Tulsa Tough rolls in and the first weekend of June is stacked

Three days of bike racing and street parties downtown, Shakey Graves and Stoney LaRue at Cain's, free jazz on Guthrie Green, and the Drillers back home. Here is what is worth your time.

The one thing

Saint Francis Tulsa Tough takes over downtown June 5 to 7, and it is the best weekend of the early summer. Three days of criterium bike racing wind through downtown and along the river, but you do not have to ride to love it. The real draw is the street party, especially the Blue Dome and Arts District crits, where thousands line the course, the bars spill onto the sidewalks, and Cry Baby Hill turns into the rowdiest, most costumed block party in Oklahoma. Show up, grab a drink, and watch the riders fly by.

Live music and comedy

The first weekend of June is loaded.

Shakey Graves brings his raw, one man band Americana to Cain's Ballroom on Thursday, June 4.
Red dirt favorite Stoney LaRue plays Cain's the very next night, about as Oklahoma as a night out gets.
Country legends Alabama headline The Cove Thursday, and Tejano giants La Mafia light up Hard Rock Live Saturday.
Classic rockers Jefferson Starship hit the Osage Event Center Friday, while rising Dallas trio Little Image play The Vanguard the same night.
On the comedy side, crowd work master Ian Bagg has two nights at Bricktown Comedy Club, Gary Owen is at The Cove Saturday, and clean comic Henry Cho plays the Tulsa Theater Sunday.

It only gets bigger from there, Buckethead at Cain's on the 11th, Cheap Trick at Hard Rock on the 12th, and Art Garfunkel at Chapman Music Hall on the 14th. See the full concert calendar for everything on sale.

Festivals and free stuff

First Friday Art Crawl, Friday June 5 in the Tulsa Arts District. Galleries stay open late and the streets fill up, and it pairs perfectly with a show at Cain's afterward.
Free live jazz comes to Guthrie Green on Friday evening, outdoors and easy.
The Cherry Street Farmers Market runs Saturday morning, and the downtown Midweek Market is back Wednesday nights at Santa Fe Square.

Sports

The Tulsa Drillers are home at ONEOK Field, hosting the Wichita Wind Surge June 9 to 14. Cheap minor league baseball, a great patio, and fireworks nights make it one of the easiest fun outings in town.

On the horizon

Tulsa's Juneteenth celebration, one of the largest in the country, takes over the historic Greenwood District in the middle of the month with music, food trucks, and vendors. And humorist David Sedaris reads at Magic City Books on the 15th. More on both next week.