Do you have swelling in your legs?
Are your legs discolored?
Do you have varicose veins?
Do you have numbness, pain or tingling in the legs?
Do you have throbbing in the legs or itchy, scaly skin?
Do you have, or have you had, wounds in the lower leg/calf area?
You could have chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Understanding venous disease means understanding the function and anatomy of the venous system. Veins carry blood with CO2 and metabolic waste products back to the heart and lungs to be replenished with oxygen and nutrients. To reach the heart, blood needs to flow upward in the veins from the legs- against gravity. The contraction of the muscles in the legs help to propel the blood upward. To keep the blood flowing up and prevent backflow, the veins contain one-way valves. CVI occurs when these valves become damaged allowing blood to flow backwards and pool in the leg veins. Over time, this malfunction of the valves causes pressure to build up in the veins. Fluid then leaks out into the tissues causing swelling and inflammation Chronic inflammation results in progressive problems, such as pain, bulging veins, skin changes or the most serious complication, blood clots. Blood clots that form in the deep veins of the legs (DVT) can travel to the lungs and cause serious complications, even death.
The symptoms of venous disease can vary greatly. They are often so insidious that, after treatment, patients are surprised to realize how much chronic discomfort they had accepted as “normal”. Common symptoms include burning, swelling, throbbing, cramping, and leg fatigue. The appearance of the lower extremities is often very helpful in the diagnosis of venous disease. Some people will notice swelling, changes in the color and texture of the skin, dry scaling, itchy skin, visible spider veins or bulging veins in the calf and thigh. Others will experience more serious soft tissue changes that develop as the disease progresses which include chronic inflammation or cellulitis, varicosities that bleed without warning, or wounds that come up like small blisters and take a long time to heal. The most serious complications from chronic venous insufficiency are blood clots (DVT’s), and non-healing wounds that become infected – sometimes spreading to bone or into the bloodstream.
Risk factors include:
*Family history
* Obesity
* Damage to your leg due to injury, surgery, or previous blood clots
* Occupations that require sitting or standing for long periods of time
* Reduced mobility or sedentary lifestyle
* More than one pregnancy
In order to diagnose CVI, a complete medical history and examination of your legs will be required. A vascular ultrasound may also be useful to assess the blood flow in the leg veins. Like any disease, CVI is most easily treated in the early stages. Conservative treatment strategies include avoidance of long periods of standing and sitting, regular exercise, weight loss, elevating your legs at night, practicing good hygiene and treating active skin infections. Properly fitting, medical grade support hose called compression stockings are a common conservative treatment option. Compression stockings come in different lengths and compression strength. To ensure a proper fit, compression stockings should be prescribed by a health care provider. Endovenous laser thermal ablation (EVLT) is a relatively new technique that uses a laser to create heat in the abnormal vein causing it to shut down, and redirecting blood flow to deep veins. This technique is minimally invasive, can be done in under an hour, involves less pain than traditional therapies, and allows for a quick return to normal activities. Sclerotherapy is another minimally invasive option; it involves injection of a solution directly into the vein that causes the vein to collapse and shut down.
If you think you may have this problem, you can discuss it with your primary health care provider, or seek out one of the many specialists who offer treatment options – including cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists. You are also welcome to call our center to schedule a prompt and free consultation- you can reach us at (405) 608-8884

A single lung transplant in 2010 allowed Enid native Harold Holden to share a funny quip with a large audience in 2017. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum was inducting Holden into its Hall of Great Westerners.
As the first artist from Oklahoma to be so honored, he said “Seems a little strange to be receiving one of my own sculptures here.”
That quip brought a positive response from the audience. They saw the irony in one of the most revered sculptors of horse and rider in the West to receive as his award his own iconic sculpture. What else would the Hall of Great Westerners give their honorees except a small Holden bronze of a cowboy sitting a horse?
In 2009 the world-renowned sculptor and painter of horses and cowboys was not taking on new work. The U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran’s pulmonary fibrosis lung disease was getting the better of him.
Medical experts at the time said it was not advisable to give a 69-year-old a lung transplant. The staff at the INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute at the INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, said they were wrong.
