Weekly Events Calendar: August 5-11, 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 Nathan Gunter
Flying’s the worst, right? You have to get to the airport super early, get half undressed in the security line, wedge yourself behind a lunch tray in a middle seat, and try not to think about the fact that the person behind you is resting THEIR FEET ON YOUR ARMRESTAREYOUKIDDINGME?
So. If you’ve had quite enough of planes, thank you, but still want to witness the miracle of flight, why not head out to Shawnee’s Firelake Park, where the Fireflight Balloon Festival will be lighting up the skies August 9 and 10. This two-day festival not only features hot-air balloons taking to the skies—sorry, but rides sold out early—it also has helicopter rides, an Outdoor Nation expo, a Kids’ zone and splash pad, live music including a show by Cam Allen, a touch-a-truck contest, camel rides, a vendor market, and yes, food trucks. For more information call (405) 275-9780.
August 9-10. Admission, free. firelakeballoonfest.com

Float among the clouds, or admire from below, at the FireLake Fireflight Balloon Festival in Shawnee. Photo courtesy Fireflight Balloon Festival

By Karlie Ybarra
You've probably heard about the War of the Worlds panic in 1938, but are you familiar with the watermelon hysteria that struck television audiences some ten years later? As part of a Halloween gimmick, Toast of the Town variety show host Ed Sullivan brought out giant green "alien eggs" and warned grocery shoppers to avoid buying them lest they hatch and release unknown terrors into their homes. As a result, many storefronts and parking lots ran red with the sweet flesh of innocent melons. While I just totally made that up, there is a very real opportunity to dine on the tender insides of delicious watermelons by the thousands at the Rush Springs Watermelon Festival and Rodeo August 10. Jeff Davis Park will host 20,000 visitors for a full day of ropin’ and ridin’, spittin’ and grinnin’, and 50,000 pounds of fruit ready for eatin’. Check out facebook.com/rushspringswatermelonfestival for more info.
August 10. Admission, free. facebook.com/rushspringswatermelonfestival.

Some truly impressive melons will be admired—and devoured—at this weekend's annual Rush Springs Watermelon Festival and Rodeo. Photo courtesy Lori Duckworth / Oklahoma Tourism

By Megan Rossman
Museums are often quiet places where you keep your hands to yourself and speak in hushed tones. But these rules do not apply on Second Saturdays at the OSU Museum of Art in Stillwater. On August 10, dial up the decibels, because from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., everyone’s welcome to come by and get crafty with hands-on art activities for all ages and abilities. Staff from the Stillwater Public Library will read aloud during storytimes at 11:30 and 1:00 p.m., and visitors can also check out current exhibits that include An ArtFull Decade: Celebrating 10 Years, a special anniversary exhibit that showcases pieces from the museum’s permanent collection; benjamin harjo JR: from here to there, with more than eighty works from the OSU alumni’s expansive catalog of works; and Picturing Resilient Communities, a collection of historical photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown and early twentieth-century Beijing. Even if you can’t make it today, don’t sweat it—this museum is always free, and always interesting. For more information call (405) 744-2780.
August 10. Admission, free. museum.okstate.edu

By Kiersten Stone
One of America’s biggest icons is celebrating their 80th birthday this Saturday, August 10, at Robbers Cave State Park. He’s a symbol of the precaution we all grew up learning and the longest-running public service campaign in American history. There’s no better way to celebrate eight decades of the Smokey Bear Wildlife Prevention campaign with Smokey Bear, himself. He’ll be at his party taking pictures with his party-goers, where they can also enjoy cupcakes, a photo booth, and a giveaway courtesy of AARP Oklahoma. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry will even be hosting fire prevention education lessons. So get outdoors and safely celebrate the legen-bear-y icon. For more information, call (918) 465-2562. And remember, only you can prevent wildfires.
August 10. Admission, free. TravelOK.com

An orphaned bear cub was made the living symbol for Smokey Bear in 1950. Celebrate 80 years of the Smokey Bear campaign this Saturday at Robbers Cave State Park in Wilburton. Photo courtesy USDA National Agricultural Library

By Ben Luschen
Hardcore fans might recall that I was a middle school teacher at one time. I realized a lot of things about teaching during my time in middle-school English, namely that it is quite a tough profession. But you want to know something else about teaching? It can be pretty dang funny. For example, there was the time the doorknob to my classroom fell off and I was locked in with my sixth hour for an uncomfortably long period of time. Then there was the time a student’s bottle of pepper spray went off in class. That actually was not very funny at the time, but a lot of our most hilarious stories aren’t funny in the moment, which will become apparent to anyone who attends the Bored Teachers comedy tour titled The Struggle Is Real during their stop at Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom this Sunday. The Bored Teachers comedy troupe of real-life current and former educational professionals has won many fans on social media, and they are sure to strike a chord with the teacher in your life during this night of stories and school-inspired standup. You know a show is intended for teachers when it starts at 3 pm. This is a seated comedy event, and general admission tickets are $42 after factoring in convenience and handling fees.
August 11. Tickets, $42. cainsballroom.com.

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.