Weekly Events Calendar, May 16-22, 2022

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.

Visit Boley Community Center to see the Smithsonian Institution's "Crossroads: Change in Rural America" before it leaves Oklahoma. Photo by Johnny Adolphson/Shutterstock.com

Change Will Come

A big Change is coming to the Boley Community Center. Actually, it’s already here. The Smithsonian Institution’s Crossroads: Change in Rural America will spend more than a month in Boley asking visitors to consider the future of Oklahoma’s rural towns and how they’ve contributed to the state’s successes. This is the last stop in the state for the exhibit, which was previously featured in Tishomingo, Fort Gibson, Nowata, and more. May 16-June 25. Admission, Free. https://www.okhumanities.org/programs/museum-on-main-street

Block-Rocking Beats

How’s it hanging? If you said, “Tough,” then Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center has the show for you. Five men who still call themselves kids, the New Kids on the Block continue their Mixtape Tour 2022 in the Sooner State with big-name guests include En Vogue, Salt-n-Pepa, and the man who will never give you up, Rick Astley. May 16. Tickets, $19-$196. https://www.paycomcenter.com/events/detail/new-kids-on-the-block

Catch a view of downtown Blanchard from the Ferris wheel during May Daze. Photo courtesy Blanchard Chamber of Commerce

Summer Starts Here

The official start of summer is June 21—roughly twenty-one days after most people assume it’s already begun. But Blanchard is an iconoclast of a town and its Annual May Daze Festival is one way the residents mark the season’s unofficial start. Whichever calendar you follow, May Daze is a fine time in a fine city with a carnival, city-wide garage sales, tons of live entertainment, and fair foods galore. Best of all, you don’t even have to live in Blanchard to enjoy it. May 20-21. Admission, Free. https://www.facebook.com/May-Daze-Festival-146888030707

Faire Thee Well

Prithee, lairds and ladies, but dost thou enjoy the rare sparkle of precious rocks? Mayhaps a visit to Tulsa is in order as the Gem Faire arrives at the Tulsa Expo Square this week. Browse an enormous variety of gemstones, beads, fossils, and more. Whether you’re making your own jewelry or commissioning a piece, the Gem Faire is a great place to start. May 20-22. Admission, $7. https://gemfaire.com/event/tulsa-ok-6/

Tenkiller State Park hosts a Kids Fishing Clinic at Vian City Lake for any up-and-coming anglers. Photo by StockSnap

You Need Bait, Stat!

The people who protect nature best are often the ones who spend time in it. Tenkiller State Park in Vian wants to support a new generation of outdoors enthusiasts with the Kids Fishing Clinic at Vian City Lake. Open to kids ages 4-16, the event features several learning stations and a stocked lake full of fish just waiting to be pulled from the water. A hot dog lunch will be served as well, so bring those poles and some live bait to Vian for screen-free time. May 21. Admission, Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/2044564395726269

Written By

Greg Elwell

Greg Elwell served as research editor and web editor of Oklahoma Today from 2018-2023. He also has worked for newspapers, medical research organizations, and government institutions.