Conventional wisdom questioned the aging cowboy’s survivability. Luckily the folks at the Zuhdi Institute saw something different. They saw a viable candidate for a lung transplant. They saw a wonderful support network, headed by a devoted wife Edna Mae, and Holden’s vital philanthropic spirit that was busy supporting many of Oklahoma’s worthy causes.
So, from that live saving surgery in 2010 until now, Holden, known as H to everyone, has proven them right. The Western artist has outlived the idea of survivability to become a model of thrive ability as he went on to create some of his largest works as an artist.
And now, at 80, he opens a new chapter in thriving by sculpting three heroic size bronzes to grace the Oklahoma State University campus. These three larger than life statues will round out his total of 25 monuments around the country and be his largest impact on any one location, his alma mater.
Holden sculpted his first bronze statue for OSU in 2012. Only 18 months after his life-changing transplant, he donated his creation of the “We Will Remember” memorial of a kneeling cowboy with his hat in his hands, staring at a black medallion of OSU’s Spirit Rider surrounded by 10 stars.
He donated his design of the plaza with three walls holding the images of the 10 men who died in an airplane crash on January 27, 2001 in Colorado. The images of the 10 men associated with the OSU basketball team have their families’ tributes etched into the same black Indian granite as a memorial at the crash site.
OSU players Nate Fleming and Daniel Lawson; pilots Denver Mills and Bjorn Fahlstrom; broadcaster Bill Teegins; publicist Will Hancock; radio engineer Kendall Durfey; trainer Brian Luinstra; manager Jared Weiberg; and director of basketball operations Pat Noyes died in the crash. Again, Holden donated the rights to create 50 small replicas of the memorial for the families and donors. Now almost a decade after being given a new lease on life Holden is sculpting OSU royalty.
He is creating a one-and-a-half life size bronze T. Boone Pickens, a one-and-a-quarter life size historically correct Frank Eaton (Pistol Pete’s namesake) and a one-and-a-half life size Barry Sanders. OSU’s athletic director Mike Holder has commissioned the series.
Holden still mentions the seven-person team in conversations about his transplant. “To wake up after surgery with a new lung…and essentially be given a second chance at life is overwhelming” Holden said recently.
His gratitude to God and the medical team is memorialized by a six-foot bronze sculpture he donated in appreciation. His “Thank You, Lord” recasting of a cowboy thanking the heavens just outside the INTEGRIS Baptist emergency room entrance was unveiled in 2012.
He has started the Pickens and Eaton pieces, but his studio size will not allow him to do all three together. He hopes to complete the Pickens statue this year and the Eaton sculpture by Spring of next year. The Holdens live on a small 65-acre ranch outside of Kremlin, Okla. His studio is one of the most prominent buildings on the property. He still owns horses and raises cattle, as ranching and riding was the lifeblood of his art career.
“I became a Western artist because I was raised in the life style, riding horses and being a cowboy.” Holden said recently. “Paint and sculpt what you know and I loved everything about the West and being a cowboy.”

Agency Adds to Compassionate Allowances List
Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced four new Compassionate Allowances conditions: CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, Primary Peritoneal Cancer, and Richter Syndrome. Compassionate Allowances is a program to quickly identify severe diseases and medical conditions that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits.
“Social Security’s highest priority is to serve the public and we are committed to ensuring Americans with disabilities receive the benefits they are eligible for,” said Commissioner Saul. “For over a decade, our Compassionate Allowances program has helped us accelerate the disability process for people who are likely to get approved for benefits due to the severity of their condition.”
The Compassionate Allowances program identifies claims where the applicant’s condition or disease clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability. Due to the severe nature of many of these conditions, these claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone. The list has grown to a total of 237 conditions, including certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children. To date, more than 600,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through this fast-track policy-compliant disability process.
The agency incorporates leading technology to identify potential Compassionate Allowances and make quick decisions. When a person applies for disability benefits, Social Security must obtain medical records in order to make an accurate determination. Social Security’s Health IT brings the speed and efficiency of electronic medical records to the disability determination process. With electronic records transmission, Social Security is able to quickly obtain a claimant’s medical information, review it, and make a determination faster than ever before.
