The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Season 5, Episode 37: People Power with Kindt Myers and The Social Order

Any and every good restaurant starts with good people, and few realize that more than Kindt Myers, newly appointed Vice President of People for Oklahoma City-based The Social Order restaurant group. Myers joins the podcast as this week's guest to discuss his new role with the group and its brands, which include the Jones Assembly, Spark, Dave's Hot Chicken, and Fuzzy's Tacos. We're already getting hungry! 

Also on this week's show, the editors discuss their favorite food trucks around the state, and podvents takes us back to the Oklahoma State Fair. You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 36: Exploring Expression with OSU Museum of Art

Art museums are primarily known as spaces to view art, and the OSU Museum of Art in Stillwater certainly has thought-provoking works to capture the imagination of guests. However, the university museum also aims to provide a space for the community to engage with their own creativity. Marketing coordinator Casey Ihde joins this week's podcast to discuss the facility's unique programming and any-time ArtLab that help visitors discover their inner artist. 

Also on this week's show, the editors discuss their own creative hobbies, and Ben proves himself the master of illusion in podvents. You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 35: OU Football Radio Voice Toby Rowland Unhitches the Wagons

A new season of college football is finally upon us—practically an annual holiday in the state of Oklahoma. Every new season brings a new sense of excitement and opportunity, but it's perhaps never been more true than this year. OU and Texas are leaving the Big 12 conference for the SEC, leaving OSU to hold down the fort in a conference that has newly added Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado. What will life be like for the Sooners in their new home? We're bringing on none other than the Sooner Football radio voice himself, Toby Rowland, on as our guest of the week to discuss just that. This is college football's season of change across the board, and by proxy it's bringing some changes into Toby's life as well. Hear Rowland take us behind the scenes on how the new league effects his work, preview upcoming opponents, and pine for the much-anticipated arrival of an overhauled postseason.

Also on this week's episode, the editors reminisce on their own Oklahoma alma maters, and Ben brushes up on facial hair for podvents. You won't want to miss it! 

Season 5, Episode 34: Refined Flavors with Chef Andrew Black

There is no doubt that Oklahoma City's food profile nationally has risen in the past several years—in no small part due to the contributions of the James Beard Award Southwest winning chef Andrew Black. We recently caught up with Chef Black at his newly opened restaurant Perle Mesta, located inside Oklahoma City's historic Skirvin Hilton hotel, which is the same location the chef got his culinary start in Oklahoma at the former Park Avenue Grill. In this new interview, Chef Black discusses the fresh and stellar menu at Perle Mesta and characterizes his other proven local concepts such as Black Walnut and Grey Sweater.

Also on this week's podcast, the editors reveal the most delicious thing chilling in their fridge at home, and podvents brings us friends in show places. You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 33: Finding the Butterfield with Susan Dragoo

What started as a story in Oklahoma Today is now a full-fledged book. Writer Susan Dragoo—a frequent contributor to Oklahoma Today magazine—published her new historical nonfiction account of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route, titled Finding the Butterfield: A Journey Through Time In Indian Territory, in July. The old mail route stretched from St. Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, cutting through the Rocky Mountains and a stretch of modern-day Oklahoma in Indian Territory. Dragoo joins this week's podcast to shed some light on the history of the short-lived route and tell us what remains for the curious to see today. Visit susandragoo.com/butterfield-oklahoma for purchasing information. 

Also on this week's podcast, the editors discuss the oft-debated topic of Oklahoma's best burger, and in podvents Karlie tells us about a week-long paint party in OKC. You won't want to miss it! 

Season 5, Episode 32: Travel in Time with the Oklahoma History Center Museum

When it comes to states with wild historic stories, Oklahoma can go toe-to-toe with any. From Indigenous dwelling pre-contact to land runs and oil booms, this state has produced a lot of big moments and unforgettable characters. Thankfully, we have the Oklahoma History Center Museum in Oklahoma City to document all those twists and turns. As summer break ends and schools return to session, the History Center plays a big role in stimulating young minds. Museum Deputy Director Sarah Dumas joins this week's podcast to discuss all the exciting exhibits and programming going on in August and the coming months.

Also on this week's show, the editors discuss which past or present Oklahoman they'd most want to have dinner with, and Karlie spins a convincing yarn in podvents. You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 31: Family Fun in Guthrie with Red Brick Nights

Schools might be going back into session soon, but summer is not over yet. Savor those final days of freedom during Red Brick Nights, which bring fun, games, food trucks, and live music to historic downtown Guthrie. Red Brick Nights occur during the first Saturday or every month May through September, including this Saturday (August 3). Make your plans to head to Guthrie this weekend to see Oklahoma-favorite headliners Beau Jennings & The Tigers. Event organizer James Long joins the show to talk about what else people can expect and how Guthrie has grown through the years.

Also on this week's show, the editors discuss their favorite annual festivals in the state, and all aboard the crazy train for podvents. You won't want to miss it! 

Season 5, Episode 30: Olympic Preview with USA BMX

Good news for all your Olympic fans out there: The summer games return better than ever this week! After a couple of the international games being subjected to pandemic restrictions, Paris 2024 will bring the Olympics back in full force. Oklahoma is a state with numerous Olympic ties, and one of those is the USA BMX headquarters and Olympic training facility in Tulsa. The Oklahoma Today Podcast partnered with USA BMX for a series of interviews with USA BMX athletes headed to Paris for the games that begin this Friday. 

Also on this week's episode, the hosts discuss their personal favorite Olympic events, and podvents presents us with a unique event featuring a Pro Football Hall of Famer. You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 29: COWS! with Wakita's Twister Movie Museum

Don't ask to see Aunt Meg's place when you venture out to Wakita in far-northern Oklahoma—if you remember Twister well enough, you know the house doesn't make it to the end credits. But die-hard fans of the 1996 cult-classic disaster film won't be disappointed when they visit the tiny town's Twister Movie Museum—dedicated to telling the story of Wakita's brush with Hollywood since before the movie even premiered. As the long-awaited sequel Twisters hits theaters across the country this week, we venture out to the museum for an interview with its caretaker, Linda Wade. With Twister fever back at a fever pitch, visitors from all over the world are making the trek out to Wakita.

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss which movies they have seen the most in their lives, and podvents tells us the story of two peaches. Plus Karlie is back! You won't want to miss it!

Season 5, Episode 28: Celebrating 100 Years of Cain's Ballroom with Chad Rodgers

Downtown Tulsa is home to one of the most storied live music venues not just in the state, but in all the country. Cain's Ballroom, first made famous in the 1930s as the home of Bob Wills' radio broadcasts, celebrates 100 years in 2024. The springy wooden dance floor is one of the best places to see a show, but don't just take our word for it. Ask the parents of pop star du jour Chappell Roan, who recently relayed their affection for the place to Cain's co-owner and operator Chad Rodgers. Chad joins the podcast this week to reflect on his journey as an owner of this historic gem and how the live entertainment industry has evolved in the past couple of decades. 

Also on this week's show, the editors give their picks for Oklahoma buildings that should be preserved forever, and podvents brings us a Christmas celebration . . . in December? You won't want to miss it.