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The Oklahoma Today Podcast is your definitive audio guide to all the best of Oklahoma's travel destinations, food, culture, events, and history. Published weekly by the staff of Oklahoma Today magazine, the podcast is your best bet for planning your next road trip, dinner with friends, or unexpected adventure in the Sooner State. Learn more at oklahomatoday.com.
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Tulsa-based, Emmy-winning puppeteer David Bizzaro has impressive show credits that include Sesame Street, The Muppets, Waffles + Mochi, and much more. And now, you have the chance to learn from a master! David is our featured guest on this week's Oklahoma Today Podcast. He talks all about his unique career and how you can sign up for one of his in-person classes, where you too can learn the secrets behind this captivating art form.
Also on this week's episode, the editors share which creative skill they'd like to learn, and podvents announces the annual opening of one of Oklahoma's favorite corn mazes. You won't want to miss it!
What is fringe theater? A better question might be what isn't it. The annual Theatre Crude festival is returning to Oklahoma City this week, bringing dozens of small-scale, non-traditional productions to the community. Want to hear from a misanthropic goldfish? Or maybe a MacBeth musical with lightsabers is more your speed. Theatre Crude co-founder Jenny Brand joins the podcast from The 4801, one of the festival's three venues, to talk about what fans can expect.
Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss what they're looking forward to this Oklahoma fall, and podvents takes a moment to pay tribute to our "deer" friends. You won't want to miss it!
Journalism has never seen anything like it. There are tough interviews to get and then there are interviews that are darn near impossible. Today host Ben Luschen did something no one has ever done before: interview the elusive raccoon—and not just one of them either. Scout and Little Bit are the names of the raccoon animal ambassadors at the Bernice Nature Center in the Bernice Area of Grand Lake State Park, and they agreed to go on the record for the first time from their spacious enclosure under the condition of copious provided snacks. Though Ben was able to get some good answers out of them, Scout and Little Bit aren't much for jabbering, so luckily nature center manager Amanda Markey was on hand to fill in the blanks. Learn everything you could ever want to know about raccoons, and then some, in this week's interview.
Also on this weeks show, the editors share what question they'd ask their own favorites animals, and podvents lets us know where NOT to take your cows this week. You won't want to miss it!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to school in a one-room schoolhouse? Well our very own host Ben Luschen got a taste of life as a student in the pre-statehood nineteenth century. The Edmond Historical Society recently opened up Edmond's 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse to host a mock school day for adults. History, penmanship, recitation, and arithmetic are all on full display during this little piece of the past. Let's just hope Ben stays out of trouble . . .
Also on this week's show, the editors take the time to reflect on the best invention since 1889, and podvents tells us what to do with our worries. You won't want to miss it!
Once a real, functional firehouse in the city of Norman, the Firehouse Art Center is now a hub of the creative arts in its community. In addition to a variety of creative exhibitions, Firehouse offers classes and workshops in a wide range of mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, jewelry making, and all sorts of skills to turn the wheels of the mind. Andy Couch, executive director and curator for the art center, is our guest of the week.
Also on this week's podcast, the editors discuss their favorite green spaces in Oklahoma, and podvents gives us the lowdown on this year's State Fair (hot chicken donut, anyone?) You won't want to miss it!
It's a bug's world, we're just living in it! The famous Cirque du Soleil organization returns to Oklahoma City's Paycom Center September 11-14. They are bringing their world renowned OVO show (Portuguese for egg) to the state, which takes inspiration from insects—showing off high flying acrobatics, incredible contortion, and the heartwarming tale of a ladybug in love. Show publicist Janie Mallet joins the show this week to let local fans know what they're in for and to reflect on Cirque's recent performance in OKC for a performance during the NBA Finals.
Also on this week's show, the editors reminisce on the most amazing performances they've seen in Oklahoma, and podvents lets us know what legendary outlaw Jesse James and Cement, OK, have in common. You won't want to miss it!
Spark OKC is a relatively new player in the crowded Oklahoma burger scene, yet it already feels like they've been around forever. The concept is a spur of The Social Order, the restaurant group that started as The Jones Assembly and has also umbrellaed to include local Dave's Hot Chicken and Fuzzy's Taco Stand locations. CEO Brian Bogert has been there from the beginning, and he sits down with editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter to catch us up on this exciting new brand, reminisce about his history in the restaurant world, and even talk about the time The Jones hosted a pre-superstardom Chappell Roan.
