What was once a small town carnival is now considered the beginning of America’s Greatest Comeback.
In 1913, Oklahoma A&M University, now OSU, hosted its first Harvest Carnival. Harvest carnivals were originally held to celebrate a good harvest and encourage agricultural conversation within the community.
Seven years later, in 1920, Oklahoma A&M hosted the first homecoming day for Oklahoma A&M alumni. From there, the homecoming celebrations became grander and the Harvest Carnival was still celebrated every year.
More than 100 years later, the Harvest Carnival remains on the list of homecoming celebrations for OSU. Now hosted by the OSU Alumni Association, the Harvest Carnival is held in conjunction with the annual Chili Cook Off at the Payne County Exposition Center. This year’s carnival and cookout is scheduled for Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Admission to the carnival and cookout is one canned good per person as part of the Harvest II food drive. The proceeds are distributed throughout the community.
Harvest Carnival booths are run by OSU’s student organizations and Greek houses. The games are designed to educate and entertain elementary age children. No tickets are required for children to play the various games and activities offered at the carnival.
The annual Chili Cook Off is also hosted with the Harvest Carnival at the fairgrounds. The chef invites Greek houses and student organizations to compete to cook the best chili.
Dakota Whitman, a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and OSU Student Council, was inspired to participate in last year’s chili cook-off by his housemother, Rena Sterling.
“I walked into my mother’s room in my house one day and saw that she had three awards for chili dishes,” Whitman said.
Sterling was willing to share her champion recipe, because there’s one simple thing that makes this chili so delicious. Whitman recalls Sterling telling her that she “just cooked it with love.”
Whitman and another STUCO member, Emily Evans, cooked the chili for the carnival last year and won the fan favorite.
Whitman plans to enter the same recipe into the chili cook-off again this year. As a past winner, he advises the new teams to walk around and try out the other team’s burners.
Harvest Carnival attendees are also welcome to try the chili. If you’re interested in trying the chili, plan to try it first thing, as Whitman’s fan-favorite chili was gone with over an hour of tasting time last year.
The Harvest Carnival and Chili Cook off is a great way to entertain your kids, give back to the community, or try some delicious chili.