For more information about the program, including a list of all Compassionate Allowances conditions, please visit:
www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
To learn more about Social Security’s Health IT program, please visit:
www.socialsecurity.gov/hit.
People may apply online for disability benefits by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov.
To create a my Social Security account, please visit:
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) returned to its homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam, Aug. 18.
Oklahoma City conducted routine patrols throughout the Indo-Pacific region in support of maritime security operations that promote stability while maintaining key partnerships with allies across the region.
“I am extremely proud of my crew and the hard work and dedication they put into accomplishing several extremely challenging missions,” said Cmdr. Steven Lawrence, commanding officer of Oklahoma City. “They performed superbly on multiple operations in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.”
Oklahoma City celebrated the various achievements of its crew members in their professional development.
“I am very proud of the crew of Oklahoma City,” said Master Chief Machinist’s Mate (Auxiliary) Kevin Swanson, Oklahoma City’s chief of the boat. “They performed amazingly during our deployment. We had 25 Sailors and one officer become qualified in submarines. I am honored to be the chief of the boat of such an outstanding group of Sailors.”
Swanson went on to say that the Oklahoma City had 12 Sailors frocked to the next rank and four officers promoted during their time at sea. Additionally, four members of the crews were awarded Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.
The Sailors were greeted on the pier by families, as well as other organizations from around the island.
“It is great to see all of the families on the pier,” said Lawrence. “Four months is a long time to be out to sea on a submarine with limited communications. It is nice to come home and know you are appreciated, missed, and made to feel welcome again.”
Oklahoma City was commissioned July 9, 1988. Measuring more than 360 feet long and displacing more than 6,900 tons, Oklahoma City has a crew of approximately 140 Sailors. Oklahoma City is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Oklahoma City is assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron 15, which is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam and consists of four Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines. The CSS-15 staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands.
Also based out of Naval Base Guam are submarine tenders USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40). The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed submarine force and are capable of meeting global operational requirements.

Game Warden Jay Harvey, based in Atoka County, was honored by the National Wild Turkey Federation as the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 2018 during a regular meeting of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission on Aug. 12 in Durant.
Presenting the award were Don Chitwood, eastern Oklahoma regional director for NWTF, and Terry Bourne, president of the Little Dixie Chapter of Durant.
Harvey, who won the same honor from NWTF in 2004, began his career as a Game Warden in 1992. He has been involved with various NWTF activities, especially with Jakes events. He has volunteered with the weeklong Wildlife Youth Camp for 20 years, serving seven years as camp director. In 2005, Harvey started a wildlife law enforcement class at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. And in 2017, his proficiency in airboat operations allowed the rescue or evacuation of more than 200 people as he volunteered for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

by Mark Beutler

Jane Jayroe was in disbelief when she heard the announcer call her name. The young girl from rural Laverne, Oklahoma, was standing on stage in Atlantic City as Bert Parks began the first few bars of an old familiar song.
“There she is, Miss America,” Parks crooned.
The image flickered on black and white television sets across the country as Jayroe accepted the crown and took her first steps as Miss America 1967.
“A wave of emotions swept over me,” Jayroe recalls. “The audience rose to its feet, while what seemed like flashes from a thousand cameras began going off simultaneously. I could not believe it, even after I heard my name it still seemed unreal. Here I was, this shy, 19-year-old girl from Oklahoma and I had just been given one of the most recognizable titles in the world!”
Jayroe spent the next year traveling in a whirlwind of public appearances, which included entertaining the troops in Vietnam. The schedule was grueling but paved the way for the bright future that lay ahead.
She finished her reign as Miss America, and then continued her education at Oklahoma City University. Her career led her to Dallas where she was news anchor for KXAS-TV before moving home to Oklahoma City, where she worked as prime-time anchor for both KFOR-TV and KOCO-TV. In 1999, she ventured into public service and held the cabinet position Secretary of Tourism and Recreation until 2003.
