The 48th annual Watonga Cheese Festival is set to hit the streets this weekend, but there is added excitement from the inclusion of the Plains Collective Arts Festival.
The fun starts even before the ceremonial cutting of the cheese. The Watonga Senior Center is holding its annual fundraiser, which this year will feature a chicken noodle dinner. The center is at 212 S Noble and the meal – main dish, salad and drink is $7. Service begins at 11 a.m.
Due to the collaboration between the city and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe, there will also be events held at the tribal Emergency Response Center, or ERC, and at the Lucky Star Casino. The ERC is behind the hotel at the casino.
At 11 a.m., there will be a cooking demonstration at the ERC featuring Native chefs, foods and cooking methods.
The opening ceremony, complete with the mayor cutting the wheel of Watonga Cheese, will take place at 1 p.m. at Centennial Park on Main Street. Albert Old Crow will play emcee for the ceremony.
From 1-5 p.m. Main Street will be jumping with a quilt show at the Liberty Theater, an art show in the Oasis Church, street vendors and a cheese tasting line at city hall.
Also beginning at 1 p.m., Native art and vendors will be on hand in meeting room 1 at the Lucky Star Casino. A discussion panel will get underway at 2 p.m. in meeting room 3 with a second discussion beginning at 4 p.m. The winner of the cheese poster contest will be named at 4 p.m. at center stage at Centennial Park and the festival will shut down at 5 p.m.
However, there will be a Native dance exhibition at halftime of the Watonga High School homecoming game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Saturday begins early with the Masonic Lodge Breakfast at the Watonga Senior Center beginning at 7 a.m.
Entries for the cheese food contest at city hall and the frybread contest at Centennial Park begin at 8 a.m. as does registration for the Great Rat Race at the Noble House. The race begins at 9 a.m. A petting zoo opens at 9 just west of Centennial Park and the inflatables open on Main Street. The quilt show, art show, vendors and cheese tasting line all open at 9 a.m., as does the art show and sale in meeting room 1 at the casino.
Judging for the cheese food contest and frybread contest will be held at 10 a.m. and the TLC dancers will perform on the stage at Centennial Park.
Lineup for the annual parade will begin at 11 and will roll down Noble Avenue at noon, ending one block south of Main.
From 1:30 -5 p.m. there will be a junior firefighters obstacle course and touch the truck at the northeast corner of the Armory. Children ages 4--12 may register for the pedal tractor pull beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Leach and Main west of Centennial Park. The pull begins at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile at the casino and convention center, a discussion panel will take place in meeting room 3. A fashion show featuring designer Nan Blasingame will follow at 4 p.m.
A collaborative pow wow will begin at 5 and the festival will begin shut down, with food vendors remaining open until 6 p.m.
At 6 p.m., a ranch rodeo will buck off at the Blaine County Fairgrounds, located at Laing and 7th Streets.
All day Friday and Saturday, a tipi and willow lodge will be on display at Roman Nose State Park, OK-8A north of Watonga, and the T.B. Ferguson Home Museum will be open from noon-4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. The museum is located at 521 N. Weigle Avenue and admission is by donation.