Celebrate Memorial Day weekend in Oklahoma with festivals, military tributes and fun runs
The unofficial start of summer is almost here.
From military tributes and family-friendly festivals to water sports and fun runs, many venues across Oklahoma have special events planned for Memorial Day weekend.
With Memorial Day coming up on May 29 — and events planned throughout the holiday weekend — here are some of the festivities where Oklahomans can kick off their summer season:
45th Infantry Division Museum’s Memorial Day Ceremony
The ceremony honoring U.S. service members begins at 10 a.m. May 29 at the museum, 2145 NE 36. Pre-ceremony music by the 145th Army National Guard Band starts at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free. Information: www.facebook.com/45thInfantryDivisionMuseum.
32nd annual Chuck Wagon Festival
This family favorite festival features outdoor cooking, artisan demonstrations, Western reenactors, Native American cooking demos, archery, country and Western dancing, craft stations, a petting zoo, live music by the Rodeo Opry and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 27-28 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63. Information: nationalcowboymuseum.org.
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Bethany 66 Festival
Free festivities include live entertainment by John the Franklin, Brian Lee Dunning and Sherman Andrus; a car, truck and motorcycle show; children's parade and activities; arts and craft booths; food vendors; and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 27 in the one-block area from 38th Street north to 39th Expressway, between Peniel and Asbury. Information: www.bethany66.com.
Halloween in May, Norman
The local music organization Make Oklahoma Weirder riffs on the Christmas in July concept with its second Halloween in May at 7 p.m. May 26 at Opolis, 113 N Crawford in Norman. The live music event will feature performances by local musicians Kat Lock, The Big News, Bronte, Field Dressed and Sela Da Sorcerer, plus a costume contest, photo opps and vegan food. Doors open at 6 p.m. Information: https://www.facebook.com/WeirderOK.
77th annual Will Rogers Stampede Rodeo, Claremore
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event will feature bronc riding, barrel racing, bull riding and more. Gates open at 6 p.m., the preshow starts at 7 p.m., and the rodeo action begins at 8 p.m. May 26-28 at Will Rogers Stampede Arena, 13653 E 480 Rd. Information: https://www.facebook.com/WillRogersStampede.
Black Wall Street Legacy Festival, Tulsa
Commemorating the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the free, all-ages series of events is planned from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 27 in and around the Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N Greenwood Ave., Tulsa. The third annual festival will include musical performances by Kurt Carr, Club Nouveau, Tony Mason and Gerald Albright, plus arts and crafts vendors, community booths and food trucks. Information: https://www.facebook.com/BWSLegacyFest.
Simmons Center Memorial 5K Fun Run and Walk, Duncan
The Simmons Center, 1330 Chisholm Trail Parkway, will honor veterans and active-duty servicemen and women at this event at 9 a.m. May 27. Information: http://www.simmonscenter.com.
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46th annual Paseo Arts Festival
The long-running event will feature more than 90 visiting artists, plus dozens of neighborhood artists, along with 50-plus Oklahoma entertainers, numerous food and beverage vendors, free shuttle service and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 27-28, with live music until 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 29 in the Paseo Arts District, between NW 28 and Walker and NW 30 and Dewey. Admission is free. Information: www.thepaseo.org.
27th annual Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, Muskogee
The family-friendly activities include jousting tournaments, performances by traveling acrobats, Bird of Prey exhibitions, festive food and shopping for handcrafted items. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through June 4 at the Castle of Muskogee, 3400 W Fern Mountain Rd. The festival is also open on Memorial Day. Information: www.okcastle.com.
Boley Rodeo
Started in 1903, the nation's oldest African American community-based rodeo carries on its long-standing traditions May 27 with a parade at 3 p.m. and the rodeo action at 7:30 p.m. in the historic Black town of Boley. Information: www.thetownofboley.org.
20th annual Norman Veterans Car Show
More than 30 classes of cars, street rods, trucks and more will be displayed and judged at the long-running show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 27 at the Norman Veterans Center, 1776 E Robinson. Information: https://www.canadianrivercruisers.com.
