The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Season 4, Episode 56: A Fresh Morning with Jabee and Scrambl’d

Oklahoma City hip-hop artist Jabee Williams is known to dabble in more than a few things at once: music, entrepreneurship, and advocacy to name the main ones. Recently he's added breakfast to his repertoire with the opening of Scrambl'd, an upscale brunch and lunch bar located right next to Jabee's other restaurant venture, Eastside Pizza House. Jabee and business partner Cordell Love joins the show this week to discuss why the duo went into the venture, what some of their favorites on the menu are, and those showstopping floating lamb chops that make diners' heads turn. 

Also on the show, the editors discuss the first albums they remember buying with their own money, and podvents are a thrill as always. We hope you enjoy! 

Season 4, Episode 55: Downtown in December with Jennifer Nakayama

There is something magical about downtown Oklahoma City during the holiday season. It's in the crisp winter air, the buzz of activity, and the twinkle of the decorative lights hung seemingly everywhere you look. For at least the last point in this list, Oklahomans can thank the work and planning of the Downtown OKC Partnership. The organization is responsible for pulling off the annual Downtown in December and Lights on Broadway festivities that help make the season so special for many. Jennifer Nakayama, CEO and president of Downtown OKC Partnership, is our guest of the week. She talks about the work it takes to pull off Downtown in December each year, the ideal Christmas music season, and the last Lights on Broadway event of the season, which occurs this Saturday.

 

Also, the editors discuss their favorite local holiday shopping options in Question of the Week, and podvents are a true blast with the Fort Reno Christmas Guns. We hope you enjoy! 

Season 4, Episode 54: Picture-Perfect Christmas in Ponca City

When it comes to celebrating the holidays, Ponca City doesn't fool around. Zach Trantham, tourism coordinator for the Putnam City Chamber of Commerce, joins the podcast to talk about the town's Festival of Angels holiday lights tour and the many other ways they make Christmas special. From the fabulous Marland Mansion to live penguins, Ponca City proves itself as a real Yuletide heavyweight.

Also on this week's issue, the editors discuss what Oklahoma town they'd like to spend the holidays in, and podvents stuns and amazes. We hope you enjoy!

Season 4, Episode 53: Seeing the Light with Preston Singletary

Welcome back listeners! Internationally known, Seattle-based glass sculpture artist Preston Singletary is our guest this week. Oklahoma Today editors Ben Luschen and Nathan Gunter sat down with Singletary at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art while he was in town for the opening of his new immersive exhibit Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. This one-of-a-kind audio and visual experience takes guests inside one of the most cherished stories in Tlingit culture. The exhibit will be open at OKCMOA now through April 28. 

Also on the podcast, the editors discuss what inspires them, and podvents delight as always. Enjoy!

Season 4, Episode 52: The Okie Holiday Bucket List

Oklahoma Today's November/December issue is out to subscribers and on newsstands now. The editors hash out the new magazine, including our feature on the most classic holiday must-dos across the state. From the nation's tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree in Enid to dinosaur-guarded jollies in Idabel, we've got your holiday travel destinations covered.

 

Additionally, the editors discuss the most superior Thanksgiving side dishes, and BMX bikes and limousines guide us through podvents. Happy listening!

Season 4, Episode 51: Exhibiting Strength with National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

This week we are welcoming Eric Singleton onto the podcast. As the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s curator of ethnology, he curated the exhibition Nations at War! Field Sketches of a Pawnee Warrior, which you can go see at the museum in Oklahoma City through January 21. These sketches by Pawnee artist and soldier in the US 45th Infantry Division Brummett Echohawk depict prisoners of war and other soldiers from around the world during World War II.

 

In the spirit of museum exhibits, the editors name some of their all-time favorites and discuss listener input. Plus podvents take us from creepy acrobatics to old-fashioned hog's head feasts. We hope you enjoy!

Season 4, Episode 50: Krista Tippett and The Art of Being

Radio luminary Krista Tippett is this week's guest on the Oklahoma Today podcast. Known for enlightening conversations with the likes of Maya Angelou and Joy Harjo on the award-winning former National Public Radio program On Being, the Shawnee native recently spoke with Photo Editor Megan Rossman about taking the show to an independent digital format through the On Being Project, her past work, and the connection Tippett still feels with her home state. See Oklahoma Today's new November/December issue to read a Q&A version of this conversation. 

In addition to a fabulous guest, the Oklahoma Today editors crack open the mental thesaurus to describe our unique state, and podvents this week are particularly animal friendly.

Season 4, Episode 49: Okie Ghosts with Jeff Provine

There might not be a bigger expert on ghosts and paranormal activity in the Sooner State than Jeff Provine, the writer behind the Haunted Oklahoma book series and ghost tours, and we're pleased to have him as a guest for this special Halloween Week episode. Editor-in-Chief Nathan Gunter interviews Provine about the metaphysical realm and the classic ghost legends of Oklahoma. 

Stick around for the editors sharing some of their own favorite ghost stories, and the weekly podvents never disappoint. 

Season 4, Episode 48: Pretty Words with Vince Gill

It's an honor to welcome country music royalty onto this week's show: Norman's own Vince Gill is this week's interview guest. It's hard to know where to even begin with a career spanning four decades now, but Oklahoma Today contributor Preston Jones does his best to catch us up on Gill's recent activities, including touring as an Eagles member and the twenty-fifth anniversary of his 1998 album The Key. The Heart Won't Lie and neither will Vince, so you won't want to miss it. 

But that's not all! The editors tackle the controversial subject of least favorite Halloween candies, and Ben takes the reigns as host. 

Season 4, Episode 47: Killers of the Flower Moon Part II with Addie Roanhorse

You wanted more Killers of the Flower Moon and you're getting just that. Our fourth season concludes with the second part of our preview of the upcoming film, this time with an interview from Addie Roanhorse, an Osage artist and founder of Big Rain Gallery in Pawhuska. In addition to working as an art director and Osage Nation cultural ambassador on Killers, she also designed the cover art for Oklahoma Today's upcoming November/December issue.

Stay tuned for a discussion on some of our favorite Oklahoma small towns to visit, as well as a bittersweet sendoff to Greg. We hope you listen!