It’s A Big, Busy Metro Out There – If You Can’t Make It To Everything, Here’s Where To Start →
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Welcome to the Big Show
September 11-21, State Fairgrounds
It doesn’t get much bigger than this – musical entertainment including Beatlemania Live! and the Charlie Daniels Band, the spectacles of Disney on Ice and the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour, tons of special exhibits, vendors and prizewinning creations, a midway crowded with entertainment and inimitable food everywhere … there’s a reason this cavalcade of delights is called The Great State Fair of Oklahoma.
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A Night of Light
September 5, OKC Golf & Country Club
When the Oklahoma City Museum of Art saw that it was time for its annual Renaissance Ball, it said, “Let there be ‘A Luminous Evening!’” The 39th annual ball will continue in the event’s tradition of black-tie elegance, featuring cocktails, dinner, dancing to The SoulSations and a special tribute to longtime supporters Tom and Judy Love – it should be positively illuminating.
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Philanthropic Flavor
September 6, Embassy Suites Norman
With football season underway, Big Brothers Big Sisters has caught the gameday spirit – so you’re invited to share in The Big Tailgate, a tasting event featuring local restaurants’ best dishes in a rah-rah atmosphere (that’s likely to become literal during the evening) enlivened by local bands and mascots. Don a jersey and some eye black, and help make life a little better for local kids.
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Get It Together
September 18-January 3, Oklahoma Heritage Museum
Organized by Inclusion in Art, this collection called “Connection” combines works by Nathan Lee, Samia Dempsey, Behnaz Sohrabian and Paul Medina – though they work in different genres and media, their common thread is a desire to prompt emotional response from viewers in an exhibit based on the different ways that art unifies us all.
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Widening the World
September 18, St. Luke’s Methodist Church
That’s basically the mission of the OKC Town Hall Lecture Series: to bring a world of viewpoints to metro residents through the presentations of excellent guest speakers. A new season begins with a visit from former Governor and lifelong state resident George Nigh, who’s slated to recount “Oklahoma History Through My Eyes As I Lived It.”
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On the Road Again
September 26-October 5, OKC Civic Center
Or maybe that should be called “Hard Times.” The forced journey of the Joad family is an arduous one, with no hope remaining behind in Oklahoma and painful disappointments and disillusionments ahead in California – but humanity shines through in the darkest hours as CityRep and TheatreOCU brave the bitterness of Steinbeck’s seminal “The Grapes of Wrath.”
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The Turning of the Seasons
September 28, Santa Fe Depot
Weather notwithstanding, it’s officially autumn this month, and that means (to mangle a phrase from George R.R. Martin) Winter Wind is coming. The Depot’s biweekly concert series is launching with an appearance from Gretchen Peters, a songwriter of some repute whose strumming skills and warm presence behind a microphone makes her a great performer in her own right.
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A Lifesaving Lap
September 28, Myriad Gardens
AIDS is a powerfully destructive force – it can’t be fought alone, and no one should have to try. That’s why the theme for 2014’s AIDS Walk OKC is “Step Together.” All the fun to be had during the RED Run 5K, family festival, puppy parade and communal walk through downtown OKC will help raise awareness and funds, aiding nonprofits that help Oklahomans living with the syndrome.
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Party Central
September 27, Plaza District
For people inspired by the concept of area revitalization, this might be the sweetest 16 of all. Northwest 16th Street is the locus of the Plaza District, and the nexus of the neighborhood’s annual creative blowout … and this happens to be the 16th Plaza District Festival, boasting local food trucks, Oklahoma visual and performing artists, arts and crafts, kids’ activities and more exuberance than ever.
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Today Worth Remembering
September 29, OKC Civic Center
Celebrity Attractions has a once-in-a-lifetime treat in store for Oklahoma City – with a capital T, and that rhymes with C, and that stands for “Cool.” Shirley Jones herself hosts “The Music Man in Concert,” a 50th anniversary celebration of the tuneful tale in which she played Marion the librarian. Live performance and movie clips combine for an unforgettable evening.
