10/09/2024
We look forward to the 2025 Pelican Festival!!
In the meantime a time, call us at 4055503350 to book your Pelican cruise or other cruise on or beautiful lake NOW!!!
The 41st Annual Pelican Festival has ended and organizers want to extend their appreciation to everyone that participated and attended the annual event.
“My entire team wants to express our thanks to the arts and crafts vendors, parade entrants, members of the carnival staff and especially everyone from the Grand Lake community and beyond that took time out their busy schedules to attend,” Grand Lake Association Executive Director Jay Cranke said.
Cranke said the 2024 version of the Festival once again set records in attendance and arts and crafts and food vendors. He estimates between 8,000-9,000 people attended the event, which spanned over four days at Grove’s Wolf Creek Park.
Cranke said carnival attendance rebounded compared to last year’s numbers, and, even though it was 90-plus degrees, foot traffic for the food trucks, vendors and for the live entertainment increased from past years.
“Grove football played at home Friday night and the Oklahoma Sooners had a bye and that probably helped our attendance,” Cranke said. “But I also attribute higher attendance to our marketing strategies.”
Cranke wants to thank the entire Grove Emergency Management team for providing barricades, cones, extra lighting and manpower during the event, the Grove Police Department, the Grove park maintenance staff, all the parade entries, in addition to all the participants at the park Friday and Saturday.
“The Grove Masonic Lodge once again put together a great car, truck and bike show, which had more than 50 entries,” he added.
After returning from a several year absence, the Pelican Festival partnered with Grand Lake Cruises for pelican boat tours from Wolf Creek Park. Cranke said that nearly 50 people took advantage of the cruises on Friday and Saturday.
“We will definitely have the cruises back next year,” he said.
A big hit again this year was the caricature artist that was providing free artwork to those that would wait in his line.
“We scheduled him for two hours last year and he had to turn people away so this year he was at the park four hours,” Cranke said. “Guess what? Next year he will be available five hours.”
Cranke said that most of the food vendors had customers on a pretty regular basis and some stayed open throughout the two nights of live entertainment to feed the hungry fans.
“A couple of the food vendors told me this was their best Pelican Festival!”
The Indigo Sky Casino & Resort Entertainment Tent stayed packed all weekend, beginning on Friday with Tulsa’s Fabulous Mid Life Crisis Band, back for a fourth consecutive year. A Journey tribute band, Journey of a Lifetime, took the stage Saturday night.
“Even though we had additional seating this year, people still had to bring their own seats and some were still having to stand,” Cranke said.
Cranke also wants to thank this year’s sponsors, including headline sponsor Indigo Sky Casino & Resort. Other sponsors of this year’s Festival include the Grand Lake Association, Names and Numbers, Grand Lake Casino, Grand River Dam Authority, Triad Eye Institute, Goldner Dock Construction, Cherokee Casino Grove, Cherokee Yacht Club, Notable Outdoor Living, Classic Golf Carts, The Grand Laker, The Joplin Globe KGVE and TravelOK.com.
Cranke said all in all it was another successful event for Grand Lake. This is the 8th Pelican Festival he has been part of and he says they are already working on number 42.
Next year’s Festival will be October 2-5. To keep informed of the Festival’s events and activities, visit www.PelicanFestOK.com.
