Notice: Off the Syllabus OBU is no longer active.
Notice
28 Thursday May 2015
Posted Movie/TV, Out and About, Sports
in28 Thursday May 2015
Posted Movie/TV, Out and About, Sports
inNotice: Off the Syllabus OBU is no longer active.
04 Monday May 2015
Posted Out and About
in(Photo Courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York on Flickr)
By Bethany Blue
Edited by Abigail Chadwick
I walk into the quaint and bright cafe, floral wall paper and crafts hanging about the entrance. Displays of locally made canned goodies, personally tagged for sale, greet every patron. The smell of cooked meat and savory dishes float from the white-apron-wearing man behind the counter. It’s a butcher. It’s a deli. It’s Benedict Street Market, known for a delicious seasonal lunch menu, as the best place to buy the freshest cuts of meat, and a great venue to hold after hours private event. But this tucked way cafe also hosts a wonderful poetry night! Small, intimate tables with fresh flowers and mix-matched chairs, invite locals every third Thursday to an evening of sharing through words. I just cannot think of a better way to spend an evening than at a local poetry reading.
The lights are dimmed around 7:00 and the small corner stage has only a mic and a chair. Tonight there is a class from Rose State there, nervous college students to take turns reading their own poetry, a semester worth of writing exercises. For some, this is an assignment. For others, a class in poetry writing has been an awakening, an introduction to a new form of bearing themselves and this night is a most frightening performance. With a full house, an attentive quiet covers the room. The crowd is welcoming and warm. It’s fabulous and they leave that little stage beaming.
It has been 8 years since I first attended this event. I was a nervous college student. In the years since, I have sat in the audience a few times, never to take the stage again, but always ready to hear some intimate words. Poets let me into the world of their souls with secret love affairs, wrenching tragedies or mundane sweet nothings. Great works from famous writers have been re-sighted with feverish passion. I have even enjoyed a John Lennon set. Often, I see familiar faces on the stage, but I always see new ones in the crowd. When studying is too tense or boredom is too depressing, I encourage college students to come express that, to let others into their world, or just listen to someone else’s world. It’s a great night.
Updated: May 4, 2015 – photo changed
04 Monday May 2015
Posted Out and About
in(Photo Courtesy of Bethany Blue)
By Audrey Boettcher
Edited by Bethany Blue
So what can college students do when they’ve managed to get some downtime, either through finishing homework or procrastinating again, and are looking for something to keep them entertained? Well, what sounds good: Cheap? Worth the time you put in? Nice? In Shawnee the prevalent cry of college students campus-wide seems to be, “there’s nothing fun to do here.” And gas isn’t cheap these days; a student might not want to go to Oklahoma City for just an afternoon.
To find something a college kid might like to do, the quest might start by asking, “What time is it?” If it’s before 3 pm, and food is on the brain, a student might try Phoenix Asian Diner if they’re craving Chinese. On a budget? The lunch meal specials are around $7 for a main dish, rice, some sweet and sour chicken, and even a crab rangoon or a spring roll. That’s about the same as a trip to McDonald’s or Burger King if you order a combo meal. They also have sushi rolls (both raw and cooked) for around the same price or more depending on the roll. Don’t have the time to sit and eat? Call ahead and your meal will be ready to be picked up in the 15 minutes it’ll take to get past construction.
There’s also the chance a student might be celebrating something, and doesn’t want to cook in but wants a good atmosphere and good food. For this, you might give Sakura’s a try at the local mall. The menu might seem a bit intimidating price wise, but if you catch the lunch menu, 11 am-3 pm, you can still come out with a full belly for $10. This is another place that can be called ahead of time for pickup. Though, take note, the little fish symbol on the menu means – it’s raw.
You have missed the lunch specials, but you want a lot of food. China House, just down Kickapoo near Dollar General, will set a body up with large portion sizes for reasonable prices. The best part? Even without a car, the walk there from campus on a nice day in about 20 minutes at a slower pace.
For those people who aren’t fans of Chinese food, or want something else, Chili’s loaded baked potato soup might be just the thing. A person can get a good sized bowl for about $4, and can call in to pick it up without having to worry about how you dress.
