Weekly Events Calendar: June 23-29, 2025

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.

One of my favorite crafts to do for pure pleasure is origami. There's something so beautifully calm and Zen about folding paper into fascinating shapes. Now, Bartlesville native Kevin Box has expanded the form, and you can see his beautiful creations—along with others by his wife Jennifer as well as world-renowned origami artists like Te Jui Fu, Beth Johnson, and others—at the Tulsa Botanic Garden's Florigami exhibition, running through September 21. Throughout the Garden, you'll see twenty large-scale installations of blooms made from metal and crafted using origami. There are flowers, grazing deer, birds, and so much more—including Box's seventeen-foot kinetic sculpture of butterflies flitting through the air. Admission to the Tulsa Botanic Garden is $15 for those sixteen years and older and $10 for children ages 3-15.
Through September 21. Admission, $10-$13.
tulsabotanic.org

The Tulsa Botanic Garden's *Florigami* exhibition. Photo courtesy Tulsa Botanic Garden

Here at Oklahoma Today, we produce a whole lot more than a print magazine, YouTube show, podcast, website, newsletters, [deep breath], Oklahoma Travel Guide, Oklahoma Route 66 Guide, Oklahoma Route 66 Passport, and [deep breath] Oklahoma State Parks Passport. We also just released something that was really fun to work on: The Oklahoma State Parks Junior Naturalist books. These kid-forward publications—one for kids under ten, the other for kids ten and older—give young 'uns a fun, interactive way to explore Oklahoma's amazing state parks and protected lands. And this Wednesday, June 25, there's another: It's Citizen Science Day at Lake Eufaula State Park. Head out to this scenic stretch of southeastern Oklahoma for live hands-on learning activities at the park's nature center—sure to fire the imaginations of kids of any age. Plus, while you're there, you can pick up some Junior Naturalist books for your kids so the fun-with-learning can continue all summer long.
June 25. Parking, $5.
TravelOK.com

Bass Reeves is one of the hands-down coolest people who've ever existed inside the state of Oklahoma. This famed Territory-era lawman was one of the first black U.S. Deputy Marshals, and he held no quarter for lawbreakers of any kind—including his own son, whom he famously chased down and arrested as a lawman, then loved and supported as a father through his trial. That's only one of the many, many wild stories there are to tell about Reeves, and if you're hooked by that little bit—or if you're just a big fan of Wild West lawmen in general, and who isn't?—you'll want to make sure to hit the Bass Reeves Western History Conference at the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee. Starting Thursday, June 26 and going through Saturday, June 28, this event, now in its fifteenth year, includes interactive historic tours, fascinating speakers who are experts on history, prizes, giveaways, delicious food, and the companionship of some people who love Bass Reeves enough to come spend two days exploring his world. It's also worth noting that period-accurate costumes are encouraged, so this is not your average academic conference. Full registration is $160, but there are a number of cheaper options for the budget-conscious.
June 26-28. Standard registration, $160.
bassreevesconference.com

Bass Reeves. Photo courtesy The Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma Library

My dad was a chemist, and every 4th of July when I was a kid, we'd sit at the end of our driveway just outside Weatherford's city limits. It faced the nearby city park, where the town had its Independence Day celebration every year. We'd sit in lawn chairs so close that at times, it felt like we were directly under the fireworks. And every time a colorful bloom would light up the sky, my dad would tell us all which burning chemicals produced which colors. Red, he said, could be strontium, while blues were almost certainly copper salts. I absolutely loved this peek behind the curtain of what we were seeing. So maybe read up on your firework chemistry and plan to take your own kids to LibertyFest in Edmond, one of the biggest and most highly rated Independence Day celebrations in the country, taking place June 26 through July 4 all over the fantastic town of Edmond. Things kick off with the Concert in the Park on the UCO campus on June 26, and before it's all said and done, there'll be a rodeo, a car show, Liberty Jazzfest, patriotic trivia, a parade, and so much more, climaxing with the all-important fireworks show on July 4. And here's a bit of extra trivia for you: The green ones are green because of barium.
June 26-July 4. Admission, free.
libertyfest.org

I've gassed on about this at great length, and here I go, here I go, here I go again: I'm in love with farmer's markets—particularly the two that exist every Saturday morning in downtown Oklahoma City. They combine so many of the things that make my life wonderful: Oklahoma City, fresh fruits and vegetables, sunshine and fresh air, dog spotting, and just the merest bit of day drinking. The Saturday Farmer's Market at Scissortail Park is happening, well, every Saturday all summer from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I'll be there sipping a local beer, petting every dog I see, hanging out with my fellow OKCitizens, and definitely buying fresh broccoli and tomatoes and probably a great local chicken to roast during the week. Parking can be a little bit of a challenge, but it's free. I recommend arriving early-ish (I usually roll up about 10 a.m.) to make sure everything's in stock.
June 28. Admission, free.
scissortailpark.org

The Saturday Farmers Market at Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City. Photo by Nathan Gunter

Written By

Nathan Gunter

A sixth-generation Oklahoman, Weatherford native, and Westmoore High School graduate, Nathan Gunter is the magazine's editor-in-chief. When he's not editor-in-chiefing, Nate enjoys live music, running, working out, gaming, cooking, and random road trips with no particular destination in mind. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Oklahoma. He learned how to perform poetry from Maya Angelou; how to appreciate Italian art from Terisio Pignatti; comedy writing from Doug Marlette; how to make coconut cream pie from his great-grandma; and how not to approach farm dogs from trial and error. A seminary dropout, he lives just off Route 66 in Oklahoma City.