Weekly Events Calendar: August 26-September 1, 2024

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 Ben Luschen
The national constitution of the Cherokee Nation was signed on September 6, 1839, nearly 185 years ago. Every year Cherokee people from around the world—along with friends and curious neighbors—celebrate the occasion during the Cherokee National Holiday. This year’s celebration runs from Friday, August 30, to Sunday, September 1, around Tahlequah, the Cherokee capital. Guests can participate in traditional Cherokee games, watch a parade, enjoy a quilt show, shop from food and craft vendors, an inter-tribal powwow, and so much more. Call (918) 453-5544 for more information.
August 30-September 1. Admission, free. thecherokeeholiday.com.

By Megan Rossman
Labor Day was originally organized by American unions and workers, and became a federal holiday in 1894. This year, feel free to celebrate with the first Americans at the Tvshka Homma Tribal Grounds in Tuskahoma. The Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival will feature a variety of sports tournaments, including stickball, softball, basketball, cornhole, and volleyball. In addition to a 5K, there will be arts and crafts, food vendors, gourd dancing, storytelling, gospel singing, terrapin racing, live music, and more.
August 30-September 1. Admission, free. laborday.choctawnation.com

The Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival is an annual tradition in Tuskahoma, featuring traditional games, dancing, storytelling, art and food vendors, and much more. Photo by Lori Duckworth / Oklahoma Tourism

By Ben Luschen
My Oklahoma Today colleagues are fortunate because they get to see some truly remarkable facial hair every time they look my way, but not everyone is so lucky that they can just look at my face whenever. So for everyone else, I recommend checking out the Henryetta Beard & Stache Competition this Saturday, the final day of August. Head to Henryetta’s Briefcase event center to see well-groomed guys competing in the categories of full beard, mustache, freestyle and people's choice. Going on in town at the same time is the Smoking Hot Car Show on Main Street, so guests will also be able to see some awesome automobiles, something I do not have unless you’re a fan of blue-green 2016 Sentras with scrape marks on the side. Admission to both events is free. Call (918) 752-9115 for more information.
August 31. Admission, free. greencountryok.com.

Have or know of an epic beard in Oklahoma? Bring it to Henryetta for the Henryetta Beard & Stache Competition. Photo courtesy Pixabay

By Nathan Gunter
So in the worst song ever written, one lyric goes, “Marconi plays the mamba; listen to the radio.” Now, it’s not like one of the top-five reasons that’s the worst song ever written, but that’s not a great line. Marconi, of course, is the inventor of radio, so that makes sense. But a mamba is a kind of snake, so we’re not really sure what Marconi is doing with it, exactly.
I bring this up only to note that musical terminology misunderstandings do occur, so when I tell you to attend the Salsa Festival this Saturday, August 31, at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, I need you to know that it’s not a Salsa dancing festival. It’s the other kind. And hoo boy, if the words salsa festival get your taste buds a-jumpin’, this is the festival for you, my friend. There’ll be a wide array of spicy sauces to sample from the mildest to the flamin’-hottin’-est. And in between bites while you’re waiting for your personal Scoville count to go down, you can browse a vendor marketplace and wander among the aquarium’s more then 10,000 very wet animals. General admission to the aquarium gets you access to the fest, but it’s one day only, so don’t miss out. For more information, call (918) 296-3474.
August 31. Admission, $19.95-$24.95. Chips, $3 per basket. okaquarium.org

By Kiersten Stone
Did you know elephants can hold up to 8 liters of water in their trunks? How about what species an elephant is can be identified by their ears? Or that an elephant will spend 12-18 hours eating every day? Well, at the Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo, you can learn all types of fun facts about the world’s largest land animal and even enjoy an encounter with one during the all-day Adult Elephant Expedition on September 1. Guests will be learning about the pachyderm husbandry, diet and nutrition, characteristics, and more, while having the opportunity to interact with the elephants by feeding and bathing them, touring the facilities, and dining with elephant experts.
September 1. Registration, $400. oklahomaawesomeadventures.com

Those fourteen and older can get a behind the scenes look at the lives of the pachyderms of the Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo during the Elephant Expedition. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Awesome Adventures

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.