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Entertaining The Hours Of Your Week With LibertyFest, OKC Fest And Les Misérables

With Independence Day just around the corner conventional wisdom might lead you to take it easy this weekend, but central Oklahoma has other ideas. 

Named by USA Today and CNN as one of the ‘Top 10 July 4th Festivals in the United States,’ Edmond’s LibertyFest returns for its 42nd year this weekend. 

The festival is one of Oklahoma’s largest Independence Day celebrations as organizers anticipate more than 125,000 attendees alongside some 500 volunteers.

Eleven events make up the 2014 schedule beginning with a Concert in the Park by the University of Central Oklahoma’s Summer Band on Thursday, June 26. The 88-member orchestra plays a mixture of light classics, marches and patriotic tunes in front of UCO’s Mitchell Hall Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Credit LibertyFest.org

Arcadia Lake on East 2nd Street hosts the Cardboard Boat Regatta on Friday, June 27 before the remaining weekend schedule fills up with four events each day.

Visitors can see the annual KiteFest and Rodeo on Saturday and Sunday. Mitch Park on West Covell Road is “painted with kites” from 9:30 a.m. through both afternoons while the Carl Benne Arena hosts the Rodeo each night at 8 p.m.

Earl’s Rib Palace caters with barbecue at Hafer Park on South Bryant Avenue for the family-friendly Car Show at 8 a.m. before the Miss Edmond Scholarship Pageant takes place on Saturday evening at 7 o’clock.

Sunday brings the annual Road Rally scavenger hunt on wheels at 11 a.m. along with A Taste of Edmond featuring booths by more than 40 local restaurants in the Festival Marketplace at 6:30 p.m.

LibertyFest 2014 concludes on Independence Day with more than 50,000 spectators lining the streets of downtown Edmond for the annual 4th of July Parade. Then, Parkfest takes place on campus at UCO followed by the Fireworks Grand Finale at 10 p.m.

While jazz and blues lovers rest satisfied after another chapter of Jazz in June came to a close this past Saturday, central Oklahoma’s country and bluegrass crowd licks their chops for the highly anticipated OKC Fest.

Credit TownePost Network / Flickr Creative Commons
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Flickr Creative Commons
Country music legend Merle Haggard plays on Friday evening at the inaugural OKC Fest.

More than 30,000 guests are expected for the inaugural event, according to the festival’s website.

The OKC Fest lineup features some of the biggest names in country music today. Lady Antebellum, Merle Haggard, Randy Rogers, Casey Donahew and Scotty McCreery perform on the OKC Fest Main Stage at the corner of Harvey and Reno Avenue on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28.

Other performances take place on three stages at the Myriad Botanical Gardens.  The shows are free to the public, with preferred seating at each stage reserved for those with OKC Fest passes.

One-day and two-day OKC Fest passes for the Main Stage area are currently available at the festival’s website. Passes cost $35 per day with a $59 two-day package that includes access to food, beverage and unique shopping throughout the event.

Credit OKCCivicCenter.com

Also, the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma opened production of Les Misérables at the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The show runs through Saturday, June 28 featuring a chorus with more than 100 voices.

A performance takes place Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. followed by 8 p.m. showings on Friday and Saturday with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.

Tickets range in price from $35 to $68.

For more ways to fill the 168 hours of your week, visit KGOU's event listings page.

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