Oklahoma City

Like many of you, I'm still in shock from these horrific weather events. But of one thing I feel confident... We will band together with tremendous spirit to help those impacted by the area tornadoes. As you've likely heard in media coverage, state officials ask that people not attempt to drive to the area, even if your motives are to offer aid. This negatively impacts an already extremely difficult operation. Instead, assist your fellow Oklahomans in other ways.

• Donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting 90999.
• Donate to the Salvation Army Disaster relief online or by calling (405) 725-2769.
• Donate to the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster relief online or by calling (405) 942-3800.
• Feed The Children will accept donated items such as diapers, canned goods and water on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 29 N. McCormick.

Also, the Red Cross has a website at safeandwell.org designed to help find missing loved ones. Search for friends or family members, or register to assist others in locating you.

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Visitors to Oklahoma City, or perhaps those attempting the difficult but enviable task of living car-free, might opt to rent from one of the many rental companies if the situation demanded. But what if they only needed a vehicle for a short trip, an hour or two errand? Well, that's when they need to know about TimeCar, an hourly car sharing service that allows members to easily reserve a car online for use any time of the day or night.

TimeCar has four locations in the Oklahoma City metro area: University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, Crowne Plaza Hotel and now at Oklahoma Avenue and NE 2nd in Deep Deuce. Rates, which include gas and roadside service, start at just $5 for night hours during the week, and currently the Deep Deuce location features a Nissan Juke and Mazda 3. TimeCar President Benny Jacobs told the Oklahoman he expects to add another location downtown and one in MidTown.

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There has been a flurry of festivals of late in the metro, and here's the 2nd edition of one that proved quite popular last year. The Made in Oklahoma Wine, Beer and Food Festival takes place Saturday at the Sheraton Midwest City Hotel & Reed Conference Center and features "Oklahoma's finest foods, heartiest hops and award winning wines." Enjoy a car, truck and motorcycle show, several culinary presentations, the great grilled cheese challenge, live entertainment and more. Admission is free, but if you want to enjoy the tastings, you can purchase 10 wine and beer tasting tokens and a commemorative festival wine or beer glass for $18. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get a complete schedule and all the event details.

Elsewhere, this weekend...

• Another highlight event is the 26th Annual OKC Pride Week, the largest annual LGBT Pride event in the state. The Saturday block party downtown includes live entertainment, art, gifts, food and more, and Sunday is the OKC Pride Parade.
• Friday is National Bike to Work Day, and there are community efforts in Oklahoma City, Yukon, Edmond, Norman, Moore and Midwest City. See www.bikedayok.com for details.
• Local craft beer is the feature, along with music, food and more downtown... Read More...

The last day of school is approaching quickly for metro area students, and the parent scramble to find and coordinate summer activities continues. There are still spots open in some of the OKC summer camps, and I mentioned the kids movie series at Harkins. Well, here's one more option to add to the list.

The Kids Bowl Free program is a partnership between bowling centers and schools across the country, designed to "give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer." All you have to do is register your child online to receive 2 free games every day of the summer. Shoe rental is not included, but there may be discounted options available. Plus, adults can join in the fun by purchasing a family pass for $24.95. It covers up to 4 adult family members and includes 2 free games per person per day.

Among metro area bowling centers, the two participating in the Kids Bowl Free program are Heritage Lanes on North Penn and Sooner Bowling in Norman.

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I'm in the process of updating schedules for the many concert series events this summer. Most of them take place outdoors and in the evenings. But if you want to escape work for some free live music during the day, take note of the Noon Tunes series at the Downtown Library. Just bring a sack lunch and enjoy the wonderful work of local musicians. Here's the upcoming slate:

• May 16: Salute to America, OK Academy Strings and Chorale
• May 23: ATM Piano Triet
• May 30: Denver Duncan, singer/songwriter
• June 6: Albert Grey Eagle, Native American flute with Unity Drums
• June 13: Rice Dance Band, interactive family show
• June 20: Jim Garling, cowboy and western swing
• June 27: Adam and Kizzie Ledbetter, eedo/soul/jazz

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To help citizens reduce their fuel bill and carbon footprint, OKC's METRO Transit will offer free bus rides during this 2013 ozone alert season. Like the past few years, "Free Fare Fridays" are again set for the third Friday of each month from May through September. The first free ride day is this Friday, May 17th.

