Have You Hurd?

What exactly are people hearing at Heard on Hurd? If they’re lucky, they’re learning all about local talent and entrepreneurs who are sharing in the gift of community. Happening each third Saturday in downtown Edmond from 6 to 10pm through October, Heard on Hurd has something for all five of your senses.

The Smell & Taste on Hurd

You smell Heard on Hurd well before you see it. The aroma of sweet barbecue, melted butter and fried goodness fills the air as you walk towards the rows of options. That has to be the best thing about the street fair—the options. Heard on Hurd will challenge everything that you thought you knew about your sense of taste. There’s just too much to pick from. Who knows what your taste buds are actually craving? It’s not long before you’re eating and talking good food.

The chefs at Taste of Soul Egg Roll look forward to chatting with customers about their famous egg rolls. “Heard on Hurd gives you a chance to hang out with friends, listen to music and eat good food,” owner Rick Bly says. Bly says that street festivals provide a unique opportunity for chefs to get up close and personal with their patrons. “The people are everything in our business,” he says. “This gives them a chance to meet you, taste your food and ask questions.”

Taste of Soul uses their unique spin on the egg roll to help connect people. It was that sense of community that drew them towards the Edmond street fair. Rick and his family became part of the Hurd movement after they developed a friendship with Jill Castilla, President and CEO of Citizens Bank—the bank curates the festival. “Jill wants to see the city of Edmond grow,” he says. “She wants to see Edmond be the best that it can be.”

Jill Castilla and Citizens Bank of Edmond are advocates of the people of Edmond. When conceiving Heard on Hurd, Jill desired to incorporate the energy of urban life with the community spirit of Edmond. “Citizens Bank of Edmond made a commitment in 2013 to return our resources to where we started 114 years ago in downtown Edmond, making it a mecca for small business and community engagement,” Castilla says. “It quickly became evident that our community wanted a place to celebrate, to come together. Heard on Hurd celebrates the unique local food, local music and local shopping available in our metro and builds a greater sense of community in Edmond.”

Touch on Hurd 

“Can I help you with anything?” It’s not a hard question, but one that you wouldn’t expect to be hearing from 10-year-old Bella, or as her numerous online followers call her, The Little Bubble. Bella isn’t your ordinary 10-year-old girl. In fact, the sign in front of her stand at Heard on Hurd, neatly decorated with a matte-white-art-deco frame, advertises Bella as a “10-year-old entrepreneur, artist, mustache collector and soap maker.” Here is where the hometown touch of Heard on Hurd truly thrives. In the midst of a sea of people, a 10-year-old girl with a dream can go beyond the boundaries of her online store and connect with friendly faces from her hometown to sell her homemade hygiene products.

“Ever since I’ve been three, I’ve wanted to have my own Bath and Body Works,” Bella says. “I started very small about a year ago. It was actually for a home-schooling project.” It’s love at first sight. Bella’s endearing persona makes you proud to be an Oklahoman and happy to reach down on her table and purchase her items. Thanks to Heard on Hurd, Bella is able to get her products in front of thousands.

Not far from Bella is another Oklahoma girl hoping to get her creative business model noticed by the locals. Heather Parsons is busy inviting festival attendees into Cargo Room, a mobile boutique crafted out of a 12ft concession cargo trailer. The boutique offers bold clothing options for the fun and confident woman. “Shopping at Cargo Room is not your typical shopping experience, instead I like to think of it as somewhat more whimsical. Accordingly, the Cargo Room customer is a woman who is a little adventurous, likes to have fun and shows confidence in being her unique self,” Parsons says.

Heard on Hurd created a new marketplace for Heather to live out her dreams. She’s more than happy for the opportunity. “It’s a great example of locals supporting locals,” she says. “They’ve crafted an unconventional outlet for small business owners to connect with customers. Not only that, but it has also been a great means to build relationships with other small business owners within my community.”

See on Hurd

There are people everywhere. The people are the heart of Heard on Hurd. Each month, the festival brings out thousands in hopes of creating a lasting synergy between community members. “Heard on Hurd is a homecoming for our community once a month,” Castilla says. “Connection with one another is craved for and makes Heard on Hurd so special.  This event brings all ages and backgrounds together for one night to celebrate all the great things in our city and metro.” The energy of these connections is felt throughout the night as children play, couples find curbs to sit and cuddle and college friends revel in the joy of the weekend.

Heard on Hurd

Finally, it’s not a party without the music. Heard on Hurd features an impressive lineup of local bands who all play to capture the spirit, heart and soul of downtown Edmond. Like many of their neighbors, the music and the promise of a good time brought the Kegebeins, a local Edmond family, out to the street festival. Jeff and Meagan Kegebein live a few blocks away from all the action on Broadway and Hurd, but they’re not afraid of the noise and excitement caused by the event. “It’s great to have that in the background. This was something new for us to try.”

It’s not hard to see that they’re having a good time away from the house. It’s also obvious that they’ll be returning next month when Mr. Kegebein turns to the crowd, food vendors, pop-up shops and mass of people surrounding his family and says: “This is it!”

Learn more about the event by finding Heard on Hurd on Facebook.