What To Do in Tulsa This Weekend

If you heard my picks for what to do in Tulsa this weekend on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley this morning, you've probably found your way here to TashaDoesTulsa.com, hungry for more. Take heart, Tulsa doers - like Domino's and Pizza Hut, I deliver.

Good thing my picks are still hot and fresh when they reach your door. Plus, they're calorie-free, guaranteed.

Tasha's Picks for the Week of Aug. 7

Gatesway Balloon Festival

When: Today, 4-11 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.-11 a.m.
Where: Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs, 20900 S. 4200 Road (Click for directions)

As you're driving around Tulsa this weekend, you might wonder what's up with all the balloons in the sky. It's not a bird, it's not a plane - it's the 14th annual Gatesway Balloon Festival.

This was one of my favorite family traditions when I was a kid, back when the festival was in Broken Arrow. Now it's at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, and the festival has grown to include more than 30 balloons, all here from across four states, as well as balloon competitions, balloon rides, live entertainment, a car and motorcycle show, arts and crafts and tons of kids and family activities. Oh, and a flame-throwing contest. You can't forget about the flame-throwing contest.

Whether you're looking for romance or an experience to share with your kids that they'll treasure for a lifetime, you can't beat the balloon glow. See that photo above of the giant, illuminated balloons? Believe it or not, being there in person is about 20 million times better. The balloons give off a romantic glow, and the bright colors distract the kids long enough for you and the significant other to work in a few smooches.

Admission and seating at the Gatesway Balloon Festival is 100% free. Visit the Gatesway Web site for a complete event schedule and for more beautiful photos of hot-air balloons.

Absolute Best of Tulsa Music Awards

When: Tomorrow night, 7-10 p.m.
Where: Cain's Ballroom

More than 85,000 votes have decided the winners that will be announced as the best of the best in Tulsa music at Cain's Ballroom tomorrow night.

What Urban Tulsa Weekly is calling a colorful circus of crazy musicians, zealous fans, local scenesters celebrities, artists and photographers will feature local acts like Callupsie, Dead Sea Choir, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, My Solstice and Vandevander, plus me and Urban Tulsa arts writer Holly Wall live tweeting from the event.

Come to witness the battle for the titles of best artist, best band and dozens of other categories as the hippest of Tulsa's hip crowd converges upon a T-Town treasure of a music house for one of the rockin'-est parties of 2009.

Turnpike Trauma 2009

Where: Broken Arrow Roller Sports, 551 W. Oakland
When: Sunday, 9 a.m. with the first matchup at 11 a.m. and the final at 7 p.m.

Watch the Oklahoma Victory Dolls of Oklahoma City, Tornado Alley Roller Girls of OKC, and Tulsa's own Green Country Roller Girls and others duke it out on the flat track for the title of roller derby champ. You can buy a whole seat for $20, but you'll only need the edge.


Music

Friday Concerts at LaFortune Park
When: Tonight, 7-9 p.m.
Where: The Gardens of LaFortune Park, off of 51st Street just west of Hudson

Bring lawn chairs and a picnic dinner and mellow out to the tunes Radio Soul. Admission is free.

Rhythm on the River
Where: 41st Street Plaza at RiverParks
When: Tonight, 6:30 p.m.

Like the outdoors? Love free, live music? Get it all at the new 41st Street Plaza at RiverParks with performer Scott Cannaday tonight. If you forget to pack dinner and drinks, don't worry - concessions will be available.

Steve Miller Band
Where: SpiritBank Event Center
When: Sunday, doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.

This great-American rock band will blow into Bixby Sunday evening, just in time to get the week off to a rockin' start. Remaining tickets are $39.50-$47, but if you hurry, you might be able to snag a few seats for $25. See SpiritBank Event Center online for details.

Brian Haas Benefit Concert

Where: Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard Ave.