With Free Fare Fridays, city officials look to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and therefore better air quality and the health of the community. "People who ride the bus not only contribute less to poor air quality, there are other health benefits to taking transit such as more exercise through walking or riding bikes to the bus stop and less stress from driving and sitting in traffic," says Michael Scroggins, public information manager for METRO Transit.

Here are some ozone alert season tips from area officials:

• Ride the bus: Each METRO Transit bus has the potential to take 35 cars off the road.
• Carpool: Carpooling can cut the number of cars on the road by at least half.
• Combine trips: Before running errands, plan ahead and try to combine as many errands into one trip as possible.
• Take your lunch to work: Packing a lunch cuts out a trip during the hottest time of the day.
• Dine-In or Walk-through: Avoid idling your engine in line at the drive-through.
• Teleconference: Instead of driving to meetings, consider teleconferences.
• Fill up your tank in the evening: Refueling in the evening can prevent gas fumes from heating up and evaporating into the atmosphere. And don't top off your tank to prevent releasing fumes into the air.
• Avoid mowing or mow in the evening: According to the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, older two-cycle gasoline-powered lawn mowers running for one hour emit as many pollutants as a car driven from Oklahoma City to Houston.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}

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If you don't already know that this Sunday is Mother's Day, you should be ashamed. You should also be scrambling to find something to do with dear old mom this weekend. Well, depending on her preferences, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic season finale at the Civic Center Music Hall on Saturday could be the perfect choice. "A Globetrotter's Guide to the Orchestra" showcase features pieces from Wagner, Barber, Tchaikovsky and more. There's a preview at 7 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m. Single tickets, starting at just $15, are still available and can be purchase at myticketoffice.com.

Elsewhere this weekend...

• The Oklahoma Orchid Society presents a Mother's Day Show & Sale at Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Hall this Saturday and Sunday. Thousands of orchids will be on display in a wide variety of exhibits and arrangements, and the event includes raffles, a silent auction and more. See oosorchids.org for details.
• The Oklahoma City Zoo will hold two of its premiere family events this Saturday. The Ostrich Egg Breakfast includes an "all-you-can-eat smorgasbord" and begins at 8 a.m. Then, at 10 a.m., kids can enjoy Zoolympics, a collection of interactive activities that teach kids about animal behaviors. Don't forget that the zoo is one of several attractions offering free admission for moms on Sunday as well.
• Celebrate Asian culture and traditions through arts & crafts, food, dance, music and more at Langston University-OKC on Saturday... Read More...

Each year, parents search for summer activities for the kids. There are, of course, a number of excellent metro summer camps, and here's another option for families. The Harkins Bricktown theater presents the "Summer Movie Fun" series of 10 family films, one each week from June 3rd through August 9th.

Season tickets for all 10 movies are on sale for only $5, just fifty cents per movie. Also, individual tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis for $2 each. Call (405) 231-4747 for more information. Shows start at 9:45 a.m., and here's the movie calendar:

• Mirror Mirror: 6/3-6/7
• Hotel Transylvania: 6/10-6/14
• Madagascar 3: 6/17-6/21
• Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: 6/24-6/28
• Ice Age 4 Continental Drift: 7/1-7/5
• Rise of the Guardians: 7/8-7/12
• Charlotte's Web: 7/15-7/19
• Megamind: 7/22-7/26
• March of the Penguins: 7/29-8/2
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits: 8/5-8/9

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The month of May has just begun, and while most area students still have a few weeks of classes remaining, the time is now to finalize the kids' summer activity plans. Many OKC-area attractions and groups, from the zoo to the Thunder organization, have opened registration for their summer camps, and sessions are filling up quickly.

For example, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art has sold out many of its nearly 20 summer camp sessions in art, photography and movie-making, and more than half are already full at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, formerly known as City Arts Center. So don't wait. Get registration information and details on several top OKC summer camps.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}

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With just a week left, I'm sure all of you are thinking about what to do for your wonderful moms on Mother's Day. Getting her a gift or a bouquet of flowers is great, of course, but I think most moms would say they'd rather have the time spent with you. Here are just a few Oklahoma City Attractions offering free admission to moms with a paid admission, any one of which would be great for a Mother's Day out. I'll continue to update this list as I confirm others:

• Orr Family Farm: 5/11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Oklahoma City Zoo: 5/12 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum: 5/12 from 12-6 p.m.
• Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History: 5/12 from 1 - 5 p.m.

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