Glenpool Black Gold Days

Come celebrate Glenpool’s heritage at the 30th Annual Black Gold Days, Thursday through Saturday, June 19, 20 and 21 at Black Gold Park

Glenpool is widely known as the city that made Tulsa famous. Come celebrate Glenpool’s heritage at the 30th Annual Black Gold Days, Thursday through Saturday, June 19, 20 and 21 at Black Gold Park. Black Gold Days commemorates the first oil gusher in Glenpool, discovered in 1905. Oklahoma soon after became famous for oil production, and Tulsa was named the “Oil Capital of the World.”

For the past 30 years the residents of Glenpool have united to celebrate their rich heritage. Carol Campbell, executive director of the Glenpool Chamber of Commerce, says that although the foundation of Black Gold Days is oil-related, the emphasis is truly on family, community and entertainment. People come together to visit and have a great time. The festivities include delicious food, arts & crafts vendors, and carnival rides.

Live entertainment will be featured each evening free of charge. On Thursday night Life in the Son, a Christian rock group, will perform. Thursday also features the Ellis family, returning to present their southern, country-style gospel music. Wade Quinton & Wild Horse will get toes tapping Friday with their country tunes.

For the first time, Tulsa SPCA will be on site with their mobile adoption unit. From 10:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Saturday, dogs and cats in need of good homes will be available for adoption.

The Lions Club is sponsoring a pancake breakfast Saturday morning from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. At 11:00 a.m., in a parade reminiscent of simpler times, townspeople and visitors will watch the military groups, scout troops, antique tractors, motorcycles, mounted horses, sports clubs, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles stroll by. No Oklahoma parade would be complete without the Akdar Shriners’ clowns and funny cars to add a touch of humor.

A favorite event for the kids is Saturday afternoon’s Frog Jump and Turtle Race. Children begin collecting their frogs and turtles months in advance to train them for the big competition, and cash prizes are awarded to the winners. Carol’s husband Charles, who calls himself “The Chief Volunteer,” laughs about how the kids bring their creatures in all kinds of containers – baskets, buckets, cages and shoe boxes.

Saturday evening’s entertainment features a medley of musical genres. The Full Flava Kings, a Tulsa-based rhythm and blues group, will once again wow the audience. Shelby Eicher, Mark Bruner and Rick Morton come together to form bluegrass group The Trio, which had its very first gig in Glenpool. OkXpress will provide comedy and a variety of bluegrass, gospel and country music. The Clear Water Cloggers, under the direction of Alan Keene, will return with fancy footwork and a performance sure to please the audience, in addition to teaching them a few things about the history of clogging. Another highlight of Black Gold Days is the local dance groups who perform during intermissions.

To top off the celebration, a colorful fireworks display will light the sky around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. “You can have a really good time without spending a lot of money,” said Charles, who has been a part of every celebration since 1978.

Black Gold Days will take place Thursday and Friday, June 19 and 20, from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 21 from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. The primary sponsor of Black Gold Days is Glenpool Storage, and other major sponsors include Edison Electric, ONG, Champagne Metals, Dan Martin, D.O., East Central Electric, Margaret Petty and Janice Koss.

Plenty of free parking is available on the east side of Highway 75 at W. 145th St. For more information on this family-friendly celebration of Glenpool’s heritage, call the Chamber of Commerce at (918) 322-3505.

For more information, contact

30th Annual Glenpool Black Gold Days

Black Gold Park,

off Highway 75 at W. 145th St.

(918) 322-3505

www.glenpoolchamber.org