When: Saturday, with music at 7; happy hour reception starting at 5

Catch the latest album release show for Petting Sounds: An Improvised Symphony for Solo Piano, along with drinks, a light buffet, live music and a silent auction. The show benefits the Carrie Dickerson Foundation, dedicated to promoting safe alternative energy for Oklahomans and surrounding states.

Art/Theater

Second Saturdays at Philbrook Museum
When: Saturday, 10:30-4 p.m.
Where: Philbrook Museum, off of Peoria between 21st and 31st at 2727 S. Rockford

Get into the hands-on art projects available on Second Saturdays at Philbook Museum, or go on a scavenger hunt. While you're there, feel free to bring along your easel and take advantage of the beautiful gardens there – you can't beat that view, if you're a landscape artists. Or, take a walking audio tour that includes the history of the Phillips home, family and gardens. It's all free, free, free.

Brady Art Crawl
When: Friday night, 6-10 p.m.

Where: Starting at Gypsy Coffee House, 303 N. Cincinnati

Join the group of wandering art lovers as they wind through Tulsa's own art district along Brady. Head through the renovated warehouse that houses Wallace Engineering, the Mathews Warehouse, through the central Brady District and, lastly, Club 209.

Along the way, look for the Visual Arts Coalition Baywalk, which allows those on the art crawl to give their sneakers a rest and stop to chat with artists, some of them in situ. Stop by Tulsa Glassblowing Studio to play with fire and watch torchworkers create beadwork. Plus, there's wine involved. Who could ask for anything more?

Shark Week at Oklahoma Aquarium
Where: Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks
When: Until Sunday

A week of shark events in conjunction with “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel continues this weekend. Check out the presentations on feedings and chances to win prizes.

Harwelden Murder Mystery
Where: Harwelden Mansion, 2210 S. Main St.
When: Through Saturday, seating at 7 p.m.

Just when we all thought politics couldn't get more twisted, the Presidential retreat of Camp David is about to become the scene of a historic event: Namely, the wedding of the President to the Vice President. But, weddings tend to bring out the worst in some people; secrets are revealed and the bodies start to pile up. Tickets to this murder mystery are $45, which includes dinner, wine, beer and lots of good company. Call 584-3333, ext. 32, for reservations.

Sleeping Beauty

Where: TCC VanTrease PACE, 81st St. and US 169

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Presented by the South Tulsa Children's Ballet, this rendition of Sleeping Beauty features the debut of dozens of future stars of the stage. Catch it for $10-20; children under two are admitted free.

Project Alice

When: Tonight and Saturday, 8-10 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Where: Nightingale Theater, Monica Huggins Dance Theatre, 1416 E. Fourth St.

If you're into contemporary dance and multimedia performing arts, don't miss this interpretation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," adapted and directed by Jennifer Alden. Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for students, $10 for kids - bring cash because, like me, the Nightingale kicks it old school.

Other Stuff

Red Fork Down On Main Street

Where: Old Red Fork downtown near Ollie's Station Restaurant on Southwest Boulevard

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Local food. Local fun. Local feel. Find it: Live music, Ollie's Station Restaurant Blue Plate Special, a farmers' market with that westside charm, the Global Garden's Kid Zone, art show and pie contest (yum). Look also for performances by Travis Kidd and Jay Falkner of South 40. Admission to this event is free, and parking and shuttling are available at Webster High School at 1919 W. 40th St. and at the OSU Women's Center, 2345 Southwest Boulevard. Head to the Red Fork Down On Main Street Web site for more details, including much more on what promises to be a killer pie contest.

Tulsa Talons Playoff Game
Where: BOK Center
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Tulsa's arena football team continues in the playoffs Saturday night as they take on Bossier-Shreveport. Tickets range $17-$75.

Owen Park Centennial Celebration
When: Tonight, 7-10; tomorrow starting at 8 a.m.
Where: Owen Park, 560 N. Maybelle

Look for Teen Town Dance tonight, and come out tomorrow for the fishing tournament and the groundbreaking for a new splash pad and playground. This celebration promises to be an exciting, fun-filled event for one of Tulsa's most treasured historic neighborhoods.

