastern starting (or ending, depending on which way you’re facing) point of America’s Main Street. It sits in the middle of Grant Park, Chicago’s front yard. The first piece of public art installed along the highway, it blazed a trail for other pieces further down the road.

Fighting Chicago morning rush hour traffic and fighting with her dashboard camera kept Wheaton distracted at the beginning of her trip, but anticipation and excitement were still there.

“I knew I was going to be spending a long time traveling by myself, I knew I was going to see a lot more of America than I had previously seen, and I knew I was going to meet a lot of different people, but I didn’t know what any of that was going to look like,” she says. “So, I was thrilled. I was starting a big adventure that I would never forget, one that would change me forever.”

Missouri

St. Louis, Gateway to the West. That’s important and should be remembered. More important to know, though, is that it’s also home to Ted Drewes, where, for a pittance, the best frozen custard in the land can be had. Be prepared to wait in line. The locals can’t get enough, either, and mob the Chippewa Avenue shop every summer evening. Next door a sad Baskin Robbins hangs on by a thread, hoping every night to siphon off a few Ted Drewes customers who lose their patience with its lines.

There is a perception out there that, once the big city is far behind, it’s easy to get lost on Route 66. Wallis brushes it off, and says, as if to steel would-be travelers, “It’s damn hard to get lost on Route 66. And besides that, there’s no such thing as getting lost. Getting lost can be your best opportunity. It offers you a whole new set of gifts and approaches. Sometimes you have your best experiences when you’re so-called lost.”

Missouri’s Meremac Caverns, only an hour outside of St. Louis, inspires in visitors a natural awe and a cautious lookout for unadulterated hucksterism. Some of the claims the owner makes about the cave are indisputably true. Others – that it was the hideout of Jesse James – are more controversial. But separating the two is half of the fun.

The Elbow Inn in Devil’s Elbow serves better barbecue than the restaurants peppering the exits of the interstate a few miles north. But it is not – and never will be – as family-friendly. Ladies trade bras for shots. Payment doesn’t go into the register – it’s hung from the ceiling. There are more bras – and a better selection – in this place than a Victoria’s Secret. Yes, there are other bars out there with the same shtick, but they’re only pale imitators of this Route 66 original. And don’t knock the Harleys over on your way in.

It was pretty much somewhere around here that Wheaton remembered why she started her journey in the first place.

“Route 66 isn’t a road trip; it’s >the road trip. I stumbled across Route 66 on a drive through Arizona in the early ‘90s, and when I saw the Route 66 shield on the pavement, I was puzzled because I didn’t think the road still existed. It was like accidentally bumping into what you thought was a myth. A decade later, I photographed the California desert stretch of Route 66 between Needles and Barstow, and I just fell in love with the empty road. I remember driving through the desert, keeping pace with one of the ever-present trains, and the stereo blasting. The sense of freedom was palpable. How can you not yearn for more of that? 

“After that, I vowed to drive the whole thing. And my photographic projects tend to center around abandoned places. After seeing that deserted bit in California, I was curious to know how the whole Route looked. I wanted to photograph the ruins we left behind after the interstate changed everything.”

Kansas

Only 13 miles of Route 66 pass through Kansas, but they’re fantastic miles. Shortly after crossing the border from Missouri into Kansas, it passes through Galena, the prototypical Route 66 small town, and a vanguard of Route 66 revival.

Galena provided a large chunk of the inspiration for Radiator Springs, the backdrop of the 2006 animated film, >Cars. Next to a newly renovated 1920s KanOtex gas station sits a life-size “Tow Tater.” (“That’s not right,” legions of children will scream. “We own the rights,” Disney’s lawyers will wail.)

It is the original, rusted out mining boom truck that inspired the animated character.

The gas station is now 4 Women on the Route. It is exactly what it says it is – four women working overtime to restore Galena to its previous glories. A gift shop and café have been added to the station. The Reuben served there is amazing, and it comes with free (and animated) conversation.

If you visit, make sure you sign the guestbook. It’s a record that the ladies use to pull in the grant money that helps keep the doors open.

Their efforts underscore a tough fact about Route 66: Its commercialization keeps it alive. It comes across as tacky sometimes, but it is what it is.

“It’s a commercial highway. That’s something people lose track of. It’s all about people turning a dollar, making a buck. They want to sell you a hot meal, a tank of gas, a room for the night, a handful of postcards, a book. If that commercial angle stops, then the route dies because the people will leave. And that’s more important than all of the attractions on the road. You can have all the smiling blue whales, totem poles, painted deserts and everything else, but without the people, it won’t work. It’s a people’s highway,” says Wallis.

