Oklahoma
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival draws musicians and fans back to folk icon’s Oklahoma hometown
Even 35 years later, Monica Taylor still remembers her first trip out to The Farm, the Stillwater homestead now recognized as the birthplace of Oklahoma’s Red Dirt music.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh my God, I’ve found my people,’” the Perkins singer-songwriter recalled with a laugh. “All the picking, all the (song) circles, oh, wow, it was just amazing. That was about 1989 or so … and ever since then, those people have been my family.”
If the Oklahoma songwriters’ scene is a big family, the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah is one of its biggest yearly reunions. Affectionately known as WoodyFest, the long-running event brings together dozens of Sooner State musicians, along with players from far and wide who admire the iconic folk troubadour the fest is named for.
“There are so many people there that you see. … With the artists, there’s some that you join on stage, some that you just chat with backstage and some that you pick with all night long in the parking lot,” Taylor said. “But it’s not just the artists: People come from all over the country — actually, from all over the world; there are always people who come from Europe, Australia and Canada, for sure — to enjoy every single day and every moment of the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. And they are family.”
Dubbed “The Cimarron Songbird” by the early WoodyFest staples the late Bob Childers and Jimmy LaFave, Taylor has become a fixture at the 27th annual event, playing 25 editions so far. The recent Restless Spirit Award honoree will join fellow WoodyFest legacy artists Ellis Paul and Joel Rafael in performing at this year’s opening-night concert, “Twenty-Seven Julys in Okemah: Memories of WoodyFest,” at 7 p.m. July 10 at Okemah’s historic Crystal Theatre.
In 2021, Taylor embarked with her husband, fellow musician Travis Fite, on recording her current project, the multi-volume “Red Dirt Ramble.” Paying tribute to the pioneers of Red Dirt music, the collection features 55 guest vocalists and musicians, and she’ll be playing selections from Vol. 1 during her WoodyFest opening-night set. She’s also planning to perform a few songs from her early WoodyFest days with the Farm Couple, her former duo with the late Patrick Williams.
“There is not a line, really, between the audience and the artist, and the artists make lifetime fans and friends at WoodyFest. And it’s a beautiful thing for everybody,” said Taylor, who will host on July 15 her Annual Post Woodyfest Concert featuring Don Conoscenti and Tim Easton at the Old Church Center in Perkins.
Organized by the nonprofit Woody Guthrie Coalition, WoodyFest 2024 is scheduled for July 10-14 at multiple venues in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah. Here’s what you need to know about the 27th Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival:
Who was Woody Guthrie?
Legendary singer-songwriter Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912, in Okemah. He would have been 112 years old this year.
The festival annually takes place on and around his July 14 birthday in his Okfuskee County hometown, which he once described as “one of the singingest, square dancingest, drinkingest, yellingest, preachingest, walkingest, talkingest, laughingest, cryingest, shootingest, fist fightingest, bleedingest, gamblingest, gun, club and razor carryingest of our ranch towns and farm towns because it blossomed out into one of our first Oil Boom Towns.”
Guthrie died Oct. 3, 1967, at the Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York, of Huntington’s disease, a degenerative genetic neurological disorder. He was just 55 years old.
But in his relatively short life, he wrote prose, poetry and thousands of songs — including “This Land is Your Land,” “Oklahoma Hills” and “Pastures of Plenty” — and influenced a wide range of musicians, from Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger to Lead Belly and Guthrie’s own son, Arlo Guthrie.
More than half a century after Guthrie’s death, the iconic singer-songwriter’s influence continues to grow: He has been cited as an inspiration by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Joan Baez and many more. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2006.
Who will be playing WoodyFest 2024?
Along with the trio playing the July 10 opening-night WoodyFest retrospective, this year’s festival will feature more than 50 musical acts performing at the Crystal Theatre, Rocky Road Tavern, Bound for Glory Stage at the Hen House restaurant and Pastures of Plenty outdoor stage.
The lineup features Guthrie’s granddaughter Annie Guthrie as well Guthrie great-granddaughter Serena Guthrie.
Oklahomans on this year’s WoodyFest roster include the Red Dirt Rangers, Ken Pomeroy, John Fullbright, Carter Sampson, Travis Linville, Selby Minner, Gypsy Twang, Jacob Tovar, Jared Deck, Jared Tyler, Randy Crouch, Susan Herndon, Melissa Hembree, Cassie Latshaw, Peggy Johnson, Miss Brown to You, RT Valine, Joe Baxter, Kierston White and Nellie Clay.
The lineup also features David Amram, Beat Root Revival, Butch Hancock, Jaimee Harris, The Deslondes, James McMurtry, Jamie Lin Wilson, Opal Agafia, Crys Matthews and Willi Carlilse.