Also on this week's episode, the editors give their elevator pitches for their own dream restaurant concepts, and podvents will help explain why there are so many lemonade stands in Tulsa this week. You won't want to miss it!
Tiare Jennings—an OU softball legend who was part of a national championship winning team every year she was on campus in Norman—is our special guest this week. Jennings will be reuniting with teammates Jocelyn Alo and Kinzie Hansen to compete against former Major League Baseball players like Nick Swisher and Adrian Gonzalez in the Home Run Derby X competition, set for August 23 at Oklahoma City's Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. This traveling, MLB-sanctioned event teams professional baseball and softball players together in a unique event where teams score points for both hitting and fielding. Home Run Derby X's stop in Oklahoma City will feature Jennings, Alo, and Hansen together on an all-OU Sooners team, marking the first time an all female team will compete in the event. Jennings joins the show to talk about what fans can expect that night in OKC while also sounding off on her first year in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League and softball's return to the Olympic games.
Also on this week's show, the editors share their personal Oklahoma heroes, and podvents fills us in on a unique sport happening in Beaver. You won't want to miss it!
When it comes to bird conservation, organizations don't get much more impactful than the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville. It is not that uncommon to see a majestic bald eagle out in the Oklahoma wild these days, and that is largely due to the efforts of Sutton Center to hatch and raise a new population of eagles in the state. But the Sutton Center's work doesn't end at the bald eagle. On this week's episode of the Oklahoma Today Podcast we paid a visit to the Sutton Avian Center's headquarters in Bartlesville to check out their efforts in masked bobwhite quail conservation and meet some other bird friends. We also learn more about this month's Wild Brew event at the Arvest Convention Center in Tulsa, which is a key fundraiser supporting the center's research and wildlife efforts.
Also on this week's show, the editors share where in the state they like to go with a BIG appetite, and podvents lets us know where to find the real comedians this week. You won't want to miss it!
There are few greater joys in life than a juicy steak grilled to perfection. It seems like it wouldn't be the hardest thing to do on your own, but there are a lot of ways home steak preparation can go wrong. Fear not, though, because we've called in an expert. Editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter met with Jonas Favela, executive chef at Stock & Bond in Oklahoma City, to learn how prime cuts of beef are treated at one of the best and trendiest steakhouses in the capital city. Warning: New kitchen inspiration might follow.
Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss their own cooking skills, and podvents lets us know where in Oklahoma to get our '90s nostalgia fix. You won't want to miss it!
Tulsa R&B songstress Branjae is one of Oklahoma Today's 10 Oklahoma Artists to Know, as mentioned in our July-August 2025 issue. If you've ever seen Branjae perform, you know she puts as much work into crafting her stage presentation as she does on the songs themselves. That's why it shouldn't be any surprise that she takes inspiration from some truly generational performers like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Dianna Ross. For this episode of the Oklahoma Today Podcast, we met with Branjae at Tulsa's Studio Records. We not only caught up with one of the state's brightest artists, but we let her pick out some records that were key to her artistic development.
Also on this week's show, the editors work together to build an Oklahoma Today playlist, and podvents gets CRAZY! You won't want to miss it!
Oklahoma City's OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark has been a heavily anticipated project since the day it was announced, and this summer it's finally here! With expansive indoor and outdoor aquatic fun, an arcade, spa, food, and so much more, this is not only an attraction that will draw fun-seekers from all over the world, but the perfect destination for Oklahomans who want an escape without the hassle of long-distance travel. Today's guest on the show is Laura Rudicel, OKANA's director of marketing, who gives us a tour of the incredible facilities. Ben's in vacation mode, so it might be hard getting him back to the office again.
Also on this week's episode, the editors share their ideal Oklahoma staycations, and podvents lets us know where to score a chicken salad sandwich this weekend. You won't want to miss it!
Jurassic World: Rebirth is one of this summer's biggest blockbusters, and the movie has a surprisingly adorable Oklahoma connection. The movie features a rabbit-sized herbivore known as the Aquilops americanus, a species of dinosaur the world knows about thanks to the work of scientists at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman. Editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter talks with Dr. Jacqueline Lungmus about the little dino that is stealing hearts this summer in the cinema, as well as some of the other prehistoric creatures in the museum's collection. Those who venture out to Sam Noble this Saturday will have the thrill of celebrating Aquilops Day, a day of learning, fun, and activities centered around the dynamic, diminutive dinosaur.
