oNE OKC event aims to highlight history, awareness of N.E. Fourth St.

Photo courtesy of Northeast OKC Renaissance Inc.

Quintin Hughes was on a trip to Birmingham, Ala., several years ago when he stumbled upon an event that organizers were using to help revitalize parts of Birmingham and attract businesses to certain areas.

“There were some industries they wanted to focus on and they used this block party concept to activate those spaces and show those in the community, as well as outside the community, what was possible,” he said.

Hughes, who serves on the board of directors for Northeast OKC Renaissance Inc., an organization designed to improve the quality of life in northeast Oklahoma City, was so enamored with the block party concept, he decided to develop something similar in Oklahoma City to help revitalize northeast Oklahoma City. His vision was to engage the local community and attract people from throughout the Oklahoma City metro to northeast Oklahoma City. So, in April 2016, the first oNE OKC street festival was born and has been a mainstay ever since in northeast Oklahoma City.

This year’s oNE OKC street festival will take place May 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at Booker T. Washington Park, located at N.E. Fourth St. and N. High Ave., after spending the last four years at the EastPoint development on N.E. 23^rd St. Douglas High School’s football stadium served as the very first site for the event in 2016. Hughes said moving the festival periodically is all part of the plan.

“We identify a space that is somewhat on the cusp of becoming a self-sustaining node of activity, and then we ‘prime the pump,’ if you will, until that node becomes independent. We can then move on to the next location,” said Hughes, who thinks N.E. Fourth St. will be the next area for growth and economic revitalization since it is adjacent to the Innovation District.

The citizens of Oklahoma City voted in 2019 to invest $71 million in the Innovation District with the MAPS 4 proposal. The funds will be put towards developing the district, including creating the Henrietta B. Foster Center for Northeast Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, constructing an innovation hall and developing better connectivity with the surrounding area.

Hughes said people who attend the oNE OKC event can expect to see lots of energy and vibrant activity throughout the event, all in a safe and inviting environment. There will be food trucks, vendors, live entertainment, including concerts on a main stage, and a kid’s area where children of all ages can participate in a variety of outdoor activities, including learning how to fly a drone.

One of the main features of the festival, according to Hughes, is the Building Tomorrow tent.

“It is a place where we invite developers that have planned projects, or have already completed them, to set up a display area where they can introduce the developments to the community and share visuals, and then community members can interact with the developers and also ask questions,” Hughes said.

A separate but connected event has been added to this year’s lineup that will provide an opportunity for those in the community to participate in a question-and-answer session with various political officials representing northeast Oklahoma City. Hughes said event organizers intend for this new event to become at least an annual event.

For more information about oNE OKC or Northeast OKC Renaissance Inc., visit neokcr.org/oneokc.