Various activities set for Independence Day weekend

Jun. 28—Plenty of activities will be going on next weekend in Enid in celebration of the Fourth of July.

Leonardo's Hometown Celebration

To kick things off, Leonardo's Children's Museum will host its annual Fourth of July Hometown Celebration from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 3, at its Adventure Quest outdoor playground.

After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chelsi Dotson, marketing coordinator at Leonardo's, said everyone at the children's museum is "super excited" to have the celebration back.

"We're just excited to actually do this event," Dotson said. "The museum's gotten back to normal as far as people visiting. We've been really busy lately, so we're hoping this event is going to bring a lot of people and a lot of fun and maybe get back to a little bit of normal."

Hot dogs and hamburgers donated by Stride Bank Center will be served throughout the event, and snacks including Popsicles and watermelon will be provided. Scoops Ice Cream Truck also will be outside Adventure Quest selling ice cream.

Cornhole, ladder ball, giant tic-tac- toe and horseshoes will be available for family-friendly games and competitions, and Adventure Quest's water table will be up and running with patriotic rubber duckies floating around. Rock painting and sidewalk chalk also will be available.

Giveaway drawings will be held every half-hour with the first one at 10:30 a.m. Family prize pack baskets, SBC event tickets to Darci Lynne and "Blippi the Musical" and Chick-fil-A kids' meal gift cards will be given away.

The celebration is sponsored by Edward Jones, and tickets for the celebration are $5 for members and $9 for non-members. Guests will be able to play for the rest of the day inside or outside the museum, too.

Red Bird Farm

Red Bird Farm, located at 8812 N. U.S. 81, will host its farm market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 3.

"We're just going for America on the farm, really," said Becky Evatt, who owns Red Bird Farm with her husband Kent.

Fresh produce from around the state, including sweet corn from Webbers Falls, watermelons from Rush Springs, tomatoes, okra and peaches will be on the farm — "things people can enjoy, take home and use for their Fourth of July cookouts," Evatt said.

Visitors can meet and greet the farm's animals, including sheep, donkeys and pigs.

Evatt said hopefully the u-pick blackberry patch still will be available, as well as some u-pick flowers, including zinnias and lavender.

Homemade ice cream will be available, and The Curty Shack food truck will be there, as well.

"Come out and enjoy some fresh air," Evatt said. "Enjoy nature and see some fun animals."

Events will be held throughout the day on Sunday, July 4, at Meadowlake Park with the city of Enid's Independence Day Holiday Celebration.

The day will start before sunrise with registration and check-in for the free fishing derby at 4 a.m. at picnic pavilions on the north and south sides of the lake, with the derby kicking off at 5:30 a.m.

According to a press release from the city of Enid, all fishing participants must register and check-in before heading to their fishing posts, and failure to register and comply with the rules set will result in disqualification.

The derby will go until 11 a.m., when the fish weigh-in will begin at the same picnic pavilions.

The lake will be stocked with varying sizes of catfish on July 3, and all fishing will be prohibited from then until the derby begins on July Fourth, said Cory Buller, Enid Parks and Recreation supervisor.

Fishing- and camping-related prizes will be awarded after the weigh-in ends at 11:30 a.m.

Beginning at noon, other activities will become available. Paddle boats will last until 9 p.m. with the last boat going out at 8:15 p.m., and Train Stop Express Concessions will be available until 10 p.m., as will miniature golf and snow cones.

Watermelon and water will be handed out and face paintings will be offered from 4-8 p.m., and Enid Kiwanis Club rides, including the train and the Ferris wheel, will run from 6-9 p.m. The large carousel will not be running, Buller said.

At 8:30 p.m., the Enid Symphony Orchestra will perform the grand finale for the fireworks display by Western Enterprises, which will begin around 9:30 p.m. whenever the day turns to dusk.

Under the direction of Douglas Newell, ESO will perform "Chillin' on the Fourth," and all of the music will be synchronized to the fireworks show. Guest vocalist Amy Coplen will perform the song "America Lives in Me" by Jimmy Dunne.

The performance will end with a salute to the U.S. armed forces.

The city of Enid intends to livestream the fireworks on its Facebook page, depending on network signal.

Parking for the all-day celebration is available on the north side of the park for those vehicles with disabled license plates or placards, ESO members or workers for the Kiwanis rides and concession stand.

The old GEFCO Inc. parking lot, 2215 S. Van Buren east of Meadowlake, will be available for public parking.

"We like to do exciting events that are free to the citizens, and I hope everybody takes advantage of it on (July Fourth)," Buller said.

Kelci McKendrick is police and court reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Kelci? Send an email to kelcim@enidnews.com.