This Altus Event Had Everyone Talking… Lawton Should Be Next

Over the weekend, Altus, Oklahoma was the place to be. The music, the games, the people, and man - those drinks were amazing! While I was enjoying the nicest wines and the freshly brewed beers, I couldn't help but wonder - why doesn't Lawton have an event like this?

While the International Festival was happening at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like this Sip of Wine event in Altus would also be a big hit for those who want an excuse to safely enjoy some of the best wineries and breweries in the state.

If you wren't there, let me fill you in on what you missed and why we should definitely host our own take on the "Sip of Oklahoma" in L-town.

What was the 'Sip of Oklahoma?'

The City of Altus Parks and Recreation invited 12 local Oklahoma breweries, wineries and even a few other assorted vendors to come set up at the park across from the Auditorium in Altus on Saturday, September 27. The event was limited to 18 and up to enter and 21 and up to drink.

An event specifically tailored for drinking - sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, right? Wrong!

Parks and rec staff did a fantastic job of making this a safe, positive event that also discouraged drunk driving. They set up fences around the park and only allowed entry in one area, with Altus police greeting guests and checking IDs.

Notice that I said they were greeting everyone - they were welcoming while still maintaining a professional demeanor with guests.

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It really helped that the vendors served sample sizes of drinks, and event staff made sure that water and food was always readily available. An even more important, yet subtle, completement they included was fun ways to keep everyone entertained.

They included local live music artists, crafty vendors, games and a relaxing setting to kick back, relax and just enjoy the vibes. Just looking through the crowd, you could tell from everyone's smiles and laughter that they really were enjoying this event.

3 Reasons Lawton Needs This Event, Too

Compared to Lawton, Altus is a fairly small city. They have less than 19,000 residents and more mom-and-pop shops than they do your traditional big chain places like Walmart.

If Altus can pull off an event like this with as much success as they had, there's no doubt that Lawton could do it; dare I say, we could do it even better.

An event like the Sip of Oklahoma could make a huge difference for local breweries and wineries.

While Altus has a few very small towns surrounding them, Lawton is a central point for several small towns and could drive quite a bit of revenue for our own Parks and Rec and local businesses.

We're also closer to communities who have more live music artists, so there wouldn't be any shortage of entertainment.

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