Issue: December 2008

Spectators at Santa Fe High School football games know well the smooth sounds and precision of Santa Fe’s marching band. Over the years the band has garnered dozens of honors and awards. The man behind the band, the Irishman that drives a Harley, is Santa Fe’s Director of Bands, Mike Lowery. During his tenure as…

Anyone who walks the earth has compulsive hurts, habits or hang-ups. But people can free themselves from these harmful behaviors. At Celebrate Recovery honest, open people share stories of broken marriages reconciled, desperate folks finding hope, and depression lifted. The program, available at a handful of Edmond churches, helps addicts and sufferers of other illnesses…

Mr. Sushi Tucked away inside the Oak Brook Shopping Center, located on the northeast corner of 2nd and Santa Fe, is a refreshing escape from everyday restaurants and ordinary food. Mr. Sushi, owned and operated by Jameson Han, offers Nigiri sushi, sashimi, temaki and maki-rolls – all totally fresh and all totally excellent. “I specialize…

Edmond’s newest retail center is open for business. On the northeast corner of 33rd and Broadway, Edmond now boasts a shopping experience unlike any other in the state. For The Shoppes On Broadway, no detail to enhance the shopping experience was too small, and developer, Tom Parker, made sure nothingwas overlooked. Since construction began 18…

A thousand years ago, battle-hardened Vikings engaged in a brutal, often-deadly sport called knattleikr. Although details of the game are mostly lost to the ages, it’s known that it was played on the frozen Icelandic countryside and that entire villages got in on the action. Matches would begin at dawn and last until dusk, tournaments…

Native Edmondite Devin Derrick doesn’t need a lot of attention. But he’s about to get some. He’s comfortable with himself, at ease with his place in the world and satisfied with his natural gift – the gift of voice. An up-and-comer in the world of country music, he just signed an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart…

Within the rhythmic heartbeat of the city lies a beat even more rapid. Dancing kicks it up a notch when cloggers set the beat. A rhythmic dance in which one’s feet become part of the music, clogging might be described as a form of country-infused tap dancing, only a little more abrupt. And—some would say—a…

It’s simple. You have a cause that needs funds and they serve barbecue to help you raise them. Roy Boydstun and Ed Shoemaker operate Pig On the Run Barbecue, a wholly unique fund-raising venture that helps charities achieve their goals while Boydstun and Shoemaker pursue theirs: the perfect ribs. All proceeds from the perfect ribs…

Walking streets lined with dilapidated huts and unexpected danger hiding behind the broken-down walls, former Edmond residents Shelly and Ron Jones go about their life’s work; caring for about 800 children each day in the mountains overlooking Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The two followed God and their hearts to Honduras to find a new life providing desperate…

When the doctors explained to Paula Huss that her baby would have to come out 14 weeks early or face possible death, she searched inward and found unexplainable peace. When the news was relayed to her husband John, in his own mind he rewound ten years to the beginning of the story. The Huss family…

Edmond resident Wayne DeShazer doesn’t just think about being green, he lives it. His plan is to build an extremely energy efficient home, which will require less material and demand less energyto maintain. “It’s the way homes should be built,” DeShazer says. “Commercial construction has been built this way for years, why not residential?” The…

Marsha Mirrione was 19 when her boy was born on that Christmas Eve night. However, the year was 1967 and her son was illegitimate. Pressured by the social conventions of the 1960s, she gave her son, Edmond resident Dane Johnson, up for adoption after his birth in Tulsa. Johnson was adopted by loving parents financially…

Edmond Residents Lori Smith and George Cunningham are stuck in the past and their clothing shows it. The two measure, cut, sew and stitch together replica clothing reflecting fashions of the 1830’s to the 1890’s. Together, they’ve created and sold clothing for independent filmmakers, American Movie Classics and reenactments in France, Scotland, Australia and even…

Brenda Murphy, creator of candy art and frequent guest on national TV, shares a little bit about herself, her art and her preference of M&M’s. Q: How did you get the title “Candy Queen?” A: The name “Candy Queen” came from an October 1999 Good Housekeeping profile. They did an article about me being on…