Ree and Ladd throw one heck of a Fourth of July party!
Over the past few years, The Pioneer Woman’s store and restaurant, The Mercantile, has hosted a huge bash in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. In 2019, more than 10,000 people came out to dance, shop, play games, and eat (and eat some more). “Everyone was relaxed and the smiles were abundant!” Ree says.
Unfortunately, the Merc didn't host the Patriotic Party on the Prairie celebration in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic, but Ladd still put on his over-the-top, amazing, and sometimes slightly terrifying fireworks show for everyone in town to enjoy
This year, on Saturday, July 3, the celebration will still be pared down from previous years, but it should still be a rockin' great time!
“Ladd and the cowboys will be putting on their usual pyrotechnic show at dusk for the town to enjoy,” Ree says."And beginning at 4:00 in the afternoon, we'll be having awesome food booths and snow cones on Kihekah Avenue! The Merc, P-Town Pizza, and Charlie's Sweet Shop will be open as usual, so Saturday will be a fun day to be in Pawhuska!"
In case you hadn't heard, one of Ladd's great passions is lighting up the Oklahoma skies every Fourth. The tradition started way back when their daughter Alex was a baby (she's now 23!), and slowly grew from a few Roman candles, to a truckload lit off on the ranch's tennis court, to a full-blown citywide affair. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. (Ladd. It's always gotta be Ladd.)
"He handles the fireworks," Ree says. "Fireworks will never be delegated."
“I’ve tried to convince Ladd to start small with the fireworks and work up to a finale—but that isn’t how he operates. The show starts with a finale and ends with a finale,” Ree says.
But year after year, the crazy, Earth-rattling display proves there's no one better for the task.
"The fireworks are always the star of the show," Ree says.
Megan Stein is the executive editor for The Pioneer Woman, and oversees entertainment, features, and news for the website. Whether it's catching up on the latest true crime podcast, or re-watching the best '80s movies for the zillionth time, she's always here to talk about anything and everything relating to pop culture.
