31st Annual Foss Lake Christmas in July Festival

The 31st Annual Foss Lake Christmas in July Festival is July 9th and 10th. This event is one of the largest outdoor events in western Oklahoma and is fun for the entire family! Friday, July 9th, all the vendors will be in place by 1:00. The opening ceremony honoring our Veterans and current Military will begin at 6pm at the Main Stage, north of the Marina on Cedar Point. First responders are encouraged to come to the opening ceremony. The Altus AFB Honor Guard will present the colors,

Friday evening will continue with a free concert on the Main stage from 8-11 pm. The Tyler Wilhelm Band and Jordan Cain with the Atlantis Aquarius band will both be performing. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy the music and the evening. Friday will also be a good time to go thru the vendors who will have jewelry, t-shirts, crafts and of course, great food. And, the kids always love the pony rides. These vendors set up on Friday and will stay until late Saturday night, so go and see all the fun things they have to offer and check out the food court.

Saturday, the 10th, is loaded with special events and activities beginning with the 6th Annual 5K Fun Run across the Dam starting at 7am. Check-in begins at 6:15 am at the Foss State Park Office. The run is open to runners and walkers of all ages. The proceeds from the run benefit the Veterans center at Clinton, Foss State Park and local non-profit charities. Participants will receive a drawstring backpack, a race T-shirt and other goodies. Call Dwight Shephard, 580-515-4319, who is the coordinator or email fossfunrun@ gmail.com to receive the link to register on line.

Continuing Saturday activities, The Down Bikers Association is sponsoring a Poker Run with registration beginning at 9:00 at the Foss State Park Office.

The Kayak “Trail Ride” at Chinaberry, will start at 10:00. Meet at 9:30 and bring your own kayak or paddle board.

The Foss Lake Little King and Queen Pageant begins at 10:30. Check in at 10:00 in the main stage area. Get an entry at the Foss State Park office, B & K Bait house, or The Elk City News Paper office at 109 W. Broadway in Elk City. Call Neva Pyatt, 580-497-6217 for additional information.

Washita Woodwork will have a Cornhole Tournament north of the marina at Cedar Point with registration at 12pm and Bags fly at 2pm. There will be 2 categories, Upper (competitive) - $50 entry and Lower (backyard players) - $30. For more information contact Clint at 580- 497-6178 or Lance at 405-638-1778.

The festival will have a lighted Boat Parade beginning at Dusk. Contact Cyndy Kreger at 580-799-7220 for more information. The festival will close with a spectacular fireworks display wrapping up the 31st annual Christmas in July Festival. This event is sponsored by many area companies and businesses each year and organized by dedicated volunteers.

The Foss Lake Christmas in July Festival was started 31 years ago when some of the residents at Foss Lake got together and decided they wanted to honor the men and women who had been involved in Desert Storm. They felt like these Veterans who served had never had the kind of recognition that they deserved.

Three of the men who began the festival were L. C. Murphy, Carman Mikles and Bill Farmer. In the beginning there was a lighted boat parade followed by a huge fireworks show. The festival was only 1 day, which was Saturday. In just a few years, the festival began to grow. Vendors were added, several special events were incorporate beginning with a special program on Friday evening where the Veterans and current military people are honored.

As the festival grew, The Foss Lake Association began to take on projects around the lake with money made from the festival. Some of the projects the Association has provided include Storm sirens around the lake, habitats for the fish, repair some of the docks, purchase feed for the buffalo, while they were there, help purchase a Side -scan sonar for Foss Lake, which helped solve two 40 year old cases of missing people, and annually the Association gives a sizable donation to the Veterans Center at Clinton. There are numerous other areas that Foss Lake Association has been able to help with improvements thru the years.