The Pit Party

It is a tradition in Okeene, Oklahoma to attend the annual Pit Party. This is not a town function really, but the kind of easy going, whoever wants to come (and by the way- bring some food) affair that I have always dreamed small towns were made of.

So once a year, right after the 4th of July when fireworks are cheap in OK, people show up at the shale pit. It is set a few miles down a couple country roads. You wouldn't know how to get there unless someone told you and even then a city slicker could easily get lost if they missed the cattle guard in the road and then forgot to turn left at the second gate. (These were not the real directions, since I never drive there, but as a city slicker rely on my friends to take me)

This year, we got lucky to my standards and found ourselves eating and playing in the pasture above the pit. It was a lot less dusty and I didn't feel completely caked in red dirt afterward. The pasture did offer new challenges in that giant piles of cow pies were laying around everywhere - some fresh. When the cars started showing up, the cows moved on, but not before we all got to see a little bit of the herd including a calf and a pregnant cow. Sarah thought that was really cool. However, she was still oblivious to the down-home fun that was about to transpire.

Out of the back of a huge truck, black cats, sparklers and other types of poppers started flying into the hands of excited children and watchful adults. A prayer of safety was said over the group, and then the shooting began.

Dizzying sounds of popping fireworks with the occasional bellow of warning mixed with the squeal of delight reverberated around the pasture. The wind was blowing as it does in Ok. and so a few times, a firework would shoot into the air, go off and then we would be sprayed with debris. This was usually followed by figuring out who the culprit was and telling them to move on down the hill so ash wouldn't get in the hamburgers.

In all, it was a good time, as always. We watched the kids have fun, made small talk with our old friends and some new friends. And then, when all the fireworks have been used up and there wasn't one sparkler left for the kids to light, we all went home to happily hit the hay :)