Independence Day Celebrations Around Oklahoma's Beautiful Lakes

Is there anything more American than sitting around an Oklahoma lake watching a glorious display of fireworks with the family? Of course not. That's how my 4th's were growing up in Northern OK.

Now, some places don't utilize their local municipal lakes. Some Oklahoma towns don't have the funds to throw America a birthday party, but we all tend to step up and celebrate anyway.

If you look around the state, there are some considerably huge events happening to celebrate our independence. Lots of lakeshore festivities, lots of food too. Most will typically stay in their own corner of the state and celebrate close to home, but you don't have to.

The huge celebrations.

OKC and Tulsa both have their own massive July 4th events, but so do the smaller towns around the Sooner State.

Lawton hosts Freedom Fest the weekend before the 4th, and while it seems like a weird, arbitrary choice in the home of the US Army's field artillery units, there's no such thing as a bad Independence Day celebration. It's like they've doubled it and are passing it along to the next July 4th weekend.

Also, the food that becomes the highlight of the event tends to happen in the smaller towns. Whether it's cheap hot dogs or tables full of locally-grown foods and fruits. You'll find that the smaller the town, the more you're welcomed.

Perhaps make 2025 the year you branch out a bit and explore a new place to celebrate America.

Oklahoma's Best 4th of July Celebrations

There's nothing like celebrating America's independence in the heartland, and Oklahoma practically overflows with patriotism across the state. While most towns have their own celebrations, some are larger than others. Since it would be hard to catch all of them in one day, they're spread out a bit over two and a half weeks, pick one or more and let your American flag fly.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Oklahoma's Best BBQ Joints

Nothing in Oklahoma is debated more passionately than who makes the best BBQ. While they all smoke meat, there are some huge differences in how that process is done. Type of wood, length of cook, foil vs paper wrap, and even the hot topics of seasoning, binders, and sauce come into play. What you like others may not, and vice versa. Since we can't just pick a top five or ten, here are the Oklahoma BBQ joints that have the biggest fans.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Do Not Leave These Things in Your Hot Car in Oklahoma

While you would expect most of this to be general knowledge, you'd be amazed how many people found out the hard way that there are some things you should never leave in a hot vehicle. Since we're knee-deep into another hot Oklahoma summer, it's worth mentioning to those who don't know.

Gallery Credit: Kelso