Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Registration is now open for the 2023 Spring Season for Veterans Rowing, Dragon Boating, and Whitewater Rafting Teams to train and compete at RIVERSPORT, an official Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in downtown Oklahoma City on the Oklahoma River.
A RIVERSPORT Warrior is a Veteran 18 years or older who has served honorably in the military. Veterans with a military service connection can participate for free.
No paddle sports experience is necessary. New to paddle sports Veteran participants are encouraged to register. Participants will practice on the downtown Oklahoma River with RIVERSPORT coaches once a week until the Spring Season competition event.
The Warrior participants will train in rowing, whitewater rafting, or dragon boating to compete in the upcoming Stars & Stripes River Festival on June 24. Teams will compete against other novice teams at the OG&E NightSprints under the lights that evening.
“RIVERSPORT Warriors gives veterans with a disability a concrete way to reclaim their ability to be physically active in a team sport and in the process, helps restore a sense of hope for the future,” said Jamie Collazo, USMC Veteran and RIVERSPORT veterans program coordinator. “The social support, team camaraderie and feeling of accomplishment are irreplaceable. The increase in physical activity is a bonus.”
Warriors rowing practice will be held 10-11:30 a.m. Thursday mornings at the Chesapeake Boathouse in the Boathouse District until June 24. The fee is $250 or free for veterans with a service connection.
Warriors whitewater rafting practice will be 6-7:30 pm on Thursday evenings, May 18 to June 24, at the McClendon Whitewater Center in the Boathouse District. The fee is $200 or free for veterans with a service connection. Participants will practice on the RIVERSPORT Rapids with a professional raft guide once a week for a six-week season.
Warriors dragon boating practice will be from 6-7:30 pm on Wednesday evenings until June 24 at the Chesapeake Boathouse in the Boathouse District. The fee is $175 or free for veterans with a service connection.
Registration is open for the 2023 spring season. New participants are encouraged to register.
These coach-led practices will provide Veteran paddle sports participants of all experience levels the opportunity to work together and compete against other novice teams on the Oklahoma River and RIVERSPORT Rapids.
For more information or to sign up, contact Jamie Collazo at (405) 552-4040 ext 4992

By Nick Thomas

Despite extensive on-screen credits throughout their long careers, the Three Stooges comedy team only spent about a month or two a year in front of the cameras, rarely producing more than 10 of their beloved comedy shorts a year. According to long-time Stooges fan Gary Lassin, the slapstick legends were on the road for up to 6 months a year, crisscrossing the country to perform largely vaudeville-like acts on stage.
Those journeys, from the 1920s to the 1960s are now recounted in exquisite detail in more than 750 pages of Lassin’s new book, “A Tour De Farce: The Complete History of the Three Stooges on the Road.”
As president of the Three Stooges fan club and owner/curator of a Three Stooges museum (The Stoogeum, see https://stoogeum.com/) in Ambler, Penn., Lassin began assembling touring data over two decades ago.
“I just opened a blank Excel spreadsheet and began going through my Stooges memorabilia – playbills, programs, ticket stubs, photographs – to compile their travel history,” said Lassin from his suburban Philadelphia home.
He also began searching newspaper archives back in the day before online databases existed. “Twice a year I’d drive to the Library of Congress in Washington to search their archives of major newspapers stored on microfilm.”
The book, currently available directly from the author (see
https://tourdefarce.net/), is also crammed with over 1,400 images mostly from Lassin’s private collection, hundreds being published for the first time.
Comprising the two Howard brothers Moe and Curly (Curly being later replaced by third brother Shemp, followed by Joe Besser and Joe DeRita) and Larry Fine, the Stooges are famous for the 190 short films produced by Columbia Pictures from 1934-1959. The trio of turmoil were masters of vintage Hollywood madcap mayhem, famous for brutalizing each other with any heavy object at hand, initiating food fights, and flattening their surroundings faster than a professional demolition team.
So what would audiences attending their live stage shows have experienced?
“Nothing like their films, really,” said Lassin. “They didn’t have the benefit of movie special effects or other actors they could play off. So they usually did a 10-15 minute act consisting of two basic routines. There were skits where they’d play roles and act out a little and the other was called patter where they would go back and forth with silly jokes.”
An example of the latter, says Lassin, is when one would ask, “You goin’ fishing?” To which another would respond, “Yeah, you got worms?” followed by the punchline, “Yeah, but I’m going anyway.”
Lassin estimates his book documents up to about 95% of live appearances by the Stooges. “We’ll never come up with all of them,” he said. “They also visited hospitals, military bases, and other places that weren’t advertised to the public.”
The author, who is related to Larry through marriage, has amassed over 100,000 pieces of Stooges memorabilia with thousands of items displayed in his museum. Like many adult Stooges fans today, he originally became enamored by the comedy troupe as a child.
“We only had three TV channels to watch when we came home from school,” he recalled. “So it was impossible for a kid not to see them and like them.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org/.