But for all her titles and accolades, Jayroe holds one more title and that is cancer survivor.
“I have always been very faithful about having the medical checkups that are recommended,” she says. “As a result, I went in for regular breast exams but in 2003 I was very surprised. One of the spots my doctor had been watching for years was different. We checked it out, and the result was a very early breast cancer diagnosis.”
It was fortunate, Jayroe says, that the cancer was caught early.
“To hear the word ‘cancer’ was terrifying,” she said. “I didn’t think of death, but I did think of months of chemotherapy and being sick. I was so scared. As it turned out, I had a lumpectomy.”
A few years went by and life was good, but in 2007 Jayroe was diagnosed again with cancer– this time it was uterine.
“It took a long time to get that diagnosis,” she says, “Which was really frightening to me because I had symptoms for more than six months before I had the diagnosis. I had a full hysterectomy with additional lymph nodes removed. The surgery was on a Tuesday and the test results came back on Friday…actually, Friday the 13th! Lymph nodes were clear, no follow-up treatment was needed.”
During her journey, Jayroe says what helped most was her faith.
“It was everything to me,” she said. “My faith was the rock upon which I stood. It was the Hand that held mine. It was the Light when my night was dark. And having a community of support like the American Cancer Society is so important. Cancer can be such a lonely fight and such a life-altering experience. To have help in those practical ways is really crucial.”
Today Jayroe is a best-selling author, helping others find their way on whatever path their life takes them. Her most recent book, “Practice: Unleashing the Power of Faith,” was released in 2018.
“My words to those who are going through a cancer journey is first, try not to jump into the pool of fear,” she says. “Instead, lean into faith. With the internet, it’s good to have information and learn about things but I don’t think it’s helpful to start thinking the worst scenario when you don’t have all the information. Take someone with you to appointments if possible and start gathering facts, not fear.”
Using the ACS helpline and website is a good place to start. {1-800-227-2345 or www.cancer.org} It also helps, she says to be around people who are hopeful and positive.
“After my diagnosis it seemed everyone wanted to share the story of their friend or family member who died and who had such an awful journey,” Jayroe said. “I realized how terrifying that was for me. So, I reached out to friends who had survived cancer and asked to hear their stories. I was suddenly encouraged! I bought books that told stories of cancer survivors and how they focused and worked hard during their time of treatment.”
Coming from a strong faith-based community and upbringing, Jayroe turned to the scriptures for inspiration, and found a favorite: “The Lord is my strength and shield. My heart trusts in Him and I am helped.” Psalm 28:7
“When I was recovering at home after the uterine cancer, I started walking in the backyard and I would say this scripture out loud repeatedly,” Jayroe said. “I claimed it. I was indeed helped!”
At age 72, the former Miss America lives a peaceful life surrounded by friends and family, her husband Gerry and faithful pup Maggie, and all around her are mementos of a life well-lived.
“Age has brought me to this statement,” Jayroe says. “‘All of us will die, but not everyone will live fully until then.’ That is my goal; I want to live with gratitude, joy and purpose for as long as I can. Hard times come to everyone and something will take us down. But there really is a lot of beauty in the world if we have eyes to see and ears to hear it”
This summer, Jayroe got to hold the newest member of the family, baby Henry who was 12 weeks old. “When I held him close while he was sleeping, our hearts kind of beat together” she said with a smile. “It was awesome. And nature gives me peace, too. I don’t have a green thumb but last spring, just outside my backdoor, roses grew up the wall. Their perfection left me in awe. And this summer I sat outside in the mountains with friends and heard music that was so powerful and then so tender, I was moved to tears. While I try to find purpose and serve God and my neighbor, I’ll accept the gifts given that give life joy and meaning, and I will be grateful. Those are my words to others who are on their own cancer journey, and I wish for them many blessings.”

story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Whether it’s a tournament or just a regular weekday morning, odds are you’ll find Sherry Sakoski at Westwood Tennis Center in Norman.
Sakoski has been a regular fixture at Westwood for years, but she didn’t pick up the game of tennis until she was 35.
She remembers taking her three children to the courts while they were growing up.
