As an official event of the Oklahoma Centennial, the Magnolia Festival is opening a day earlier this year with many more activities.

The carnival will begin Wednesday evening May 30 with ‘armband night' and runs through Saturday evening.

The aroma of food and other festivities will entice people of all ages to come see the sights and sound of the festival starting at noon Thursday, May 31. Entertainment, the quilt show, crafts, antiques, and food will be open all day. The 11th annual event's opening ceremony will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on the Main Stage located in Third and Evergreen in downtown Durant.

The Belle and Beau will be presented during the ceremony.

The Choctaw Fancy Dancers will perform Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by Jewel Akens and The Coasters, which will take the stage at 8 p.m.

On Friday, the quilt show, crafts, antiques, limited children's events, and food will open at 9 a.m. The art show will run all day in the Massey Building. Entertainment will begin at noon on the two smaller stages.

The Choctaw Nation Princess Pageant will be held on the Courthouse lawn at 5 p.m. In honor of celebrating the 100 years of statehood, Oklahoma and Indian Territory will have a symbolic union of the two territories becoming one in a mock wedding reenactment at the Market Square Stage at 6 p.m. The KLBC/KSEO Country Showdown will take the Main Stage at 6:45 p.m. followed by the Main Street Showcase at 8:30 p.m. Jeannie Seely will perform at 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, many other events will be taking place and all will begin at 9 a.m. Along with all the entertainment available during the festival, the New Plainsmen Gospel Group will be performing on Saturday at the Main Stage from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Magnolia Pageant will have two competition shows with two different age groups. The 11 a.m. show is for the children 4 and under. The second competition is at 2 p.m. and is for ages 5-18.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Fancy Dancers will perform prior to Pake McEntire taking the stage at 8 p.m. The headliner for the event, Jason Meadows, will take the stage at 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the children's events begin with the parade at 9 a.m. followed by awards. The parade marshals for the event are the CenTOONials, who are larger than life-size mascots of the Oklahoma Centennial. The four characters represent Oklahoma's state animals, Rascal the Raccoon, Lizzy the Mountain Boomer Lizard, Scissy the Scissortail and Buckley the Buffalo. The children's area will open at 10 a.m.

There will be all types of children's activities including the exciting turtle races, bubble gum blowing contests, face painting, watermelon eating contests, plus lots more fun.

The 11th Annual Magnolia Bike Ride hosted by the Durant Rotary Club will begin Saturday, June 2, with a mass start at 9 a.m. from Carl Albert Park. The riders will have the option of a 12, 22, 40 or 60-mile ride. The Rotary Club will also host the Magnolia Mile beginning in Downtown Durant on Saturday morning, June 2, at 8 a.m. This will be a great event for the entire family.

Other events include the car and tractor show, two stages of non-stop entertainment, Centennial attractions, and much more. The Centennial Calliope is a replica of the old-fashion player family organs that were popular at circuses and festivals during the turn of the century. The calliope plays Oklahoma's favorite songs. The CenTOONials will be around to entertain the crowd. The Oklahoma/Indian Territory Re-enactment is a special event on Friday evening.

The Texoma Arts Association will be hosting their art show in the Massey Building on Main Street, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Along with the art such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, jewelry, woodwork, metalwork, needle art, plus much more, there will also be art demonstrations for each type of art.

This year the antique tents have added consignment items. The tents are perfect for those who want to browse and for those interested in a specific piece.

Festival T-shirts will be available for $15 at the information booth. The committee is also selling Magnolia trees for $10. All these events are free to the public.

During the weekend, the festival will have children's activities, great food, and fun entertainment for the entire family in Downtown Durant.

For more information, visit the Web site www.magnoliafestival.com.