If it’s getting close to 7 pm and everyone’s already eaten, the Hornbeck, an old movie theater downtown on Bell St., might be a good option. It plays two movies at a time, and the admission is $2 before tax. Sure, you’d have a wider selection from Redbox or Netflix, but the Hornbeck is a great way to get out of the dorm for a few hours or an evening. There’s also the added benefit of not having to have a credit card or having to deal with rentals. Also, Tuesdays are often the day that drinks, popcorn, and candy are $2 each for the day. That means, ticket included, a person could go to the movies, have a drink and a munchie, and still only pay $6 plus tax rather than $4 for a small drink at other theaters.
The facilities are kept clean, and the inside looks much better than might be expected on average for a theater offering such low prices. The movies aren’t the newest around, and sometimes there are a lot of people who show up for the show with kids (depending on the movie). Right now one of the movies they’re playing is American Sniper, and last semester they had one of the Hobbit movies up. The movies change every so often, depending on popularity of the movies and business, but the Hornbeck does bring in good movies after they’ve left the larger, more expensive theaters.
Or, if you’d rather not spend anything at all, there are a couple local parks with tennis courts, and there’s always the RAWC on campus which even hosts a rock wall and swimming pool. All it takes are some cheap water guns and some open space to have a bit of outdoor fun!
Another thing that takes relatively little cash is browsing antique shops and thrift stores. With this being a college town, there are plenty of little stores like this around, some closer to campus than others. Especially for the people who like to re-purpose things, or take things apart to make new, this might be an excellent way to get “ingredients” for dorm furniture and get out for a while at the same time.
Like chess? Grab some friends and go to the doughnut shop near campus! This small “hole in the strip mall” place is in the same direction as China House and Walmart from campus and is open from 5 am (when the donuts are warm and just out of the ovens) to 1 pm. The entrance may make it seem small, but inside the place is large and clean. Immediately off to the side, if you’re eating in, are a few tables to sit at with games to play—chess included. And at around 60¢ for a plain or chocolate doughnut—the eating is pretty cheap too.
All in all, if you’re willing to ferret around a little, there are plenty of ways to get creative or stay entertained in the Shawnee area. Be it grabbing food for dinner, catching a film, or just chasing friends around the park, Shawnee (and her college kids) keep these little alcoves of fun and budget friendly options open and going strong.
20 Monday Apr 2015
Posted Out and About
inBy Bethany Blue
Edited by Adam Ewing
The life of a college student is, well, heavy!
The years spent achieving this higher education can be stressful in so many ways. The erratic schedule that demands your full devotion and the level of mental exertion that is expected for success can be exhausting. I shall not overlook those of us who also have to maintain a life outside of our studies too, the tightly stretched students enduring financial woes, job obligations or family responsibilities on top of collegiate duties. Less we not forget that all of this work and sacrifice and struggle is worth the reward. So, how do we get through it gracefully, or at least with some sanity left? Many of us have so little time not devoted to studying and this definitely ups the value on our free time. What is worth doing? What will give us the most entertainment or stress relief? We all search for ways to still enjoy our college years while staying focused on that goal of a degree. Staying local is key to getting the most out of precious spare time between study sessions and lectures. With most of our lives right there on campus, it is a needed break to get out and about!
Big city entertainment is not an option in the small Oklahoman town of Shawnee. There have always been even fewer activities for teens and college age kids to partake in. Having two four-year universities in our town, I have always wondered why this lack of entertainment. Beyond going to the movies or bowling, although both that I happen to enjoy, what does Shawnee actually have for the busy college kid to do? What might be a little mentally satisfying? What might just be a good get away? Time to search these things out is not always there. Maybe we need mindless humor or even some stimulating cultural experience right at our fingertips, options to get us out into the town. Many Of Shawnee’s young adult population is here in lieu of the universities. Vibrant and studious teens flock to this small town to live out their college experience. Youths from all over the world fill the streets, the stores, and cafes, but what is there specifically for this age group? Although very welcoming, Shawnee does not cater activities to this significant part of its population. We must search them out, but they are there!
