The Beavers Bend Folk Festival and Craft Show brings about 17,000 visitors to southeastern Oklahoma each year, just in time for the beautiful fall colors.

The festival is a showcase for turn-of-the-century arts and crafts. This year almost 70 exhibitors and vendors will feature crafts and skills like candle making, woodturning, lye soap making, knife making and quilting. Herbalists will share their knowledge, instrument makers will exhibit their work, and quilters will show their best.

The central courtyard is a haven for children of all ages. Kids will love getting up close and personal with some furry friends in the petting zoo and decorating toy tops with the woodturners while their parents watch some turn-of-the-century, hands-on demonstrations like the blacksmith working at his forge, the basket maker weaving intricate designs, or the Choctaw artists sharing their rich heritage through beadwork and flute making.

The sounds of bagpipes, dulcimers, and fiddles will draw visitors to the outdoor stage area to enjoy some Celtic and early American tunes with the backdrop of a Southeast Oklahoma forest. Four of the country’s best folk musicians will have you clapping your hands and tapping your toes to their rousing tunes.

The outstanding food at the Beavers Bend Folk Festival and Craft Show takes a sweet turn this year with favorites like sugared pecans, kettle corn, caramel apples, and funnel cakes. Food vendors are offering pork-o-bobs, patty melts, fish tacos, and smoked turkey legs. Back by popular demand are cowboy tacos, macho nachos, roasted sweet corn, and burgers. Wash it all down with fresh apple cider or old-time root beer. The festival is a food lover’s paradise.

Mother Nature should be providing quite a show of her own during the weekend. Fall colors should be peaking and park guests can also enjoy the scheduled Beavers Bend State Park activities, like nature center programs, hayrides and train rides.

The Beavers Bend Folk Festival and Craft Show is made possible by Oklahoma Forestry Services, the Forest Heritage Center Advisory Board and staff,  Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the McCurtain County Tourism Authority, Oklahoma Humanities Council and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.