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Photos by Mike Simons, Tulsa World. Gathering Place officials have been testing the lighting the last couple of weeks in preparation for the opening of the bridge over Labor Day weekend.
Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Writer
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What do you get when you mix Hanson with “The Outsiders” with the Great Raft Race?
You get an event that is uniquely Tulsa.
Hanson is a homegrown pop-rock trio that has a headquarters in downtown Tulsa.
“The Outsiders” is a classic young adult novel by Tulsa author S.E. Hinton that was adapted for a 1983 Francis Ford Coppola shot-in-Tulsa movie and a 2024 Tony-winning Broadway musical.
The Great Raft Race was christened here in 1973, was held annually until 1991 and has staged comebacks since — possibly none bigger than the one that’s next.
The AAON Great Raft Race will take place on Labor Day — Monday, Sept. 2 — and that’s the concluding day of the Big Dam Party, an event that serves as an introductory celebration for Zink Lake, the Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge and Tulsa Wave Park, a whitewater recreational area.
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The Big Dam Party will include an “Outsiders Experience” with actor C. Thomas Howell, who played Ponyboy Curtis in Coppola’s film. Howell will be at the Big Dam Party on Sunday evening for a meet & greet, a Q&A session and a screening of the film.
The party begins Friday and will include live music courtesy of multiple artists, including Hanson, which is scheduled to perform 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage at Gathering Place.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Isaac Hanson said. “We’ll play a whole wide range of stuff, from old stuff to newer stuff, and just make sure it’s a good time for everybody. And it’s fun to be able to have a chance to do a big show like this. We really haven’t done a show like this since our last Hop Jam, which I think was in 2019, so it’s going to be nice to play a big show like this for the Tulsa hometown crowd and share the stage with some local and regional acts.”
More than a dozen local bands/musicians will be on stages at the Big Dam Party, thanks to Tulsa FMAC and Oak View Group. One of the performers, up-and-coming artist Joleen Brown, got a shout-out from Isaac Hanson, who called her “absolutely fantastic” and added, “She has really got a lot of talent.”
Among others on the music roster: Agalisiga Mackey, Bobby Eaton, Branjae, Casii Stephan and the Midnight Sun, Chris Combs, Hot Toast, Keyland, King Cabbage Brass Band, Paris Chariz & World 45, Paul Benjaman, Steph Simon, TMC Records and the Tulsa Indian Club Intertribal Singers.
Danny O’Connor of the Outsiders House Museum and the music group House of Pain will supply a special performance, according to bigdamparty.com.
Other Big Dam Party attractions will be the Big Dam Run (one mile in length) on Saturday and the every-day presence of what is being described as the world’s largest rubber duck. The duck is six stories tall and has a 10-foot buddy, Timmy, that popped up in various locations around Tulsa in advance of the Big Dam Party.
The festival will of course include standard festival fare like vendors and food trucks, but not every festival ushers in a new era like the Big Dam Party.
“I think it’s really exciting,” Isaac Hanson said about Hanson’s participation in the event.
“I think it’s a great thing. Obviously, this represents a nice little pivot for Tulsa, and the Gathering Place is kind of reaching a new phase and obviously the new low-water dam being finished is great. That’s really good for a lot of things. Having a river that is a little bit more full — my brother, Taylor, actually does rowing, and he’s certainly appreciative of the fact that there’s going to be more water in that and the river allows them to do some more boating and things of that nature, which is really cool, and the whitewater rafting thing looks very cool. So it’s just a cool new phase for Tulsa, and we’re excited to be able to help celebrate the completion.”
For more information about the Zink Lake project, go to cityoftulsa.org/Zink. For more information on the Big Dam Party, visit bigdamparty.com
Big Dam Party
Friday, Aug. 30
- 1:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Shuttle service. Location: Downtown (Tulsa Community College).
- 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Tulsa’s top duck art competition/Soul of a River; Heart of a City exhibit. Location: Activity Hall in ONEOK Boathouse.
- 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Vendors/art. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 2 p.m.-9 p.m. Food trucks/concession. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Opening ceremony/ribbon cutting. Location: Lawn east of River Parks Trail Stage.
- 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Whitewater opens to public (if appropriate water levels exist). Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 4:15 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Bridge parade. Location: Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m. 360-degree selfie station. Location: West Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Face painting. Location: Near world’s largest rubber duck.
- 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Casii Stephan and the Midnight Sun. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 6 p.m.-8:20 p.m. VIP Lounge. Location: Vista at ONEOK Boathouse.
- 6:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Chris Combs. Location: Lawn east of River Parks Trail Stage.
- 7 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Branjae. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 7:30 p.m.-8:15 p.m. King Cabbage Brass Band. Location: Lawn east of River Parks Trail Stage.
