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Holiday Edition Art • Music • Culture • Things to Do Volume 7 • Issue 4 • Green Country Scene • Tahlequah Daily Press
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TABLE OF C ONTENTS The Castle of Muskogee, Boo-Nanza share thrills ......................6 Okie Jeep Jam brings fun for veterans .........................................12 Fall Events........................................................................................15 Popular Stilwell event to kick off season .....................................21 Downtown Tahlequah offers holiday activities ..........................25 Dickens on the Boulevard key Claremore project .....................28 Heather Kilpatrick Publisher/Ad Director Kim Poindexter Executive Editor Kelsey Linch Advertising Sales Jake Sermersheim Graphic Designer
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Contributing Writers Cathy Spaulding Kellie Vann Mary Hanafee Shane Jackson Cover Photo Moondance Photography
Green Country Scene • Volume 7 • Issue 4
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The Castle of Muskogee is transformed into a spooky haven each October.
A LITTLE BIT OF BOO The Castle of Muskogee, Boo-Nanza share thrills, chills for Halloween fun
By CATHY SPAULDING Muskogee Phoenix
When October rolls around, Muskogee can be a spooky, yet fun, place. All sorts of frights fill The Castle of Muskogee’s Halloween Festival. The festival runs 5:30-11 p.m. each Friday and Saturday through Halloween night on castle grounds, 3400 Fern Mountain Road. Each attraction, including mazes, trails and hayrides, get a new theme each year, Castle owner Matt Hiller said. This year’s Hallow6
een Festival features live entertainment at a new stage in the German section. “The Trail of Blood has a voodoo bayou theme,” Matt Hiller said. “Inside the castle, Casa Morte plays on a 13 ghosts theme. These ghosts are trapped in this haunted house.” The Domus Horrificus maze salutes the scariest of scary movies. “We’re going to go off movie themes and probably scare adults more than the kids,” Matt Hiller said.
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The Haunted Hayride has been reimagined with a Grimm Fairytales twist. Historically, the original tales of “Hansel and Gretel,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and others were pretty grim. The forest will bump the scariness up a few notches. The Haunted Maze takes visitors through the mad world of “Alice in Wonderland.” The Halloween village will assume a Victorian air. People can can hear ghost stories around the fireside or shop at the marketplace.
Sydney Hiller, with The Castle, said this year’s Halloween Festival will feature new vendors, shops and foods to sample. Pubs have opened up. Old horror movies and live acts will be shown at a new stage in the German section. Sydney Hiller said The Castle is arranging the live acts. A Fright Night costume contest will be at 8 p.m. Oct. 10. The first-place winner gets $500, second place receives $250, and third place receives $100. Contestants must be 16 or older to enter. Costumes must be appropriate for family-friendly audiences, and judging will be based on originality, craftsmanship and presentation. Halloween Festival admission is $5, which is included with any haunted attraction ticket or combo bundle. Tickets for individual attractions, or combinations, range from $10 to $100. Advance tickets and VIP fast passes are available on The Castle of Muskogee website. Parking is free. That’s not Muskogee’s only opportu-
nity for Halloween fun. Boo-Nanza likely will attract hundreds of costumed youngsters and adults to downtown Muskogee, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. “It’s a haunting good time,” Main Street Muskogee Executive Director Courtney Graham said. “It’s full of trickor-treating, music food, business that are open downtown, carnival games with our nonprofits and a car show.” Nonprofit agencies hold carnival games along Elgin Avenue by Depot Green. Businesses on south Main Street will offer treats. Main Street Muskogee partners with Neighbors Building Neighborhoods to co-host the annual event, which has grown every year since 2015. An all-ages costume contest will cap the evening at 7:30 p.m. “It’s a community favorite,” Graham said. “It gets the community engaged with our downtown area, creates great memories for our families and kids that they can carry on.”
River Henderson, left, lets Bigfoot fill her bucket during the 2025 Boo-Nanza in downtown Muskogee. Green Country Scene • Volume 7 • Issue 4
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Greetings From...
