South oval sounds

The south oval is probably one of the busiest places on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Everyday, hundreds of people traverse the oval and many different noises can be heard as people head to classes The goal of these photos and sounds is to transport the viewers of this slideshow to OU's campus.

Othello's reopens with a blast from the past

Susan and Terry Mchale share a pizza on the patio of Othello's in Norman. Othello's reopened its doors for business Aug. 16 under the control of the owners of the Othello's of Edmond.

PHOTO BY: Carmen Forman

Othello's, a Campus Corner staple, reopened its doors to serve Italian food handcrafted according to original recipes created by the first Othello's owner.

Owners of the Edmond Othello's have brought the authentic bread, pasta and sauce recipes created by pioneer owner Patsy Benso back to the more the about 40-year-old business. "The older customers who have been coming here throughout the different owners and management and everything, they have definitely noticed and they've definitely made comments that it's back to how it used to be and how it should be," owner Jennifer Weiss said.

The Weiss family owns the Othello's of Edmond, and leased the Campus Corner Othello's after a legal battle between previous owners caused the previous Othello's owner to close the restaurant. Jennifer and her sister Nancy Weiss had a quiet opening the eatery Aug. 16.

Susan Mchale used to frequent Othello's when she was in college, and when Benso ran the restaurant. "This is our first time back in a long time, this is really good, I mean, we think this is like it used to be," Mchale said.

Othello's offers half price pizzas on Sundays, and has live music Thursday through Sunday.

Ye ole faire recruits new members

Norman resident Carrie Bowden pretends a Hula-Hoop is a mirror in an improvisational sketch to try out for the Norman Medieval Fair royal court. This was the first time fair coordinators have held royal court auditions since 2005. PHOTO BY: Carmen Forman

About 20 lords and ladies of ye ole Norman participated in the first auditions since 2005 to be a part of the Medieval Fair royal court.

Fair coordinators held auditions at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Norman Public Library to find a group of new volunteers to play the royal court and village people in a whole new time period at this year’s Medieval Fair. The king retired after the last fair so coordinators of the fair decided to switch time periods to 1360, change the royal court, and have villagers roaming about the fair.

Coordinators decided to hold an open group audition where participants were judged on their ability think on their feet by a panel of four judges, fair coordinator, Ann Marie Eckart said. At the audition, actors participated in a number of get-to-know you, memory, and improvisational exercises to test their royal abilities.

Robert Raymond performed at the audition because he said he has performed at the fair for the past few years, and has kingly aspirations. “Being a part of the fair itself, this is the third largest event in the state, it is the largest single weekend event and it’s free to get in, and I figure if people are taking the time to come out and do something they deserve to get to see the best show, the best interactions that they can get,” Raymond said.

The 2012 Medieval Fair will begin Friday, March 30 at Reeves Park in Norman.