Weekly Events Calendar: September 30-October 6, 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 Kiersten Stone
Get into the spooktacular spirit this season at Frontier City with Fright Fest. If you’re one who likes to turn up the scare factor, make sure to ride the rollercoasters after the sun goes down. And don’t shy away from the scare zones, where classic monsters lurk in the eerie fog awaiting unsuspecting passersby. Guests can also get lost in a number of haunted houses or catch one of the park’s six scary-good shows. Brave this popular theme park after dark for thrills and chills and hear the screams of both delight and terror.
Through October 27. Tickets, $39-$55. sixflags.com/frontiercity

In case the roller coasters at Frontier City weren't thrilling enough, costumed scare actors will be patrolling designated areas of the fan-favorite Oklahoma City theme park during this season's Fright Fest. Photo courtesy Frontier City

By Ben Luschen
There’s a lot you can learn about the world on social media. For example, uh, let’s see here: “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were spotted kissing and holding hands during brunch with kids, @PageSix reports.” Wow, go figure! But you know what you can’t learn on social media? Anything about the 1957 Oklahoma Semi-Centennial Expo. For that you’ll probably have to turn to our old friend, books. An alert to all Oklahoma history buffs, you won’t want to miss this one. The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center Book Sale is running from Wednesday, October 2, to Saturday, October 5. Browse through countless books on a variety of topics, including rare and out-of-print titles you aren’t likely to get your hands on anywhere else. Visitors can also shop for reproductions of historical posters, maps, photographs, and collectibles. Family genealogy researchers might even locate official documentation of a long lost relative. Browse through the materials yourself at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City, and admission into the sale is free. Now that’s something worth posting about.
October 2-5. Admission, free. okhistory.org

By Karlie Ybarra
If you're a fan of horror and history, it can be hard to find something to scratch that very specific itch. I suppose you could watch Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, but surely there's a better, at least more accurate, option. If you can make your way to Enid on October 4th and 5th, there is! The Enid Cemetery Tombstone Tales are perfect for those who like a little scare with their schoolin'. As guests enjoy a moonlit wagon ride, re-enactors will pop out from the shadows to share the posthumous secrets of pioneers, war heroes, and scoundrels. Tickets are $15, so go to visitenid.org to reserve a spot today.
October 4-5. Tickets, $15. [visitenid.org](external:https://visitenid.org/event/tombstone-tales/

By Nathan Gunter
It’s one of the great Oklahoma mysteries: One day in 1953, Lydie Marland packed up her 1949 Studebaker and left Ponca City. She was the widow of the state’s former governor, a woman whose life—particularly her marriage to E.W. Marland, who once had been her adopted father—had been shrouded in speculation and controversy. Lydie eventually returned to Ponca City more than twenty years later, but nobody really knows where she went in the meantime.
But here’s what I like to think: She Eat-Pray-Loved herself across this Earth, experiencing every culture and type of food and language she could find. Maybe she wandered the great Stone Forest of China or took a lazy gondola ride down Venice’s Grand Canal. Perhaps she wandered into Münich and discovered the wonders of German beer.
If you think this last possibility seems particularly likely, then you’ll want to head to Ponca City for the Marland Estate Oktoberfest, held at Lydie’s former home, the Marland Mansion, Saturday and Sunday October 5 and 6. You can browse a beer garden and a vendor marketplace, take the kids to ride some rides, sample some German food, see how well you remember the Chicken Dance, and even visit a sports tent to check in on nine different football games (hey, it’s still Oklahoma).
October 5-6. Admission, $5. poncacityoktoberfest.com

Fall revelers of all ages will enjoy the expansive grounds of the Marland Mansion during Ponca City Oktoberfest. Photo courtesy Ponca City Oktoberfest

By Megan Rossman
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love you smothered in beans. I love you covered in meat and cheese. I love you crispy. I love you soft. I love you stacked before me on a plate or in my hand. That’s only six ways, but my love comes in many more combinations. I am speaking, of course, of tacos. And my love includes another variety popular in Oklahoma: the Indian taco. So, it’s only natural that I’m particularly excited about the National Indian Taco Championship in Pawhuska. For nineteen years, downtown Pawhuska has hosted this delicious annual event where visitors can sample all sorts of culinary creations from chefs vying for top awards. Saturday, October 5 is the day to shop, listen to local bands, and watch Native American dancing and demonstrations while eating your weight in frybread from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
October 5. Admission, free. pawhuskachamber.com

What's beats an Indian taco? How about several different varieties made by talented chefs vying for culinary supremacy? Check it out at the National Indian Taco Championship in Pawhuska. Photo courtesy Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce

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.