Sapulpa’s inaugural Petunia Fest was a unique event that needs to be done again. Like Sand Springs’ Herb Festival or Tulsa’s Mayfest, it’s quite possible that Sapulpa Main Street has landed a new recurring event that doesn’t have the mass appeal of, say, the Route 66 Blowout—another Main Street event, actually—but draws enough of an interested crowd to be worth repeating, and has the potential to get larger and more spectacular each year.
Saturday’s Petunia Fest featured some of the common sights that Sapulpans might have come to expect at an outdoor event by now: vendors, food trucks, live music, and the list goes on. What the Petunia Fest had to offer was a much richer experience for the botanist in the family, particularly if they were interested in helping Sapulpa’s reputation with Supetunias continue to flourish.
Among the highlights of the event were the guest speakers brought in to entertain anyone with a green thumb or a desire to get one. Each covered expertise in topics ranging from how to grow your own butterfly gardens to how to care for your own trees and Supetunias.
Although a threat of rain earlier in the week, coupled with ongoing construction regarding phase 2 of the Alleyway Redesign, had some of the organizers worried about the turnout, the rain moved out early and the faithful construction crew was able to move the obstacles to make the way clear for the attendees.
The rain did bring the humidity, but the crowd came anyway, and reportedly, most of the vendors were pleased with the turnout. Joe Krout was working the lemonade stand adjacent to the Chuck-It Hot Dog Cart. “We sold out of lemonade and pretzels,” he said. “For a first-year event, I think it went well. It was a different kind of event and it’s good that we’re trying different things. Hopefully, each one attracts a different crowd to Sapulpa.”
The event ended at 3 pm, to allow an evening of respite from the sweltering heat. The Sapulpa Historical Society Museum held an Open House allowing a break from the humidity for those who needed it, with a special treat at about 11:00 am—John Stephens, the model for the world-famous Tulsa Golden Driller, was at the museum and all smiles, meeting new folks and talking with them about what his experience was like.
“We had a great crowd come in and visit with us,” said Museum Curator Rachel Whitney. “This Open House pretty much equaled our busiest day of the year (Route 66 Blowout day).”
Because it was the museum’s 55th birthday, they put together a basket of goodies from around the museum gift shop for their 55th visitor. Around noon, off-duty Sapulpa officer Steven Garr and his family strolled through the entrance, completely unaware that they were the 55th visitor. “They were so excited to be the winners,” Whitney said.
One of the museum visitors was Catherine Goddard, from Tulsa. In a Facebook post, she described the Sapulpa Historical Society Museum as “one of the best and most interesting museums I’ve ever visited. I never knew Sapulpa had such rich history.”
Whitney said they saw a lot of new faces on Saturday, at each of the three historical museums: “Our facilities were filled with amazing visitors, both new visitors and returning visitors,” she said. “To our new visitors, thank you so much for coming in and getting to know our people and history; be sure to come back and see us again for we loved having your visit!”
The Petunia Fest culminated in the auctioning of three large concrete planters and a large watering trough—all loaded with bubblegum pink Supertunias—and a year’s worth of lawn care services from Sapulpa’s Petunia Man himself, Mr. Kent Daniel. Each of these went for several hundred dollars.