Tax Free Weekend in Tulsa
When: Starting tonight at 12:01 a.m.

Just in time for you folks still shopping for back-to-school clothes and shoes (but not school supplies, because they're not tax exempt - don't get mad at me, I don't make the rules) is the now-annual tax-free weekend here in T-Town. Many stores will be open early and late and will be offering special deals to get shoppers to come out out their hidey holes and spend some dough. Oklahomans save millions on by shopping on this holiday, even with exemptions on athletic clothing, school supplies and accessories. But, you can get a wedding dress tax free this weekend, so there's always that little bright point.

Playdate Tulsa
Where: Blue Dome Diner, 2nd and Elgin
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.

Looking for something to do this weekend that's off the beaten path? Look no further than the Blue Dome Diner, downtown at Second Street and Elgin Avenue. Starting at 8 Saturday night will be games galore, food, dancing and general splendid-time-havin', totally filling up the huge space in the back of BDD. Just try to find this much fun under one roof anywhere else in town for the PlayDate admission price of $10. Everyone, from singles to couples to groups, is invited because everyone likes to play.

August: Osage County
Where: Tulsa Performing Arts Center
When: Tickets went on sale Aug. 3; Show Jan. 26-31

Tracy Letts presents his Tony- and Pulitzer-award winning play about family strife set in rural Oklahoma. For mature audiences only, this promises to be a highlight of Tulsa theater in 2009.

50th Anniversary of the film, The Diary of Anne Frank

Where: Circle Cinema

When: Sunday, 2 p.m.

Celebrate the gold anniversary of this film by catching it free of charge at Circle Cinema Sunday afternoon.

Out-Rock the Bus

For my toddler-induced, limited late-night Internet video viewing time, it doesn't get any better than that, folks.

Speaking of toddlers:



Wow. Just wow. The Tulsa Transit folks are way groovier than me and my dandelion-headed kid.

These videos are all part of Tulsa Transit's Rock the Bus video challenge. The grand-prize winner gets a $100 gift card to Cinemark Theater, and everyone who submits a video gets a pass to ride with Tulsa Transit for a full and entire month - for the trouble it takes to shoot a video that's short and flippin' sweet, that's some serious gasoline and personal automobile wear-and-tear savings, people.

To enter, come up with a video that shows how hard you can rock the bus. Post it to the Tulsa Transit channel on YouTube by Sunday, Aug. 16, and stay tuned to find out if you're a winner.

There is, of course, a rule or two. The video must be shot on a Tulsa Transit bus or at one of the Tulsa Transit bus stations. Don't be dirty. Don't be foul. Don't forget to have a good time.

The winner will be selected by Aug. 24 and will be notified by e-mail through YouTube. Tulsa Transit will also post the winning video on its Web site at tulsatransit.org, as well as its Facebook and Myspace pages.

Oh, and don't forget to follow Tulsa Transit on Twitter.

To learn even more about this contest, check out this story by one of my very favorite Tulsa TV personalities, Rick Wells of KOTV:

Man your Flip cameras, Tulsa. It's time to rock the bus.

Beating the Brookside Farmers Market

Natasha confession #3,598: Before today, I had never been to the Brookside Farmers' Market.

I know, I know. Boo, hiss and the like. As a Tulsa-proud Tulsan, I was as ashamed as you are right now just reading this, this gaping hole in my Tulsa-doing repertoire.

But, just when you thought I couldn't get any dumber, today - here comes what I alluded to before - I totally redeemed myself.

Name that movie.

Anyway. I cast my shoe over the Brookside Farmers' Market bright and early today, and oh, boy, did I make away with some serious loot.

Pageant-worthy green beans and jalapeno peppers, ladies and gentleman.

