Events for June 1, 2022 - July 27, 2022
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June 2022
Vintage Snack Sets exhibit opens
The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will feature Vintage Snack Sets, a temporary exhibit during the month of June. From the 1940s to the 1970s, women often entertained at home by hosting teas, coffees, or church socials. On these special occasions, they would wear their Sunday best and bring out pretty snack sets that included a plate with a round indention to hold the matching cup. This exhibit will include pieces by manufacturers such as Anchor Hocking, Hazel-Atlas,…
Find out more »All Aboard: Examining the Orphan Trains exhibit closes
Museum After Dark: Village Sounds featuring singer/songwriter Stacey Sanders
On Friday, June 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) in Enid will present Museum After Dark: Village Sounds featuring singer/songwriter Stacey Sanders. "Village Sounds, a "Museum After Dark" events are intimate listening experiences held at the Village Church on the grounds of the Humphrey Heritage Village at CSRHC. This series explores the Oklahoma story from the perspective of musicians and songwriters from our state who are authentic interpreters of the past. Stacey Sanders…
Find out more »Barn Quilt workshop **class is full**
Join us at the Chisholm Trail Museum on Saturday, June 11 for our Barn Quilt workshop. Barn quilts are not made of fabric, but are instead square-shaped boards painted to resemble a quilt block. The colorful wooden patterns are placed on the exteriors of structures and have evolved into a rural development initiative to boost tourism in communities all across the United States. Oklahoma State University Extension Educator Lindy Hoel will lead this workshop, where each participant will complete their…
Find out more »Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Days
Pawnee Bill's Wild West Days will be held on Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum. Stagecoaches will roll amid thundering horse hooves while the lightning of gunfire explodes around Pawnee Bill, May, and their cohorts as the talented performers thrill and amaze audiences. This one-day celebration will feature exhibitions of acts from the original Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Shows. Kevin Webb will portray Pawnee Bill for the 14th time. Webb,…
Find out more »The Battle of Honey Springs deadCenter Film Festival screening
The Oklahoma Historical Society is excited to announce that The Battle of Honey Springs, a documentary depicting the largest Civil War battle to take place in present-day Oklahoma, has been selected for this year’s deadCenter Film Festival. The film will show at the Harkins Bricktown 16 Theater in Oklahoma City on June 11, at 11:00 a.m. The viewing is free to the public. On July 17, 1863, near the community of Honey Springs in the Muscogee Nation, United States and…
Find out more »Fort Towson Homecoming
Visit Fort Towson Historic Site on Saturday, June 11, to celebrate the town of Fort Towson’s homecoming. The day’s activities will begin with a morning homecoming parade through downtown Fort Towson. The festivities move to Fort Towson Historic Site midday where guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to sit on the grounds and listen to a live band. Children's games and a pony express race will make this a fun event for the whole family. A barbecue lunch will…
Find out more »2022 Enid Summer Chautauqua: “Surviving the Sixties”
Enid Chautauqua invites guests to step back in time with stories and anecdotes from historical figures at “Surviving the Sixties: Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll,” its 2022 Enid Summer Chautauqua programs hosted by the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC). These free programs will take place Tuesday through Saturday, June 14–18, under the big white tent in the Humphrey Heritage Village at the CSRHC. Local entertainers will perform beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening, with the scholar performances beginning…
Find out more »Juneteenth Celebration: Music Through the Ages
This event is FREE and open to the public! The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) will celebrate Juneteenth with “Music Through the Ages,” on Thursday, June 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center. Dr. Donnie Nero will serve as the master of ceremonies for several educational presentations and musical performances representing Oklahoma’s unique African American roots. Light refreshments will be served. The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. Dr. Harold…
Find out more »OU and OAS Summer Archaeological Research concludes
Students and faculty of the University of Oklahoma and staff of the Oklahoma Archeological Survey are performing a month of excavations at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center through June 17. Visitors are welcome to observe the research and ask questions at this unique learning experience. Under the direction of Dr. Scott Hammerstedt, Dr. Amanda Regnier and Dr. Patrick Livingood, students will be excavating areas of interest from recent remote sensing projects. This is the first excavation at the site since 2014…
Find out more »“Writing in the 1800s” living history program
On Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18, Fort Gibson Historic Site will be holding a living history program to demonstrate writing techniques and materials of the 19th century. Visitors will see writing implements, inks, papers, and other supplies used in scribing letters and official documents. In the 1800s, writing was the common method of long-distance communication. At Fort Gibson, staff used writing to create records, reports, and in tracking troop movement. In that era, writing was vital to the…
Find out more »Pioneer Family Fun Day
The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue in Ponca City will be hosting Pioneer Family Fun Day with educational, hands-on pioneer crafts and activities on Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most of the festivities will be held outdoors on the museum grounds. The museum will be open for guests to enjoy the exhibits from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue is located at 701 Monument Road in Ponca City. For more information,…
Find out more »Family Day at the Birthplace Ranch: 19th-Century Baseball Game
Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch will be hosting Family Day at the Ranch from 1 to 3 p.m. Take the family out to the ball game! Bring the family to the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch to learn about the history of baseball and enjoy watching a 19th-century-style baseball game. Admission is free and open to the public, but donations are appreciated. Refreshments and food will be available for purchase at the game.
