Owasso celebration begins with magic, rodeo

Trail Days kicks off this week

David R. Million World Staff Writer 05/02/2001 DAVID R. MILLION/Tulsa World

OWASSO — There’ll be a bit of magic in this year’s Owasso Trail Days festivities.

The magic, intended for kids of all ages, will be provided by the Bradini Magic Show, said Louise Hamil, chamber board member who volunteered to coordinate that part of the four-day celebration that begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday.

“We all volunteer to do something,” said Trish Hauser about the chamber board members. She’s coordinating the Little Mr. & Miss Trail Days for the second consecutive year. “We’re expecting about 50 of Owasso’s cutest children to take part in the contest this year.”

Little Mr. & Miss Trail Days will be spotlighted in the annual Trail Days parade. Serving as parade marshals will be Mr. and Mrs. Trail Days, Rick and Suzanne Dossett.

Rick Dossett has been Owasso’s high school principal the past 24 years; Suzanne Dossett has been a special education teacher at Barnes Elementary for 29 years.

The parade will include several entries including the Owasso High School “Pride of Owasso” band, Shriners and local businesses, churches and organizations, said Gary Akin, chamber president.

Trail Days officially kicked off with the three-day IPRA championship rodeo sponsored last weekend by the Owasso Round-Up Club. The event was held earlier than other Trail Days events to avoid scheduling conflicts.

This week’s events will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday with the traditional carnival in the former Homeland parking lot west of 76th Street North and U.S. 169. The carnival, staged by Sam’s Amusements, runs through Sunday and is the only activity until 8 a.m. Saturday, when the Drop Zone Truck & Car Club’s fourth annual custom truck and car show starts.

Other Saturday morning activities include the annual arts & crafts and business fair, the Little Mr. & Miss Trail Days contest and the parade.

The parade has traditionally been a major focus, said Dr. Norman Hinkle, who, along with school superintendent Dale Johnson, has coordinated Owasso parades for three decades.

“They’ve always been about 45 minutes to an hour long with 80 to 100 units,” Hinkle said.

He began coordinating Owasso’s Christmas parade in 1970 and picked up the Trail Days Parade when the chamber revived the community celebration in the mid 1980s.

Owasso has had an annual celebration off and on for decades. In the early days, it was called Progress Days. After an absence of several years beginning in the mid-1970s, Trail Days was initiated by the chamber in 1984.

Saturday afternoon events include the Bradini Magic Show.

Pet Fest will be Trail Days’ highlight event Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of dollars in prizes will be given away during the contest that will include dogs, cats, rabbit and various exotic animals.

“Trail Days is an example of the community spirit that brings Owasso residents together and others into the community to have fun and celebrate our small town atmosphere,” Akin said.

For more information about Trail Days, call the chamber