LAWTON – A weeklong birthday celebration is planned for the end of July to honor the city’s founding on Aug. 6, 1901, and nominations are being sought for the honorary cake-cutters at the grand finale event.
Festivities kick off at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 28, at the H.C. King Center, 1705 NW 20th St. Hot dogs, cake and ice cream will be served and fun events include bounce houses for the children and trivia games to celebrate the city’s history.
On Tuesday, July 29, the celebration moves to a different part of the city and will be held at the Patterson Center, 4 NE Arlington Dr. starting at 5:30 p.m. The nightly trivia games continue, along with bounce houses for the children. Hot dogs, cake and ice cream will be served.
Night three, Wednesday, July 30, will also begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Owens Multipurpose Center, 1405 SW 11th St. The trivia games will culminate in a grand showdown at the main event on Thursday, July 31. Wednesday’s event will again feature bounce houses for the children and hot dogs, cake and ice cream will be served.
The grand finale will start at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, July 31, at City Hall in the Wayne Gilley Auditorium. Nominations for the honorary cake-cutters (the youngest or oldest Lawtonian with a birthday on or near Aug. 6) can be submitted to publicaffairs@lawtonok.com.
In addition to the trivia showdown finale, community awards will be announced and a historical performance will be presented. The City of Lawton was named for General Henry Ware Lawton, born March 17, 1843, in Maumee, Ohio, and died on Dec. 19, 1899, in the Philippine- American War, also known as the Philippine Insurrection.
Documents show that Gen. Lawton served with distinction in the American Civil War, the Apache Wars and the Spanish American War. He received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Civil War.