A walk in the park to ‘Rockin’ the Park’

MEDICINE PARK — You can’t have a bang up of a weekend in Medicine Park without some fantastic music.

You just can’t.

Sure, there’s no time that’s not a good time in “The Park.” That’s a known fact. But it’s the music that soothes the soul and, some say, lures those mystical cobblestones from the earth’s core and into the sun.

With Norman’s Killer Darlings opening up Saturday’s live music performances at this year’s Rockin’ the Park music festival that’s intertwined with the historic vacation community’s 115th birthday party, the rocks rumbled and rolled.

Corey Cheeseman brought Nick Mackiewicz out from Lawton. Cheeseman’s a veteran to as many of the festivals in Medicine Park as they have.

For Mackiewicz, it was a good day. With cooler temperatures than the day’s preceding, coupled with the Hitchin’ Post Park’s canopy of trees and with a twist of breeze pouring through the audience from Medicine Creek, it offered sweet relief. Known as the “Dancing King” (that’s what his beaded bracelet reads), the music offered a clarion’s call.

“This is my first festival here, if you can believe that,” he said. “I’ll probably stick around all day. Oh yeah, for sure, I’ll be back for more of these.”

That’s how music acts as a siren’s call to those who hear it. Kerry Hartman, working with Jim McLinden to make sure the audible experience from the performers is at its highest quality, said it’s meant to be a fun experience for all, performers and audience.

Friday night’s headline act, King Cabbage Brass Band, offered a performance for the ages, according to Hartman.

“They started a parade from the stage, went to the bar (Park Tavern) got shots and came back without missing a beat,” he said. “That was one of the coolest things I’ve seen.”

For the musicians, answering the call to perform at any Medicine Park festival is a no brainer. Brad “Red” Wolf can attest to that. A member of Cade Roth & The Black Sheep, he knows that the love of a Medicine Park crowd is like no other. He said he could already sense this one is something special. With lots of friends coming in for the band’s 5 p.m. set, the stars were aligned, if you will.

“This is going to be a real good one,” he said. “On top of that, the weather is phenomenal.”

Event Coordinator Dwight Cope said the evening was going to keep getting better with Another Pink in the Floyd closing out Saturday night. With their laser and fog effects show and spot-on covers of the iconic band, they’re a proven Park favorite, he said.

Today offers more, Cope said. Magnolia Brown are proven. Katsuk from Dallas, Texas, “are real interesting,” he said. And with closing artist the Lucas Parker Band, music will offer as much fireworks as possible before the explosive display at dusk.

After this, there’s no time to rest on your laurels. Cope said work begins to ready for the annual Blues Ball on Labor Day weekend. It’ll mean something a little more than usual for the man who first made that happen.

“The year’s half-over,” he said. “The Blues Ball is up next and we have a cool lineup for that. It’s also my 70th birthday party.”

As with all things Medicine Park, that, too, will be an event of legend.