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Discover Grand Lake Oklahoma attractions and businesses. Includes specials, coupons, maps, virtual tours, pictures, and more from around Grand Lake.
Discover Grand Lake Oklahoma attractions and businesses. Includes specials, coupons, maps, virtual tours, pictures, and more from around Grand Lake.
The official and annual reopening of Grand Lake, dubbed Welcome Back Weekend for over twenty years, The traditional Poker Run, an event that attracts nearly 400 participants in the event’s inaugural year, remains the backbone of one of the most popular off-season weekends ever unveiled on Oklahoma’s premier lake. More details can be found on our Facebook Page. What is Welcome Back Weekend? Welcome Back Weekend is an annual event celebrated at Grand Lake, OK. This event was started in March of 1992 by Terry Frost, the previous owner of the Cherokee Yacht Club. The weekend began with a poker run on Saturday and a showing of the hands-on Sunday. Grand Laker Terry Frost and the late Barbara Connor proposed incorporating a Chamber-sponsored “Casino Night,” which became an instant success. Welcome Back Weekend is to get you back on the lake so you can enjoy Grand Lake more of the year. The event is not just a party anymore; it has come to signify the beginning of the boating season on Grand Lake. Although Grand Lake is always open to the public... Welcome Back Weekend is the official Celebration of the coming season! [read more]
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Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo in Vinita, OK, is the premier rodeo event held in the Southwest! This is a four-day event that is kicked off by the Annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo Parade on RT 66 in downtown Vinita. Every night of the rodeo is filled with action packed events from Girl's Barrel Racing, Bare Back Bronc Riding, Steer Roping, Bull Riding & Team Roping, and much much more!! Bring the family and enjoy an amazing night at the Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo in Vinita, OK. Our History Will Rogers was born in 1879, at a ranch house on the Verdigris River. The only towns that existed nearby were Vinita, Indian Territory (which later became Oklahoma), and Coffeyville, Kansas. After his mother died in 1890, Will was sent to several schools away from the ranch, but the one he grew to like the most was Willie Halsell College located in Vinita. He attended three terms from 1892, until 1895, and he never forgot the happy days he spent there or the friends he made. Years later, while attending a school reunion in 1934, Will Rogers told the Vinita folks, "Have a rodeo here next year and I'll come back." He returned that fall for the old-timer's parade, but on August 15, 1935, just days before the rodeo, Will Rogers and famed pilot Wiley Post were both tragically killed in a plane crash. It was decided that the Vinita rodeo would be held as a memorial to Vinita's cherished "son" Will Rogers, and it has been every year since. The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo has become one of the most outstanding rodeos in the entire southwest. [read more]
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