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Check out some of Tulsa's Thanksgiving celebrations

Deborah Hudson/Pixabay

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen, the memorable laughs with good company, and making my self-proclaimed renowned apple cider to enjoy. You really can’t ask for anything better, in my opinion.

Some families take this day to keep their pajamas on and watch football at home. However, there are many of us that have traditions that require us to get out of the house. Whether it’s giving back to our community, trying to burn all those turkey-filled calories up, or just spending quality time with our loved ones, Tulsa has many opportunities to create special memories. Let's explore some of the town's Thanksgiving celebrations.

Th G/Pixabay

TURKEY TROT LIKE IT'S HOT

As we learned in the last Our Town edition on running, Tulsa has a strong running community. Participating in a 5k or fun run can be an exciting addition to your Thanksgiving routine. Plus…it never hurts to burn off some of those calories from your holiday feast! Luckily, Tulsa has a couple of different Thanksgiving 5k and fun runs for you to try out.

Von Franken Family Food Run
Hosted by the Tulsa Running Club, the Von Franken Family Food Run is a tradition for more than four decades, supporting the Salvation Army by collecting non-perishable items, as well as toys for the Angel Tree. For our furry friends, Oklahoma Alliance for Animals will be there to collect donations of supplies.

The Von Franken Family Food Run begins at 9am Thanksgiving morning at River West Festival Park at 2100 S. Jackson Ave. No sign up required! Just show up with your donations and running shoes ready to go. The route is untimed and stretches about three miles to run/walk, but you can choose the distance that suits you best.

This year the Tulsa Running Club plans to bring back their staple pancakes for participants! "We also have a raffle for participants." says Corey Jones, President of the Tulsa Running Club. "We'll be handing out tickets to each person who finishes the fun run. We raffle off donated items from local running stores, and we also usually have race entries for events like Tulsa Run and Route 66."

Turkey Trot Run
If you need some time to digest that turkey dinner from Thursday, this might be for you! Burn off those calories at the Turkey Trot Run on Black Friday, November 29th located in downtown Tulsa. You can choose to participate in the 5k run/walk or the one mile Fun Run (or walk) with your family and friends, but be sure to leave the fur babies behind as dogs are not allowed to participate (for your safety)! If you're looking for a timed race, the 5k will be for you! There are still spots available for both races, so be sure to grab your tickets as soon as possible. Spots cannot be guaranteed the day of the race.

And what can make running even more rewarding? Gifts! Along with your running t-shirt, participants receive a winter beanie, finisher medal, and some post race snacks/beverages! The course starts and finishes at the Christmas Tree at the BOK Center, making it easy as pie to hang around for the downtown Tulsa Winterfest Celebration. Speaking of pie...

ashsmith/Pixabay

I'M JUST HERE FOR THE PIE

You can’t have Thanksgiving without pie…or whatever the saying is. Whether it’s the nostalgic pumpkin pie or something unique for your family dinner, Tulsa has options on where to find the best pie for your holiday!

Common Tart
Alexandra Coppinger and her mom are always looking for new bakeries when they travel. "Over the years we noticed that we were always drawn to pie shops in other cities, and noted that Tulsa didn’t have its own specialty pie shop." Alexandra says. "We already had dreams of opening a bakery, so turning our focus to pies just seemed like the next step!" That's when Common Tart was born! During the Turkey Day holiday season, they spend four days baking all the pies for pick up, and last year they made a little over 600 pies! They have to rent a walk in refrigerator just to be able to hold their pies!

Common Tart has a Thanksgiving menu full of delicious options. Last year their top seller was their Maple Brown Butter Chocolate, so they had to bring it back this year! Talking with Alexandra, I asked her what her traditional pie is that she bakes every year for her family outside of the traditional go-to pumpkin. She said "My dad thinks that every holiday table needs some chocolate on it, so I make us a French Silk!"

There is still time to put your order in for the upcoming Turkey day, as the last day order is Wednesday, November 20th. To place an order, send Alexandra an email at commontart@yahoo.com or give them a call during open hours at: (918) 764-8298. You can also find out more information on the Thanksgiving order process HERE.

