Main Entrance on First Day

This was my first time to attend the Bonnaroo Festival; My first time to report for NewsOk;  and my first time to write a first person piece.  The festival also helped me find the perfect story to launch my personal blog, Green Life Girl, an Eco concious blog.  Most of the interviews I did for my story and blog were done while waiting for the next band to hit the stage.  This made the wait time go by much quicker and helped me get to know the group around me.

The days were hot and dusty but the bands were full of energy and excitement.  My favorite acts were The Strokes by far but closely followed by Florence and the Machine and Arcade Fire.  Other than music there were some really exciting, funny and weird experiences had at the festival.  I love being a journalist because it may be the only career in which you can listen to your favorite musicians and say you’re working.

I have always enjoyed moving to a new city for the summer and exploring all it has to offer. My favorite aspect of being an intern is the nomadic lifestyle. This is my fifth newspaper internship in a different state. I recently wrote a story that compiled the top 10 most popular summer destinations in Oklahoma. Hardy Watkins, Executive Director of Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation, stressed to Oklahomans to be a tourist in their own state. I couldn’t agree more.

How often have you heard someone say they have lived somewhere their whole life and never visited a famous attraction in their hometown or state? I must admit I am also guilty. Originally from Wyoming, I have only visited Yellowstone National Park once when I was very young. I do not remember much besides seeing a few buffalo on the side of the road. Even when I lived in Kansas City it wasn’t unusual to learn people did not venture far from their neighborhoods.

While here in Oklahoma, I hope to visit many of the sites on this summer’s popular summer destinations, as well as a few of my own. Some on my list include the Jim Thorpe Museum & Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Geronimo’s gravesite in Fort Sill. This past weekend, I took a drive out to Arcadia on Route 66 and visited Pops, a diner offering more than 500 varieties of soda pop. Then I drove an hour and a half north to Fairfax, Okla., home to two of Oklahoma’s Prima ballerinas of Native American descent, Maria and Marjorie Tallchief. While there I watched one of three ceremonial dances hosted by the Osage Nation during the month of June.

When I told some of friends up north I was interning in Oklahoma for the summer, some of their responses were funny. One of my friends said, “You must like sweating in a prairie” and another replied, “Why?” My response was “Why not Oklahoma?” This state has a lot of offer and being somewhat of a history buff and self-proclaimed tourist trap junky, there is a great deal to do and see here. So I guess I will echo the words of Watkins and encourage everyone to explore Oklahoma whether you are new to the state or call it home.