Find out more »Will’s Wild West Kids Camp
Grab your lasso and join the fun at Will‘s Wild West Kids Camp June 20–22 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum (WRMM) in Claremore. Will's Wild West Kids Camp will transport participants back in time to the Wild West with hands-on activities in a fun and entertaining learning environment. Kids will have the opportunity to participate in nature programs, crafts, period dancing, 19th-century games, and much more. A chuck wagon lunch is included. Register…
Find out more »Summer Solstice Walks
Start your summer with a trip to Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center for a special guided tour on the summer solstice, Tuesday, June 21. There will be three walks led by archaeologist Dennis Peterson starting at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Each walk will include one mile of easy walking and last about two hours.
Peterson will talk about the history of the mound site and the American Indians who built it more than 1,000 years ago. He also will talk about the reasons for the mounds and the alignment of some of the mounds to track the movement of the sun throughout the year. Peterson will tell the history of the excavations of the site by both archaeologists and looters. The 7 p.m. walk will allow the observation of twilight wildlife and a view of the sunset, which is the most important part of the event.
There is a small fee for this series of tours of $5 for adults and $3 for children in addition to the regular daily admission fee. Oklahoma Historical Society and Spiro Mounds Development Association members do not pay the daily admission fee. No reservations are required, except for large groups. Payment can be made by cash or check, but credit cards are not accepted.
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at www.okhistory.org/board. This meeting will be held in-person at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
Find out more »Thursday Night Lecture Series featuring Lynn Riggs film A Day in Santa Fe (1931)
On Thursday, June 23, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum will show a digitally restored print of the Lynn Riggs 16mm film A Day in Santa Fe. Lynn Riggs (1899–1954) was an American author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter born on a farm near Claremore, Oklahoma. He is best known for his play Green Grow the Lilacs which was adapted into the landmark musical Oklahoma! As a student, Riggs traveled to Santa Fe in the 1920s and 30s. There he filmed A…
Find out more »“Functional Fiber Arts” living history program
On Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, Fort Gibson Historic Site will be holding a living history program to demonstrate the many uses of functional fiber arts. Visitors will be treated to examples of crafts such as twined bags and finger woven belts, along with a discussion of the wide variety of uses for these beautiful pieces of functional art. Fiber arts provided many functions beyond personal and artistic expression. Upon arrival to the Americas, colonists encountered many different…
Find out more »Movie Night featuring Route 66: An American Odyssey (1995)
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will host a Movie Night featuring the film Route 66: An American Odyssey (1995) in its theater on Friday, June 24, at 7 p.m. The film screening will be followed by a conversation with the director of the film John Paget. Prior to the movie, "Horsing Around with Will" will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., during which families can enjoy activities and crafts relating to the movie's theme. Guests can enjoy free…
Find out more »Guided tours
Honey Springs Battlefield is pleased to announce a unique tour opportunity at the site. Students from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) will serve as tour guides on the six trails crossing the 1,100-acre battlefield on Saturday, June 25, and three Saturdays in July: July 2, 16, and 23. This series of tours coincide with the annual memorial of the battle on July 16, at 10:30 a.m. The students will point out the exact locations of military…
Find out more »Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show opens
On Tuesday, June 28, a new exhibit titled Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show will open at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. It will feature the works of Oklahoma artist Dallas Mayer. The self-named "Ranch Lady" paints figures from everyday life, inviting viewers to experience her heartfelt connections to the animals and people of the Great Plains. With painterly, soft brushstrokes and deep, saturated hues, her paintings convey a lightness of spirit. Dallas Mayer has developed her own unique…
Find out more »“Shut the Door! Barns in Oklahoma: Use of Stone and Bank Barns in Oklahoma” webinar