Oklahoma

At the heart of Route 66 sits Oklahoma. Here the road is known as the "free road," a slower, cheaper ride than the turnpike running from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. As in many other places, Route 66 was a way to get people out and about in those new cars. It was fun, excitement and good times during the 1920s.

During the 1930s, though, Route 66 became an escape route. The Dust Bowl devastated Oklahoma. Farmers found themselves without farms. Then banks closed. Then businesses started closing. Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans were reduced to poverty almost overnight. With no other options, they packed up and headed to California to make new starts. The road they took was Route 66.

The road is more thoroughly documented in Oklahoma than any other state on the route. In Oklahoma there’s an intense appreciation of the road’s history – as more than just an escape route. There is the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, the National Transportation and Route 66 Museum in Elk City and the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler.

Route 66 is a constantly evolving organism. The lights go out in some things and they come on in others – like Arcadia’s POPS. On the northeast fringes of Oklahoma City, a neon-ringed, 66-foot-tall pop bottle marks the spot. The restaurant serves typical American fare – hamburgers, fries, hot dogs and so on. All the stuff that’s really bad for your health but tastes so good it’s worth the trade-off. You can wash the food down with a choice from more than 600 different sodas. The diner promises to capture the colorful, freewheeling, fun essence of Route 66. It delivers on that with its unusual, cantilevered architecture alone. And when you’re finished, you can fill up the tank, too.

Texas

Just outside of Amarillo sits one of Route 66’s most memorable sites, Cadillac Ranch. Commissioned by eccentric artist and philanthropist Stanley Marsh 3, this public art offering features 10 Cadillacs buried face down. The cars run from youngest to oldest models, capturing the evolution and disappearance of the tail fin and lean at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

No two photos of Cadillac Ranch are the same. The public is encouraged to bring spray paint and make its own artistic contributions, changing the look of the cars repeatedly and regularly. The stripped and rusted automobiles are covered with graffiti – just like the walls of empty inner Motor City, where they were born. While it’s a clever monument to a lost era, the routine participation of the public (and the growing mounds of spray paint cans) suggest that while fins are out, Route 66 is still in.

“Having grown up in the suburban 1950s, we were well aware of the mythic power of the Cadillac, the ‘Standard of the World.’ But our fathers only got up the ladder as far as Oldsmobile,” says Chip Lord, one of the artists behind Cadillac Ranch.

“And we were looking back at this era from the perspective of 1968 and the Vietnam generation, so when invited by Stanley Marsh 3 to make a project on his property in Amarillo, the idea for Cadillac Ranch sprang naturally from our collective consciousness.”

And yes, that’s Stanley Marsh “3,” not “III.” Philanthropist Marsh considers the Roman numerals pretentious.

“I dig it,” says Wheaton. “It’s fun, it’s playful, it’s conceptual, it’s interactive, it’s engaging and it’s curious and weird. I like art that engages people and gets them involved. I don’t even know if everyone who visits the place calls it ‘art’ – but that’s okay, that means they’re into it and having fun with it and not even thinking about what to call it. Conceptual art can easily be found in galleries and I love that, too, but not everyone goes to galleries. I like to see things that move outside of the formal gallery space and bridge the gaps between artist, institution and the general public.”

New Mexico

The multilane highways Wallis mentions continually throw their convenience into the ring with Route 66’s history and culture. With their construction (Wallis calls them “superslabs,” four-laners paved with monotony) came the inevitable, generic hotel chains, stacked like Legos on the super-highway’s exit ramps. These cookie-cutter rest stops are a main ingredient of I-40’s convenience. Profits are a little harder to come by for the competing hotels, motels and motor courts of Route 66. But they’re going strong. Gallup’s El Rancho Motel is as good an example as any.

The hotel boasts (no marketing-driven misinformation this time) its preferred status among stars of several eras that filmed pictures in the area. Gallup’s surroundings served as filming locations for many movies with stars ranging from Errol Flynn and Katherine Hepburn to Gregory Peck and Humphrey Bogart. And while filming, these stars called it home.

The lobby alone is worth the stop. A gigantic fireplace welcomes visitors and lights up glass cabinets of American Indian art. A lit set of buffalo horns hangs above the fireplace. Mounted elk heads watch over lobby traffic. The El Rancho was born in a time where the only way to compete on America’s Main Street was to offer better service and individuality. Thus the El Rancho (like many of its brothers and sisters along Route 66) has what no chain hotel can offer – ambience.

