The McLoud Blackberry Festival: A Taste of Oklahoma History

Today we are discussing The McLoud Blackberry Festival in McLoud, Oklahoma. The McLoud Blackberry Festival, which began in the early 1940s, is one of the oldest food festival in the state of Oklahoma. Originally a celebration of the local cash farm crop, blackberries, the festival combined with an annual town picnic to form a larger event. The town received national media coverage in 1949 when the McLoud 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 best he had ever tasted" and 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, but the festival continues to be an exciting event for the city and now draws tens of thousands of attendees from across the nation. Enjoy quarts of fresh blackberries as well as dozens of other treats like blackberry jam, blackberry cobbler, blackberry cinnamon rolls, blackberry snow cones, and funnel cakes topped with, of course, blackberries. Blackberry-themed drinks include sodas, teas, lemonade, "wine-aritas," beer and, of course, wine. The festival also includes carnival rides, craft vendors, food trucks, a huge parade through downtown, live music (with The Great Divide headlining Saturday night), a 5K and fun run, and more. See if you have what it takes at the "Cobbler Gobbler" eating contest, and enter your blackberry creation into the baking contest to see if you can take home top honors. This family-friendly event concludes with a dazzling fireworks display on Saturday night. McLoud was founded in 1895 with the first post office opening on June 21st. It was named for John W. McLoud, a railroad attorney. McLoud became known as the Blackberry Capitol of the World during the 1940s after President Harry Truman was sent a crate of blackberries by the Blackberry Growers' Association. McLoud is a rural community with small town charm and the convenience of large town proximity. Among the small town charm are friendly faces seen among town at local shops and restaurants. Also discussed Dollar Tree, Think Ability, Marietta, Governor J. Kevin Stitt, and McLoud Chamber of Commerce. Special thanks to our partner, Think Ability. Want some Only in OK Show swag? #onlyinokshow #Oklahoma #podcast #traveloklahoma #travel #tourism #festival #mcloud #blackberry #contest #dollartree #govstitt #thinkability #marietta