Skiatook Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Pioneer Day Festivities

Each year, residents of many small towns and cities around the state look forward to their Founder’s Day celebrations, and the residents of Skiatook, Okla., are no exception.


A banner at the north end of Skiatook Central Park promotes the 75th anniversary of Skiatook, Okla. Pioneer Day Festival, Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

 Every September brings with it the annual Pioneer Day Carnival, Parade, and Rodeo, commemorating the “pioneer origins” of the town, just 20 minutes north of Tulsa. The town of Ski-a-took, as it was known in 1872, when founded by the last hereditary chief of the Cherokee tribe, W.C. Rogers, originally served as a trading post. The town got its current spelling, Skiatook, 20 years later.

The annual events include a 5K run, fitness walk, live music, kid’s fishing derby, and a pie contest, which kick off the festivities in Skiatook’s Central Park.


The Skiatook Central Park monument marks the main entrance to the park from W.C. Rogers Blvd. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

Among the rides, live music, vendors, and food, the Pioneer Day carnival supports local businesses, like those of Skiatook natives, Terry and Yvette Thompson and their daughter, Tera Thompson – Artherton.

For the last 10 years, Terry Thompson, with Prairie Fire Grille & Catering Mobile Restaurant, has had a reoccurring presence at the Pioneer Day events, as well as many others around northeast Oklahoma, including Kid’s Fest at Woolaroc in Barnsdall and Rocklahoma in Pryor.

Thompson runs his food trailer, full-time with his wife and business partner, Yvette. They commit to a handful of festivals every year, and offer catering services for corporate events, weddings and more, when they are not attending the festivals. According to the Thompsons, the best aspect of working Pioneer Day events is the people.

“We love the people. We have been doing this for over 23 years, and we love it! Prairie Fire has become a bit of a household name over the years and has evolved several times. “We started with a 1962 camper that we turned into a food trailer, and went up from there,” explains Terry.

They were able to upgrade from the converted camper trailer and eventually into their current food trailer in 2016, which was a custom build by Yvette’s father, to specifications for Thompson


Prairie Fire Grille & Catering Mobile Restaurant co-owner Terry Thompson opened the food trailer business 23 years ago. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

Prairie Fire co-owner Yvette Thompson (l) oversees prep work in the food trailer before festivities kick off day two of the Pioneer Day Carnival in Skiatook. (Photo by Black Sullivan)

Terry and Yvette’s daughter Tera Artherton runs Cody’s Gourmet Lemonade Stand with her husband Bryson. The stand is named in remembrance of Tera’s brother, Cody, who suddenly passed away a couple years ago.

Cody’s Gourmet Lemonade offers real fruit and freshly squeezed lemons used to make them, all of which is prepared on site, leading up to each event, says Tera.


Bryson Artherton, Tera’s husband, preps the lemonade stand before crowds arrive for day two of Pioneer Day celebrations in Central Park, Skiatook, Okla., Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

According to Tera, “it takes a lot of prep work, and every drink is essentially made to order. Our goal was to make fresh drinks.” She says that letting customers see the making of the lemonade helps “make it a more personable experience.”


Tera and Bryson Artherton whip up a delicious strawberry lemonade in Cody’s Gourmet Lemonade Stand in Skiatook Central Park, Skiatook, Okla., Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

The Gravitron was one of many carnival rides featured at Pioneer Days at Skiatook Central Park. (Photo by Blake Sullivan)

For updates on Prairie Fire and Cody’s Gourmet Lemonade events, visit their respective social media pages – Prairie Fire Grille & Catering Mobile Restaurant  or see its website and Cody’s Gourmet Lemonade for booking and catering information.

Skiatook’s annual Pioneer Days’ events are always an exciting time for families and people of all ages- from the food, live music, and carnival rides to the parade and rodeo. Locals have observed the three-day celebration for more than seven decades, with many more, sure to follow.

For more information and future events, see https://www.cityofskiatook.com/167/Annual-Events

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