Blackberries and whiskey running are two of the claims to fame McLoud residents boast. The former is what brought me to the tiny town of less than 4,000 people: The Blackberry Festival.
After a slight detour (I missed the exit) I arrived in McLoud at the tail end of the town’s parade. Certainly not the Rose Parade, but I get a kick out of watching the people who attend them. As the parade ended, I headed over to the festival, complete with carnival rides, food trailers and a car show.
Events were scheduled throughout the day. The horse shoe tossing near the beer trailer (sounded dangerous) and turtle races perked my interest, but they were going to take place later in the day. Unfortunately, it was going to be way too hot to experience those events. At 11:00 a.m., it was already reaching a stifling 96° and expected to climb to 105°.
I stopped at the McLoud Chamber of Commerce booth to pick up some of the famous Blackberry Jam. I didn’t find the whiskey booth.
Then, after the second tour of the car show, I went back into town to the McLoud Diner for lunch. It wasn’t a write-home-to-mom burger, but it served its purpose. Afterwards, I decided to head back to Tulsa.
Overall, I was a little disappointed in this adventure. It would have been a more memorable experience if the festival had been placed in the old downtown area, closer to the town’s history, the retail establishments and places where you could get out of the heat for a while.
Would I go back to the Blackberry Festival? Probably not. Been there, done that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it was an anticipated event for the residents of McLoud, but not much to see or do for folks from out of town. Well, unless you enjoy tipsy horse shoe tossin’.
Pictures from the car show.