Arizona

Arizona’s stretch of Route 66 leads travellers to some of the most spectacular, natural sites along the old highway. If the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert don’t pull the asphalt trekkers out of their cars, nothing will. It is the longest unbroken stretch of Route 66. It is rich in history – geological, cultural and commercial. The names of the towns it passes through are worth the trip. West of Winslow, wheeled wayfarers can see Two Guns and, a bit farther west, Twin Arrows, both weathered and uninhabited, but still fun to stomp through.

Flagstaff, with a little bit of all things Route 66, more than merits a stop. The Santa Fe railroad put Flagstaff on the map in the 19th century, and the original depot – restored and carefully preserved – still stands. Much of Route 66 followed the old railroads. Cars and trucks began to replace railroads as a preferred method of transportation, but the destinations remained the same. Several cities along the highway were built around depots like Flagstaff’s.

“Flagstaff is home to many iconic Route 66 treasures, making it a must-see on any Route 66 driving tour,” says Jacki Lennars of the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“From the famed Museum Club and historic train depot to the throwback travel court-style motels and nostalgic diners, Flagstaff still celebrates its Route 66 heritage today.”

Flagstaff, unlike many spots along Route 66, was never in danger of falling into decline. In 1899, the University of Northern Arizona made Flagstaff its home. With the school in place, a healthy economy was assured, though the city did and has relied on tourism for decades. Flagstaff proudly displays that reliance and dutifully memorializes the old highway that provided the town’s lifeblood. Original Route 66 motor courts dot Flagstaff’s landscape. The Museum Club, a wonderful specimen of Route 66’s faux Frontier architecture, still carries on as a watering hole for travelers ending a day on the road.

September sees Flagstaff invaded by hundreds of classic cars (many with fins). For a brief time, past and present come together, the sun gleaming off of the chrome of 50-year-old cars moving back and forth on the Mother Road.

California

Route 66 should, and does, terminate at the Pacific in Santa Monica, just west of Los Angeles. Santa Monica covers the route’s final 26 blocks. It’s tough to follow the road through Los Angeles. It swings from Sunset Boulevard to Wilshire to Santa Monica Boulevard. Travelers, though, are rewarded for sticking to it and not cheating by taking the 10 freeway to the beach. It passes the hippest clubs and the worst dives, the chicest of shopping and popular used clothing stores. Paramount Pictures, the only studio left in Hollywood, is a short jog off of Route 66.

“I wanted to keep going,” says Wheaton. “The best thing about the trip was the people. From one state to the next, I kept having experiences that illustrated that people are generally good and want to help. Along Route 66, so many of the folks I met were kind, open and generous, as were the people who read my blog as I traveled. That was the most positive, and overwhelming, thing about the entire experience, a feeling of connectedness to total strangers. At the core, we’re just all the same.”

A large plaque marks the dedication of the highway to famous Oklahoman Will Rogers, not a block from the coast in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park.

“Route 66 offers you something different,” says Wallis. “And it’s not always great. It can be good, bad and ugly. But it always gives you a chance to experience America before America became generic.”

Mother Lode of the Mother Road

The nation’s longest driveable stretch (more than 400 miles) of Route 66 cuts through Oklahoma, providing more room for the Mother Road’s vaunted colorful sites than any other state.

In addition to the museums dedicated to the route itself, enlightenment of one form or another can be found at the Rt. 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum in Miami, the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum in Warwick and Darryl Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum in Afton. Slightly more highbrow are Miami’s beautiful Coleman Theatre, a historic Vaudeville movie theater; the JM Davis Arms & Historical Museum – billed as the world’s largest privately owned museum – and the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore.

The odd and unique abound as well, ranging from Catoosa’s inexplicably tropical Blue Whale to Foyil’s Totem Pole Park (home of "The World’s Largest Totem Pole”). The Mohawk Lodge Indian Store in Clinton was the first trading post in Indian Territory and still buys, sells and trades authentic Indian crafts and artifacts across the same counter used in 1892. Located near Hydro, Lucille’s Service Station is one of only two upper-story, out-thrust porch style stations left on Oklahoma’s stretch of Route 66.

“Unusual” extends to dining on Route 66 as well, such as at Vinita’s Chuck Wagon restaurant, the centerpiece of a replica Old West town, and at Weatherford’s Lucille’s Roadhouse, a unrepentant ‘50s era diner. One can also dine in a log cabin at Molly’s Landing in Catoosa or chow down on a house specialty fried onion burger at Robert’s Grill in El Reno.