The Antelope Party
by Eric John Meyer Directed by Jesse Jou October 12-22, 2023. “The Rust Belt Ponies Meet-Up Group for Adult Fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” gather weekly to visit Equestria—a land of enchantment aka Ben’s apartment in rural Pennsylvania.
Looking for Tiger Lily
Written and Performed by Anthony Hudson November 16-18, 2023. Starring Anthony Hudson – the human vessel for Portland’s premiere drag clown Carla Rossi – LOOKING FOR TIGER LILY utilizes song, dance, drag, and video to put a queer spin on the ancestral tradition of storytelling.
Under The Radar: On The Road
In Association with The Public Theater January 25-28, 2024. OKC Rep’s annual collaboration with The Public Theater in New York brings a show directly from the NYC festival to Oklahoma City.
Vietgone
by Qui Nguyen, Directed by Nikki DiLorento February 29 – March 9, 2024. An all-American love story about two very new Americans. It’s 1975. Saigon has fallen. He lost his wife. She lost her fiancé.
Of a Mind: Oklahoma City
Created by Kelly Kerwin, Emily Zemba, and Listen&Breathe, Movement Direction by Hui Cha Poos May 9 – June 2, 2024. Put on your headphones and join OKC Rep for a remount of OF A MIND: OKLAHOMA CITY, the audio-guided theatrical walking tour that originally delighted audiences in Spring 2022.
For more information visit: https://www.okcrep.org/season

One of the things we enjoy most about Oak Haven is the feeling of being safe and secure. Oak Haven is gated and the residents are nice and hospitable people. The cottages are nice and very clean. There is some type of activity for everyone to enjoy. Margaret, the property manager, is friendly and professional in her job. David, the maintenance manager, is easy to work with on any problem you might have. They both give you a sense of wanting to help.
We enjoy Oak Haven
Mike and Ginger Pickard

VISIT OAK HAVEN AT https://www.oakhavenretire.com/

Seaman Imoni Okine on the USS Nimitz

U.S. Navy Yeoman Seaman Imoni Okine, from Midwest City, Okla., left, and Yeoman 3rd Class Ruby Crystal Patino, from Los Angeles, review paperwork aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

RSVP of Central Oklahoma recently marked the end of its Provide-A-Ride senior transportation program with a celebration of volunteers who dedicated their time to helping older adults get to their doctor’s appointments.
The celebration of volunteers took place at the Oklahoma History Center. The organization’s Provide-A-Ride senior transportation program started in 1994, and during that time volunteer drivers gave more than 130,000 rides to low-income older adults.
RSVP of Central Oklahoma continues to partner with more than 50 nonprofits in the central Oklahoma community. It celebrates its 50th anniversary this year of matching people 55+ with meaningful volunteer opportunities in the community.

