Summertime Festials in NE Oklahoma

Summertime festivals can not only be a break from monotony of summer, but they can also introduce you to local talent and entertainment. Northeastern Oklahoma has plenty of natural habitat perfect for summer fun- mountains and lakes galore! Not to mention Tulsa’s thriving community and artistic venues. However, there are also several hometown festivals going on that promise an unique and memorable time. You can find yourself eating a ten foot pecan pie, watching a national fiddling competition, or even enjoying some great-tasting Cajun music- all in one corner of Oklahoma! Below are just a few of Northeastern Oklahoma’s summer time festivals.

PECAN FESTIVAL
June 1st – 3rd , 2006
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Okmulgee, OK

This annual festival, held in Okmulgee’s downtown square, features an unique attraction: a ten-foot pecan pie! Okmulgee’s pecan pie is over 40 feet in diameter, and weighs more than 35,000 pounds! It is no surprise that the pie holds the
Guinness Book of World Records title for the largest pecan pie ever baked! The town has also managed to score the record for the largest pecan cookie, brownie, and pecan and ice cream party!

There are more than pecans at the festival, though, including arts and crafts, live entertainment, and many food vendors.
The festival also has arts and crafts, entertainment, and food vendors. Children will enjoy the carnival rides while the adults listen to the music. There will also be turtle races, a petting zoo, and much more! Admission is free.

SUNFEST
June 2nd – 4th, 2006
Fri.: Noon- dark
Sat.: 10 a.m. – dark
Sun.: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bartlesville, OK

Kids will enjoy Bartlesville’s SunFest event- especially once they see the strolling clowns and skydiving!
Visitors will also be able to view and buy fine art and handmade crafts, ethnic foods and country cooking,
and sit back and listen to the storytellers.

FOURTH ANNUAL COUNTRY FEVER “CATCH THE FEVER”
June 8th – 11th, 2006
Pryor, OK

Four days of national country music entertainment, as well as local/regional talent. Travis Tritt and Carrie Underwood are just two high-powered entertainers featured this year. Campers are welcomed, and there are several food vendors at the festival. General admission is free for children twelve and under; adult tickets range from $50 to $400 (depending on type and how many days). Click here for more ticket information and directions.

FRONTIER DAYS FESTIVAL
June 8th – 10th, 2006
Thurs. & Fri.: 6 p.m.
Sat.: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Downtown Maine St. Haskell, OK

For a chance to participate in some good-old-fashioned fun, join the revelry at the Frontier Days Festival. Visitors can enjoy seeing the period clothing and eating period food. The festival also features a carnival, children’s games, and some very unique contests. No Frontier Day festival would be complete without a greased pig catch and nail-driving contest. There will also be several quilts for view, as well as a parade on Saturday.

OK MOZART FESTIVAL
June 9th – June 17th, 2006
Bartlesville, OK

Billed as Oklahoma’s Premier Music Festival, OK MOZART, boasts several nationally and internationally known artists. The 22nd Season, there will be several concerts, performed by members of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society and world-famed artists Sir James Galway, Branford Marsalis, and Itzhak Perlman. Featured music will include classical, contemporary, jazz, bluegrass, and Native American. Nine days long, the festival will host over 150 events. Times and prices vary, visit http://www.okmozart.com for more information. While many events do cost, there are also several free events throughout the festival.

GREEN CORN FESTIVAL
June 22nd – 24th , 2006
Charlie Young Park
Bixby, OK

Organized by the Bixby Optimist Club, the annual event is held on the fourth Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of June every year. A family fun festival, there is a carnival, food crafts, live entertainment, and a parade. Games and contests abound, including a frog jumping contest and turtle race. Local talent can participate in an amateur talent show.

OKLAHOMA JAZZFEST
June 23rd- June 24th, 2006
Fri.: 7:30 p.m. concert
Sat. 6 p.m.- Midnight
Jazz Depot
Cincinnati Ave. & First ST.
Tulsa, OK

JazzFest begins on Friday, June 23rd, with Kansas City Jazz Vocalist of the Year, Ms. Ida McBeth’s performance at the Greenwood Cultural Center. Her concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and Jazz Hall members.
Saturday’s festival is geared toward the whole family, and admission is free for all. “Celebrate Downtown, C’Mon” will be held at 5th & Maine in downtown Tulsa. Musical talent will include Mary Cogan, Rochelle Chambers, David Skinner Band, WallStreet, Eldredge Jackson, and Jeff Shadley Group.

WOOLAROC KIDSFEST 2006
June 24th- 25th, 2006
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Woolaroc Ranch & Museum
Bartlesville, OK

Hosted on Woolaroc Ranch’s historic grounds, the KidsFest features live entertainment, events, games, wagon rides, and crafts. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the parochial grounds and the beauty of the Osage Hills. The Woolaroc Museum has several historical art pieces and memorabilia. The Ranch also sports a Wildlife Preserve.
Some of the games and events scheduled include face painting, a treasure dig, a Carpenter’s corner, and craft booths. Children can participate in rock painting, bean bag games, and native sand art activities. The festival will also showcase several ‘living history’ booths, such as woodcarvers, rope making, and old west re-enactors. There are several entertainers slated to perform, including Native American dancers, cloggers, trick ropers, story tellers, and cowboy poets. The festival is truly a learning opportunity that kids will thoroughly enjoy. Children eleven and under are free, 12 and over $5.

AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL
June 8th – 10th, 2006
Thurs.: 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Snider Camp
Fri: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Civic Center
Sat.: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. Civic Center
Grove, OK

Kick back and enjoy some great fiddling and clogging at Grove’s annual Heritage Music Festival. Located in the foothills
of the great Ozark Mountains, near the beautiful Grand Lake ‘O the Cherokees, Grove is wonderful place to visit and/or vacation. The festival hosts the Grand Lake National Fiddle Fest, as well as the Grand Lake National Clogging Contest-
a sure bet to some great entertainment! There will be two separate areas/stages for the events, and each evening there will be large shows. Thursday evening promises a BBQ dinner for $7 at the Snider Camp. Participants and spectators can also look forward to a $7 cookout Friday at the camp (after the day’s competitions). Three-day tickets can be bought early for as
little as $20 for adults, $10 for students. One day passes are available also, prices vary. See here for ticket information.

CAJUN FEST
July 1st, 2006
Grove Civic Center
Grove, OK
Enjoy some Cajun music and food the weekend before the 4th of July! Cajun Fest is a family event, featuring arts and crafts, authentic Cajun foods, and lots of entertainment. Local talent will include Jana Jae, billed as Grove’s “queen of country fiddle”, and her band Hotwire. Admission is free for all.