When Katy Perry made her big splash onto the pop music scene, she was the very image of a Teenage Dream, the album that put her in the top ranks of stardom. With each successive song released off the Billboard Top 100 record, Perry steps further away from Katy Hudson, the name she recorded under to release her debut gospel rock album, a self-titled effort. As she begins to move from the bubble-gum sex bomb image promoting her second release, 2008’s One of the Boys, and reinforced by the singles “California Gurls” and “Firework,” Perry continues to seek out musical collaborations that make her a pop artist to watch. Guest act Janelle Monae, who challenged the recording industry with an artfully inspired concept album, 2010’s The ArchAndroid, opens for Perry Sept. 17 at the BOK Center. For tickets, go online at www.bokcenter.com.
 

Raise your hops-laden beverage high and toast another year of beer, food, games and the German way of celebrating. The 33rd annual Tulsa Oktoberfest German festival will be at Tulsa’s River West Festival Park Oct. 20-23. Carnival rides and arts and crafts merchants as well as food merchants set up camp on the grounds along the Arkansas River and base a weekend of specially-scheduled activities that include the Running of the Wieners (dachshund races), pretzel toss, stein race and the crucial bier barrel race. How do you think festival volunteers keep the beer flowing? Great local and regional music acts are booked to play throughout the weekend under the big tents that also shelter the beer and wine gardens. You don’t get the real experience of this very popular German festival unless you take up arms and boogie down to the Chicken Dance polka. On the shy side? You won’t be for long. www.tulsaoktoberfest.org

OKLAHOMA TRIVIA! Question:

What comic book super hero built his fortress in Broxton, Oklahoma?

Enter below to win a pair of tickets to see Foghat and the Fabulous Thunderbirds with Canned Heat at River Spirit Casino this Friday. The winner will be selected at random from all entries that correctly answer the OKLAHOMA TRIVIA! question and are submitted before 10 AM, Friday, October 26, 2012. Winners will be notified via email.

Ends Sunday, Dec. 9

The holidays are upon us, but Philbrook Festival of Trees has been in the spirit for weeks. The museum will wind down its annual holiday display and light events this weekend. Take a last turn about the galleries and enjoy Christmas trees and holiday décor created by area artists and designers available for purchase for your home. What you’ll find is truly original work and something special if you have gift giving in mind. Hours are 10 a.m-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday-Sunday. The museum remains open until 8 p.m. Thursday. Admission during Festival of Trees is $11 general admission and $8 for seniors (ages 62 and up). Still want more? Garden Glow, Philbrook’s stunning outdoor light display continues through Dec. 29. Go to philbrook.org for more.
 

Not many years ago, I remember reading the first words from nutritionists about the need to consider color when making choices about vegetable consumption and how this varied from traditional methods of choosing. The idea was that by taking multiple colors into consideration, one could avoid having to learn about each distinct vegetable and its particular benefits. It seemed too simple, of course, but over time I began to understand the wisdom of the words. Color can be your road sign to good nutrition.

Many people think only of green when it comes to vegetables and there is ample reason for that. Consider, if you will, the many green vegetables that are a part of good nutrition – even setting aside all of those we think of exclusively as salad vegetables – and the health benefits of those!

Then consider the other colors. There are numerous others out there, from the many colors of squash to the oddness of white cauliflower to the purples and beyond. Each has its own distinct nutritional benefits and pluses to factor into your healthy diet. Each is also somewhat different than the green vegetables with which you're probably familiar. When combined, they provide terrific and balanced nutrition without one having to do specific research.

Browse your local grocer and you are bound to run into many of these colors and products. Rather than learn about each individual one, which is certainly encouraged, look for a variety of colors in your shopping cart and you know you will have done well. Mix those colors, try some of the preparations you like or one of those I have offered to date and you will end up with an array of healthy eating options to incorporate into your healthy diet.

My own favorites? We've discussed how I use cauliflower. Other flavors of color that are in my top 10 include yellow and spaghetti squash, purple cabbage, both red and green tomatoes and red and white radishes. Other potential options are healthy beets, purple potatoes, and countless other vegetables. Don't be afraid to experiment and treat colored versions of vegetables the way you would the common varieties.

Commit to trying one new vegetable or color each week and you will find yourself discovering whole  new, healthy favorites. And, in turn, you will have a more nutritional diet.        