Antoinette Baking Co.
Childhood friends Molly Martin and Andrea Mohn started the Antoinette Baking Co. in 2012 with the desire to bring something that they felt was missing at the time in Tulsa: A bakery that stayed open late on weekends just with pie. The bakery moved in 2015 to the Tulsa Arts District and has grown with the community since.

Thanksgiving is a busy time for Molly and Andrea, as they typically sell 300-500 pies during this holiday! Outside of the traditional pumpkin go-to pie flavor, Molly says the Mile High Chocolate Pie is their biggest seller. If you are like Molly and prefer something like cheesecake on Turkey Day, Antoinette Baking Co. also has other options for the holiday season, such as a pumpkin cake roll, savory snacks, and a pumpkin pecan cheesecake.

You have a little extra time to put in an Antoinette's order for this year's feast. The last day they accept Thanksgiving orders is Sunday, November 24th. Click HERE to see all of the options available to add to your table.

RDNE Stock Project/Pexels

GIVING THANKS BACK

One of the joyous ways of spending a holiday is the gift of giving back. Many families volunteer during this holiday for multiple causes. Here is a look at some of the turkey day volunteering opportunities here in Tulsa.

Meals On Wheels Tulsa
Thanksgiving is Meals on Wheels Tulsa's biggest day of the year, and they serve over 1,100 clients thanks to the help of more than 150 Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa volunteers. Nicholas Bryant, Marketing and Communication Coordinator of Meals on Wheels Tulsa, says "While we don't have a specific call for volunteers this year, we do have a continuous need for substitute drivers, especially during the holiday season."

If you'd like to sign up to become a substitute, go to the Volunteer Sign-Up form to submit your information.

John 3:16 Mission Tulsa
John 3:16 Mission Tulsa strives to help our fellow Tulsans put food on their table this Thanksgiving season. John 3:16 Mission Tulsa hosts food drives every Saturday this month in the Tulsa metro from 9am-2pm in various locations. They also make it easy for you to select items to donate since they provide a shopping list of foods needed.

They also understand the challenges that can come with busy schedules. You can shop for your donation online and have the order directly sent to the Family and Youth Center.

Julie Rothe/Pixabay

STRESS-FREE THANKSGIVING FOR ME

We all love the Thanksgiving food, but cooking it all? That is a different story. There are plenty of restaurants in Tulsa that will do the cooking for you. Here are a few that will make for a stress-free feast:

Metro Diner
Metro Diner has multiple options for your Turkey day, whether it's dining in or by ordering a heat-and-serve Holiday At Home Feast for you or your family. Choose between a roasted Turkey or Baked Ham as your main dish, plus your favorite traditional holiday sides.

Be sure to put in your order before Tuesday, November 26th to make your feast easy-peasy.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
This year, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar invites you to be the guest! They are serving a 3-course Thanksgiving menu featuring Herb-Roasted Turkey, Filet Mignon, or Prime Bone-In Ribeye along with a starter, Thanksgiving sides, and finished with a sweet dessert. They'll open at 11am on Thanksgiving day, and reservations are required. Their full dinner menu as well as a children's 3-course meal are available.

If this sounds like the perfect meal to serve in your home, they also provide the 3-course Thanksgiving bundle for six at home. This meal is available for pick up or delivery November 22nd-27th and November 29th-December 1st.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse will be open early on Thanksgiving day, ready to serve you a 3-course feast along with their regular steakhouse favorites all day. Enjoy a choice of salad, sliced oven-roasted turkey and a side, and ending with pumpkin cheesecake. Click HERE for reservations now. You also can choose their Thanksgiving at Your Table option, providing a full meal to serve at home. This will be available only on Wednesday, November 27th from 12pm-4pm for pick up time, with a 48-hour notice for ordering required.

If you've got the turkey handled, but need some help with sides, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse also provides holiday sides to go. These come either hot and ready or cold with heating instructions. Available pickup for this is November 18th- November 26th and can be pre-ordered HERE.

Curt Teich Co. Publishers "HEART OF THE CITY BY NIGHT" circa 1938
This story was originally shared in PRT's arts-and-culture newsletter Our Town. Subscribe here to get these stories first.

Anna is the Development Associate at Public Radio Tulsa. She fell in love with radio after scoring her first job while in high school at the local country radio station in her hometown.