The town of Barnsdall came alive Saturday during the 71st annual BigHeart Day – a great tradition for the small town.
“This is it for us,” Jacob Hansen said.
Hansen says there’s something for everyone: turtle racing, frog jumping, tasty food and more.
“Just get out there, have a good conversation, commune with people and have fun,” he said.
A well-deserved pleasure after recent events.
“It’s been a tough month,” he said.
Earlier this past May, an EF4 tornado destroyed much of the city… leaving some residents with nothing.
The tornado sparked doubts at first, with people wondering if BigHeart was even going to happen, but organizers and vendors say it’s exactly what the city needed.
“It was tough, there was a lot of doubt about whether we could get through it, but here we are,” Hansen said.
Seller Elizabeth Smith owns BigHeart Soap Company and sets up soap displays, but she says coming out today means more than just selling her products — it means showing support.
“These are my people, I love them and it’s really hard to see what’s happening here,” she said.
She found that support remained stable since the day the tornado struck.
“I’ve never seen so much love in my entire life for this little town, everyone really came out and showed up,” Smith said.
And she has hope.
“This city is going to rebuild itself and be even stronger than before,” she said.
Proving that they really are Barnsdall Strong.