As a student myself who also has a very demanding home life, I choose what to do with my free time carefully, or at least mindfully. When the time comes to push aside my stacks of text books, or turn away from my keyboard, let it be for something fulfilling and please, I can’t spare a long drive to get there. So, I have come across quite a few good activities right here in our small, quiet town.
When that rainy campus day gets too gloomy to focus on reading for Civ class, how about a song and a dance or just an epic monologue. Shawnee boasts a great theater house, The Shawnee Little Theater. With a full season of plays throughout the fall and spring semesters, college students can spend many weekend evenings here. The theater brings to Shawnee performances that are culturally diverse, thought-provoking and just entertaining. Spending a night at the theater is a great ways to rub elbows with the community and quench the thirst of a busy collegiate needing to take a break from studies.
Time to express our creative side is not always of the highest priority when most of your energy goes toward assignments and deadlines. Creativity can be squashed or at least pushed below the essays! A cozy little cafe on Thursday nights can satisfy this though. Benedict St. Cafe hosts a poetry night. After hours and open to the public, poetry aficionados and lovers of words come together for a quiet and respectful evening of sharing once a month. With scheduled readings along with time for open mic, this community is very encouraging and supportive. It is a great place for college kids to express themselves, to pour out stresses or to just take in the quaint peacefulness.
Music and art are always perfect ways to unwind and always worth the time spent. Although there are few venues here in Shawnee, I do love the acoustic nights that are hosted by a few local restaurants. Also every month, the Downtown Block Party revs the town up a bit with musical performances and art exhibits in local businesses and cafes along Bell St. and Main St. I do recommend this to all. It had been growing for the last year and hopefully, it will expand to outdoors for the summer season!
Shawnee just happens to have the best outing for the culturally starved small town young adult, The Mabee-Gerrer Museum. Located on the St Gregory’s campus, this museum has it all, magnificent works of art, stimulating curiosities and artifacts, even mummies and also guest exhibits that come through from all over the world. It is a treasure to the community and really should be visited! Let’s not forget our very own Santa Fe Depot too, a historic train depot hosting a great museum that archives the rather interesting history of this town and the railway.
The same local organization creating the block party, Safe Events For Families (SEFF) also hosts Boo On Bell every year around Halloween and provides a very fun and spooky atmosphere and Santa Fe Days with historical reenactments and activities. Both are great festivals unique to Shawnee. Music, food and socializing are in abundance at all of these festivals and the community also puts on a few of its own with the county fair, the local car shows and the annual rodeo.
I have uncovered quite a few ways to spend my time well right here in my own town. Although most of my time must be spent studying for these few remaining college years, I must find some time to enjoy this time too. The price of my free time is high, and what I chose to do with it is valuable. But just steps away from the lecture hall, I have found great ways to spend a study break. These may not be known by all or advertised well and I do wish Shawnee would get more excited about its college population, but here I have given many great ideas on how to spend those precious moments of spare time well. We can’t forget to leave that campus and explore the town, meet the folks and learn about the fun that is to be had here. Those nights will come when we just don’t want to see a syllabus and would rather study a play-bill. There are at things to do right here when we might need to put away the laptop and relieve some stress.
20 Monday Apr 2015
Posted Out and About
in
(Photos Courtesy of Bethany Blue)
By Liam Larson and Thomas Larson
Edited by Bethany Blue
Towns the size of Shawnee aren’t supposed to have a treasure like the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art. A century ago, an artist, monk, and priest, Father Gregory Gerrer, traveled the world collecting art and artifacts. When he found his home at St. Benedicts Abbey in Shawnee, the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art was born. In his travels, Father Gerrer collected everything from fine art to shrunken heads, Egyptian mummies to Greek pottery and carved ivory. He even collected a customs house log bearing Nathanial Hawthorne’s signature.