Several daytime song swaps are on the schedule for this year’s festival, plus the WoodyFest House Band — Norman guitar hero Terry “Buffalo” Ware, bassist Uncle Don Morris, accordion and keyboard player T.Z. Wright and drummer Michael McCarty — will play their new House Band Happy Hour each day July 11-13.
Hosted by Dan Martin, the open mic is another daily festival highlight: It’s set for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Rocky Road Tavern.
WoodyFest 2024 will include camping, poetry, Children’s Festival and more
WoodyFest 2024 will include two longstanding traditions that raise money for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America: Mary Jo’s Pancake Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. July 13 at the Rocky Road Tavern and the event-closing Hoot for Huntington’s at noon July 14 at the Crystal Theatre.
This year’s free WoodyFest Children’s Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 13 at Okemah City Park will include harmonica instruction, a water slide, games, storytelling and a children’s stage. The Red Dirt Rangers and the winners of the Children’s Festival songwriting contest will perform.
Also on July 13, the Woody Guthrie Poets will perform at 11 a.m. at the Okfuskee County History Center, while the Native Spirit Collection Art Show, hosted by the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, will be on view from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside The Grind coffee shop.
WoodyFest is famous for its campfire jams. Camping will be available at the Okemah Round-Up Club Arena starting at 3 p.m. July 5. All sites are first come, first served, and limited camper hookups are available.
What panels and workshops will be presented at WoodyFest 2024?
WoodyFest annually includes a slate of free educational panels, with experts and activists covering timely topics as well as Guthrie’s life and legacy. This year’s sessions include:
- “Something to Say: Making Music that Matters,” with Barry Ollman
- “Legends and Legacy — Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame Induction,” with Deana McCloud
- “Secrets from the Woody Guthrie Archive,” with Guthrie granddaughter Anna Canoni and Rafael
- “Lead Belly’s Contributions to American Roots Music,” with Alvin Singh
- “Struggles and Victories: United Mine Workers of America,” with Tom Breiding
- “Native American Music of Oklahoma,” with Hugh Foley
- “I Didn’t Want to Tell You: Mental Health and Musicians,” with Chad Cochran
- “Growing Up with Woody,” with Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
- “Arlo Guthrie’s Guthrie Center,” with Annie Guthrie and Shivadas (Mo) Guthrie
In addition, the festival will feature songwriting workshops with Paul and Canoni.
How will the free WoodyFest app and shuttle help attendees navigate the festival?
Last year’s debut of the WoodyFest mobile app was successful, especially when Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather forced organizers to move the event’s outdoor performances at the last minute, so the coalition is making the app available again in the Google Play store.
Plus, festivalgoers who have mobility issues or just want to beat the heat can catch a ride on the event’s new free daytime shuttle service, which will make continuous loops among the festival venues, stopping at each one in 30-minute intervals.
How much are WoodyFest tickets and how can people get them?
WoodyFest offers several free panels, activities and concerts, including all indoor daytime performances on July 11.
Tickets to the opening-night concert on July 10 are $30 in advance or $35 at the door of the Crystal Theatre.
Music lovers ages 17 and older will need wristbands to enter the Crystal Theatre and the Hen House’s Bound for Glory stage July 12 and 13 as well as to attend all evening performances at the Pastures of Plenty.
Attendees 16 and younger will be admitted free of charge at the Pastures of Plenty if accompanied by an adult.
Single-day tickets for July 12 or 13 are $60. Passes for the Pastures of Plenty on July 11 are $40.
Weekend and three-day passes range from $100 to $250.
All passes purchased in advance must be exchanged for wristbands at the all-ages festival.
Tickets and information are available at woodyfest.com.
Oklahoma Legislature: How to contact your representative
Have you ever wondered how to contact your representative? Here’s what to know.
The polls have closed on three legislative races to fill vacant seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, including one in Oklahoma City that will now be held by a former district judge.
House lawmakers finished this year’s session with empty seats after three members resigned to take other jobs. The seats were filled in special elections held in Oklahoma County and the Tulsa area. The state Senate filled its own vacancy in May with the election of Republican Bryan Logan, who is the new state senator for a district in eastern Oklahoma.
The political balance of the Oklahoma House of Representatives won’t change much, if at all. Each of the winners during the Tuesday, June 10 election are the same party as their predecessor, meaning neither party lost a seat. The special election leaves the House with 81 Republicans and 20 Democrats.
Former district judge elected representative in Oklahoma City
Former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons was victorious in the special election to fill a seat vacated in April by recently elected Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe.
Timmons defeated JeKia Harrison in the Democratic primary with 59% of the vote, according to results posted by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
This primary was a winner-take-all election. No Republicans or independents filed for the open House of Representatives seat. District 97 includes portions of far northeast Oklahoma City, plus the metro-area communities of Spencer, Lake Aluma and Forest Park. The district also includes voters in parts of Jones and Midwest City.