Saturday, Aug. 31
- 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Zink Lake open to public for fishing/paddling (watercraft rental hours vary). Location: Zink Lake/River West Festival Cove
- 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Whitewater open to public (if appropriate water levels exist). Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Shuttle service. Location: Downtown (Tulsa Community College) and south Tulsa (Marriott Southern Hills).
- 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Rowing regattas. Location: Zink lake.
- 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Big Dam Run, one mile. Location: Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 10 a.m.-noon. Zink Lake sustainability open house (with city of Tulsa and Sustainability Alliance). Location: Gathering Place, Parlor Room in Williams Lodge.
- 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Vendors/art. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Food trucks/concessions. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tulsa’s top duck art competition/Soul of a River; Heart of a City exhibit. Location: Activity Hall in ONEOK Boathouse.
- 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. VIP Lounge. Location: Vista at ONEOK Boathouse.
- 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Face painting. Location: Near world’s largest rubber duck.
- 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Hot Toast. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 11:30 a.m.-noon TMC Records. Location: Lawn East of River Parks Trail Stage.
- 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. 360-degree selfie station. Location: East Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 2 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Steph Simon. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 2:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Bobby Eaton. Location: Lawn East of River Parks Trail Stage.
- 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Joleen Brown. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 5:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Paul Benjaman. Location: Lawn East of River Parks Trail Stage.
- 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Hanson. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
Sunday, Sept. 1
- 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Zink Lake open to public for fishing/paddling (watercraft rental hours vary). Location: Zink Lake/River West Festival Cove
- 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Whitewater open to public (if appropriate water levels exist). Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 12:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Shuttle service. Location: Downtown (Tulsa Community College) and south Tulsa (Marriott Southern Hills).
- 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Vendors/art. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 1 p.m.-7 p.m. 360-degree selfie station. Location: East Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Food trucks/concessions. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Tulsa’s top duck art competition/Soul of a River; Heart of a City exhibit. Location: Activity Hall in ONEOK Boathouse.
- 1 p.m.-9:15 p.m. VIP Lounge. Location: Vista at ONEOK Boathouse.
- 2 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Tulsa Indian Club Intertribal Singers. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 2:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Agalisiga Mackey. Location: Lawn East of River Parks Trail Bridge.
- 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Open activities. Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Keyland. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 5 p.m.-6 p.m. Face painting. Location: Near world’s largest rubber duck.
- 5:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Parris Chariz. Location: Lawn East of River Parks Trail Bridge.
- 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. C. Thomas Howell meet & greet. Location: TBD.
- 7 p.m.-7:15 p.m. Danny Boy O’Connor, live music. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 7:30 p.m.-7:55 p.m. The Same Sunset Q&A with C. Thomas Howell. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
- 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. “The Outsiders” live mic movie event with C. Thomas Howell. Location: QuikTrip Great Lawn Stage.
Monday, Sept. 2
- 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Zink Lake open to public for fishing/paddling (watercraft rental hours vary). Location: Zink Lake/River West Festival Cove
- 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m. AAON Great Raft Race. Location: Sand Springs launch, Case Community Park.
- 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Shuttle Service special to drop-off zones at River West Festival Park and Energy Transfer Sports Courts at Gathering Place. Location: Downtown (Tulsa Community College).
- 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. 360-degree selfie station. Location: East Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
- 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Food trucks/concessions. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tulsa’s top duck art competition/Soul of a River; Heart of a City exhibit. Location: Activity Hall in ONEOK Boathouse.
- 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Vendors/art. Location: Boathouse parking loop.
- 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. VIP Lounge. Location: Vista at ONEOK Boathouse.
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Face painting. Location: Near world’s largest rubber duck.
- 10 a.m.-4 p.m. AAON Great Raft Race, Zink Lake finish line. Location: River West Festival Park.
- 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. DJ, Maximum Entertainment. Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 2 p.m.-3 p.m. AAON Great Raft Race whitewater exhibition. Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
- 3 p.m.-8 p.m. Whitewater open to public (if appropriate water levels exist).Location: Tulsa Wave Park.
The Tulsa World is where your story lives
Photos: The kickoff of the four-day Big Dam Party, a celebration of the opening of Zink Lake
Zink Opening Ceremony
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Zink Opening Ceremony
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Zink Opening Ceremony
The Tulsa World is where your story lives
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
The Big Dam Party
The Big Dam Party will kick off with an opening ceremony 3:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m. Friday on the North Land Bridge Great Lawn at Gathering Place, 2650 S. John Williams Way. Mayor G.T. Bynum and other city and community leaders will be present to talk about and celebrate the reopening of Zink Lake, the debut of the Tulsa Wave Park, the new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge and the riverfront expansion at Gathering Place. Following the remarks, there will be a parade across the new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge featuring local marching bands and mascots.
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Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Writer
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