The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Do you love supporting Oklahoma artists? Well, it doesn't get much bigger than the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition's annual 12x12 show. This annual fundraising event returns October 3, bringing works from 175 artists into one space at the Dunlap Codding building on Oklahoma City's Film Row. Attending the event not only helps support local artists, but it helps prop up the organization that spends 365 days a year supporting local visual artists. We stopped by the OVAC offices at Dunlap Codding to learn more about their event from their administrative and artist relations manager Ariana Weir-Temoshok and also heard from two of this year's featured artists, Katie Graham and Todd E. Clark.

Oklahoma can go toe to toe with any state in terms of musical talent and star power, making the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee a cultural heritage site for fans across the country and around the world. After such much-needed renovations, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is set for a grand reopening this Saturday. Executive Director Tony Corbell joins the show to talk about all the work that went into reopening the Hall, what awaits those who go to their celebration this Saturday, and what makes Oklahoma a special place for music.

It's back! The Oklahoma Today Show loves the Theatre Crude fringe festival, and we're continuing our preview coverage for another year. Theatre Crude is Oklahoma City's only fringe theatre festival, bringing a variety or unique, original, and sometimes one-off small productions through the city. Check their schedule because there truly is something for everyone. This year's performance venues for Theatre Crude are Project 3810 and Perpetual Motion Dance. Theatre Crude co-founder Adam Brand joins the show from Perpetual Dance to give us a taste of this year's event.

Football is back in Oklahoma! High school teams across the state recently kicked off the 2026 season. Who are the teams to watch for? Who are the future stars on the field now? And what are the gameday environments you have to see for yourself? Oklahoma television and radio personality Mark Rodgers, also the longtime publisher of the Oklahoma Pigskin Preview magazine, joins the Oklahoma Today Show to break down what to expect for the 2026 season.

Also on this week's show, the editors reminisce on their own Oklahoma high school sports traditions, and podvents has your plans for Labor Day weekend. You won't want to miss it!

Since 2022, Boom Town Creamery has been churning out some of the best small-batch frozen confections in Oklahoma City. And in a summer this hot, it’s never been a better time to visit. Boom Town founder Angela Muir is this week’s guest on the Oklahoma Today Show, talking about her inspiration for the business and all the thought behind their popular gourmet flavors. She even tries to teach Ben how to scoop like a Boom Town pro, although we’re not sure he’s ready for the big-time just yet . . .

Also on this week’s show, the editors imagine their own dream sundaes over a scoop of Boom Town’s award-winning Madagascar Vanilla, and podvents is as good as gold—black gold! You won’t want to miss it!

Have you tried escargot before? Our host Ben hadn't . . . until he came to visit Alain Jeu at his new Oklahoma City restaurant Le Parisien. The iconic French snail dish stands out on the menu, but it is just one item on a long list of rich and cheesy creations right off the cobblestone streets of Paris. Ben gives it a taste test and learns more about what brought Jeu, a Los Angeles-based Frechman, to Oklahoma to start a restaurant. 

Fans of the 2022 installment of the Predator film franchise Prey will not want to miss this year's Holba' Pisachi' Native Film Festival in Sulphur. The festival, now in its eleventh year at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, brings both producer Jhane Myers and lead actress Amber Midthunder to southern Oklahoma for the screening of the film. In addition to Prey, the film festival will present a variety of documentary, short, and feature film screenings August 7-8 inside the Anoli' Theater. Film professional panels and mixers will also make the event valuable to those interested in learning more about the film industry. Fran Parchcorn, the Chickasaw Cultural Center's director of special events, joins this week's show to give more details on this must-see Oklahoma film event.

The drive-thru sushi, hibachi, and bento box options at Oishii Express in The Village in northwest Oklahoma City is unlike most other roadside options diners have come to expect. The concept by Chef Ling Chi Wong (who also started Takaramono in OKC's Plaza District) opened earlier this year and has been greeted by great fanfare. Particularly popular are their sushi push pops—a clever contraption that features a sushi in a tube with a thin cylinder containing a wasabi-soy sauce mixture. Chef Chi joins this week's show to talk about his inventive new concept and where he plans on taking it in the future.

With the Summer of Route 66 in full swing, Gathering Place in Tulsa is celebrating the centennial with a different kind of kicks. The Get Your Kicks shoe art competition pits more than twenty local area artists against each other to see who can create the most appealing work of art from a blank white tennis shoe. The results are quite impressive, and currently on display at Gathering Place's boathouse where viewers can vote on their favorite to win a prize for a lucky artist. The shoes will remain on display through July 18, when the large community park will hold its Route 66 Centennial Celebration. Cheryl Christensen, vice president of operations at Gathering Place, joins the Oklahoma Today Show this week to tell us about how the shoe art competition came together and what we have to look forward to at the park's Route 66 celebration this weekend.

For those who have not been to MAHT in Oklahoma City yet, get in line now because there is a wait! Chef Kevin Lee's new American-style steakhouse with Korean flare in the Uptown 23rd District is as delicious as it is popular. Lee became a hot commodity locally with the buzz around the Birdie's Korean-style steakhouse in north Oklahoma City and grew in profile nationally with regular appearances on Food Network shows like Tournament of Champions and Guy's Grocery Games. Chef Lee is our special guest on this week's episode, where he details his long grind to culinary stardom and desire to use his platform to shed light on other good local food.