Time to dust off those boots and bring ‘em downtown for the first Food Truck Thursday of the season with Boots on the Boulevard from 6-9 p.m. May 25.

Partnering with the Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo, the evening will feature two stages, late shopping, delicious food truck fare, pony rides, a free Kids Zone by Cedar Point Church and a heehawing good time.

The Stampede Rodeo Stage on Missouri Street will feature Back Road Story and Shinyribs and will host an “after party” that extends through 11 p.m.

The Main Street Stage on Will Rogers will have three hours of Zumba or other fitness activities by the Claremore Rec Center. It’s open for free to all fitness levels as guests can do as much or as little as they want.

“This season is promising to be even bigger and better than in the years past,” said Kathy Glover, president of the Merchant’s Group and owner of the Cozy Cottage, 514 W. Will Rogers Blvd. “We are grateful to partner with the Will Rogers Stampede Rodeo to bring Rogers County ‘Boots on the Boulevard’ as our kick off.”
​Food trucks include Dorothy’s Wiches, C&J Concessions, Kona Ice, Taqueria El Jarocho, MooChewSooey BBQ, Wild Al’s, BackWatters BBQ, La Hermosa, Jen’s Java, Curbside Comfort, Not Your Grandma’s Cupcakes, The Bacon Food Truck and Papos Latin/American Cafe and Rusty Nails Italian Ice.

The Kids Zone by Cedar Point Church is completely free to attendees, but parents are asked to watch their children while they enjoy the games and fun activities. There will be a bounce house, ‘gold’ mining and ‘calf’ roping in addition to the pony rides.

“Food Truck Thursday is such a fun event that brings the whole community together,” said Jessica Jackson, director of Claremore Main Street. “We have a great committee working on fun themes and booking the food trucks, entertainment and additional shopping options. It’s going to be a great year in downtown Claremore!”

Food Truck Thursday will run monthly on the final Thursday of the month. Upcoming dates are June 29, July 27, August 31, September 28 and October 26.

The monthly event is hosted by the Downtown Merchants Group and Claremore Main Street, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization of the downtown district and reigniting the area as the social core of our community.

Food vendors interested in participating anytime this season should e-mail Jeannie Smith at while nonfood vendors who would like to set up a booth should email Sheila Giannelli at .

Join the Facebook event for updates!

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Main Street Tavern was recognized as the first-place winner for Best Façade Rehabilitation Over $10,000 at the 28th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet last week in Oklahoma City.

Further, Dr. Ray Brown, Claremore Main Street treasurer, was recognized as Board Member of the Year for the program.

Claremore Main Street’s Crowning Achievement was being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sixteen representatives from Claremore made the trip to Oklahoma City for the banquet. Melton Sales of Claremore provided a vehicle for many of the attendees to carpool together.

Thirty-four Main Street programs across the state submitted nominations that totaled more than 200 in separate categories to be considered for the awards.

Also recognized in the Top 3 from Claremore were Food Truck Thursday, Best Premier Event; Barron Law Firm, Best Façade Rehabilitation Under $10,000; and Main Street Tavern, Best Adaptive Reuse.
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The Main Street Tavern (MST Claremore), 116 N. Missouri Ave., opened in downtown Claremore last fall and immediately became one of the local favorite restaurants.

Owner Jason Scarpa and business partner Mike Kennedy put nearly a half a million dollars into the façade rehabilitation and exterior alone. White Design Group was responsible for the architectural design services for the project.

“We are honored to even be nominated, let alone selected, for our rehabilitation of Main Street Tavern,” Scarpa said. “We love being a part of Claremore and look forward to the future of downtown.”

In addition to the façade work by Scarpa and crew, the City of Claremore replaced the parking lot and purchased street lights to illuminate the street after dark.

The revitalization fits with Claremore Main Street’s recent expansion a block north and south of Will Rogers Boulevard. Two other buildings on north Missouri have been nominated statewide for façade improvements.

Claremore Main Street is dedicated to its mission to enrich downtown Claremore by promoting a healthy downtown economy and advocating for revitalization and historic preservation. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that was established in 2002.

Mrs. Reavis and Mrs. Robinson’s 4th Grade class at Stuart Roosa Elementary School is the winner of the Union Pacific Flag Art Contest designed to promotion train history and safety here in Claremore. Fourth-grade classes all over town participated in the contest.

​Attendees at this year’s Sip, Savor & Shop: Taste of Claremore voted for their favorite flag. The winning class received $100, courtesy of Claremore Main Street and Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce, the contest’s hosts. The flag will be delivered to the contest’s sponsor, UP Railroad, to hang in their corporate office.

An honorable mention from each of Claremore’s three other elementary school’s received $50. Those classes were: Catalayah, Mrs. Crutchfield; Claremont, Mrs. Hindenberg; and Westside, Mrs. Massey. All the classes’ flags are hanging in downtown Claremore all during the month of May, Train Safety Month.