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SH HO OP
SM MA ALL Downtownn Tahlequah Downtow l Upcoming Events
03 OksWagen Festival OCT
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NOV
Ladies Night Out
05 Cookie Stroll on Main DEC
Experien nce
Downttown n Ta ahlequa lequah
Tahlequah hmains street.com Green Country Scene • Volume 7 • Issue 4
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JEEPERS KEEPERS Okie Jeep Jam brings Jeeps, fun, funds for veterans
By KELLIE VANN CNHI Special Writer
The Okie Jeep Jam is an annual four-day event held at the Hatbox Event Center and put on by the Exchange Club of Muskogee. The event kicks off Thursday, Oct. 15 with a haunted trail ride through the Castle of Muskogee, followed by a poker run Friday. Saturday, Oct. 17 is when things get wild inside Hatbox. Linda Stowers, secretary of the Exchange Club and co-chair of the Jeep Jam, has been helping finalize the details for this year’s event. One of the event’s biggest attractions is the Jeep playground, an obstacle course at the Hatbox Event Center built by the Muskogee Exchange Club in partnership with Muskogee Parks and Recreation. Stowers said her father, Mark Kennedy, built the course because of his construction knowledge. It took him about a month to com12
plete the playground in 2019. Every year, he revisits it two weeks to a month before the event to make updates. “We try to always incorporate something new. The playground will probably have a new obstacle on it,” said Stowers. The playground has two trails totaling more than a mile in distance. Stowers does not own a Jeep, but said she would love to have one. “The Jeeping community is pretty amaz-
ing. They are the nicest people. They’ll group together and help each other out,” Stowers said. As an example, she told a story about a Jeep getting stuck on the playground. Another Jeep owner, who was in the registration line at the time, immediately offered to help get the vehicle unstuck. If the image of Jeeps climbing boulders and getting rescued from mud makes folks uncomfortable, perhaps
A Jeep maintains balance on the playground’s teeter-totter.
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A helper leans to attach a mud-laden Jeep to a track hoe to help get it out of the mud at Jeep Jam 2024. knowing it all goes to a good cause will ease their concerns. The Okie Jeep Jam raises funds for area veterans groups. “Last year, we were able to buy the VA a golf cart, so they can drive volunteers and patients up the hill from the parking lot,” said Stowers. Stowers said the golf cart cost more than $10,000. Every year, the Okie Jeep Jam registers hundreds of vehicles. Stowers said more than 400 Jeeps were on site last year. “Our very first year, we had over 200 registrants, and every year after that, we’ve always topped 300,” said Stowers. There are no competitions on the playground, as it is reserved for fun, but other competitions may attract registrants who like to show off. “We have show and shine, where
they compete for prettiest Jeep, and best-themed Jeep, and loudest Jeep. We have a Jeep Beep battle, where the Jeeps actually play their radios, and we see who has the best, clearest sound, and the best bass. It’s all judged by the crowd and it’s a lot of fun,” said Stowers. The event isn’t just for Jeep owners. Stowers pointed out it is free to spectators, and plenty of vendors will be on hand for visitors to shop. The event has had its share of mishaps over the years, including one year when a Jeep ended up in a pond. “He thought it was a hill he was going over, and he was going over the bank into the pond, in a brand-new Gladiator,” Stowers said. The Okie Jeep Jam will take place Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18. For more information, visit www.okiejeepjam.com.
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- Fall Events -
ONGOING
KEETOOWAH STORYTELLING THROUGH ART EXHIBIT
John Hair Cultural Center & Keetoowah Museum, Tahlequah, OK
SCARY LARRY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Tuesday, Kroner & Baer Pub, Tahlequah, OK
SCARY LARRY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Wednesday, Max’s Garage, Muskogee, OK
ACTIVITIES & AMUSEMENTS Har-Ber Village, Grove, OK
WILL ROGERS HIGHWAY: ROUTE 66 EXHIBIT
BEAU LADD
Oct 10, The Deck, Cookson, OK
SOONER SKYFIRE SHOWDOWN Oct 10, Hatbox Field, Muskogee, OK
JEEP JAM
Oct 15-18, Hatbox, Muskogee, OK
TEQUILA KIM
Oct 16, The Deck, Cookson, OK
CONNER CULPEPPER Oct 17, The Deck, Cookson, OK
SHAW REVOLVER
Oct 23, The Deck, Cookson, OK
Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, OK
DOWNTOWN HALLOWEEN BOO-NANZA
OCTOBER
CITY OF TAHLEQUAH TRUNK OR TREAT
Oct 24, Downtown. Muskogee, OK
Oct 30, Anthis Brennan, Tahlequah, OK
HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Oct 2-31, Castle of Muskogee, Muskogee, OK
Oct 30-31, Roxy Theatre, Muskogee, OK
MONTANA CAMP
PLANES & PUMPKINS
Oct 2, The Deck, Cookson, OK
Oct 31, Davis Airport, Muskogee, OK
CARLY NASH
SONS OF TURNER
Oct 3, The Deck, Cookson, OK
Oct 31, The Deck, Cookson, OK
NOVEMBER
JOSH RUPLEY - AMEICAN CONCERT PIANIST Oct 6, Music Hall of Fame, Muskogee, OK
THIRD & BOURBON
Oct 8, Watson’s Chophouse, Muskogee, OK
BORROWED MONEY Oct 9, The Deck, Cookson, OK 14
GARDEN OF LIGHTS
Nov-Dec 31, Honor Heights, Muskogee, OK
CASTLE CHRISTMAS
Nov-Dec 31, Castle of Muskogee, Muskogee, OK
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SONS OF TURNER
Nov 6, The Deck, Cookson, OK
- Fall Events -
CONNER CULPEPPER Nov 7, The Deck, Cookson, OK
TCP “CALENDAR GIRLS” BY TIM FIRTH Nov 13-15, First Presbyterian church, Tahlequah, OK
CARLY NASH
Nov 14-15, The Deck, Cookson, OK
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS
Dec 4-6, Thompson House, Tahlequah, OK
CHRISTMAS PARADE
Dec 4, Downtown, Tahlequah, OK
CHRISTMAS AT DEPOT GREEN Dec 4-27, Muskogee, OK
COOKIE STROLL
Dec 5, Downtown, Tahlequah, OK
AARON WATSON
Nov 14, Muskogee Civic Center, Muskogee, OK
LADIES NIGHT OUT
Nov 19, Downtown, Tahlequah, OK
TCP “CALENDAR GIRLS” BY TIM FIRTH Nov 13-15, First Presbyterian church, Tahlequah, OK
DECEMBER
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HOLIDAY ʻJUDGEʼMENT POPULAR STILWELL EVENT TO KICK OFF HOLIDAY SEASON
By KELLIE VANN CNHI Special Writer
Elizabeth Brown serves Stilwell as associate district judge for Adair County, but she also serves her community in other ways. Brown is a member of the Stilwell Kiwanis Club, and in that role, she helped bring a newer Christmas tradition to her small town — the annual brightly-lit, 26-foot musical Christmas tree in Fletcher Park. Brown said locals can anticipate fun events planned around the tree in the park Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 12. The details are still being worked out. “It’s something to do in December. When we first started this event, we did 12 nights of it, and most of our participants suggested we try something different. Last year, we did three, but this year the parade falls on the 18th, so we’ll do two,” said Brown. She said each Saturday will offer different events for participants. “One of the Saturdays we’ll have a presenting sponsor that will be the Chamber of Com-
The Christmas tree at Fletcher Park. Green Country Scene • Volume 7 • Issue 4
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merce, and the other Saturday will be Kiwanis. It’s a Kiwanis function, but we partner with other organizations in the community, like Boys & Girls Club,” said Brown. She said the chamber, banks and various merchants will participate by providing hot chocolate, activities and pictures with Santa. “Over the years we’ve done different things. We’ve had a live nativity, a life-size snow globe. Kiwanis always does a book giveaway for the kids as well,” Brown said. Brown said the tree will start going up in mid-November, and Thanksgiving night is when the music will start playing from a speaker in the tree, continuing from dusk until midnight. The lights in Fletcher Park sync with the music coming from the tree. Every year, the event is centered pm the tree, which was funded by the Carson Foundation and Carson Community Bank in 2020. While visitors can count on good cheer and activities planned around the tree again this year, the title for the event may change, with Brown leaning toward Christmas in the Park. “The opportunities for the kids to see Santa, and take those pictures and make those memories are a big thing for us. Some of our families don’t have the ability to go to Fayetteville or bigger places that may happen, so we like to make sure those things are available for all of our families,” said Brown. Brown said being a judge has nothing to do with her involvement. She serves on several boards, including the Stilwell Area Chamber of Commerce, Stilwell Kiwanis Club and The Boys & Girls Club of Adair County Schools. “It’s just another way to provide for our community. The important thing for me is to make sure these kids have 22
opportunities and things to do.” Brown said information will be available on the Kiwanis Facebook page and the Stilwell Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page when details are finalized.
Workers put together the Christmas tree.
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Family. Friends. Community. Mark Hodson, Agent 914 S Muskogee Ave Tahlequah, OK 74464 Bus: 918-456-8881 mark@markhodson.org
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A Tahlequah main street ornament hangs from a tree.
