Flurry of Festivals

It's time for you to indulge yourself in Tulsa's festival weekend.

For one night, Saturday, Sept. 18, UTW's Urban Indulgence invites you to come and sample delicious food, beer and wines all for a good cause. You can give into your sweet tooth without feeling guilty -- all of the proceeds for the event will be donated to the Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children and The American Diabetes Association. The fifth annual event was able to raise more than $17,000 last year for the two organizations. The event will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and costs only $25 to attend, which includes all food and drinks. Urban Tulsa Weekly is hosting the event, which lasts from 7-10pm.

Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children seeks to give children who have been abused or neglected as normal a life as possible. Aside from providing housing for the children, the program provides medical assessments and enhances the services for the children in Tulsa County. The American Diabetes Association's mission is to prevent, cure and treat diabetes and to also make it easier for those living with diabetes to receive health care. Approximately 24 million people are affected by diabetes and are forced to deal with problems such as discrimination and limited benefits from insurance companies.

Kerry Vincent, one of the judges on the Food Network's "Challenge" and also director of the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show, will make a special guest appearance at the event. Those in attendance at the event can chose from over 100 different beers, wines and spirits to enjoy with some of Tulsa's finest cuisines and sweets. More than 40 desserts will be offered at the event, and samples from local vendors such as Ann's Bakery and The Melting Pot will be sure to satisfy your sugar cravings. Attendees can enter for a chance to win a guitar personalized by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, or gift certificates to Woodland Hills Mall.

For tickets or more information, call (918) 592-5550.

It's Greek to Me

Tulsa's oldest ethnic festival, Greek Holiday, is celebrating its 50th year in Tulsa.

Demetrius Bereolos, chairperson for the festival, has been volunteering for the Greek festival since boyhood.

"It is really interesting now," Bereolos said. "The span of 50 years has allowed us to see third generation members of our community are now becoming involved."

The festival takes place Sept. 16-18 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1206 S. Guthrie. Bereolos has his reasons for why the festival has made it to its 50th year.

"Well, I think they like our ability to give them a taste of Greek culture, all aspects of Greek culture -- the entertainment, the food, the religious aspect of our culture -- to give them a small dose once a year," he said.

Those who attend will be able to purchase a variety of Greek imported items, watch Greek dances and, of course, enjoy delicious food.

The Greek dancers will be donning traditional Greek garb, and will range in age from 5 to 55.

"So the food is a strong thing that brings in a lot of people, now the second major component that really has grown over the last 10 or 20 years is our entertainment," Bereolos said. "Really, for a festival our size, the entertainment is really high quality. (Renee Michalopulos) has spent time in Greece learning the Greek dances and then bringing them back."

Bereolos said of the festival, "We are very proud and excited to have an opportunity to present Greek culture for all these many years and we are obviously going to keep doing it in the future, we are extremely proud to be Tulsa's oldest ethnic festival and were exceedingly grateful to the people of Tulsa and the people in the area for coming to support our festival."

For more information, visit tulsagreekholiday.com.

Rockin' BBQ

A dry-cleaner's dream, the Rock 'n' Rib festival will be showcasing the fine art of barbequing from six different championship pitmasters. Be sure to bring an arsenal of wet naps to the festival, held right outside the BOK Center, 200 S. Denver.

John Bolton, BOK Center general manager said in a press release that the success from last year sparked an annual tradition.

"In 2009, the Rock 'n Rib Festival welcomed more than 25,000 visitors to Downtown Tulsa for championship barbeque," he said. "We received so many compliments on last year's festival that we decided to make this celebration of food and music an annual tradition."

The six barbecuing teams have appeared in such programs as the Travel Channel, the Discovery Channel and Food Network, and are known for not only their delectable ribs, beef, shrimp, catfish and chicken, but also their showmanship. "Thermo-Nuclear Sauce" crafted by Johnson's BBQ in Chesapeake, Va., will be offered for those brave souls who wish to try it.

Live music from 14 different bands will be playing during the event, which runs from Sept. 16-19. Vendors will also be selling fair-type foods, such as limeade, cotton candy and funnel cakes.

For more information, visit ribcrib.com or bokcenter.com.

Get out Your Bagpipes

For more than 30 years, the Tulsa Scottish Festival has been providing Tulsa with an opportunity to come and experience Scottish dances, music, and games.

The Scottish Festival, which runs from Sept. 17-19 at the River West Festival Park, will have a whisky tasting, which only costs $15 to sample five different single malts. A Whisky Master will teach tasters the fine points of sampling these malts. For those who want to participate in the premium tasting, which allows you to enjoy five more single malt whisky flavors, the cost is only $25.

The Scottish games aren't only for strong, burly Scotsmen anymore. Games for women and children will be held at the festival and a schedule is posted on the Tulsa Scottish Festival's website (tulsascottishfestival.com) to ensure that you don't miss out on these festivities.