-Michael W. Sasser is Oklahoma Magazine’s former senior editor and an award-winning journalist. Neither a medical nor a nutrition expert, he shares his personal weight loss journey exclusively with Oklahoma Magazine readers. Reach him at [email protected].

Attracting and retaining young talent has become the new battlefield for cities.  Community leaders have gone as far as stating that even the lowest taxes and utility costs can be worthless if communities don’t demonstrate enough qualified labor to staff companies. Communities must show an ability to grow local talent, recruit talent from competitive communities and hold on to that talent when out-of-town recruiters want them back. Winning the battle in Tulsa means young people must choose to start their careers here and make this their home for life. How can Tulsa win not just the battle, but the war?

Young professional groups have popped up all over the United States in an attempt to address this very concern.  Why has this become an important workforce initiative?  I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Gerald Clancy, President of Oklahoma University-Tulsa, that very question.

“After decades of relatively little change, we are now seeing huge shifts in our demographic make-up of our region and nation. As the Baby Boomers retire – 10,000 boomers per day turn 65 – it begs the question, 'Who will keep our economy humming?' It’s clear that young creative talent is the new currency of a region’s economic vitality. We will need to make every effort to ensure the Tulsa region is a great place for young people to relocate to and stay.”

The truth is clear; young creative talent is our region’s economic currency.

When examining successful cities like Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; or San Francisco, common characteristics define these communities as attractive to young people. In general, Millennials rank quality of life – specifically, social and cultural activities – proximity to transit, a robust nightlife, a low cost of living and economic opportunities as major contributors when deciding where to hang their hats.

The groundwork is already in place in Tulsa. We have a booming downtown and thriving Brady Arts District paired with a rich culture and history. Tulsa has been ranked as the No. 1 city for young entrepreneurs by Forbes, and we can see the entrepreneurial landscape quickly changing with energy and commitment from community leaders. Tulsa has also been named one of the most livable cities in the country, providing the critical components to make Tulsa an economically affordable place to live, work and play.  But on what other characteristics should we be focusing our time, talent and resources to encourage young talent to make our region their first choice?

I am proud to chair Tulsa’s Young Professionals in 2014, and for the last nine years, this organization has grown and developed a great baseline to help influence change in our city. TYPros has made a commitment to advocate for public transit, a strong urban core and the inclusion of diversity. We have an entire initiative dedicated to arts and entertainment. We support and create opportunities with economic development, including through a Bring it to Tulsa campaign that most recently focused on digital-based driving service Uber. We will continue our support of entrepreneurship with our ever-evolving business incubator, The Forge. Lastly, we provide many networking opportunities and foster young leaders each year. For example, our Board Intern Program will place more than 100 board interns on nonprofits across the city this year.

However, the burden to attract and retain young talent is not on one organization, but must be a regional effort. Like most Midwestern cities, Tulsa is struggling to rebuff ill-conceived national perceptions and to show young people that it can be the city for them. Tulsa offers a long list of benefits to young talent in a wide range of fields; we have the job opportunities, the low cost of living and the entertainment venues. The time has come for Tulsa to stop aspiring to be Austin, Dallas or even Oklahoma City. It is time for us to take pride in who we are as a region, embrace our unique culture and showcase it for the city that it is and the potential for the city it will become. I hope you will join me – and TYPros – in making that a reality.

Isaac Rocha is the 2014 Chair of Tulsa’s Young Professionals, an organization created to attract and retain Tulsa’s brightest young talent, the region’s next generation of leaders. Isaac writes about current issues affecting young professionals, challenges facing the TYPros mission and other musings from a Tulsa YP. For more information about TYPros visit www.typros.org.

Friday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.

The Tulsa Playboys brings Western swing back home to Cain’s Ballroom. Honoring that toe-tapping medley of jazz and country-western music made famous by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys in 1930s and ‘40s, the Tulsa Playboys play favorites starting at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10.  Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the show is for all ages. Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door. Tickets for students under 18 are $5. For more, go to www.cainsballroom.com.

This week

Are you ready for some on-court action? The University of Tulsa men’s basketball team has two games coming up to get your hoops fix. The Golden Hurricane face New Orleans’ Tulane University Green Wave team at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, 3208 E. Eighth St., on the University of Tulsa campus. The men’s team next plays another home game as it welcomes the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (13-2) at noon Sunday, Jan. 12. Tickets are $10-$39 each. Get them at www.tulsahurricane.com.