Corvette Expo XVI

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Chisholm Trail Expo Center



“Looking Great in ’08” is the theme of the Corvettes of Enid Expo XVI, the largest indoor Corvette show in Oklahoma.

Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

Plaques will be awarded for best in class in 10 classes. Special awards will be presented for best paint, best interior and best engine. A silent auction and door prizes also will be featured.



Dutch Oven Cook Off

Saturday, 9 a.m.

Drummond Park



Starting as early as 8 a.m., visitors can see food being cooked in chuck wagons and dutch ovens. Also slated is a craft show, moonwalk, horse and carriage rides, blacksmith, bingo, face painting and a corn grinding demonstration. Tasting kits are $5 and tasting begins at 1 p.m. Organizers are planning an annual event.



“Misery”

8 tonight, Saturday and April 11-12

Gaslight Theatre



Icy snow-drifted roads lead to an accidental meeting of a number one fan and the object of her … er … obsession. Through the following months, Paul Sheldon (John Rogers) is rehabilitated by his “favorite nurse,” Annie Wilkes (played by Terri Galer).

Catina L. Sundvall directs and Johnson’s of Enid is producing this journey into obsession and the relationship between writer and fan. Expect the unexpected in this compellingly cruel thriller.

Misery, originally written by Stephen King, was adapted to the stage by Simon Moore. As fan of both King and Moore, Sundvall was thrilled when Gaslight decided to produce “Misery” and jumped at the chance to bring it to life.

Misery runs tonight, Saturday and April 11-12. The play deals with adult subject matter and is not recommended for younger audiences, Sundvall said.



“Wynn Fairly, Champeen Rassler! Or….

Get a Grip on Yourself!”

Garber Dinner Theater

7 p.m. April 2-5 and 9-12



Wrestling fans are thrilled when local boy Wynn Fairly wins the regional tournament and is set to compete for the state title. Little do they know that Wynn’s opponent, Rowdy Ruthless, has an unscrupulous, greedy manager, Tara Boneaparte. She’ll stop at nothing to ensure her wrestler’s victory.

Set in the roaring ’20s, Billy St. John has a ring full of wacky characters: manager Jim Locker, referee Squinty Peepers, timekeeper Belle Boynker, radio station owner Hedda Fuller-Eyre and indecisive Mayor Mae Bea Knott. As if that’s not enough, there also are mortician Mort Ripley, banker Buck N. Vestor and lovesick Bertha de Blooze.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., dinner is served 7, and the play starts at 8. “Wynn Fairly, Champeen Rassler! Or ... Get a Grip on Yourself” continues tonight and Saturday night and April 9-12 at Garber Community Theater. Tickets are $20 and reservations are required and must be paid in advance. Call (580) 863-2882 and mail payment to Garber Community Theater, P.O. Box 101, Garber, OK 73738.



Boogie at the BBQ slated April 11-12



For the second straight year, organizers are combining music with barbecue for the Roberts Ranch Smokin’ Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival April 11-12.

The event combines the Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned contest with music, vendor booths, a magician and rib-eating contest.

The events kick off on the morning of April 11 as KCBS contestants arrive. Vendor booths open at 5 p.m. at Mark Price Arena, 125 W. Cherokee. Visitors at 6 p.m. can visit the Roberts Ranch tent for free pork samples while supplies last.

A Rib Crib rib-eating contest is slated for 6:30 p.m. Futon Soup performs a free concert from 8-11 p.m. at Mark Price Arena.

Meanwhile, at six downtown locations, local bands will entertain crowds during the Jazz Stroll portion of the event. Groovin‘ G’s will perform at Pastimes, Billy Beck and Martin Henry perform at Scribner’s, Jim Nay performs at Napoli’s, the Donnie Record Trio performs at The Q Spot, Piper Leigh and Tim Durham perform at Callahan’s and E-Town Rhythm Kings take the stage at Panevino. The Jazz Stroll runs from 8-11 p.m. April 11.