Also on this week's podcast, the editors discuss their must-haves for an Oklahoma cookout, and podvents lets us know how to enjoy two different local peach festivals in the same week. You won't want to miss it!
Cute animal friends call Hulbert's Sequoyah State Park home. Beavers, a coyote, a fox, and more can be encountered at Sequoyah's nature center. These are animals who, for various reasons, are unfit to live in the wild on their own. Thanks to the efforts of state park naturalists like Sierra (our human guest of the week), these creatures get a new lease on life thanks to the animal ambassador program. It also gives park attendees a chance for a closer meeting with these critters than they are likely to ever get in the wild.
Also on this week's show, the editors discuss which creature would best serve as their personal animal ambassador, and podvents lets us know the best place in Oklahoma to find haggis this weekend. You won't want to miss it!
Thunder up, baby! A day many in this state have long dreamed of came to fruition on June 24, 2025, when the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated their NBA championship with a parade through downtown that attracted more than half a million happy fans. Our very own host Ben was one of them, and he went out into the streets on this special occasion to get the local reaction to this momentous occasion (and maybe get his own glance at the legendary Larry O'Brien Trophy).
Also on this week's episode, we poll Thunder fans about who their favorite player is, and podvents tells us where the best place in the state for huckleberries is. You won't want to miss it!
Fresh berries are one of the best benefits of summer. There are plenty of places where locally grown blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and more are available for purchase in convenient packages, but it's pretty much scientific fact that berries taste better when you pick them off the bush yourself. So we did just that! Ben and Chris ventured out to the Thunderbird Berry Farm just outside of Broken Arrow to get their blueberry fix and learn more about this family business currently in the midst of its 20th u-pick season.
Also on this week's episode, the editors share their favorite Oklahoma-grown fruits and vegetables, and podvents lets us know where to celebrate Independence Day a week early. You won't want to miss it!
Cruising down Route 66 is the American dream, but it can be a time-consuming one. If you're looking to get some of those famous kicks in under an hour, might we suggest a visit to Puttin' the Park in Elk City? They have totally revamped their miniature golf course in Ackley Park to mimic travel down the famous Mother Road. Featuring Oklahoma icons like the Golden Driller of Tulsa and the Pops bottle in Arcadia (plus a number of other famous photo ops), it's a fun detour no matter which direction you're driving. Our guest this week is Marnie Tosh, who helped design the new course for Elk City. Our fearless host Ben tests his golf course against the person who made it.
Also on this week's show, the editors share their dream car for a trip down 66, and podvents tells us where to find a free Big K.R.I.T. concert. You won't want to miss it!
Toys: They teach us a lot as we're growing up. They teach us to value our possessions, to use our imaginations, and how much our parents don't like it when we leave them all over the floor. It's no wonder we end up putting a lot of nostalgic value into them, or that there is a museum dedicated to them in south-central Oklahoma. The Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley has thousands of figures on display, including those from franchises like Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, and more. Museum founder Kevin Stark is our featured guest today, giving us a tour of the site's impressive collection and helping us realize why our playtime heroes are worth preserving.
Also on this week's episode, the editors share their own favorite toys of the past, and podvents tells us where to catch a cat by its tongue. You won't want to miss it!
June has arrived in Oklahoma, which can often mean that a dark room with air conditioning is very appealing. Thankfully an abundance of opportunities for just such an activity is headed for Oklahoma City. We're talking about the return of deadCenter Film Festival, the summertime favorite set to celebrate its twenty-fifth year June 11-15. Our guest this week is deadCenter's founding executive director Cacky Poarch, who tells us all about this year's Icon award winners, how it feels to see the festival at a quarter of a century, and why we can expect to see dinosaurs around downtown OKC.
Also on this week's episode, the editors share their favorite comfort movies, and podvents let's us know what happens when youth meets opera meets Tolkien. You won't want to miss it!
When it comes to local restaurant brands, 84 Hospitality Group is a heavy hitter. Empire Slice House is known far and wide, and Goro Ramen and Burger Punk have large followings of their own. There is a new name to add to that lineup now. Elisabetta Fine Italian & Wine is now open on North Western Avenue in Oklahoma City. Editor-in-Chief Nathan Gunter had a sit-down conversation with 84 Hospitality's Rachel Cope to talk about the new addition and what else is new from her line of delicious eats.
Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss the "green flags" they look for in a restaurant, and podvents teaches us a little something about magnolias. You won't want to miss it!
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