Any review I write of last weekend’s Onion Burger Festival in El Reno wouldn’t be fair to the fine people who worked hard to put on a great event. There was nothing wrong with this year’s festival, nor was it significantly different from any other Onion Burger Festival I’ve ever attended. It wasn’t you this year, Onion Burger Festival. It was me.
Dad and I arrived at the 34th annual onion burger festival shortly before lunch, with the smell of caramelized onions already wafting through the streets of El Reno. We parked where I always park, a secret spot just a few car lengths from the festival that’s somehow there year after year. Less than a minute after parking, the two of us were enjoying the festival’s traditional car show.
There seemed to be less cars than usual — maybe it’s because Coffee and Cars fell on the same day. The cars on display fell into one of three categories: restored classic cars; custom works in progress (think lowriders with lots of primer); and what appeared to be brand new cars, right off the car lot. Seriously, half a dozen Mustangs in the show looked as if they had been come straight from the Ford dealership just down the street.
As dad headed back toward where we had parked, I made a quick trip through the heart of the festival. I paused for a minute to watch a group of young girls dancing in the warming summer sun. In the heart of the festival, kids with cotton candy waited in line to enter one of the available inflatable bounce houses.
Here’s a little secret — we rarely eat onion burgers at the Onion Burger Festival. It feels a bit like getting drunk on green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. So far this year we’ve had onion burgers from Sid’s (at least twice), Tucker’s, and Big Ed’s. As tasty as the unique Oklahoma burgers are, there’s no way I would wait an hour for one while standing under the 80+ degree sun. Instead, we stopped by a local BBQ restaurant on the way home that had so/so barbeque and glorious air conditioning.
I’m slowly reacclimating to being in large groups of people. Each time I find myself surrounded with people in my personal space, I just want to walk away. I just spent two years social distancing and constantly worrying about breathing other people’s air. I’m trying my best to readjust.
The Onion Burger Festival deserves a better write up than this one.
Honest, Onion Burger Festival. It wasn’t you this year. It was me.