Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce cancels Chillin' n Grillin' BBQ Festival

COVID-19 has claimed another cultural victim with the cancellation of the 9th Annual Chillin’ n Grillin’ festival. The BBQ and music festival was scheduled for May 28th through 30th in downtown Sand Springs.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Chillin’ n Grillin’ BBQ Festival and Carnival is cancelled,” announced the Chamber on Tuesday. “We hope this action will help to keep our community safe and healthy.”

The City of Sand Springs previously canceled the April 18th Herbal Affair and Festival, which also led to the cancellation of OkieSpice & Trade Co.’s Westival event on the same day.

Chillin’ n Grillin’ is one of Sand Springs’s largest annual events and features food trucks, a BBQ cook-off, a beer garden, carnival rides, and more. Previously hosted at Case Community Park, it was moved to the heart of downtown on 1st Street last year in order to provide highway visibility.

Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival and Carnival returns to Sand Springs Thursday through Saturday

The Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 8th Annual Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival on May 30, 31, and June 1st on 1st St. and Garfield Ave. The event has evolved into a three day event with a carnival being the headline on Thursday and Friday and then the BBQ will permeate downtown Friday night and all day Saturday. Several new activities and attractions have been added to the event.

Thursday May 30th 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Miscee Ann Smith will perform an acoustic jam session 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. while the carnival rides are available. There will also be food trucks to tempt your pallet, so bring your best gal or guy, grab a plate of food and listen to some great music.

Friday May 31st 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Live music will start at 6:00 p.m. featuring our very own Jennifer Marriott Band. Again the food trucks will be available along with beer and the carnival rides.

Saturday June 1st 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

The gates will open to the public at 10:00 a.m. with arts and crafts vendors, carnival and the Express Employment Clydesdales (11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.). Our Crowd Grub will open at 11:00 a.m. for some Award-Winning Pulled Pork Tacos, and live music from Nightingale Band featuring Bri Wright (11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) and then a live remote with Big Country 99.5 FM (12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.). Prizes for BBQ Contest winners will be announced at 3:00 p.m. The carnival will run until 10:00 p.m.

“Amidst all of the devastation happening at this time, we feel everyone needs a little something to smile about and family fun,” said Chamber President Kristen Cepak. “The Chamber is proud to announce that a large portion of our profits will be donated to the Sand Springs Community Services for flood relief to our community.”

The Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce started this event in 2011 with just a few teams. As the event has grown, the community has begun to look forward to it each year. The highlight this year is the Carnival. The community can purchase wrist bands for $20 in advance, $25 ad the gate, and ride unlimited rides on Thursday and Friday. Saturdays’ rides will be by ticket only. Tickets are $3 per ride.

For all of the details on Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival go to the Chamber website; http://sandspringschamber.com/. You will be able to purchase wrist bands and taster kits.

Jake Dillon Band and Dylan Whitney Band to perform at Bixby craft festival

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Jake Dillon Band appeared on a segment of Good Morning Tulsa Monday morning and performed their newest single "Going Crazy." The band was promoting a Bixby event at Washington Irving Park this upcoming weekend.

The Jake Dillon Band is made up of Charles Page High School Class of 2011 graduate Jake "Dillon" Tankersley along with Colton Joe on lead guitar, Eric Cope on bass, and Casey Highfill on drums. Tankersley recently appeared on the final season of American Idol in January and performed for thousands in Hollywood. 

Vintage Down South is a craft show event that will feature several antique and craft vendors as well as Tulsa food trucks and an impressive lineup of local musicians. The Jake Dillon Band will be performing Friday night from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Also performing at the event is Dylan Whitney, a CPHS Class of 2015 graduate, with his band. Whitney performs alongside vocalist Christi King, bass guitarist Scott Craig, guitarist Michael McClure, and drummer Randy Reese. The Dylan Whitney band has been making waves in the local blues scene with recent performances at the Chillin 'n' Grillin Festival in Sand Springs, the Exit 56 Blues Fest in Tennessee, Tulsa Mayfest, and more. The band will be performing the Vintage Down South event Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm, and will also be performing the free 5th Annual Summertime Blues Showcase at the Blues Society of Tulsa Friday night at 9:15.

Several other musicians will be performing at the Vintage Down South event:

Bixby's Cole Lynch Band will be opening the event up with a set from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Friday, followed by the Jake Dillon Band from 6:00 to 8:00. 

Saturday will kick off with Bandelier, a Tulsa band featuring Jessey Aycock, Chris Combs, Eric Noble, and Erin O'Dowd from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. From there Chelsea Gann, a season 10 contestant on The Voice, will take the stage. Gann made it to episode seven and was eliminated in the "battle rounds." She also performed alongside Whitney at the Chillin 'n' Grillin Festival. She will be performing intermittently between 1:00 and 6:00 pm Saturday. Kyle and Jake Lowrey of the band 2 Steps Back will be playing Saturday with Gann, Lynch and Whitney all sharing the 1:00 to 6:00 pm slot in a kind of five-man-jam.