Booth vendors open at 10 a.m. April 12 at Mark Price Arena and the Enid Noon AMBUCS will host a barbecue lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for those ages 17 and under.

A strolling magician, Chris Capstone, also will be on hand for several hours to entertain crowds Saturday. Groovin‘ G’s present live music from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more details, check next week’s Get Out section.



Glenn Miller Orchestra to Close Concert Series



ALVA — The swinging music of Glenn Miller will bring the 2007-2008 Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series to a close at 7:30 p.m. April 14, in Herod Hall Auditorium at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Tickets for the appearance of the Glenn Miller Orchestra are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They are available at Holder Drug, Schuhmacher’s, Alva Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Bookstore or by calling (580) 327-8590.

Except for a period following Glenn Miller’s disappearance during World War II, his orchestra and music have been heard around the world continuously since 1938.

The Iowa native’s first band was a total failure, but a few months later, he launched his second band that became an enormous success. He had a matchless string of hit records, made numerous radio broadcasts and drew thousands at performances in theatres, hotels and dance pavilions.

The Miller recording in 1941 of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” received the first gold record ever to be awarded. Other monster hits during the late 1930s and early 1940s included “In the Mood,” “A String of Pearls,” “Tuxedo Junction” and “Moonlight Serenade.”

“Moonlight Serenade” became the musical signature of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, used to sign on and sign off engagements and radio broadcasts. It remains the orchestra’s signature to this day. Interestingly enough, Miller originally wrote the music as an exercise for a course in arranging. He composed it long before he organized his own band, while he was a trombonist and arranger with the Ray Noble band.

At the height of his popularity, Miller disbanded his musical organization in 1942 to volunteer for the U.S. Army and formed the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.

In December 1944, Miller took off in a single engine plane from England to fly to France to organize appearances of his band. He disappeared during that flight and was officially declared dead a year later.

His estate later authorized the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra. The group travels more than 100,000 miles each year, playing nearly 300 dates.

Naturally, the orchestra continues to play Miller’s songs with Miller’s sound. It is a fully self-contained group with a musical director, five saxophone players, four trumpeters, four trombonists, three rhythm musicians (piano, bass and drums) and two vocalists.

Trombonist Larry O’Brien became the leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1988. He also served in that position from 1981-83 and had played in the band in the early 1960s when it was led by Ray McKinley.

O’Brien has been involved with big bands during most of his career, playing with Sammy Kaye, Buddy Morrow, Ray Eberle, Les Elgart and others. He spent several years in Las Vegas, working with such artists as Sergio Franchi, Wayne Newton and Roy Clark.

O’Brien has his own ideas about how to keep the Miller sound and style fresh.

“I’m a traditionalist, but we’re not nit-picking Miller,” he said. “We’ve instituted some changes we think Glenn probably would have instituted himself.”

“Some of the more modern part of our repertoire, we play in the big band style,” he added. “Some we don’t. We’re trying to run this band the way we feel Glenn would have.”

Julia Rich became the featured female vocalist with the orchestra in 1985 at the Opryland Hotel in her hometown of Nashville. Typically the “girl singer” role with an orchestra can be limited, but many of the standards have been reworked specifically for her.

While she grew up in Nashville, Rich’s voice and heart have remained loyal to the big band sounds.

“I never sang country,” she said. “I appreciate it, but you have to sing or play the music in your heart.”

When time allows, Rich pursues her own musical interests and has completed two recordings separate from the orchestra. She also enjoys performing with various jazz ensembles.

Male vocalist Ryan Garfi began singing at age 3 in his church’s choir. At age 11, he joined a band known as The CHORDuroys that specialized in recreating the sounds and styles of the 1950s and ‘60s.

The group broke up in 2005 and Garfi spent two years studying business at James Madison University. He refocused his career on music and was accepted into the Glenn Miller Orchestra in February 2007.