EXTRA! - Folklife Festival this Saturday!

Oklahoma Historical Society sent this bulletin at 10/22/2025 05:00 AM CDT

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A farmer stands behind his vegetable market with large pumpkins, squash and corn on display, October 1898. Other people can be seen in the background

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October 22, 2025

Folklife Festival banner with an upper row of event pictures

A collage of dancers, guests, cooks and a wagon full of women in costumes outside the Oklahoma History Center

FREE EVENT AT THE OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER THIS WEEKEND!

2025 Oklahoma Folklife Festival

The 2025 Oklahoma Folklife Festival at the Oklahoma History Center will be held on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

This festival aims to engage visitors by providing opportunities to experience diverse cultures and traditions. Visitors will be encouraged to participate in various activities rather than just observe. The festival’s objectives include sparking curiosity, facilitating intercultural exchange, creating participatory experiences, and collaborating with cultural practitioners, communities, and heritage professionals. The event will primarily take place indoors, and admission will be free for the public.

Research Center Book Sale with people at tables of books, opening, reading, and looking at the items on sale at the OHC

A selection of books stacked together on a table

STARTING TODAY!

Annual Research Center Book Sale

The Oklahoma Historical Society’s (OHS) John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center will host its 2025 book sale Wednesday, October 22, through Saturday, October 25, at the Oklahoma History Center, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. The sale is open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Executive Director Trait Thompson, Dr. Bob Blackburn, and Dr. Sunu Kodumthara are seated at a table with microphones

LISTEN TO THE LATEST

The 1920 Election

Having dominated the political landscape since statehood, the Democratic Party in Oklahoma was upended by a Republican landslide in 1920. In this latest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn examine the conditions that led to the changing of the guard, including a tepid response to the League of Nations proposal from President Wilson, the economy after World War I, and the first national election in which women participated. Their guest is Dr. Sunu Kodumthara, history professor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

The Sharpshooter and the Showman book signing with author Chris Enss

Book cover depicting May and Bill Lillie as Western performers.

On Sunday, October 26, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will host a book signing with author Chris Enss. The event will introduce her new title, The Sharpshooter and the Showman: May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and Their Wild West Show (2025, Farcountry Press), which features the detailed history of Pawnee Bill and his wife, May Lillie.

Battle of Honey Springs Education Day

Educators and reenactors by their demonstration tables, speaking to the public on points of the Honey Springs Battlefield Education Day

T. S. Akers making a Honeys Springs Battle presentation to a group of schoolchildren on Education Day.

School Group Registration

On Friday, November 7, students from schools across the state will have the opportunity to explore education stations teaching topics related to the Civil War in Indian Territory on the Battle of Honey Springs Education Day. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., living historians will demonstrate military drills, cooking techniques, everyday activities for soldiers, and civilian life. Numerous sutlers will be selling 19th-century reproduction military equipment, clothing, books, and souvenirs, and food vendors also will be on-site. Education Day at Honey Springs Battlefield is free, but please pre-register for this event.

Battle of Honey Springs Reenactment

An image of the Documentary from the Battle of Honey Springs featuring Brigadier General Douglas H. Cooper attending a fallen soldier

The Battle of Honey Springs Reenactment will take place at Honey Springs Battlefield on Saturday, November 8, and Sunday, November 9, with self-guided tours through the Union, Confederate, and civilian camps, and reenactments at 1 p.m. each day. Visitors can experience military drills, demonstrations, and living history programs, and take a walk through Sutler’s Row, which features a number of vendors selling clothes, books, souvenirs, and reproduction nineteenth-century military equipment. Visitors from around the state come to see special presentations and watch the battle unfold.

Admission to this event is $10 per person, and children 12 and under are free.

About the Reenactment

A family gathers in the basket of a hot air balloon for a photo op.

The Winnie Mae airplane suspended in the Oklahoma History Center great hall.

Celebrate 20 Years of the Oklahoma History Center!

On Saturday, November 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center will open its doors to celebrate its 20th anniversary. This milestone event is free and open to all. Whether you are a longtime supporter or a first-time visitor, November 15 is the perfect day to discover what makes the Oklahoma History Center a place worth celebrating!

Since 2005, the Oklahoma History Center has connected visitors to the stories of our state. Now, it’s marking its 20th anniversary with a free public celebration.

This one-day event offers something for every history enthusiast or anyone curious about the people and stories that shaped Oklahoma. Guests can explore hands-on artifact carts, join guided tours led by staff and volunteers, and enjoy live historical interpreters throughout the museum galleries. Special programming will take place throughout the day.

Free State Historic Preservation Office Workshops

A Tudor-style home built with flagstones

National Register of Historic Places Overview webinar

Tuesday, October 28

A mossy roof with a wooden shingles and a collection leaves.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) webinar

Wednesday, October 29

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Kilgen Theatre Organ Performance featuring the silent film Phantom of the Opera

The vintage Phantom of the Opera movie poster with an illustration of the Phantom swimming in the underwater lair of the Paris opera house.

The Oklahoma History Center is proud to announce another Kilgen Theatre Organ performance featuring the 1925 silent movie classic, Phantom of the Opera, accompanied by world-renowned organist Clark Wilson. He will provide the background music and sound effects for this Halloween thriller. The performance will take place on Monday, November 17, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for Oklahoma Historical Society members and $20 for non-members, and may be reserved by calling 405-522-0765. Tickets are also sold online. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Purchase tickets online

Upcoming OHS Halloween events!

A group of Trick or Treaters line up for a game of Halloween fun at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum. The date October 25

"History Never Dies" Halloween Carnival

OKLAHOMA TERRITORIAL MUSEUM AND CARNEGIE LIBRARY

A person dressed in a sheet as a ghost at the window, with the date October 25 seen in the corner

Ghost Stories Tours

PAWNEE BILL RANCH AND MUSEUM

Trick-or-Treat at the Museum

WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM

The A. J. Saey Mansion and the date October 31 in the right hand corner.

Haunt the Hill

THE CHISHOLM

THE OKLAHOMA MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE (OKPOP)

Hello Friends and Potential Donors,

Music is my livelihood, and Oklahoma is my home—my heart. So, when I heard more about OKPOP’s mission to inspire and empower young Oklahoma musicians or artists like me, I knew I had to get involved. OKPOP is telling the stories of Oklahomans who influence pop culture in such a cool and innovative way, and folks from all over the country are going to love it.

Please consider joining me, and others, to support the final fundraising phase to open OKPOP to the public.

Honorary Campaign Chair

Donate today!

Country Western music star Blake Shelton looks through the window of an open truck door.

Nina Hager, editor

Children grinding corn with a turn handle, and choosing a pumpkin from a large pile.

Follow the OHS website calendar to learn about our events and programs at OHS museums and historic sites across the state! Our calendar constantly changes with the latest programs and activities, from seasonal events to celebrations, exhibits, films, educational classes, and workshops.

Events Calendar Encyclopedia The Gateway Contact Us

Social media icons, Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube appear above a detail of an historic image of a vegetable market in 1898

Connect with the Oklahoma Historical Society on social media—where you can learn more about Oklahoma history and get up-to-date information about events and exhibits across the state!

Masthead image: Corn, squash, and pumpkins on display at a vegetable and grain exhibit at the free Street Fair, held October 10–15, 1898, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory (4070, Frederick S. Barde Collection, OHS).

Stay connected with the Oklahoma Historical Society

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