DOWNTOWN DELIGHT Holiday season in Tahlequah offers variety of activities
By MARY HANAFEE CNHI Special Writer
Tahlequah will usher in the holiday season with a series of community events beginning in November and continuing through December, giving residents and
visitors opportunities to shop, celebrate and enjoy the season together. Shelby Robertson, president of the Tahlequah Main Street Association Board of Directors, said the community will offer a variety of festivities throughout the sea-
son, with local organizations working together to create a full calendar of activities. “Ladies Night Out Nov. 19 starts our holiday season, the Miss Christmas pageant is Saturday, Nov. 21, the Christmas parade, hosted by the
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[Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce], is Dec. 4 followed by the Main Street Cookie Stroll Dec. 5,” Robertson said. Tahlequah Main Street Association’s Ladies Night Out will kick off the holiday shopping season Nov. 19, followed by the Miss Christmas pageant Nov. 21. The TACC will host its annual Christmas parade Dec. 4, while the Main Street Cookie Stroll is scheduled for Dec. 5. A tree-lighting ceremony also is planned for Norris Park during the holiday season, although the date has not yet been announced. Robertson said the city of Tahlequah, TMSA, TACC, Northeastern State University, Queen of Ace and other community organizations work together each year to provide activities that complement one another. Michael Payne, a TMSA board member, said the association also will be looking for volunteers to help prepare downtown for the season. “We are going to be needing volunteers to help us decorate the downtown corridor, and more information will be shared on the Tahlequah Main Street Association Facebook page,” Payne said. 26
Robertson said the events offer more than seasonal entertainment. They also provide opportunities for residents to spend time with friends and family while supporting the community. “Some of the best holiday memories are made right here at home,” Robertson said. “When you choose to spend your holidays in Tahlequah, attending local events, gathering downtown, and celebrating with your neighbors, you’re helping create a community where holiday magic can thrive.” Payne said the festivities also highlight the
community connection that makes the holiday season special in Tahlequah. “There is a cool thing that happens when you stroll down Main Street with a cup of small town coffee or cocoa and enjoy the festivities, decor, and atmosphere we have,” Payne said. Residents interested in helping with upcoming activities can get involved with TMSA by completing an interest form at TahlequahMainStreet.com. “We hope you will spend your holiday season with us in downtown Tahlequah,” Robertson said.
The Christmas Tree shines in Norris Park.
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Victorian Christmas December 4, 5, 6, 2026 918-348-1276
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Attendees enjoy a night at Dickens on the Boulevard in 2025.
DICKENS ON THE BOULEVARD Claremore’s premier holiday event reflects Victorian-era London By SHANE JACKSON Claremore Progress
Each holiday season, downtown Claremore brings Victorian-era London back to life with Dickens on the Boulevard. A Claremore staple for more than 30 years, the event is inspired by author Charles Dickens and his famous novella, “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens on the Boulevard includes street dancing, carriage rides, cricket matches, late-night shopping, and contests. 28
The street dance is a popular tradition at the event, wherein attendees can learn and participate in period-authentic dances. Many stores and restaurants along Will Rogers Boulevard will be open late and offering specials. Food trucks and vendors will also line the street. “We have a lot of local sweet shops where you can buy treats,” said Claremore Main Street Director Anita Miller. Contests include a beard and mustache contest, costume contest, and the Little Mr. and Miss. Dickens
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Pageant. The beard and mustache contest will be held at D’s Chop Shop. Although it was officially part of last year’s itinerary, Miller hopes it will garner more interest than before. Check-in for the costume contest will be at Thrift Harbor, and the contest will be held both nights of the event. The annual Little Mr. and Miss Dickens pageant will take place during the day, Saturday, Nov. 23. Miller said Dickens on the Boulevard began as a simple community event that has grown throughout the years. “It started as a way
to get people down here, and just to have fun,” Miller said. “They just dressed up and did some things, and it’s just evolved over the years.” The event draws crowds not just from Claremore and Oklahoma, but from other cities and states as well. Brenda Reno is the manager of Sailor Antiques in Claremore and co-chair of the Dickens on the Boulevard Committee. She said the event has been part of many people’s holiday vacations over the years. “It brings in family from all over the surrounding states who have come in for the hol-
idays to spend time with their families,” Reno said. “It’s considered a vacation for a lot of people, because they’ll take extended time off to come and be here.” Dickens on the Boulevard will be held in Claremore’s Lilac District Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, 6-9 p.m., with some activities occurring during the day. For those who have never attended, Miller said her best advice is to go and take it all in. “Whenever anybody comes and asks us about it, we always just say, ‘You have to experience it,’” Miller said.
A man rides a penny-farthing down Will Rogers Boulevard during Dickens on the Boulevard. Green Country Scene • Volume 7 • Issue 4
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