by Greg Schwem

I gazed around the enclosure, wondering how such a small space could be the source of bullying, harassment, and a political maelstrom that shows no signs of abating.
Then I zipped up and exited the bathroom.
But not just any bathroom; a gender neutral restroom in a Chicago restaurant. Normally I don’t do so much thinking while urinating, but others are doing it for me, as evidenced by the increasing number of unisex bathrooms popping up in businesses and bars, and throughout college campuses. Not to mention the debates occurring in Congress.
I am 100% in favor of these facilities, as I feel sorry for women, or those who identify as female, who endure long lines in airports or concert halls while their male counterparts breeze in, do their business and leave, never once wondering if the art of peeing at a particular moment will cause them to miss their flight or the band’s encore.
Yet my question remains: Females, or those who identify as such, do you REALLY want to share a bathroom with us?
No, seriously, have you thought this through? I was in a college fraternity and, 40 years later, all I can say is, old habits die hard.
I’m not just talking about having to lower the seat when you enter the restroom after a male has used it. We’ve been leaving the seat up for years and we will continue to plead forgetfulness even if all toilet seats come with hand cranks to make the process easier. Not that it’s difficult now.
What about our aim? Or lack of it? Are you ready to see droplets, or puddles of urine on the floor and wonder how long they are going to remain there until somebody who is grossly underpaid cleans it up?
That’s what we look at. Unless we are the ones who misfired because, in our states of inebriation, we saw three urinals instead of one and chose incorrectly.
Now let’s move to the sink. Dudes consider it to be more than just a receptacle for handwashing. Quite the contrary. I’ve seen guys shaving in public restrooms or worse, brushing their teeth and spitting gobs of who knows what into that same area supposedly set aside for cleaning hands. Gals, or those who identify as such, you might want to turn off the faucet with your elbows, just in case.
Oh, and, if you think our bathroom habits are disgusting, please rethink the idea of gender neutral locker rooms. For I guarantee you, the restroom is a microcosm of what awaits you in a changing area.
Sure, you wouldn’t see our private parts, as unisex locker rooms are designed to ensure nobody has to change in public. But I guarantee you, we will still walk around in bare feet. Not just bare feet but fungus-addled, athlete’s feet. Is there a law against toenail clipping in a gender neutral locker room? Because I’ve seen guys do this as well. Just saying.
Our mouths have no locker room filters, so be prepared to hear conversations about topics ranging from our copious amounts of body hair to last weekend’s sexual conquest, which we are probably embellishing. We will also lie about what we plan to do THIS weekend and who we plan to do it with.
I applaud your right to identify yourself as “she,” “her,” “them” or “they.” Believe me, I do. I have attended numerous pride parades, in multiple cities, and love watching people celebrate whoever it is they want to be. Be loud, be proud.
Just remember that, when you enter that gender neutral bathroom, a dude whose idea of a perfect day includes a dozen beers and six street tacos may have just exited.
Nothing Congress can do about that.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

By Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready

During the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Congressional DC Fly-In on April 26–27, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready joined his NAIC colleagues in advocating for federal reforms that would reinforce state-based insurance regulation and strengthen policyholder protections. Topics discussed with members of Congress included long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), and returning authority to the states to oversee Medicare Advantage marketing.
“Coordinating with the federal government plays an essential role in our department’s work to protect consumers and keep insurance markets stable and secure in Oklahoma. I greatly enjoyed speaking with members of our federal delegation about issues that impact every Oklahoman, and I look forward to continuing to work together on their behalf,” said Commissioner Mulready.
The NAIC’s annual Congressional Fly-In offers chief state insurance regulators and senior staff the opportunity to meet with their congressional delegation, discuss efforts to assist constituents, brief lawmakers on regulatory developments in insurance, and advocate for state and NAIC priorities.
If you have insurance questions, please contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

An event at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) will highlight the history, heritage and contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to Oklahoma. “Asian American and Pacific Islander Experiences in Oklahoma: A Historical Journey” will take place on Wednesday, May 10, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May is AAPI Heritage Month in the United States.
Special honorees include Dr. Jordan Tang of Taiwan; Dr. Dick Hsieh of China; Dr. Thanh Van Anderson of Vietnam; former State Senator Ervin Yen of Taiwan; and current State Representative Cyndi Munson, a Korean American. Dr. Tang and Dr. Van Anderson will be honored posthumously.
The schedule includes a cultural fashion show, dance performances, hands-on activities and more. Performers include Dr. Gregory Lee on violin, Ai-Wei Chang on piano, the India Association, the Zomi community and the Japanese Association. Hands-on activities will include calligraphy and tea tasting.
Mike Lee Hoang, president of the Asian District Cultural Association and a Vietnam American, will be the emcee. Akash Patel, originally from India, will provide the closing remarks. Patel is the vice president of the United Nations Association USA, founder of the Happy World Foundation and the senior consultant for the Institute for Humane Education.
The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. The event at the OHC is one of several taking place across the Oklahoma City metro throughout the month of May. The program at the OHC is part of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Multicultural Office (OHSMO) and its “People of Oklahoma” series. The OHSMO has a working objective to develop programs and outreach initiatives to tell the story of Oklahoma’s diverse heritage and give voice to these historically underrepresented communities.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit
https://www.okhistory.org.