OKLAHOMA EVENTS: DIVERSITY

Community gatherings celebrate the land and the heritage. The Oklahoma Opry try Music Show (405/632-8322) in Oklahoma City offers the best in traditional and CO~~rnporary country, comedy, and.gospel music performed every Saturday night. Okla?0mans con brate their love of musIc at festivals throughout the state, from the autumn Dusk 'til Dawn c~~es Festival in Rentiesville (918(473-2411) to the Guthrie J~z Banjo Fes~ival (800/652-2656) B ring. Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Bnan White, Toby Keith, Wade Hayes, Joe In~fee Roy Clark, Roger Miller, Woody Guthrie, not to mention Jimmy Webb, Tom Paxton, DI n Russell, and so many other talented singers and songwriters are Oklahoma natives. J.,eo Or, for a year-round outdoor activity, try the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge nterpretive Hikes an.d Tours (580/429-3222) in Lawton .. To.ur progr~ms include eagle ~iewing , ~ . tori cal sites, evenmg stars, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife, bugling elk and fall foliage. IS In February, Bullnanza comes to the Lazy E Arena (800/595-7433) in Guthrie. The p 30 bull riders in the world take on pro rodeo's roughest stock in four rounds of thrilling ~~tion. And while yo~'re in Guthrie, check. out the ~ched~le at the Pollard Theater, Oklaho~a's nly full-time profeSSIOnal theater, located m Guthne's Hlstonc Dlstnct m a restored vaudeville ~ouse . Today, 400 blocks of Guthrie are on the National Register of Historic Places, making it ne of the nation's largest living museums. Also in February, you may hear hog calling in ~eatherford (580/722-7744) or the Tulsa Philharmonic (918/747-7445). In spring, sportsmen have many places in Oklahoma to enjoy: trout derbies from Boise City (580/544-3344) to Watonga (580/485-3414) to Gore (918/489-2534) and beyond; a Wild Turkey Festival in Nowata (918/273-2301); and muzzle loading rifle workshops at the J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum in Claremore (918/341-2818). For the really adventurous, the Rattlesnake Festival in Apache (580/588-3257) might be the way to spend a spring-time weekend. March is a month to honor literature in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Center for the Book in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (405/521-2502) sponsors the Oklahoma Book Award program, honoring works written by Oklahomans or about Oklahoma in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's literature, and book design and illustration categories. Also, the Western Heritage Awards program, conducted by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (405/478-2250), has a gala ceremony and banquet in March. The awards honor 15 categories of literature, television, music, and film. The city of Beaver honors the fuel pioneers gathered on the treeless plains with the World Cow Chip Throwing Championship during the Cimarron Territory Celebration (580/625- 4726) in April. Also in April, the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts (405/236-1426), ranked one of the top ten outdoor festivals in the country, is held in downtown; and the Azalea Festival in Muskogee (918/684-6302), held at Honor Heights Park, draws more than 200,000 visitors annually to witness the brilliant beauty of spring blooms. At Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville (918/336-0307), 1800s traders camps are featured, with food and living history demonstrations; the Chisholm Trail Museum's festival in Kingfisher (405/375-5176) features 25 encampments, trick roping, chuck wagon cooking, and the Root Beer Saloon. And one of the best springtime celebrations is Tulsa's Mayfest, an outdoor arts festival (918/582-6435). The Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (405/478-2250) offers performances by more than 70 cowboy poets, singers, and folklorists from across the Southwest. Oklahoma's diverse cultures become more visible with events such as the Kolache Festival in Prague (405/567-4866), the Onion Fried Burger Day in EI Reno, the Rattlesnake Round-Up in Okeene, the Polish Festival in Harrah, the Strawberry Festival in Stilwell (918/696- 7733), the Pecan Festival in Okmulgee (918/756-6172), and many others throughout the state. Chambers of commerce in each town provide information. (See Municipal Section) Traditional Indian ceremonies abound, including the Kiowa Black Leggins Ceremonial (405 /247-6651) in Anadarko, the Grand Moccasin Festival in Muskogee (918/684-6363), the Spring Contest Powwow and Stomp Dance in Norman (405/366-8095), the Cherokee Square Arts and Crafts Festival in Tahlequah (918/456-3742), the Tulsa Powwow (918/585-1201), the Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City (405/427-5228), the Trail of Tears drama in Tahlequah (9 18/456-6007), the O-Ho-Mah Ceremonial in Anadarko (405/247-6651 ),Tulsa MayFest (8001737-0966),and hundreds of other annual powwows and ceremonial dances.

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