Weekly Events Calendar August 31-September 6, 2020

Events are subject to change or cancellation. Please call or contact the event organizers before going.

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.

Moonlit Stroll

If you’re looking for an outdoor family-friendly activity, head over to Oklahoma City’s Myriad Botanical Gardens’ Devon Lawn for its monthly Full Moon Bike Ride and Run, a casual sunset event where friends and families gather to enjoy a one-hour bike ride or 5K run through Bricktown. September 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens. Admission, Free. (405) 445-7080 or oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com

Ribs, as well as brisket and chicken, are on the menu for the United Way BBQ Showdown in Duncan. Photo by Mike Foster/Pixabay

Good Eatin’

Duncan’s annual United Way BBQ Showdown will offer two-days of some of the area’s best barbecuers serving grilled treats from barbecue brisket and pork to ribs and chicken, with varieties of sides and ice cream, too. Participants can cast votes for the best in each category and winners will receive prizes and trophies. All event proceeds will benefit the United Way of Stephens County. September 4-5. Admission, $10. (580) 255-3648 or facebook.com

The Black Towns Motorcycle Tour visits 13 historically all-black Oklahoma towns. Photo provided

Historic Riding

The second annual three-day Black Towns Motorcycle Tour returns Labor Day Weekend in Northeastern Oklahoma with stops along Oklahoma’s thirteen historically all-black towns, allowing riders to experience sites such as Black Wall Street and Greenwood District in Tulsa to Langston, Rentiesville, and more. Riders will lodge in Muskogee and select one tour leg with four towns to travel or visit all thirteen towns. Following the ride there will be a celebration concert with hip hop and R&B acts on Sunday. Registration includes meals, a Black Town Tour patch and T-shirt, exclusive Oklahoma Black History book, tour celebration concert tickets, and a chance to win raffles and awards. Non-riders are invited to enjoy the outdoor festival and learn about the historically all-black towns of Oklahoma. September 4-6. Admission, $50. (833) 344-8687 or 13blacktownstour.com

Blues from your Couch

Blues fans can tune into D.C. Minner’s thirtieth Rentiesville Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival from the comfort of their homes Labor Day weekend. The virtual festival will provide free access eighteen hours of music from thirty-five national blues musicians such as Cecil Gray, Watermelon Slim, Tim Austin Mitchell, and more from 5 pm to 5 am. The festival is supported by Oklahoma Arts Council and has been called one of the “10 most awesome musical festivals to check out this summer” by National Geographic.
September 4-6. Admission, Free. (918) 855-0978 or dcminnerblues.com

The Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival is going virtual this year. Photo by Lisha Newman/Oklahoma Tourism

A Classical Evening

Tulsa Symphony Orchestra will premiere its fall season in an open-air format at Tulsa’s ONEOK Field to allow for socially-distanced performances. The season-opening A Celebration of Beethoven will celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven with performances by world-renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman and Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Hege. Following the performance there will be a fireworks display. Due to social distancing protocols, the stadium’s capacity will be limited to 19 percent, tickets will be limited, masks are required and the stadium’s disinfecting systems will be employed. September 5. ONEOK Field. Tickets, $5-$100. (918) 584-3645 or tulsasymphony.org

Written By

Abigail Hall

Abigail Hall is Oklahoma Today's fall editorial intern.