Reporter fail. I couldn't tell you what variety of apple these are, but I can tell you that they're crunchy, crisp and cleanly sweet. And, nicely sized. I can actually finish one of these babies before I'm bored out of my mind.

Look! An apple tree leaf.

Just try to find one of those in your local grocer's produce section.

Hello, hello.

Not only are these grapes grown in Haskell (south of Bixby) absolutely gorgeous, they taste even better than they look. They're Jupiter grapes, and their flavor is floral with notes of apple and honey. The taste is rich, complex and, refreshingly, not of that 100-percent sugar camp of grapes we all know and love as the grapes mom brought home from the Piggly Wiggly.

Lovely. I haven't stopped eating them since I bought them. No, really - I ate them in the car on my way home.

So, vini, vidi and vici. The Brookside farmers' market won't soon be dry of the sweat that profusely poured from my forehead and upper lip this morning, thanks to the extreme temperature and humidity level - it really was something to talk about at 9 a.m., even for August in Oklahoma. I practically marked the entire thing - that is, the parts of it I didn't lug home with me in a handy-dandy reusable shopping bag I scored for free at the Saturday Cherry Street Farmers' Market last week - with my grubby, slimy hands and the ring of ambient perspiration following me around like a stinky force field.

Linda at Hilltop Honey didn't seem to mind the overheated red-headed girl and her pasty-white baby boy who wouldn't stop asking her questions about the difference between solid and liquid honey. She couldn't have been nicer. Plus, I got to stock up on my most favorite lotion on the planet, her Patchouli scented Hilltop Honey lotion.

I snagged a small bottle of the lavender lotion and a jar of liquid honey, too. Just to be on the safe side.

And promptly dipped toast right into the jar as soon as I got through my front door.

Before today, I hadn't had a drop of honey in a year and a half. Kiddos under the age of one or so aren't supposed to eat the stuff, so I chose to keep it out of the house so I wouldn't screw up and accidentally slather my toddler's tongue with it.

So, go ahead and blame me for being uncouth and dipping my toast right into the honey jar. Do it - I dare you.

Though I didn't buy any squash this morning, there's a lot of it to be had 'round these parts right about now. As my friend Amanda at the Oklahoma food blog (and repeat offender in the Food Gawker line-up) Have Spork, Will Travel said in a recent post, "It's a dangerous time of year to leave your car windows down...you're likely to end up with a backseat full of zucchini."

In case you can't use all the squash taking over the backyard garden with Amanda's recipe for Chicken Breast and Zucchini Pappardelle, keep trying with my favorite recipe for squash fritters.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute pretty much anything for the squash once it eventually runs out or you throw up your hands in defeat. I'm talking everything from corn to sweet potatoes to apples would work in these babies. Give 'em a try. If you hate everything about them including their mothers, you'd better have a better recipe forthcoming, or I'll be showing you the business end of a squash masher.

Just as soon as I figure out which end that is.

Squash (or Whatever) Fritters

• 1 lb. of squash (or whatever)
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 c. bread or cracker crumbs (preferably homemade)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• vegetable oil

Steam squash until it's in that place between crispy and mushy. Mash.

Combine squash, eggs and next four ingredients in a large bowl.

Pour about 2 inches' worth of oil into a skillet and heat to about 375 degrees (or, when you thwack something into the skillet and it starts to cook without becoming a slop of grease).

Drop mixture by mixing-spoon fulls into the skillet. Cook until browned, turning once.

Happy squashing, everyone. Don't forget to patronize Tulsa's farmers' markets. Locations are all pretty much set, but days and times vary, so the best way to keep tabs on these veggie stands on steroids is to bookmark the Events pages in the Urban Tulsa Weekly. They come complete with a listing of each market in the area, along with a list of what produce will be available at those markets that week.

We have about three months left of these open-air centers of fresh, locally grown produce. Soak it up.

