Muskogee gearing up for 2023 Beast Feast

The hottest ticket in Muskogee this summer is the Beast Feast, which is an occasion jointly sponsored by New Community Church and BOOM.

Instrumental in the formation of the Beast Feast was a local pastor, Tim Salters, who now lives in Colorado.

New Community Church in Muskogee member Brian Lanham was one of the founders of BOOM Outdoors.

In the summer of 2007, a group of friends who love to hunt, fish and enjoy nature got together and formed BOOM Outdoors. BOOM (Bringing Outdoor Opportunities to Men) is a Christian-based organization that works to provide outdoor opportunities for men and their families.

“It’s a ministry of our church to show God’s love to this community,” Lanham said. “It is a way to bring men closer together and to get the youth involved in the outdoor experience and draw both closer to God.”

Dozens of vendors of every imaginable outdoor product will be in attendance, and a barbecue dinner will be served. County music entertainment will be provided and hundreds of door prizes will be given out during the evening. Some of the door prizes will include guns, ammunition and a chain saw among many more items.

Sorry, ladies, but the hottest happening in town is for guys only. It’s time to scramble around and get those tickets.

“The first event, held at New Community Church, drew 250 folks,” Lanham said. “It has been held at the Civic Center ever since, and over 3,000 tickets have been issued this year — and they will go fast.”

More than 60 volunteers will help with the planning and set-up for this long-anticipated shindig, and more than 100 sponsors made the abundant amount of prizes possible. Some of the past speakers have included Edwin Evers, Ott DeFoe, Andy Montgomery, Stan Potts, Mark Rose, Jimmy Stites and Hank Parker.

“As I look back over these last 16 years, I see God’s hand of blessing on this event,” Lanham said. “He has truly used it to further his kingdom. I know all of our amazing team that works so hard to put this on every year is humbled to be a part of this ministry.”

Muskogee’s 16th annual Beast Feast is set for Aug. 19 at the Muskogee Civic Center. Doors will open at 4 p.m. and dinner will begin at 6 p.m.

This year’s event will have Brad Clay, a professional hunter, who currently has video episodes on his website. You can read about him at https://www. finaldescentoutdoors.com. He has an television show called “Final Descent Outdoors” that airs on the Pursuit Channel. You may also listen to his FDO podcasts on Spotify and Apple.

“As usual, they will have a Runt’s BBQ dinner along with country music from a band,” Lanham said. “There will be approximately 1,000 door prizes and every young boy under 12 will get a special surprise.”

They are in the process of distributing more than 3,000 free tickets, and you can pick yours up at Mike’s Outdoors and USA Barn in Muskogee or Keith’s Hardware in Fort Gibson.

The evening will have around 40 vendors, and this town favorite will include 60-plus volunteers.

“Boats, trucks, guns, country music, barbecue and lots of really cool door prizes,” Lanham said. “Who wouldn’t want to come to this?”

After attending for well greater than a decade, I always look forward to connecting with old friends and making new ones. It is a great evening of wonderful fellowship with other men. As I look back over the years, I’ve made memories with compadres that I invited who are no longer with us. I cherish each year of this event.

Additional information can be found on the BOOM Outdoors Facebook page or the organization’s website at www.boomoutdoors.com, or by calling New Community Church at (918) 683-9111.

This is an idea that needs to be replicated in every corner of our state.

John Kilgore is the former Greenleaf State Park manager. He can be reached by e-mailing him at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.