Timmons, 64, was an elected Oklahoma County district judge for about a decade before she retired from the position in March. Before joining the bench in 2014, she was an attorney working on civil rights and employment law, and also worked for a time in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Timmons is a graduate of OKC’s John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Harrison, 35, has worked at the Oklahoma State Capitol as a legislative assistant for Tulsa state Rep. Meloyde Blancett. Harrison previously worked as child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and also owns a political campaign consulting business called Pen 2 Paper Consulting.
Urban Tulsa seat decided during June 10 special election
House District 71 is a sliver of land along the Arkansas River in south Tulsa. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Democratic state Rep. Amanda Swope, who left state government to work for the city of Tulsa.
In the district’s special election, Democrat Amanda Clinton won by a wide margin over Republican attorney Beverly Atteberry. Clinton secured 85% of the votes.
Clinton, 46, runs a public relations firm and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. She also sits on boards for Planned Parenthood and the OSU Foundation Board of Governors. Clinton previously said she’s an advocate for reproductive health freedom, access to medical care, clean water and minimizing “state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ impact on public schools.” She is also active in tribal policy.
“District 71 deserves leadership that shows up, speaks truth, and fights like hell for working people, and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Clinton said in a news release celebrating her victory.
Although once a Republican stronghold, District 71 has been held by a Democrat since 2018.
Longtime Republican seat in Owasso up for grabs
Owasso pastor and Republican nominee Kevin Wayne Norwood was victorious in House District 74.
Norwood defeated Democrat Amy Hossain with about 65% of the vote.
The district straddles Tulsa and Rogers counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Voters have elected a Republican in that district for 25 years. The seat became vacant in December when Mark Vancuren took a job in Tulsa County government.
Norwood, 58, is a pastor and works with community initiatives like Keep Owasso Beautiful and Owasso Cares. Norwood has said he wants to build a vibrant economy, safer communities and strong infrastructure and to give Oklahomans tax relief. His priorities also include revitalizing community main streets, and he criticized the “green energy grift” on his website.
Hossain, 50, is the chief human resources officer Tulsa’s Domestic Violence Intervention Services. She is also the president of the nonprofit Khan Ohana, which works to “break the cycle of poverty among college students.”
It was a rookie year to remember for Lily Pederson and Elle Mueller on the University of Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team. The freshmen helped lead the Sooners to their seventh NCAA title back in April.
“I knew it could be achievable, but I didn’t know freshman year, right out of the gate,” Mueller said.
“Being able to have two people from the same state, and two friends being able to go to the same college, and accomplish both of our dreams and goals, it’s amazing,” Pederson said.
Pederson grew up competing for Flips Gymnastics in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Mueller at Twin City Twisters in Champlin, Minnesota. The two often competed against each other as kids.
Ali Gradischer / Getty Images
“So literally we’ve known each other since we were so young, to now we’re teammates at OU, so now it’s so cool that both of us from Minnesota are now at the number one college,” Pederson said.
Now, these northerners are creating names for themselves in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
“Yeah, we’re really proud. I mean, we get made fun of for our accents sometimes, but it’s fine, it’s totally fine,” Pederson said, laughing.
It was a rare experience for two freshmen to contribute in big ways at the Division I NCAA Nationals. Mueller competed on the floor, earning a 9.90, and again on the vault, earning a 9.98 for the Sooners.
“I wasn’t competing for myself anymore, I was competing for my team because we all wanted to win that national championship,” Mueller said.
Pederson competed on the beam, vault and bars at nationals. She rebounded from a fall on the beam in the semifinals in a huge way, earning a 9.9375 after nailing her dismount when it mattered most.
Aric Becker/ISI Photos / Getty Images
“On day two, I completed the best beam routine I’ve had in my life. I had the best score I’ve ever had,” Pederson said. “It was such an amazing feeling, and knowing everyone believed in me and was confident in me, like the celebration after, it was a feeling like no other. I was feeling all the emotions and it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”
No matter how big the wins are now and in the future, these gymnasts are always thankful for where the love of this sport started.
“[It] keeps me humble and keeps me to myself and reminds me of how far I’ve come,” Mueller said.
The Sooners had a nearly undefeated season and won the SEC for the first time in this conference.
Oklahoma
NBA Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder 123-107 Indiana Pacers – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes 3,000 points
“They play a full 48 minutes and you can’t just throw the first punch,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “You’ve got to try to throw all the punches all night.
“That’s what we did. We threw enough punches tonight to get a ‘W’.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, added five rebounds and eight assists.
The Thunder’s Jalen Williams scored 19 points, Aaron Wiggins had 18 and Chet Holmgren recovered from a disappointing six points in game one to score 15 points with six rebounds.
The Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton was limited to 17 points, three rebounds and six assists.
“It’s still a race – first to four,” he said. “We are going to our home court tied 1-1.”
Haliburton walked out of the post-game news conference with a slight limp.
Seven Pacers players scored in double figures, including Myles Turner with 16 points and Pascal Siakam with 15.
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