Riversport OKC summer hours
After opening for the year over spring break, Riversport OKC offers its daily summer hours May 27-Aug. 6 in downtown Oklahoma City at 800 Riversport Drive. People can take part in rafting, tubing, surfing, flatwater paddling and land adventures from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during the summer, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on select Saturdays. Information: https://www.riversportokc.org.
34th annual Tour de Meers Bike Ride
An annual fundraising event for the Meers Volunteer Fire Department, the May 27 bike ride offers cyclists varying lengths for their routes, including 10, 22, 36 or 60 miles, in the vicinity of Meers, Medicine Park and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Registration begins at 6 a.m., and the ride starts at 7:30 a.m. Information: www.tourdemeers.org.
Memorial Day 'Above and Beyond: Honoring Those Who Served,' Enid
The Memorial Day service starts at 10 a.m. May 29 at Woodring Regional Airport, 1026 S 66, Enid. Information: https://visitenid.org/event/memorial-day-service-2.
The Roots Ball, Medicine Park
Listen to the Red Dirt Rangers, Electric Okie Test, The 1 Oz. Jig, Matt Moran and more May 26-28 in the historic resort town. Music begins at 7 p.m. May 26 and 3 p.m. May 27-28 at Hitchin' Post Park. Admission is free. Information: www.facebook.com/MedicineParkOK.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor OKC opens
The OKC water park, 3908 W Reno, opens for the summer May 27 with hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays through Labor Day. Information: https://www.sixflags.com/hurricaneharborokc.
'Hamilton'
Feeling patriotic this Memorial Day? Lin-Manuel Miranda's revolutionary song-and-dance biography of "ten-dollar Founding Father" Alexander Hamilton returns to OKC with performances May 24-June 24 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker. Information: https://www.okcbroadway.com/hamilton.
70th annual Barnsdall Big Heart Day
The all-day festivities May 27 include a parade, a terrapin race and frog jump, live music, children's games, a grand fireworks finale and more. Additional activities are planned throughout the holiday weekend. Information: www.facebook.com/BarnsdallChamber.
Factory Obscura's 'Cosmic Callback: An Illuminated Interlude'
As the OKC arts collective Factory Obscura wraps up its yearlong free "Synesthesia" exhibition at Norman's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on June 4, a 10-artist team has been busy creating a new temporary exhibit at Factory Obscura's Automobile Alley headquarters, 25 NW Ninth. "Cosmic Callback: An Illuminated Interlude" promises an immersive experience taking visitors "on a sound and light odyssey through the heart of a star and back again." The artsy attraction will open with a special live sound performance collaboration with RACE Dance Collective at 8 and 8:30 p.m. May 27. The exhibit will be open May 28-July 31, including Memorial Day. Information: https://www.factoryobscura.com.
Trail of Honor Memorial Run, Fort Gibson
Designed to support efforts to create a permanent trail of American flags leading to the Fort Gibson National Cemetery, this 5K and one-mile fun run event will start at 8 a.m. May 27 at Legendary Fitness, 1121 E Poplar Street, Fort Gibson. The Fort Gibson National Cemetery, where veterans from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War are buried, is open for Memorial Day and Veterans Day, with visiting hours from 7 a.m. to sunset. Information: https://runsignup.com/trailofhonor.
Savannah Bananas in OKC and Tulsa
The virally popular Georgia exhibition team brings its “World Famous Baseball Circus” to the Sooner State with a sold-out two-game Oklahoma City stand at 7 p.m. May 26-27 at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 Mickey Mantle Drive, followed by a sold-out Tulsa tour stop at 7 p.m. May 29 at ONEOK Field, 201 N Elgin Ave. Information: https://thesavannahbananas.com.
NJCAA Division II World Series, Enid
Even Oklahomans who missed out on Savannah Bananas tickets can still catch a baseball game over Memorial Day weekend, as 10 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II teams from across the country try to navigate “The Road to Enid" May 26-June 3 at David Allen Memorial Ballpark, 301 S Grand Ave. The Enid ballpark has played host to this national championship tournament since 2009. Information: https://visitenid.org/event/njcaa-world-series.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Memorial Day weekend events in Oklahoma City to check out
