Things to Do in Tulsa This Weekend

Holy moly, macaroli. Tulsa is overflowing with stuff to do this weekend. In case you missed the rundown on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley this morning, or if you're looking for even more ideas on what to check out before heading back to work Monday morning, check it:

Festivals and Conventions

• Green Corn Festival. Yeah, Tulsa temperatures are scorching, and we're all dreaming of sandy beaches and giant bodies of cold salt water. If you have the courage to hang around, grab a stick of butter and head to Bixby this weekend for the Green Corn Festival, now through Saturday in downtown Bixby. It's a family-style picnic, complete with music, arts and crafts, a carnival, bingo and, of course, lots and lots of corn. Check bixbyoptimist.com for more.
• Skiatook Bluegrass Festival. What's summer in Oklahoma without a little bluegrass music? So says the Skiatook Bluegrass Association as they put on their fifth annual Bluegrass Festival, which features lots of food and art and, of course, music. Tickets are $12 Friday and Saturday night, and be sure to check out the Youth Fiddle Contest. Get to skiatookbluegrass.com for directions and more info.
• JazzFest. The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame's annual festival celebrating Tulsa's jazz heritage. This year featuring Eldridge Jackson and Listening Pleasure. It all happens Saturday from 6-11 p.m. At the Jazz Depot, downtown on First Street.
• Trek Expo 2009. The only logical thing to do is head to the UMAC at 71st and Mingo for this - ahem - highly visual experience - Trek Expo 2009. Bring your Klingon translator guides to this festival, which starts today and wraps up Sunday. Here's the kicker: Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock himself, will be in attendance. At $60 for an all-weekend pass, you can't miss this event - you just can't do it, Captain.
• Biker Boyz 2009. Join the baddest biker boys in town at the Tulsa Convention Center for their 6th annual convention. It attracts bikers from across the U.S. for three days of motorcycle events, vendors, parties and more - be sure to catch this event before it wraps up on Sunday. Visit bikerboyzweekend.com for details.

Music

• Countdown to Dfest. Ever hear of a music conference and festival called Dfest? You know, the one that brings tens of thousands to downtown from across the U.S. For dozens of emerging and headliner acts? It's time to start the countdown, and it all gets started this weekend at Owen Park on Friday night. Get there at 4:30 to see a handful of bands, from bluegrass to hip hop. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and a snack or two and be ready to rock. 560 N. Maybelle.
• Greenfest. You can go green, but don't go without good, local arts, music and, of course, lots and lots of organic foodstuffs. Emerging artists will rule the Blue Dome District starting tonight, and the whole festival will move to River West Festival Park to rock out until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Check the Greenfest site for a complete schedule and more earth-friendly info.
• Under the Mooch Birthday Bash. If the Countdown to Dfest wasn't enough to rock your weekend, then head to Under the Mooch at about noon for its third birthday bash. 15^th and Harvard. Look for nearly a dozen bands and free barbeque at this family-friendly party.

Free Stuff to Do

• Sidewalk Astronomy. Head out to Riverwalk Crossing Friday night for a little amateur astronomy with the Astronomy Club of Tulsa. It's free and open to the public, and you won't believe some of the telescopes they'll have there – they look more like they belong at NASA than next to some river in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Rhythm by the River. Check out local musician Susan Herndon at the new 41^st Street Plaza on Riverside. Get there at 6:30, and if you want food or drinks, bring a bit of extra cash. Feel free to bring blankets, lawn chairs and family out to enjoy the park and some free, live entertainment.
• North Tulsa SummerFest. Need one more stop for your Friday night agenda? Head to the northeast campus of Tulsa Community College for the second annual North Tulsa SummerFest, replete with food, games, live music and more. Grab the flier from the TCC Web site to learn more about this swingin' shindig.
• Oxley Nature Center Grand Opening. Head to Mohawk Park Saturday for the celebration of the grand opening of the new Mary K. Oxley Nature Center. From 9-5, the public can enjoy hikes, rugged skill demonstrations and new Oxley Center exhibits. Just remember to bring a blanket and a picnic lunch, because you're gonna need the energy for the action-packed day ahead. See the Oxley Center Web site for more.
• Sand Springs Criterium. Don't let anyone tell you there's nothing to do but spend all day at church on Sundays in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For example, Sand Springs is hosting its third annual Sand Springs Criterium, an exciting bicycle race starting at Charles Page Triangle and rolling through downtown Sand Springs this very Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. Donations will go to the memorial funds of the two cyclists struck and killed by an SUV during a ride on Avery Drive earlier this month. The event is free and open to the public.

Help a Charity Out

• Downtown Living Tour. It's hip to live urban-chic these days. Find out how at the Downtown Living Tour, a weekend-long information session brought to us by the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. See five sites over Saturday and Sunday and ride the T-Town Trolley. One ticket is $20, two are $35. Can still purchase tickets at tulsaarchitecture.com, or head to Dwelling Spaces or Cafe Topeca downtown.
• Lego Blitz Build for Habitat for Humanity of Tulsa. Got a thing for Legos? It's okay, as long as you use your talents to build houses for the underprivileged this weekend Woodland Hills Mall. Bring a $20 donation and a few fellow Lego freaks to the first floor of the mall by the Dillard's and show your stuff. Hop on the Habitat site for more.

Movies

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Michael Bay film starring Megan Fox and Shia LaBoeuf. If you have to ask about it, you'll never know.
• My Sister's Keeper. A heart-wrenching film starring Cameron Diaz, who breaks out of her cast type in her role as the mother of two young daughters bound by a rare cancer, and Abigail Breslin, the cutie-pie from Little Miss Sunshine.
• Midnight Movie: Back to the Future. At Circle Cinema Friday and Saturday night starting at, of course, midnight.

Randomness of the Week

• Old Crow Confessions. Looking for an AA meeting with booze and music? Find it at Tulsa's own Nightingale Theater for a mere five-spot. A dimly lit, sometimes raucous evening where anyone quaking with a confession can rise before the room and unburden themselves. Old Crow whiskey will supply the courage and loosen the tongues. The floor is open for unscripted true stories of all persuasions. Get there a bit before 10 p.m. for the best seats - you'll want the best view possible of this show, dubbed "recession-style theater at its cheapest and most nourishing."

As usual, tune in bright and early on Friday morning (and every other morning, if you're worth the paper you're printed on) to 740 AM and/or 102.3 FM for KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley for a preview of what's doin' in T-Town over the weekend.