Cow Chip, One of Oklahoma's Finest Festivals

May 07, 2018

Cow Chip, One of Oklahoma's Finest Festivals

Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses, or in this case, sh@&. Then you throw it... Literally throw it. That's what the Cow Chip Festival is all about! Every year in my husband's hometown of Beaver, Oklahoma, located in the panhandle of Oklahoma, the crowds gather for the world championship of throwing dried cow dung. For some reason, the temptation to participate was real this year. I mean, where else would we want to be to celebrate our first wedding anniversary?

For all of our two years of dating and 5-month engagement, I had never had the privilege to make the trip out to Beaver, home of the Beaver Dusters (you can't make this stuff up). After making the trip there, I'm honestly sad that I hadn't been earlier. Life is a lot simpler out there. The nearest "big city" of Liberal, Kansas is about 40 minutes away. In this case, a big city would be defined as one that contains an Applebee's, a Days Inn, and a Wal-Mart. The land is barren, dry, lacking vegetation, and the occasional tumbleweed crosses your path. While these descriptors may sound unappealing, what this area does have is a strong sense of community that one can't help but notice. Everyone in these parts knows everybody else, and people were excited to meet the outsider, AKA "Jazz's wife" or "Kristen's friend."

We chatted with old friends, threw some poo, toured the Stockyards, climbed the sand dunes of Beaver Dunes State Park, crashed the Forgan High School Prom, and ran along the flat country roads lining the Radcliff's ranch land. We were incredibly grateful for the Radcliff family for hosting us and providing us with amazing family meals. It's such a small world in the sense that my best friend, Kristen, and my husband grew up in neighboring towns of Forgan and Beaver. For this reason, I felt even more compelled to make the trek out West, the place where two of my favorite people were raised. Looking back, Jazz and I wouldn't have wanted to spend out first wedding anniversary any other way.

Until next time, Oklahoma panhandle. We look forward to the 50th Anniversary Cow Chip Festival next year. Maybe I'll practice my throws in the meantime...nah, I'll pass :)

Note: "Team City Slickers" did NOT win the Cow Chip throwing contest. I'm pretty sure I brought the team down by choosing the chip that "looked like it came from the cow on steroids."