Action-Packed October in Sapulpa

This fall, downtown Sapulpa is one of the most happening places around.

This fall, downtown Sapulpa is one of the most happening places around. Here’s a look at some of the events going on in Sapulpa this October.

Upstairs Downtown

“Upstairs Downtown is a tour of several of the unique buildings we have in downtown Sapulpa,” says Janet Beil (aka Sherwood), director of Sapulpa Main Street. “Last year was our first year for this event, and it was very well received.” The tour includes buildings currently for sale or lease, loft apartments that have been refurbished and upper floors that are awaiting their own refurbishment.

“There’s a lot of interest recently in living in downtown areas,” Beil says. “Gas prices are high, and people want to live in a central location. We have a lovely, historic downtown. It’s centrally located. But several people don’t know all that we have to offer. This is a great opportunity to show off downtown Sapulpa. We’ve got some really great spaces. We’ve got some from last year’s tour, plus some new ones.”

This trendy tour promises to be downright educational. “We’ll have many property owners available to tell you how they remodeled these historic buildings,” says Beil. “Remodeling isn’t always an expensive proposition, but it can be tedious. We’ll have some information on how you might take on a remodeling project yourself. It’s worthwhile seeing it through to the end. We’ll also have information about tax credits and the low-interest loans that are available. So it will be educational, but also a lot of fun. We’ll show some buildings that have been remodeled, and some that are going to be, so you can really get a sense of before-and-after. We want people to be able to say, ‘Yes, I can do this. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.’”

The Upstairs Downtown event is Sunday, October 5. Tours leave from Sapulpa Main Street, 101 E. Dewey, at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m. The event is free to Sapulpa Main Street members and downtown property owners. For everyone else, it’s just $5. The tour takes a little over an hour. “We’ll have refreshments before and after the tour at our sidewalk café,” says Beil. “Upstairs Downtown is a fun thing to do after church on a Sunday afternoon – just come down and take our little tour.”

Scarecrows on Parade

Each October, downtown Sapulpa businesses try to outdo one another in Sapulpa’s annual scarecrow-making competition. “We’re in our fifth year with Scarecrows on Parade,” says Beil. “It’s become very popular. All kinds of businesses do the scarecrows – service, retail, restaurants, beauty salons – they all put out their scarecrows, and every year it gets at little more competitive. Businesses have really gotten into it. Each year we’ll have 30 to 40 scarecrows. We’ve had pirates, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Marilyn Monroe in scarecrow form.”

“The winners of the contest get cash prizes,” says Beil. “Our design committee picks first,
second and third place, and the Mayor of Sapulpa will be out to present his Mayor’s Choice award.” Judging of the scarecrows takes place the first week of October, and the scarecrows remain on display until Halloween.

Trick or Treat Downtown

Sapulpa’s October festivities wrap up on Halloween with Trick or Treat Downtown. “We’ve been doing this for at least fifteen years,” says Beil. “People wanted a safe place for their kids to go trick-or-treating. So we shut down Dewey from Oak to Main, and we hand out candy from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening.”

Trick or Treat Downtown features heavy community involvement. “Our churches and civic organizations participate. Our businesses know they have to get a bunch of candy ready to pass out,” says Beil. “The area is well-lit, and the fire department and the sheriff’s department are there. The Sapulpa Police Department always helps with this great event. We have spooky music playing. We usually get around three thousand kids. It’s a lot of fun.”

For more information on these and other Sapulpa events, visit www.sapulpamainstreet.com.

For more information, contact

Sapulpa Main Street

(918) 224-5709

www.sapulpamainstreet.com