Weekly Events Calendar, October 18-24, 2021

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.

For a Halloween that's more fun than frightening, head to Ponca City for Goblins on Grand. Photo courtesy Ponca City Main Street

Gob-Snacked

Halloween is a fine time for events with names like Murder in Madill or The Kenton Kill-Spree, but it doesn’t all have to be blood-curdling screams and panic attacks. In Ponca City, the Goblins on Grand Halloween Carnival is a frighteningly family friendly event with games, picture booths, food trucks, a trick-or-treating area, and an all-ages dance area. So if you’re looking for holiday fun that’s more kooky than spooky, Ponca City is your haunt. October 21. Admission, $2. https://www.downtownponcacity.com/goblins-on-grand.html#!event-register/2021/10/21/goblins-on-grand

The Art of Drinking

Kids love making art, but they’re not the best at just looking at it and, allowances being what they are, buying it is even further out of the question. So it’s little wonder that both Allied Arts and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art have honed in on a pair of events for ages 21 and up only.

Held at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, Allied Arts’ GOLDtini is celebrating a half century of the arts organization with an event chock full of grown-up fun. Come dressed like a Bond villain (in gold, of course!) for martini tastings and tasty bites from a handful of Oklahoma City restaurants, enjoy live entertainment, and bid on paintings, sculptures, and other mixed-media pieces to help support the arts in Oklahoma. October 22. Tickets, $50-$100. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/allied-arts-artini-tickets-163380566673

Cheers for beers! The Oklahoma City Museum of Art's ARTonTAP Block Party is full-tilt fun with more than eighty different beers to try. Photo by Courtney DeSpain

The next night, there’s even more art and alcohol to be had at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s ARTonTAP Block Party, which takes the party to the streets. Specifically one street, Couch Drive, which happens to run right in front of the museum. More than eighty varieties of beer will be available for tasting while guests listen to live music from The Broadcasters. Delicious eats will be available from a bevy of local food trucks and Elisha Gallegos will put on a chalk art demonstration. October 23. Tickets $50-$100. https://www.okcmoa.com/visit/events/artontap-1/

Go Ask ALICE

Despite several feature films and an endless number of pastiches, homages, and reworkings, it’s hard to explain just how insane Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is. Luckily for Oklahomans, the Oklahoma City Ballet is up to the task with its mind-bending and entrancing production of Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland). With music from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, this rendition is a feast for the eyes, ears, and imagination. (Read more about the show in Karlie Ybarra’s Behind the Looking Glass series.) October 22-24. Tickets, $30-$90. https://www.okcballet.org/performance/alice-in-wonderland/

The Woolaroc Retrospective Exhibit & Sale is a chance to own stunning art like "Reluctant Warrior" watercolor on Bristol board by Sherrie McGraw.

Let’s ’Roc

Trying to pin down exactly what Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve is can be tough. It’s definitely a museum and a wildlife preserve. Those are in the name. But is it a history museum or an art museum? Is it a party venue or a place to take your kids? Turns out it’s kind of all those things and more. Discover every facet of this Bartlesville treasure at The Woolaroc Retrospective Exhibit & Sale. Featuring the work of nine nationally recognized artists, this event is a major fundraiser for Woolaroc and another feather in its cap as a world-class museum. And if a piece really strikes a visitor’s fancy, grab a ballot book and bid to take it home. Through December 31. Admission, $10-$14. https://www.woolaroc.org/the-woolaroc-retrospective-exhibit-sale-event-details_172

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.