Burn Ban Lifted in McCurtain County

As of September 17, 2012, the burn ban has been lifted for McCurtain County.  This includes the Beavers Bend and Broken Bow areas. 

Although the burn ban has been lifted for McCurtain County, there are still 55 counties in Oklahoma where the burn ban is still in effect. 

Please be careful when lighting fires, whether it is for cooking out in a contained grill, or building a fire in your cabin's firepit area.  Fires can always create a dangerous situation and should be monitored closely. 

The following tips for maintaining and extinguishing a campfire are provided by SmokeyBear.com.

Maintaining Your Campfire

1. Once you have a strong fire going, add larger pieces of dry wood to keep it burning steadily
2. Keep your fire to a manageable size
3. Make sure children and pets are supervised when near the fire
4. Never leave your campfire unattended
5. Never cut live trees or branches from live trees

 Extinguishing Your Campfire

1. Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible
2. Pour lots of water on the fire, drown ALL embers, not just the red ones
3. Pour until hissing sound stops
4. Stir the campfire ashes and embers with a shovel
5. Scrape the sticks and logs to remove any embers
6. Stir and make sure everything is wet and they are cold to the touch
7. If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough dirt or sand with the embers. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cool. Remember: do NOT bury the fire as the fire will continue to smolder and could catch roots on fire that will eventually get to the surface and start a wildfire.

REMEMBER:

• If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave!
• Don't burn dangerous things!
• never burn aerosol cans or pressurized containers. They may explode.
• never put glass in the fire pit. Glass does not melt away, it only heats up and shatters. Broken slivers of glass are dangerous.
• aluminum cans do not burn. In fact, the aluminum only breaks down into smaller pieces. Inhaling aluminum dust can be harmful to your lungs.

Broken Bow Burn Ban

As of August 3, 2012 all of Oklahoma has a burn ban in effect. For detailed information go to: http://www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-information

Two basic principles apply: 1. Individuals are responsible for their actions and the results of their activities; and 2. Reasonable caution must be exercised with respect to the existing high fire danger and extra precautionary measures must be taken to prevent wildfires.

CAMPFIRES AND OUTDOOR COOKING Outdoor campfires or bonfires are prohibited. LPG and natural gas grills and charcoal-fired cooking outside in a grilling receptacle are permitted provided that the activity is conducted over a non-flammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation. Coleman-type pressurized stoves are exempt. However, any fire resulting from grilling or the use of one of these cookers or stoves is still an illegal fire.

FIREWORKS Organized public fireworks displays are allowed under this ban if the public fireworks displays are permitted by a municipality with jurisdictional authority and conducted by trained professionals with approval of the local fire department or State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Forestry Service 580-584-3351

2012 Beavers Bend Folk Festival and Craft Show Nov 9th - 11th

The Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Craft Show features turn-of-the-century crafts and demonstrations, folk music, a barnyard petting zoo and more. Exhibitors and vendors will feature crafts and skills such as candlemaking, woodturning, the making of lye soap, knife making, broom making, paper making and blacksmithing. There are children's activities and a smorgasbord of food. Folk ensembles set the mood with the twang of banjos, the wail of fiddles and the ring of dulcimer strings.

Visitors to the Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Craft Show are invited to participate in hands-on opportunities to learn the art of vintage craft-making and mountain music, all amidst spectacular fall foliage. This folk festival will feature herbalists sharing their knowledge, instrument makers exhibiting their work and quilters showing their best.

Bring the kids to the courtyard of the Forest Heritage Center during the Beavers Bend Folk Festival and enjoy a wealth of activities designed specifically for them. Activities in the past have included live storytelling, a petting zoo with plenty of furry, kid-friendly creatures, and puppet shows with handmade paper puppets.

Attendance to the Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Craft Show is free, and so is the parking. Shuttle buses will be on-hand to transport festival-goers to and from the parking area to the festival grounds. Come and enjoy the wide variety of old-fashioned activities at this annual event, or simply make your way to Beavers Bend for the breathtaking fall foliage during the festival. Guests to Beavers Bend State Park will also enjoy scheduled activities such as nature center programs, hayrides and train rides.

 If you're looking for a way to spend a crisp, autumn afternoon, you can't go wrong with a trip to the Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Craft Show. Beavers Bend State Park Broken Bow, OK 74728 Phone: 580-494-6497

Summertime at Beavers Bend

Summertime is a great time at Beavers Bend. Castlewood Trails still has dates available in June and July. So make your reservations now. Yes, it's hot. Yes, there are more bugs to contend with. But there's not a more beautiful place in this area of the country to take a close but wonderful vacation.

If you haven't been to Broken Bow Lake, you need to experience it at least once. Once you've been on this lake, all others will pale in comparison. It's beautiful and the water is near perfect for skiing, fishing, or just relaxing on the water. You don't have to own a boat to enjoy the lake. There are several rentals in the area. But for convenience, you should consider Broken Bow Marina http://www.beaversbendmarina.com/. They have ski boats, pontoons and jet skis available.

Beavers Bend Resort Park http://www.beaversbend.com/Info.htm has a lot to offer. The hiking there is incredible, ranging from beginner to advanced. Activities within the park include, hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, river floating, horseback riding, train rides, and visiting the musuem and nature center.

If you enjoy golf, Cedar Creek Golf Course is just a few miles up the road.

Beavers Bend is always open, but summertime is when it really comes ALIVE!