The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Season 6, Episode 42: SGA, Lu Dort, and Aaron Wiggins join us at OKC Thunder Media Day

OKC Thunder fans might still be coming down from all the popped champagne after the team's NBA championship win in June, but a new season of basketball is already upon us! For part two of our Thunder preview spectacular, we ventured out to Thunder Media Day to talk with reigning NBA and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside teammates Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins. The three players can be found featured on Oklahoma Today's new November-December magazine cover. The Thunder are arguably the most fashionable team in basketball, so while they were with us it felt right to have them break down the fashion of some other well-dressed Okies . . . and some of their fellow teammates.

 

Also on this week's episode, the editors share their own Oklahoma fashion icons, and podvents breaks down Oklahoma sorghum facts. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 41: Meet the man behind the mask: OKC Thunder superfan Thundor

You may or may not know the name Thundor, but if you have seen any Oklahoma City Thunder game on national television you have certainly seen him. He's the big shirtless guy in a luchador mask trying his hardest to get the opposing team to take their mind of their free throws and onto the man with the megaphone. Thundor (a.k.a. Garrett Haviland) is a celebrity in his own right, but how did he come to be the Thunder's most iconic fan? What was his reaction to the team's landmark championship win? And what does he say into that megaphone anyway? We'll get all our questions answered in the first part of our two part Thunder basketball special, plus maybe we will convince Alex Caruso to finally give Thundor his kegger.

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss which Oklahoma brands they are a superfan for, and podvents introduces us to a pumpkin patch that doubles as an excellent tongue twister. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 40: From Sesame Street to you: Learn from Oklahoma puppeteer David Bizzaro

Tulsa-based, Emmy-winning puppeteer David Bizzaro has impressive show credits that include Sesame Street, The Muppets, Waffles + Mochi, and much more. And now, you have the chance to learn from a master! David is our featured guest on this week's Oklahoma Today Podcast. He talks all about his unique career and how you can sign up for one of his in-person classes, where you too can learn the secrets behind this captivating art form. 

Also on this week's episode, the editors share which creative skill they'd like to learn, and podvents announces the annual opening of one of Oklahoma's favorite corn mazes. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 39: Theatre Crude festival brings fringe theater back to Oklahoma City

What is fringe theater? A better question might be what isn't it. The annual Theatre Crude festival is returning to Oklahoma City this week, bringing dozens of small-scale, non-traditional productions to the community. Want to hear from a misanthropic goldfish? Or maybe a MacBeth musical with lightsabers is more your speed. Theatre Crude co-founder Jenny Brand joins the podcast from The 4801, one of the festival's three venues, to talk about what fans can expect. 

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss what they're looking forward to this Oklahoma fall, and podvents takes a moment to pay tribute to our "deer" friends. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 38: EXCLUSIVE Interview with Raccoons Scout and Little Bit

Journalism has never seen anything like it. There are tough interviews to get and then there are interviews that are darn near impossible. Today host Ben Luschen did something no one has ever done before: interview the elusive raccoon—and not just one of them either. Scout and Little Bit are the names of the raccoon animal ambassadors at the Bernice Nature Center in the Bernice Area of Grand Lake State Park, and they agreed to go on the record for the first time from their spacious enclosure under the condition of copious provided snacks. Though Ben was able to get some good answers out of them, Scout and Little Bit aren't much for jabbering, so luckily nature center manager Amanda Markey was on hand to fill in the blanks. Learn everything you could ever want to know about raccoons, and then some, in this week's interview.

Also on this weeks show, the editors share what question they'd ask their own favorites animals, and podvents lets us know where NOT to take your cows this week. You won't want to miss it! 

Season 6, Episode 37: Class Is In Session at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to school in a one-room schoolhouse? Well our very own host Ben Luschen got a taste of life as a student in the pre-statehood nineteenth century. The Edmond Historical Society recently opened up Edmond's 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse to host a mock school day for adults. History, penmanship, recitation, and arithmetic are all on full display during this little piece of the past. Let's just hope Ben stays out of trouble . . . 

Also on this week's show, the editors take the time to reflect on the best invention since 1889, and podvents tells us what to do with our worries. You won't want to miss it! 

Season 6, Episode 36: Norman's Firehouse Art Center is a hub of community creativity

Once a real, functional firehouse in the city of Norman, the Firehouse Art Center is now a hub of the creative arts in its community. In addition to a variety of creative exhibitions, Firehouse offers classes and workshops in a wide range of mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, jewelry making, and all sorts of skills to turn the wheels of the mind. Andy Couch, executive director and curator for the art center, is our guest of the week.

Also on this week's podcast, the editors discuss their favorite green spaces in Oklahoma, and podvents gives us the lowdown on this year's State Fair (hot chicken donut, anyone?) You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 35: Cirque du Soleil's OVO brings world-class entertainment to OKC

It's a bug's world, we're just living in it! The famous Cirque du Soleil organization returns to Oklahoma City's Paycom Center September 11-14. They are bringing their world renowned OVO show (Portuguese for egg) to the state, which takes inspiration from insects—showing off high flying acrobatics, incredible contortion, and the heartwarming tale of a ladybug in love. Show publicist Janie Mallet joins the show this week to let local fans know what they're in for and to reflect on Cirque's recent performance in OKC for a performance during the NBA Finals. 

Also on this week's show, the editors reminisce on the most amazing performances they've seen in Oklahoma, and podvents lets us know what legendary outlaw Jesse James and Cement, OK, have in common. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 34: How burgers and custard at Spark OKC feel both new and nostalgic

Spark OKC is a relatively new player in the crowded Oklahoma burger scene, yet it already feels like they've been around forever. The concept is a spur of The Social Order, the restaurant group that started as The Jones Assembly and has also umbrellaed to include local Dave's Hot Chicken and Fuzzy's Taco Stand locations. CEO Brian Bogert has been there from the beginning, and he sits down with editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter to catch us up on this exciting new brand, reminisce about his history in the restaurant world, and even talk about the time The Jones hosted a pre-superstardom Chappell Roan.

Also on this week's episode, the editors give their elevator pitches for their own dream restaurant concepts, and podvents will help explain why there are so many lemonade stands in Tulsa this week. You won't want to miss it!

Season 6, Episode 33: Tiare Jennings and OU Softball legends take on Home Run Derby X

Tiare Jennings—an OU softball legend who was part of a national championship winning team every year she was on campus in Norman—is our special guest this week. Jennings will be reuniting with teammates Jocelyn Alo and Kinzie Hansen to compete against former Major League Baseball players like Nick Swisher and Adrian Gonzalez in the Home Run Derby X competition, set for August 23 at Oklahoma City's Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. This traveling, MLB-sanctioned event teams professional baseball and softball players together in a unique event where teams score points for both hitting and fielding. Home Run Derby X's stop in Oklahoma City will feature Jennings, Alo, and Hansen together on an all-OU Sooners team, marking the first time an all female team will compete in the event. Jennings joins the show to talk about what fans can expect that night in OKC while also sounding off on her first year in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League and softball's return to the Olympic games.

Also on this week's show, the editors share their personal Oklahoma heroes, and podvents fills us in on a unique sport happening in Beaver. You won't want to miss it!