Two times a week she would have lessons before hitting by herself on the backboard.
“Every day almost. It wasn’t very far from the courts,” she said. “I’d just load up the kids and head out.”
Within a couple years she started traveling to tournaments, improving her skills and having some success.
Originally from Weatherford, she took a job with 3M as a chemist after going to pharmacy school. Much of her time with 3M was spent as a quality engineer, auditing the chemical components company vendors used in the manufacture of their products.
At 60 she went back to school to get her doctorate in pharmacy so she could help out her daughter who works as a pharmacist in Oklahoma CIty.
After moving back to Norman in 2003, she took lessons from then-director David Minihan before transitioning to now current-director Marc Claude.
“I’d rather play with them than play with anybody else. Isn’t that something?” she laughed.
“I didn’t have an opportunity to play any ball when I was young because they didn’t have anything for girls at Weatherford. Then I got out into the world and my kids wanted to play so we just all learned together.”
Her husband, an avid tabletop tennis player, even picked up the sport and advanced quickly.
Players always have to contend with the Oklahoma weather but construction of a new indoor tennis center will help players like Sakoski still get out on the court.
Westwood Tennis Center is considered as one of the top public facilities in the United States. In 2007, The U.S. Tennis Association recognized Westwood as the National Outstanding Facility. Currently, Westwood has 14 outdoor championship courts with four 36-foot youth courts.
The new 15,000 square foot indoor facility is a Norman Forward project, funded through a one-half-cent sales tax approved by Norman voters in October 2015. The construction contract was awarded to Flintco for $1,376,714 in August 2018.
This facility is the city’s first tensile fabric structure and features two new USTA-sanctioned indoor tennis courts, reflected LED lighting, a spectator area, and an energy efficient heating and air conditioning system.
The project also included the construction of two new outdoor USTA-standard courts with lighting, fencing and bleacher areas which were completed in 2018 before the new indoor facility’s construction.
“It’s softer in there,” she said of the new surface.
It’s been two years since Sakoski had her hip replaced so she appreciates that fact.
She’ll take whatever she can to keep her out on the court.
“I just like it. I like to hit the ball. I like it because it makes you stronger and in order to play tennis I have to keep up with my health,” she said. “I have to eat right and I have to drink a lot of water.”
Sakoski is an avid doubles player, enjoying playing up at the net.
“You’ll have to ask Marc but I play pretty good for an old lady,” she said. “Not as good as some of them. Oh, my goodness I know some of them that are in their 80s. It’s no effort for them. It’s still an effort for me to hit the ball hard.”
NET GAINS
According to the International Tennis Federation, playing tennis could increase life expectancy by a decade, according to an ongoing cardiovascular study.
The Copenhagen City Heart Study has examined people over a 25-year period and evaluated improvements in life expectancy through participation in various sports and leisure-time activities.
In total, 8577 participants were examined for all-cause mortality between 10 October 1991 and 16 September 1994 until 22 March 2017, with various sports found to improve and increase life expectancy.
Of the sports included in the observational study, tennis topped the charts for potential life expectancy gains by some considerable distance, with results suggesting as many as 9.7 years could be added to an individual’s existence.
This is 3.5 years more than its nearest competitor badminton, the playing of which has been found to increase life expectancy by 6.2 years, with football (soccer) having the potential to add 4.7 years and cycling 3.7 years.
Swimming was found to boost life expectancy rates by 3.4 years, jogging by 3.2 years, calisthenics by 3.1 years and health club activities by 1.5 years.
A further conclusion of the study suggests that leisure-time sports which involve greater levels of social interaction are associated with the higher levels of longevity.

Last spring was a discouraging time for Billy Mickle. He was diagnosed with liver cancer and his course of treatment seemed unsure.
Then he was referred to Nelson Royall, M.D., a Tulsa-based OU Physicians surgeon who was the first to bring major robotic liver surgery to Oklahoma. Royall used the robot to perform minimally invasive surgery on Mickle, removing the left lobe of his liver, in which the cancer was confined, and sent him home only three days later.