140 Shopping Days Left

Yes, the pools are still open, and it's still so hot and steamy outside that your glasses fog over every time you step out of the office for a bite to eat.

In the personal finance world, though, it's high time to plan for the holidays.

We all love the holidays, even if we could do without the silly songs, blatant consumerism and family friction. No one can deny that all those dinners and parties and gift exchanges ride up on the pricey side.

For the past couple of years, we Americans have been spending about $450 billion with the retail industry during our winter holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. That's down from what we were spending when the Joneses were still current on their mortgage, but it's still enough money to warrant a bit of forethought before tossing it into the open registers at the shopping malls.

Read the rest of this story in this week's edition of Urban Tulsa Weekly.

In the Works

The building? Deed in hand. Architect’s plans? In their final drafts.

Concept? Try concepts. Three, to be exact, each from the mind of a proven Blue Dome District entrepreneur.

Joe Momma’s Pizza owner Blake Ewing, Shelby Navarro of One Architecture and an anonymous third party have been at work on a much-fabled strip of hip at Second Street and Elgin Avenue.

Ewing and Navarro have secured the 5,800-SF building just south of the Joe Momma’s at 112 S. Elgin Ave. The plan is to divide the building into three spaces, each hosting a business concept.

Read the rest of this story in this week's edition of Food Page in Tulsa Business Journal.

Blogger Hunting

Happy Sunday, Tulsa. It's absolutely freaking gorgeous outside, and yet you find yourself in front of a computer screen.

I know. I'm in the same boat. Since I'm working on something really cool, though, you might as well be, too.

If you're a blogger (if you're not, then you should be) pecking away at a keyboard located within in the Tulsa area, take a minute to use the form below to tell me about yourself.

I promise not to sell your information to the evil androids at some huge advertising firm, not even for a million dollars. I also promise not to send you asinine forwarded e-mails about puppies or the newest way criminals have come up with to steal you from a Wal-Mart parking lot. Your information will be used for strictly and totally awesome purposes only.



There. Easy, huh? Just like Sunday morning.

Now, for the love of Pete, shut off this crazy computer and go play outside. It's just lovely.

A Kid's Social Guide to the Park

Hi, boys and girls. I'm Swizzle the Squirrel, and today I want to talk to you about how to make new friends at your local park.

See that little boy? Let's say his name is Barnaby.

Barnaby is an expert when it comes to parks. He's going to show us around a little, 20-acre park in Midtown Tulsa called Whiteside Park.

While he's showing us around, Barnaby would like to enlighten us with a few basic rules of engagement for the kid who heads to the park looking to acquire some new play date prospects.

Rule #1: Start by being standoffish. It's a basic principle of relationships: The least interested party is the one with the most social power. You can then use this power to convince your new friends to do things for you, like steal candy and bugs and lint from all the other kids and then relinquish them to you upon your request.

Continue to evaluate play date prospects from a safe distance. You never know these days who has had a drop-in visit from the cousin who's just getting over chicken pox.

These times we live in, they are so uncertain.

Remember, however, that in social situations, flexibility is key. If the standoffish approach is not what the doctor ordered, then by all means, chuck it from the backseat of a rapidly moving Windstar.

Rule #2: Let 'em know who's boss.

The best way to do this is to approach a large group of kids and make a demand.

If the prospective playmates don't follow orders, you didn't stinkin' need them, anyway.

Rule #3. Develop a survival tactic. A good place to start is with a proper and intimidating scowl.

See? When The Scowl is in full use, no one dares come near.

Rule #4: A good joke wins friends and influences people.

Just remember to save the ones your daddy thinks are funny for someplace other than the playground.

Our tour of Tulsa's Whiteside Park with our friend Barnaby has come to an end. Thank you for joining us.

Tune in next time, boys and girls, for Barnaby's special edition of, "101 Ways to Cook a Glue Stick." Until next time, this is Swizzle the Squirrel wishing you a happy National Raspberry Cream Pie Day.