The Oklahoma Today Podcast

As the new year approaches, many are thinking about curbing all the holiday excess and starting 2026 off on the right foot. Well, the best way to do just that is with a visit to an Oklahoma State Park for a traditional First Day Hike. Dozens of state parks will be participating—Roman Nose, Great Plains, Lake Murray, and more! Oklahoma State Parks head naturalist Torie Thompson tells us where to go...

Oklahoma cities and towns large and small go all out for Christmas, and Chickasha takes special pride in its own holiday celebration. This week on the Oklahoma Today Podcast, Ben ventures out to the Chickasha Festival of Light to see one of the top light displays in the nation. More than three-and-a-half million twinkling lights dazzle drive- and walk-through spectators in this winter carnival atm...

This week we're honored to have the one and only Cowboy Kent Rollins, the famed chuckwagon chef, author of Amazon bestselling cookbook A Taste of Cowboy, and the larger-than-life personality behind one of the most beloved food channels on YouTube, as well as the Food Network and Outdoor Channel. Known for cooking over open fires, telling unforgettable stories, and keeping cowboy traditions alive,...

Mary Eddy's Italian Grill in downtown Oklahoma City has long been known for exquisite dining, but have you ever sampled their brunch menu? If not, there has never been a better time to try, because the eatery located inside the Fordson Hotel is unveiling several seasonal creations to accompany their already stellar lineup of indulgent morning fare. Mary Eddy's executive chef Ryan Kolk joins Ben fr...

Oklahoma is now heading full throttle into the holiday season, and for many in the state that means it's time for the famous holiday jingle from B.C. Clark Jewelers to ring on the radio, TV, and just about everywhere else—including endlessly inside our own heads. Many are familiar with the song, which became a quick hit for the iconic Oklahoma City family jeweler when it debuted in the 1950s. But...

Welcome back, dear followers of the Oklahoma Today Podcast! Happy Thanksgiving Week for those watching on the week this episode debuts. We like to think of Oklahoma Today as a family, so for this special holiday episode we are giving you a tour of our "home" at the Oklahoma State Tourism and Recreation Department offices in downtown Oklahoma City. See all the familiar and behind-the-scenes faces b...

Experience the thrill of A Christmas Carol without all the paranormal encounters with a visit to Dickens on the Boulevard, November 22-23 in downtown Claremore. Charles Dickens penned the holiday classic in 1843, years before the modern town of Claremore was even founded. That doesn't stop the downtown from transforming into a wintertime Victorian wonderland for a celebration that will includes st...

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve near Bartlesville is an Oklahoma institution. Once the private ranch and retreat of legendary oilman Frank Phillips, the 3,700-acre property now houses a world-class museum of Western and international art with a wild-life preserve including bison, elk, ostriches, and more. This year marks 100 years since the ranch's founding, and Woolaroc is celebrating wit...

We needed to give our inaugural Okie Awards winners something special to take home, and we think Yukon Trophy & Awards did the trick! On this week's episode of the Oklahoma Today Podcast we visit with Bea Johnson, who leads the business which has been family owned and operated since 1971. Yukon Trophy & Awards has gone from a garage business to a trophy maker that has touched the lives of...

Congratulations to the Curbside Enterprises organization in Oklahoma City for winning our inaugural Clayton I. Bennett Oklahoma Standard Award! They are one of many Okie Awards winners listed in Oklahoma Today's new November-December issue. Curbside Enterprises includes the Curbside Chronicle publication (you might see their vendors in green vests at various OKC intersections), the Curbside Flower...

OKC Thunder fans might still be coming down from all the popped champagne after the team's NBA championship win in June, but a new season of basketball is already upon us! For part two of our Thunder preview spectacular, we ventured out to Thunder Media Day to talk with reigning NBA and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside teammates Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins. The three players can be...

You may or may not know the name Thundor, but if you have seen any Oklahoma City Thunder game on national television you have certainly seen him. He's the big shirtless guy in a luchador mask trying his hardest to get the opposing team to take their mind of their free throws and onto the man with the megaphone. Thundor (a.k.a. Garrett Haviland) is a celebrity in his own right, but how did he come...

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 secret...

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...

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...

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...

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 cu...

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 j...

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 edi...

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...

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 t...

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 a...

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 Jacks...

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...

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 lit...