The Mabee-Gerrer boasts two Egyptian mummies—the only mummies in the state of Oklahoma—in addition to canopic jars, and mummified cats and river perch. The Mabee-Gerrer holds the greatest Egyptian collection between Chicago and Dallas, not to mention Greek and Roman artifacts. Beyond history, the Museum’s collection includes Western artwork from the Medieval to the modern, plus works from African, Native American, and Pacific Islander cultures. Art aficionados can enjoy works famous artists across eras and continents: Tintoretto, Bouguereau, Frederick Remington, and more. Rotating galleries offer temporary exhibits so even frequent visitors can find something new.
Some works present in the gallery are even creations of its art-loving founder. The Father, in his travels, was commissioned to paint the official portrait of Pope Pius X. This large piece now hangs in the gallery where its oh-so-realistic eyes watch you as you movie across the gallery.
The museum also hosts a range of fun and interesting events. Arts Trek, which took place on April 4th, takes place all over the museum grounds. Visitors can go to experience art in many shapes and forms. This festival includes artwork for sale, artwork demonstrations, live music, performers, and food trucks.
In the summer, kids who find just looking at art boring have a chance to enjoy themselves. They can sign up for a slew of camps to make all sorts of different kinds of art. It’s a good way to let the children have fun without making your kitchen look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Take a few hours to immerse yourself in Shawnee’s most surprising and rewarding attraction. The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art boasts a big-city collection in a small-town museum.
24 Tuesday Mar 2015
Posted Out and About
inBy John Souders
Edited by Bethany Blue
Editor’s note: This is an article about a local (Oklahoma City) podcast, a great way for Shawnee college students to find out what may be worth exploring in the city area. A podcast is really a great form of general entertainment too for the time challenged. Listen to an episode in the car, while getting ready for class or work or even while working out or cleaning. This is a good solution to our limited free time problem. It’s informative entertainment while you multi-task!
(Photo Courtesy of waftishow)
Before the dawn of television, the radio reigned as king of the entertainment world. Weekly radio shows in the ‘30’s and the ‘40’s like Amos n Andy and Gunsmoke streamed into homes over radio waves delighting listeners and becoming the backbone of popular culture in its day. But as things do, weekly radio serial programs went the way of the vinyl record, the 8 track, and the compact disc. But certainly, the radio show never disappeared entirely. Although much of its fictional content found its way onto the small screen of the family sitting room, progress and technology gave sports broadcasts, news shows, pundits, and morning radio DJ’s, especially “Shock Jocks”, like Howard Stern, a cozy home on the AM/FM dial.
Then comes along the Internet, to some a novelty but to others a gateway to the future. At the time it was difficult to know what the future held for this worldwide web of computer networks but to the visionaries of their day, they knew this was a long, wild wave to ride for a seemingly indeterminate period of time. As time marched on, 2003-2004 saw the advent of the podcast. What’s a podcast, you ask? The word itself is a portmanteau (grab your dictionary), of the words iPod and broadcast. Ironically, Dave Winer, one of the developers of RSS Feeds which delivers podcast feeds, and Adam Curry, a former MTV VJ (the ironic part), are recognized as the pioneers of delivering this content to your digital audio player. Now, podcasts are showing up everywhere. With the popularity of Serial and perennial favorites like My Brother, My Brother, and Me, the world of podcasting is open to anyone willing to take the mic.
Three such souls in Oklahoma City have done just that. Meet Stephen Tyler (not THAT Stephen Tyler), Aaron Souders, and John Souders as they explore their once desolate urban landscape that has now become an oasis of entertainment, music, restaurants, and nascent urban progress through their podcast called, “We Apologize for the Inconvenience”, a serious yet irreverent source for news about the things you want to do. Opinions and ideas for the urban adventurer. As their website says, “Join Stephen, Aaron, and John on their urban adventures as they reflect on their own creative endeavors and those of the local community. Tune in each week for news, reviews, and interviews about music, food, film, venues, bars, and the friends who make it all happen. You might find us amusing, however, you may also be disappointed, un-enlightened, confused, and certainly not inspired. If that’s the case, as always, “We Apologize for the Inconvenience.” Tune in directly through their website, www.waftishow.com and subscribe to the RSS feed or check them out via the Apple Podcast App on your iDevice or find them on Soundcloud. Keep up to date via social media too: Twitter and Instagram @waftishow or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WAFTIShow. New episodes drop every Monday!
