Weekly Events Calendar: April 15-21

Each week, Oklahoma Today staffers comb through their calendars to find a handful of great events happening across the state. Get out! See Oklahoma! And be sure to let us know what you find, either here or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @oklahomatoday.

By Kiersten Stone
On April 22, 1889, thousands waited at the borders of unassigned land in central Oklahoma, waiting for the first land run to begin. In less than twelve hours that day, the city of Guthrie grew from being just patches of prairie grass into a tent city of more than ten thousand people. Flashforward to today, and although there isn’t another land run planned, there are plans to pack the same grounds with people from all over coming to celebrate this historical event. The 89er Days Celebration will be hosted in downtown Guthrie throughout the week, beginning April 16th and running through the 20th. It will kick off with the annual Chuckwagon Feed and continue with auctions, a carnival, and arts and crafts shows. The festivities will come to a close Saturday with the 89er Parade during the day and a rodeo at night.
April 16-20. Admission, free. 89erdays.com

By Megan Rossman
Everyone is familiar with the story about an unworldly young beggar and thief whose stupid bean purchase pans out when they turn out to be magic and allow him to rob and murder a giant in the sky to feed himself and his cash-strapped single mother. The Tulsa Ballet will present a more bright and fun take on the morally ambiguous fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk on April 19 and 20, with four performances at the Zarrow Studio at the Hardesty Art Center for Dance Education in Broken Arrow. With colorful sets featuring castles in the sky, beautiful costumes, music, and choreography, and narration by story adaptor Dan McGeehan, these performances are sure to delight adults and children. In fact, two shows are already sold out, so visit tulsaballet.org soon to get your tickets before there are none left.
April 19-20. Tickets, $18. tulsaballet.org

The titular Giant does his best to defend his castle from intruders during Tulsa Ballet's production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Photo courtesy Tulsa Ballet

By Karlie Ybarra
Have you always fantasized about joining social justice warrior Robin of Loxley and his band of merry men? Or, do you still have a crush on that cartoon fox from the objectively best Robin Hood movie? Well, at the Total Archery Challenge in Broken Bow—surely Oklahoma’s own Sherwood Forest—you can live some of your dreams. From April 19th to 21st, youths ages six to fifteen and adults will be targeting more than one hundred 3D objects to see if their aim is true. Kids can even try their little bows on a course that includes dinosaurs and zombies. There also will be chances to win or buy new outdoor gear. If you were hoping to win the hand of your own Robin or Maid Marian, that’s probably not going to happen, but perhaps it was the hero inside yourself you needed to find all along.
April 19-21. Entry, $15-$160. totalarcherychallenge.com

Watch out, William Tell. A band of impressive archers will descend upon Broken Bow this weekend during the Total Archery Challenge at Beaver's Bend State Park. Photo courtesy Total Archery Challenge

By Ben Luschen
Happy Earth Day to you
Happy Earth Day to you
Happy Earth Day dear Third Planet from the Sun
Happy Earth Day to you

This one hits close to home for me. It might come as a surprise to some of the people in this room, but I am actually from Earth—born and raised. It is customary on my planet to celebrate our world and the life it gives us once a year, every April 22. Although I often feel like Oklahoma is the center of the universe, it is actually located on this planet as well, and Earth Day is celebrated far and wide here, especially by the Oklahoma State Parks. There are Earth Day celebrations taking place at many parks within the system this week, so you can pregame that weekend for the big day the following Monday. Participate in trash hikes to pick up debris and make the trails pretty, craft seed bombs to help spread native plants, or build a cozy shelter for native bees. Those under 18 can also enter a recycled art contest with a number of age range categories. These Earth Day events will take place on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the park, at a number of locations including Greenleaf in Beggs, Keystone in Sand Springs, Grand Lake in Bernice, Sequoyah in Hulbert, and many more. Check out travelok.com/state-parks for more information before you go. Participation in the Earth Day activities is free but regular fees for parking and/or lodging in the parks still apply.
April 20-21. Parking, $10. travelok.com

By Nathan Gunter
You know that phrase As American as apple pie? We need one for Oklahoma. As Oklahoman as . . . what?

On the show, a few answers included free queso, sunshine on the prairie, and thunderstorms.
So in the interest of inaugurating this new catch phrase, I’m going to say that COOP Ale Works is as Oklahoman as free queso. Long before the state was a veritable garden of breweries, COOP was doing its thing with great beers like the F5 IPA, Horny Toad Blonde, Native Amber, or Saturday Siren dry-hopped pils. So celebrate this extremely Oklahoman brewery at the COOP Ale Works 15th Anniversary Party at the COOP Ale Works brewery from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20. You can sample COOP’s legendary brews and some new specials, play games, enjoy food trucks, and get in on some special limited-edition merch. VIP ticket holders will even get specialty COOP Ale Works glassware and a four-pack of the anniversary beer to enjoy at home.
April 20. Tickets, $30-$70. coopaleworks.com

COOP Ale Works celebrated its fifteen year anniversary by updating the can design of its iconic F5 IPA. They'll continue the festivities during their anniversary party this Sunday in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy COOP Ale Works

Written By

Ben Luschen

Luschen joined the *Oklahoma Today*’ staff as Research Editor in 2021 and currently works as the magazine's Web Editor, managing the website and social media fronts. His past *Oklahoma Today* stories have ranged in content from the state's bee and quail industries to its vibrant art and music scenes. Not adverse to a road trip, Luschen is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. He is never out of opinions about the current state of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.