The State Historic Preservation Office is hosting a webinar series entitled "Shut the Door! Barns in Oklahoma" featuring presenters who specialize in barn history, construction, and restoration. On Tuesday, June 28, the topic will be "Use of Stone and Bank Barns in Oklahoma." These presentations will be held on the last Tuesday of every other month, beginning at 6 p.m. The webinars will be limited to the first 100 registrants. August 30 - "Signs of Ethnicity and Adaption in Oklahoma…
Find out more »Vintage Snack Sets exhibit closes
The Fred and Addie Drummond Home in Hominy will feature Vintage Snack Sets, a temporary exhibit during the month of June. From the 1940s to the 1970s, women often entertained at home by hosting teas, coffees, or church socials. On these special occasions, they would wear their Sunday best and bring out pretty snack sets that included a plate with a round indention to hold the matching cup. This exhibit will include pieces by manufacturers such as Anchor Hocking, Hazel-Atlas,…
Find out more »July 2022
Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929 exhibit opens
A new exhibit, Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929, will open to the public on Friday, July 1. The exhibit will feature fashions and accessories worn by/inspired by Anna and Henry Ione displayed on every floor of the historic home. A fashion timeline, as well as archival photos of the Overholser women and other trendsetters of the period, will be dotted throughout the displays. The exhibit will remain open…
Find out more »Pawnee Bill Cannon Dedication Ceremony
On Saturday, July 2, at 10 a.m., the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will hold a special dedication ceremony on the front lawn of the site to return one of the cannons used in the original Pawnee Bill Wild West Shows to the home of the former Wild West Show entertainer. After more than 70 years in Oklahoma City, the cannon will be unveiled on the front lawn at the historic site in Pawnee. Opening remarks will be delivered by…
Find out more »Selections from In Citizen’s Garb: Native Americans on the Southern Plains, 1889–1891 exhibit opens
On Tuesday, July 5, a selection of modern gelatin silver prints made from glass plate negatives from the photography studio of Lenny and Sawyers will be on display in the Noble Gallery located on the 3rd floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Lenny and Sawyers Studio was in operation for a short period of time from 1889 to 1891. Many of the photographs taken by William Lenny and William Sawyers in that period depicted Indigenous people in the Lawton…
Find out more »Barney P. Enright, Photographer exhibit opens
On Tuesday, July 5, the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School will open a new exhibit about the life and work of Perry photographer Barney P. Enright. A variety of Enright’s photographic prints, as well as period cameras and clothing, are included in this exhibit telling the story of his career as a lensman. At the age of 21, Enright moved with his family to Lahoma in Oklahoma Territory. His love of photography first began with taking pictures of…
Find out more »Overnight at the Chuck Wagon
Pack your sleeping bag, pajamas, toothbrush, and toothpaste for Overnight at the Chuck Wagon at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. This overnight event will take place from 5 p.m. on Friday, July 8, to 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 9. This event is for children ages 5–12, accompanied by at least one adult. Participants will bed down in various parts of the museum for a night of 19th-century activities, movies, arts and crafts, games, and storytelling, with a chuck wagon…
Find out more »Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
On Saturday, July 9, 2022, the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will host the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. at the museum located in Clinton. At the ceremony, two special Oklahomans will be inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame. Inductions are held every two years for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion or preservation of Route 66. The selection includes a nomination and committee…
Find out more »Route 66 Transitions, 1981–1991: Jerry McClanahan’s First Decade of Route 66 Photography exhibit opens
On Saturday, July 9, 2022, following the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will open the exhibit Route 66 Transitions, 1981–1991: Jerry McClanahan’s First Decade of Route 66 Photography. McClanahan is a noted Route 66 authority, artist, and photographer. He first began photographing and mapping US 66 in 1981, on a trip from Texas back to visit his boyhood home in Southern California. Over a period of 10 years, Jerry captured many lost…
Find out more »Market Basket workshop with Linda Lou Alexander *canceled*
The Market Basket workshop previously scheduled for July 9 at Fort Towson Historic Site has been canceled.
