Upcoming Events at McLoud Veterans Memorial Park
Fri Jul 8, 5:00 PM - Sat Jul 9, 10:00 PM
McLoud Veterans Memorial Park
600 East Park Street, McLoud, OK 74851
Community: Downtown OKC
Description
Join us for the longest running food-related festival in the state of Oklahoma!
Event Details
Join us for the longest running food-related festival in the state of Oklahoma!
About this event
The McLoud Blackberry Festival began in the 1940's as a celebration of the end of harvest season for the local cash farm crop, blackberries. Since harvest season was completed just before July 4th, when a community picnic had been held since the town was founded June 21, 1895, the two were combined to create the annual Blackberry festival. The town received national media coverage in 1949 when the Blackberry Growers Association and the McLoud Chamber of Commerce sent a crate of berries via overnight air freight to President Harry Truman. He said they were the bested he had ever tasted and then declared McLoud to be the "Blackberry Capital of the World". The association disbanded in 1963 due to a poor market and farmers moved on to a more lucrative crop. ​While blackberry farming may no longer be the agricultural strength of McLoud, the festival celebrated each year continues to be an exciting event for the city and draws thousands of attendees from across the nation. The McLoud Blackberry Festival is the longest running food-related festival in the state of Oklahoma! Join us for Great Plains carnival rides, a huge parade through downtown, a fantastic fireworks display, helicopter rides, live music, craft vendors, food trucks, and of course... everything BLACKBERRY! Enjoy fresh blackberries, blackberry jam, blackberry cobbler, blackberry newburg, blackberry snow cones, blackberry topped funnel cakes, blackberry craft beer, blackberry margaritas, blackberry wine, and SO MUCH MORE!
About this event
The McLoud Blackberry Festival began in the 1940's as a celebration of the end of harvest season for the local cash farm crop, blackberries. Since harvest season was completed just before July 4th, when a community picnic had been held since the town was founded June 21, 1895, the two were combined to create the annual Blackberry festival. The town received national media coverage in 1949 when the Blackberry Growers Association and the McLoud Chamber of Commerce sent a crate of berries via overnight air freight to President Harry Truman. He said they were the bested he had ever tasted and then declared McLoud to be the "Blackberry Capital of the World". The association disbanded in 1963 due to a poor market and farmers moved on to a more lucrative crop. ​While blackberry farming may no longer be the agricultural strength of McLoud, the festival celebrated each year continues to be an exciting event for the city and draws thousands of attendees from across the nation. The McLoud Blackberry Festival is the longest running food-related festival in the state of Oklahoma! Join us for Great Plains carnival rides, a huge parade through downtown, a fantastic fireworks display, helicopter rides, live music, craft vendors, food trucks, and of course... everything BLACKBERRY! Enjoy fresh blackberries, blackberry jam, blackberry cobbler, blackberry newburg, blackberry snow cones, blackberry topped funnel cakes, blackberry craft beer, blackberry margaritas, blackberry wine, and SO MUCH MORE!
