Weekly Events Calendar: April 29-May 5

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 Nathan Gunter
You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Panhandle lately. It’s been way too long since I’ve been there. I miss the huge skies and wide open spaces, the clear air and quiet of Black Mesa, and the great food in Guymon, from Naifeh’s Steakhouse to Urban Bru coffee shop. Also, they have a Mr. Burger AND a Taco Factory, if you’re into fast-food deep cuts.
If you’ve never explored the Panhandle, here’s a good reason to go: From May 1 to 5, Guymon is hosting its annual Pioneer Days Celebration and PRCA Rodeo. The rodeo is one of the biggest in the country every year, and I don’t know if you knew this, but Guymon is called the saddle bronc riding capital of the world. And the Pioneer Days festival, which has been going on since 1933, features food vendors, mercantile arts, and crafts and seems like just the perfect complement to a bronc-riding Garth Brooksian good time. For more information, call (580) 338-3376.
May 1-5. Tickets, $5-$20. guymonokchamber.com

One of northwestern Oklahoma's biggest annual rodeos, the Pioneer Days Celebration and PRCA Rodeo returns to Guymon this week. Photo courtesy Guymon Chamber of Commerce

By Karlie Ybarra
So I was gonna go all out for y’all and learn a little German just for this podvent, but instead I’ve decided to put our resident German speaker on the spot. Ben? [BEN SPEAKS GERMAN, AS YOU CAN HEAR ON THIS EPISODE OF THE OKT PODCAST]. Ok so maybe you won’t learn to say that at Germanfest, but there are still plenty of reasons to show up to the German-American Society of Tulsa Event Center May 3rd through 5th. Visitors will find plenty of savory fare to enjoy, including smoked bratwurst with sauerkraut and a schnitzel sandwich. Folk dancers will show off their skills as a live polka band plays. And there also be the crowning of the May queen, a German tradition that goes back to pagan times. So if you are German, you’re interested in Germany, or you just like fun events filled with German people, this is the party for you. Also, like any good party, it’s free to attend.
March 3-5. Admission, free. gastulsa.org

If "guten tag" is "good day" in German, then the three-day Germanfest at Tulsa Event Center certainly qualifies for the plural, "gute tage." Photo courtesy German-American Society of Tulsa

By Kiersten Stone
Get in losers, we’re going to see Lyric Theatre’s Thelma Gaylord Academy present Mean Girls! Academy performers will be bringing Cady Heron and the Plastics back to the stage in the form of Tina Fey’s hit musical. Audience members can enjoy all of the classic Mean Girls jokes from the original movie and the musical numbers from the Broadway show and the movie remake. So make sure you put on your favorite pink shirt and head to Lyric Theatre May 3-5 to catch the musical.
May 3-5. Tickets, $15. thelmagaylordacademy.com

By Ben Luschen
There are a lot of big, kind of useless things out there, but with the help of technology, they can be broken down into smaller, actually pretty useful things. No, I’m not talking about pull-apart car scrapping services that can turn that rusting Astro van into a half dozen craft-store decorative lamp stands--but that might not be far off. The Oklahoma Steam Threshing and Gas Engine Show in Pawnee’s Steam Engine Park is a celebration of man’s long-standing desire to automate tedious tasks with the resources available to them, a concept that has existed far before AI. For more than half a century, the show has dazzled the masses with exhibitions of steam-powered engines, sawmills, rock crushers, tractors, threshers, and more. These are the machines that literally helped build our state. Thankfully, steam and gasoline won’t be the only things getting consumed here. The way delicious roasted sweet corn, barbecue sandwiches, and fresh-squeezed lemonade from the on-site food stands get my pistons moving, you might as well call me Steamboat Willy. Check it all out starting Friday, May 3, to Sunday, May 5. Admission is free for those twelve and under, and $8 for everyone else. Three-day passes are also for sale--just $12. Stop by during the evening hours for a special spark show, when the steam engines will be sending up sparks more than fifty feet into the air.
May 3-5. Admission, $8. oklahomathreshers.org

By Megan Rossman
No matter the nation, all people are united by dough. Whether they’re munching on the dough of dumplings, pasta, bread, tortillas, pies, pizzas, or pastries, there is no culture among us that doesn’t seem to love wrapping things in dough. The Czech people are no different, which gives us the Prague Kolache Festival on May 4 this year. The day begins with a costume contest, followed by folk dancing, polka bands, and a two-hour parade. There will also be art, a carnival, beer, wine, a car show, and lots of food vendors. But the star of the show here is the kolache. Every year, visitors eat about 50,000 of these delicious stuffed pastries, and you can be one of them.
May 4. Admission, free. praguekolachefestival.com

Celebrate Czech culture and its most famous treat during the annual Prague Kolache Festival. Photo courtesy Lori Duckworth / Oklahoma Tourism

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.