Find out more »Tuesday Tunes at the Mansion featuring Hunter Thomas
Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. will be hosting a series of relaxed free summer concerts featuring local musician Hunter Thomas. The easy acoustic Tuesday Tunes at the Mansion concerts will be held on the lawn of the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion on Tuesday nights, July 12, August 23, and September 13. 2022 Tuesday Tunes concerts are held from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a family-friendly event. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic, blankets, and chairs. Snow cones and other…
Find out more »Battle of Honey Springs Memorial Service
Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service honoring the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah on Saturday, July 16, at 10:30 a.m. The memorial service will be held outside on the lawn of the visitor center. Adam Lynn, site manager for Honey Springs Battlefield, will give a welcome and opening remarks, followed by the presentation of colors by the color guard, an invocation by Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Mr.…
Find out more »Heritage Plants Lecture
On Saturday, July 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center will have a presentation about Oklahoma's native and heritage plants for guests aged 12 and up. After learning about Oklahoma’s native and heritage plants, participants will enjoy a tour of the beautiful flora of the OHC’s Red River Journey. This program is free with paid admission to the OHC. It will take place in the Musser Learning Lab, located on the first floor inside the Research Center,…
Find out more »Let’s Talk About It: Cowboy Life: Reconstructing an American Myth (1975) by William W. Savage Jr.
Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum in Pawnee has partnered with Oklahoma Humanities (OH) to host OH’s book discussion series “Let’s Talk About It.” The book club meetings will take place as monthly in-person and online gatherings at the museum on Blue Hawk Peak, and will feature a different book title each month from July to November. All five of the books in the program have the overarching theme of the historical cowboy—the hired man on horseback who rode the ranges…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting *canceled*
Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee scheduled for Wednesday, July 20, has been canceled.
Find out more »Thursday Night Lecture Series featuring Pawnee Bill Ranch’s Anna Davis
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Anna Davis, the historical interpreter at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will be our guest to make a presentation about Gordon William Lillie and May Manning Lillie, the founders of the Pawnee Bill Ranch. Anna Davis has been the historical interpreter at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum for 16 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in history from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma. She specializes in genealogy…
Find out more »Museum After Dark: Home on the Range, an evening with artist Dallas Mayer
On Saturday, July 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., exhibiting artist Dallas Mayer will have a painting demonstration in the museum as a part of her Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show on exhibit this summer at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC).
Mayer will introduce her work that is exhibited at the CSRHC and provide insights into her process as an artist. She will also be holding a live painting demonstration showcasing her approach and style. In this special evening program, Mayer will lead a discussion on the subject matter of western landscapes that most inspires her work. The artist's pastel, watercolor, and oil works will be available to purchase.
Find out more »Oklahoma Summer Social Studies Conference
The Oklahoma Summer Social Studies Conference will be held in person on Tuesday, July 26, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Oklahoma History Center. "The Oklahoma Summer Social Studies Coalition is a partnership of organizations working together to provide relevant educator training and resources to prepare students for success in today’s world." There will be a wide variety of conference sessions available at this event, along with multiple vendors and resources to help teachers prepare for the next school year!…
Find out more »Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meeting
The Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meetings are held on Wednesdays in January, July, and October at 1:30 p.m. The April meeting will take place on Friday, April 8. Agendas will be available online 24 hours prior to the meeting at www.okhistory.org/board. This meeting will be held at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City.
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