GUIDE: The Best Things to Do in Oklahoma in June

by Tony Beaulieu

06/01/2014

Summer is in full swing in Oklahoma, and June’s calendar is already looking pretty packed. To help you plan, we’ve compiled a list of the best festivals and other events happening around the state this month.

Oklahoma Chautauqua: World War I
June 3-7, Lawton Public Library Plaza, Lawton
Educational activities hosted by the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Henry James, Edith Wharton, and Teddy Roosevelt. The event will also feature local musicians and food vendors to help mark the 100th anniversary of World War I. More information here. Look for the event in Tulsa, too, June 10-14.

B.A.S.S. Nation Division Tournament
June 4-6, Southeast Expo and Lake Eufaula, McAlester
Over a hundred professional fishermen from across the country compete for a chance to fish in the 2014 B.A.S.S. national championship. More information here.

Summerfest
June 5-7, Maple Park, Wagoner
An annual festival for the whole family featuring food, carnival rides, live music, and kid-friendly competitions—like relay and turtle races. More about Summerfest here.

Diamond Daze Festival
June 5-7, Sallisaw High School, Sallisaw
A classic American summer celebration, with Nashville musicians, certified Kansas City barbecue, a steak cook-off, a car show, Doxie Dog races, and more. More about the Diamond Daze festival here.

Route 66 Days
June 5-8, Ackley Park and retail district, Elk City
A celebration of Route 66 wouldn’t be complete without a few hot rods—hit the Red Dirt Rodder Car Show at Ackley Park and the stock car races at Elk City Speedway. More information here.

Skyline Bluegrass Festival
June 5-7, Shawnee Expo Center, Shawnee
Skyline Bluegrass Festival celebrates the traditional American music style with bands and performers from across the nation, food, fun, and activities. More information here.

Okfuskee County Wildfire Cook-Off
June 6-7, 1202 E. Columbia, Okemah
Pit masters from across Oklahoma compete annually for bragging rights at this barbecue cook-off in Okemah. Categories include chicken, beef, and pork, and tasting kits will be available for purchase. More information here.

Miami Nation Tribal Powwow
June 6-7, Miami Nation Dance Ground, Miami
A celebration of traditional Native American dance, featuring gourd dancing, a shell shaker contest, singing, and much more. Free and open to the public. More information here.

Big Cabin Crafts Showcase Days
June 6-7, 31209 U.S. 69, Big Cabin
Featuring work by carvers and sculptors; jewelry designers, blacksmiths, and Native American craftsmen. More information here.

Tulsa Tough
June 6-8, downtown Tulsa
Bike culture is alive and well in Tulsa, and Tulsa Tough, a three-day biking festival, is the grandest testament to that each summer. Whether you’re an amateur or pro competing in criterium or grand pro races or a townie in cargo shorts on a leisurely ride along, you can take part. Find out more here.

El Reno Small Town Weekend
June 6-8, Adams Park, El Reno
This festival of Route 66 nostalgia is an annual event in El Reno and features a Route 66 drag race, grass car races, a hot rod show, and a Hot Wheels race (for the littles). More about the event here.

Chisholm Trail Round-Up Crawfish Festival
June 7, Kirkpatrick Family Farm, Yukon
Yukon celebrates Cajun culture in the Old West with a crawfish cookout and live Cajun band. On the Old West side, the Round-Up Crawfish Festival features historical demonstrations of life on the trail, including authentic chuck wagon cooking. More information here.

Tulsa Pride
June 7-8, Centennial Park, Tulsa
The longest-running LGBT pride celebration takes place in Tulsa every June. The two-day event includes a parade and street festival on Saturday and picnic in Centennial Park on Sunday. More information on Tulsa Pride.

World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival & Cook-Off
June 7, Craig County Fairgrounds, Vinita
Founded by a rancher/banker, a veterinarian, and an insurance man, this 35-year old festival celebrates a rare delicacy—battered and fried bull testicles. There are also cobbler, beans, salsa, and bread cook-offs, as well as arts and crafts booths and cowboy games. More about the festival here.

OK Mozart International Music Festival 
June 7-14, Bartlesville Community Center, Bartlesville
For 30 years, the OK Mozart Festival has been the premiere classical music festival in Oklahoma. Highlights of the weeklong event include an annual performance by the Amici New York resident orchestra. More about OK Mozart here.

Jim Thorpe Native American Games
June 8, various venues, Shawnee
Athletes representing Native American tribes from across North America will converge in Oklahoma City to compete in 10 sports, including football and various track events. More about the games here.

deadCENTER Film Festival
June 11-15, various venues, downtown Oklahoma City
The 14th annual deadCENTER Film Festival showcases Oklahoma films alongside independent films from across the country. deadCENTER will screen This Land’s own documentary, This May Be the Last Time, 8 p.m. June 14, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. More about the festival here.

Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival
June 13-14, Southern Nazarene University, Bethany
Cowboy poet and storyteller Ken Rollins headlines the 2014 Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. The festival celebrates many genres including prairie stories, Native American stories, and ghost stories. More about the festival here.

Juneteenth
June 13-14, 804 S. Park Ave., Shawnee
Juneteenth is a nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of American slavery. The name comes from the date slaves in Texas received word of Lincoln’s emancipation Proclamation, on June 19, 1865. Shawnee holds its own Juneteenth event, which features educational workshops, free food, a parade, and a talent show.  More information here. There are also Juneteenth events in Tulsa, Muskogee, and Ponca City.

What About Bob Chuckwagon Races
June 13-14, 3610 Hayes Road, Wilburton
Five thousand dollars in prizes will be awarded to the fastest chuck wagons in the state over two days of horse-drawn racing excitement. The weekend will begin with a concert, and regular events and musical performances will take place in the evenings following the races. More information here.

Blue Whale Comedy Festival
June 13-15, multiple venues in downtown Tulsa
The first annual Blue Whale Comedy Festival invades downtown Tulsa with local and national comedians and improv troupes taking the stage at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Flyloft, and the Comedy Parlor. Headliners include “30 Rock”’s Judah Friedlander and Upright Citizens Brigade’s Matt Besser. The Blue Whale Comedy Festival will also feature Q&A roundtables and improv comedy workshops with professional comedians. More about the festival here.

Chandler Ice Cream Festival
June 14, Tilghman Park, Chandler
We all scream for free ice cream and Chandler’s annual festival dedicated to America’s favorite frozen dessert. Held in celebration of the town’s Hiland Dairy plant, the festival also features local food vendors, rides, and live music. More about the Ice Cream Festival here.

4th Annual Battle of the Burger
June 14, Crest Foods, Norman
Professionals and amateurs alike compete for meaty glory. New this year are the pie contest and tug of war tournament. Proceeds benefit the Oklahoma Sheriffs & Peace Officers Association. More about the battle here.

Jazz in June
June 19-21, Brookhaven Village, Norman
Jazz in June attracts jazz and blues musicians—an enormous gathering of jazz aficionados—to central Oklahoma every summer. More about Jazz in June.

OKPEX Stamp Collector Show
June 20-21, Reed Conference Center, Midwest City
Oklahoma’s only national stamp collector event features more than 2,000 pages postage, along with seminars on philately. More about the event here.

OKC Pride
June 20-22, various venues, Oklahoma City
Two weeks following Tulsa’s celebration, LGBT pride continues at the capital. OKC Pride will pack the weekend with a block party, a performing arts showcase, an arts festival, and a parade to commemorate international LGBT Pride Month. More about OKC Pride here.

Okie Noodling Tournament
June 21, Wacker Park, Pauls Valley
More than $4,000 in prizes will be placed in the hand snags the largest catfish at the Okie Noodling Festival. Events include a catfish cook-off and catfish-eating contest. More about the Okie Noodling Tournament here.

Fort Reno Ghost Tour
June 21, Historic Fort Reno, El Reno
Fort Reno was first established as a military camp in 1874, and some are sure there are still Fort residents from the turn of the century inhabiting the grounds. This tour takes visitors through a live paranormal investigation, with an optional trip to a nearby cemetery. More about the tour here.

Conquer the Gauntlet Obstacle Race
June 21, Thunder Valley Raceway Park, Lexington
Participants challenge themselves by jumping over walls and crawling through mud and water over a four-mile course at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Lexington. Winners get a t-shirt and, more importantly, bragging rights. More about the race here.

Tour of the Wichitas Bike Ride
June 28, Polo Club/Field, Fort Sill
Participants bike through Fort Sill and the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge on one of four different routes, ranging from a beginner’s 17-mile trail to the more challenging 50-mile ride. More about the ride here.

Rockets Over Rhema
June 29, 1025 W. Kenosha St., Broken Arrow
Celebrate Independence Day a tad early at one of the largest fireworks displays in Northeast Oklahoma. Rockets over Rhema also features live music, games, food, a car show, a rock climbing wall, and a mechanical bull. More about Rockets Over Rhema here.

SummerStage
Throughout June, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Tulsa
Performance art festival SummerStage Tulsa brings together local and regional artists and groups to showcase everything from comedy to drama, to musical performances at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. More information here.

Did we miss your favorite June festival or event? Email us at mail@thisandpress.com.