09 Monday Mar 2015
Posted Out and About
in(Photo Courtesy of Goodspeed Musicals)
By Bethany Blue
Edited by Adam Ewing
A night at the theater (in my best French accent) is always a grand time but add feather boas and the event is extra ordinary. As a long-time patron of the Shawnee Little Theater, I have roared with laughter and been brought down to tears by their small but so very well produced plays and musicals. With such an intimate theater, the live action is right at your toes and most of the faces on stage are more than familiar to myself and the community. Actors do come from all over the state though to participate in these popular and well reputed little performances. I am never disappointed in the robust stage settings and high quality of their musical scenes, quite a feat for such a tiny theater house.
Recently I had the pleasure of attending their performance of La Cage aux Folles, The Bird Cage. For a small community theater, this play, especially, must have been a challenge. Having seen the movie adaptation many times, I was doubtful that this size of theater would be able to produce the full grandiose and extravagant quality of many of the scenes. With minimal scene worlds created, the director fully focused on the talent of the performers. Lively dance routines and beautiful vocal solos truly captured the vibrancy of La Cage. A talented band accompanied the flamboyant scenes with lazy, loosely on-cue pieces recreating the very off Broadway feel of La Cage aux Folles, a drag nightclub on the French Riviera. In the Birdcage, a loving two-parent family (one transvestite homosexual, one plain homosexual and their son) find themselves first hiding, then embracing, their true selves in the face of preconceptions and conservative social mores. Yes, this play can be controversial and emotional but romantic and comically presented!
For a community theater in deep-red Oklahoma—in a town with both Baptist and Catholic universities—to tackle La Cage aux Folles takes some courage. Our small fellowship of local and dedicated thespians thought this challenge worth the effort. It’s that sort of willingness to push boundaries that has made Shawnee Little Theater a fixture of the community since 1967. I was pleased to see the seats filled with well entertained theater goers! Perhaps Shawnee’s religious roots makes it the perfect venue for The Bird Cage, but, if that sounds too serious, it’s not. La Cage is musical comedy that uses entertainment to challenge prejudice, a great night at the theater!
16 Monday Feb 2015
Posted Out and About
inTags
cafeteria food, Oklahoma legend, Pig Sandwich, pig stand, pork, restaurant, Shawnee, Van's Pig Stand
(Photo Courtesy of Adam Ewing)
By Adam Ewing
Edited by Abigail Chadwick
Eating cafeteria food for the past two weeks quickly became uninspiring. So I decieded it was time to give my taste buds a sample of the food scene in Shawnee. Where better to start than a place that has been in existence since 1930? Not only was Van’s Pig Stand founded during the Great Depression, founder Leroy “Van” Vandegrift was able to expand his franchise. Unfortunately, the price has gone up from its original ten cents, but the quality of their food is guaranteed to make Leroy and Thelma proud.
I discovered Van’s Pig Stand after one of my aimless trips around the city. Further inquiry proved this venue the holy grail of pork. The menu is fairly simple, BBQ and burgers. Those of legal age, can toss back a few beers with their BBQ. Remember to drink responsibly.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well, so my order consisted of an Oklahoma legend, the Pig Sandwich. This hearty sandwich came with relish and BBQ sauce. My personal recommendation is the Vanized (twice baked) Potato as a side. Any rational individual will be satisfied with the serving size, but the otherworldly taste of the Pig Sandwich had me ordering one to go. Midnight snack time will never be the same after my visit to Van’s.
Like any logical thinking college student, I find that saving money at any juncture is a plus. Van’s Pig Stand offers a 2 ½% discount to customers paying with cash. At the East Highland location, there is plenty of parking, as well as an overflow lot to allow for Van’s to feed those in search of perfectly prepared pork. Without a doubt Van’s Pig Stand has a repeat customer for as long as I reside in the city of Shawnee.
To view a full menu, be sure to visit Van’s website: http://pigstands.com