For Mickle, who lives in Sand Springs, Royall’s expertise was a godsend. The cancer had not spread, his small incisions healed quickly, and he’s back to his daily life.
“Dr. Royall and his staff are just amazing,” Mickle said. “I give him the highest praise.”
Royall brings a unique service to Oklahoma. He is one of only a handful of robotic liver and pancreas surgeons in the United States and is the first in Oklahoma to use the robot to perform surgery for liver and pancreatic cancer. He is fellowship-trained in surgery of the liver, bile duct and pancreas, bringing years of surgical oncology experience to patients in Oklahoma and around the region.
With robotic liver surgery, patients bleed less, meaning they don’t require blood products or transfusions, Royall said. They face a lower risk for complications, leave the hospital faster, and recover more quickly than those who undergo traditional open surgeries. Incisions are five to eight millimeters, which leads to less pain and scarring. In addition, the robot makes surgery possible for many patients who couldn’t tolerate open surgery or aren’t candidates for laparoscopic surgery because of other issues.
Patients also enjoy a good prognosis after robotic liver surgery because of Royall’s skills in performing more precise and advanced maneuvers than would be possible with laparoscopic surgery.
“The robot allows me to have 360-degree range of motion, which lets me get around difficult areas and structures,” he said. “I can perform more delicate suturing, and I can do complex movements without any difficulty. We also remove lymph nodes from the area to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread, and the robot allows me to remove them safely while protecting sensitive blood vessels and organs in the area.”
The robotic system provides additional tools to enhance the safety of the surgery. Three-dimensional imaging allows Royall to see where structures are in space. The robot also offers what is equivalent to X-ray vision – allowing him to see inside the liver and bile duct system.
“It allows me to quickly find the bile duct and blood vessels feeding the different parts of the liver,” he said. “I can make sure the ones that need to be protected are not injured during the surgery. It also helps to prevent leaks from areas like the bile duct.”
Royall finds it gratifying to provide a safer surgery that results in outcomes at least as good or better than traditional and laparoscopic surgery. His patients are grateful to have the option in Oklahoma.
“I was very blessed to have this surgery,” Mickle said. “I knew I was going to be alright.”

Art Gone Wild provides unique opportunity to view, purchase original animal art in support of wildlife conservation

Art Gone Wild, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s exclusive animal art show, is making a creative comeback! After taking a break in 2018, the OKC Zoo is excited to announce the return of Art Gone Wild, Oklahoma City’s wildest art show, to the Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 West Reno, Oklahoma City. The exhibition runs Thursday, August 22 through Monday, September 16, 2019, in the Crystal Bridge, south lobby. Lobby hours, during which attendees can view and purchase pieces, are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Zoo’s newest collection of wildlife art features over 200 original paintings that highlight the artistic talents of various Zoo animals including Asian elephants, California sea lions, giraffe, Sumatran and Amur tigers, Western lowland gorillas and more. Creating art is stimulating for the animals who are guided by their caretakers who are on-hand to assist in the painting process. Each animal expresses their creative abilities in their own way. Some animals use specially adapted tools such as paintbrushes while others paint with their trunks, flippers, noses and paws!
All of the art created by Zoo animals is made with safe, non-toxic paint. Painting sessions are done voluntarily by the animals as part of the Zoo’s enrichment program. Enrichment activities are designed by the Zoo’s animal experts to continually improve and enhance the lives of the animals in their care.
Art Gone Wild fans can view and purchase these original paintings ranging in price from $35 to $300 depending upon the canvas size. All net proceeds benefit the Zoo’s conservation initiatives. Art Gone Wild is open to the public and free to attend. To learn more about Art Gone Wild, call Zoo Guest Relations at (405) 425-0262 or click here.
Visit Art Gone Wild for an awe-inspiring look at art by animals for animals! Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the Zoo is a proud member of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District and an Adventure Road partner. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Buildings close at 4:45 p.m. daily. Guests must exit grounds at closing time. Regular admission is $11 for adults, and $8 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Stay connected to the Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTubeand visit Our Stories. To learn more, call (405) 424-3344 or visit www.okczoo.org.