Weekly Events Calendar: September 23-29, 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
This week’s Question of the Week on the podcast inquired as to our favorite things about fall, and while I have many, I chose the weather, especially in the mornings. But if I had to choose a close second, I might choose corn mazes. Well, okay, not second, but in the top ten for sure. And one of the best ones in Oklahoma is getting ready for its time to shine: Located in Hydro in western Oklahoma, P Bar Farms features a maze of maize with more than three and a half miles of twists and turns and nearly a hundred decision points.
But if disappearing into the fall mystery isn’t so much your style, P Bar has a ton of other enjoyable ways to spend time during the fall. Check out the massive pumpkin patch; visit the donkeys, llamas, goats, rabbits, and more; go on a tractor-pulled hayride; or engage in a little warfare-among-friends by playing some laser tag. It’s the perfect fall family outing, so get moving now. For more information call (405) 556-1069.
Through October 31. Admission, $12-$17. pbarfarms.com

Lovers of pumpkins, corn mazes, and petable goats (so almost everyone) will not want to miss P Bar Farms' new season, open now in Hydro through the end of October. Photo by Megan Rossman

By Megan Rossman
If there is one thing I know about women, it’s that a lot of them love true crime stories. Statistics from numerous studies show that they make up the overwhelming majority of true crime consumer audiences. If you’ve got a friend, sister, aunt, wife, lover, or mother of the female persuasion with a penchant for patricide—or, hopefully, just tales of it—then you may want to bring them on down to Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall for a performance of the Painted Sky Opera’s Lizzie Borden from September 26 through September 29. Accompanied by a live orchestra, audiences will enjoy a dramatic retelling of the tale of this live-at-home murderer who slayed her father and stepmother with forty swings of an ax.
September 26-29. Tickets, $42-$59. paintedskyopera.org

Lizzie Borden brings the life of the notorious young axe-wielder to the stage in a fully orchestrated musical production by Painted Sky Opera at Civic Center Music Hall's The Little Theatre in Oklahoma City.

By Ben Luschen
Ironically, the Oklahoma panhandle is normally not a region associated with red carpet events, but the stars will definitely be out the next couple of weeks in Kenton. I’m talking names so big you know them in one word. I’m talking Leo. Phoenix. Orion. Hercules. Cassiopeia. These are some of the brightest stars of all time, and their adoring fans are gathering to ogle them during the Okie-Tex Star Party, starting this Friday and running through the next week until October 5. You’ve probably guessed by now we’re not talking about Hollywood figures, because these stars are truly above it all. The Okie-Tex Star Party is the state’s largest gathering of stargazers and one of our best olive branches to those lost souls in the Lone Star State. Pitch a tent under the stars or grab a bunk on site at Camp Billy Joe. Enjoy guest speakers, eat catered meals, and make new friends during this eight-day extravaganza. Early registration is closed but late-comers are still welcome, and registration starts at $160 per person.
September 27-October 5. Admission, $160. okie-tex.com

This four-hour sky exposure captured by Dan Lessman in Kenton at an earlier Okie-Tex Star Party illustrates the annual event's celestial beauty. The 2024 gathering begins this week. Photo courtesy Okie-Tex Star Party

By Kiersten Stone
Reports have been coming in about zombie activity taking place once again at an Oklahoma farm. Those reports have been proven to be true, because starting this week, the Lexington Zombie Farm will be kicking off the spooky season with their opening night September 28. Once at the farm, guests will be guiding themselves through a haunted barn and through the woods. The terrifying adventure is packed with twists and turns, creatures and creepy crawlers. The fun doesn’t stop there either. Each Saturday of the season promises a special, even scarier time with a Black Out night, a clown invasion, a night of crazies, and a touch and grab night, while the night of Halloween will feature an old school family carnival.
September 28. Tickets, $10-$15. lexingtonzombiefarm.com

By Karlie Ybarra
Have you ever been scammed? Like you thought you were buying tickets for a concert and it turns out they’re actually for an earlier performance, or you believed you bought a chihuahua from someone in the newspaper but it turned out to be a pit bull—that happened to my mom? Did you then use that ordeal to create a festival that’s fun for the whole family? Well Wetumka did in fact take this enlightened approach to being bamboozled by flim-flam man F. Bam Morrison when he sold tickets to a circus that didn’t exist. Since 1953, the town has turned their frowns upside down with the Sucker Day Festival featuring arts and crafts, live music, a parade with horses and tractors, and of course lots of delicious food. There also a poker run for motorcycle riders. The best part is—other than the fact that this event does actually exist—admission is free. So this time, folks who don’t come to Wetumka September 28 will be the suckers.
September 28. Admission, free. [facebook.com/wetumkacelebration](external:https://www.facebook.com/wetumkacelebration/

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.