Happy New Year from Rob and Jenna at Visit Enid!
We move into 2022 with an overall enthusiasm for travel that we struggled with in 2021. Enid welcomed visitors to town while continuing to entertain residents with activities fit for the entire family.
Enjoy taking a look back at 2021 in Enid: one of the most exciting years in our history. Some may even say it’s The One!
The July announcement of the Christ Tree, the world’s tallest, fresh-cut Christmas tree set known as The One Enid, began four months’ worth of anticipation and buzz. Several thousand welcomed the tree to Enid in mid-October, and the tree withstood (with a little help) the Oklahoma weather conditions. The crowning event, Main Street Enid’s “Enid Lights Up the Plains” on November 26 drew an estimated 40,000 people to downtown Enid. And while the tree continues to stand through Thursday, an estimated 100,000 people enjoyed activities around the tree. Enid enjoyed nationwide coverage, including Fox News and Southern Living Magazine.
Alongside The One, Main Street Enid brought in Holidays on Ice in Downtown Enid for the second consecutive season. The unusually warm December weather brought its challenges, but the opportunity to skate on an open-air ice rink brought a lot of joy to many residents and visitors.
The GLo Best Western Hotel opened in April to much fanfare, giving Enid a conference hotel adjacent to its conference facility, the Stride Bank Center.
The City of Enid was designated a Film-Friendly Community by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
The Van Buren overpass was dedicated as Veterans Memorial Bridge during a ceremony in May. Enid AM Ambucs place American flags on the bridge each national holiday.
Enid celebrated all veterans like never before, with a week’s work of activities surrounding Veterans Day. One of the highlights was having the crowd tie yellow ribbons around the fence circling The One Enid.
Sports in Enid were highly successful in 2021. The Enid Outlaws of The Basketball League (TBL) won the league championship in its inaugural season. The Enid Majors went undefeated in claiming the Connie Mack World Series title in Farmington, NM. And the NJCAA Div. II World Series resumed after a one year absence and saw its championship game go 14 thrilling innings before LSU-Eunice topped Western Oklahoma.
Connie Mack reorganized its regions into eight national hubs, with one being Enid. Beginning in 2022, David Allen Memorial Ballpark will host four national qualifying tournaments each year.
Enid Brewing Co. & Eatery began a new event called Weekends on Maine. The goal was to bring a farmers market atmosphere to Enid. The event was held the third Saturday of each month beginning in March and was a tremendous success.
Enid Axe opened in May, bringing “Kick Axe” entertainment to the downtown square.
Discover Oklahoma came to Enid on three different occasions, filming segments at Simpson’s Old Time Museum, Cherokee Ranch Land & Cattle Co., Wee Too Restaurant, Boho Teepee, Enid Axe and Buffalo Point in Waukomis. Some of these have already aired, while others will debut in early 2022.
Is This a Great State or What (Galen Culver, KFOR) and Where in the State is the Magic Man (Jeff Roberts, KWTV) filmed segments in Enid
Two Enid attractions earned Oklahoma Red Bud Merit Awards. Red Bird Farm won for Outstanding Agritourism Attraction, while Holidays on Ice in Downtown Enid won for Best Partnership. The Red Bud Awards are the highest awards in Oklahoma tourism.
The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association voted the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy “Save the Monarchs” plate the Best Plate of 2020. The plate features Enid’s Butterfly Mural by Rick Sinnett.
The new Enid Skate Park mural debuted in October thanks to a partnership between the City of Enid and the Public Arts Commission of Enid (PACE).
Ground has been broken on the Advance Soccer Complex. Officials remain hopeful for an opening late in 2022.
On the Visit Enid front:
Director Marcy Jarrett resigned in May to become the executive director of the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce. Longtime communications coordinator Rob Houston was named the new Director in June, while services manager Jenna Spencer was elevated to Sales Manager.
Rob Houston was part of the 2020-21 Leadership Arts graduating class from the Oklahoma Arts Council. The one-year program stretched over two years due to the pandemic.
Visit Enid continues to work closely with the City of Enid Communications Department, providing weekly “4 or More Reasons to Visit Enid” videos on Facebook and Instagram.
KGWA radio debuted an hour-long weekly radio show entitled, “What’s Up Enid,” on Friday mornings, providing listeners updates on future events. Rob does a weekly segment, as well as a regular time slot on the Friday morning “Coffee with Clepper,” program on KOFM.
We want to take a moment to thank you for your continued interest in Enid. We know several subscribers who share this newsletter and accompanying calendar of events with others, and encourage you to let your friends know about this information. The more our residents and visitors know about what’s going on in Enid only adds to the quality of life in our city.
Thank you also to our tourism partners, our hotels, restaurants, retail locations and attractions. Without your investment in Enid, none of what we do would exist.
Finally, a special thank you to our Enid First partners: the Enid Regional Development Alliance, Main Street Enid, the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce and the City of Enid. While we are separate entities who target different audiences, our goal remains one: to make Enid a better place to work, play and visit. It’s great to live in a community where we work together to place Enid first and don’t draw territorial lines in the sand. You all are truly the best!
Here’s to 2022 and the excitement of what lies ahead!
