Opens Thursday, Sept. 26

You know the season has changed when the rides and food vendors roll into town. The Tulsa State Fair is back at Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St., with more carnival rides, sinfully delicious fair food, exhibits, concerts, corndog-eating contests and plenty of special events to boot. Running Thursday, Sept. 26, through Oct. 6, this year’s offerings are sure to draw the crowds to midtown Tulsa. On top of petting zoos, livestock shows and beer gardens, look for Disney on Ice at the Pavilion (Sept. 26-29), the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show and Grand National Wedding Cake Competition, concerts from Lee Brice and Sevendust and the Picking & Fiddling Championships during the first weekend alone. The second weekend features the PRCA Rodeo & Concerts with Justin Moore and the Josh Abbott Band in the Pavilion (Oct. 4-5) as well as concerts from Chevelle and Bell Biv DeVoe. There’s plenty to catch during the week, too. Fair admission is $6-$10 (children under five free), but Disney on Ice prices are $20-$40. Rodeo prices are $30 each. Go to www.tulsastatefair.com for a complete fair schedule and pricing on ride passes as well as VIP access.

When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off in 1803 on a trek across the then brand-spanking-new Louisiana Purchase, they expected to meet a lot of new people, see new terrain and uncover a lot of interesting new things.

More than 200 years later, their long journey continues to inspire artists who look westward and back in time for their subjects. Lewis & Clark: The Corps of Discovery Art Sale and Exhibition brings the work of some of the most successful contemporary Western artists to the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve.

The show’s opening weekend, Sept. 27-28, is booked with events for show sponsors, art collectors and spectators alike. An artist and sponsor dinner offering a preview of the show is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27. The following day, guests can participate in guest talks with artist Charles Fritz and hear a presentation by author James P. Ronda (Lewis and Clark Among the Indians) before the exhibition and sale officially open at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.

The event includes 100 pieces by Fritz, a nationally recognized Western painter, along with 14 works by painter Michael Haynes illustrating the two-year expedition. Also part of the show and sale are 50 bronze sculptures by Richard Greeves, a Lewis and Clark historian and artist.

Pieces marked for sale can be purchased during the Sept. 28 evening sale reception. Proceeds benefit the museum.

Lewis & Clark: The Corps of Discovery will remains on exhibit at Woolaroc, 1825 Woolaroc Ranch Road, Bartlesville, through Dec. 29.

All-day passes to Sept. 28 events are $125-$175, while tickets to that evening’s show and sale event are $75-$125 and includes the cocktail reception and museum admission from 6-9 p.m. For more information the exhibit and sale or to learn more about event sponsorship, go to www.woolaroc.org.

Oklahoma City is plenty proud of its resident hockey team, the OKC Barons, but there won’t be any hard feelings when the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars pack the Barons’ house for a special preseason match at the Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens. The NHL Showcase brings the teams together on Oklahoma City ice at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. The Barons have been the AHL affiliate team of Edmonton since the franchise moved from Canada to OKC in 2010. As a kind of development team, the Barons have groomed players for the Oilers, which means this preseason game could feature more than a few familiar faces under all that safety gear. Season ticket holders already hold a pass to the special exhibition. For the rest of us, showcase tickets are $24-$39, available at www.okcbarons.com. Watch when the Barons open its home season of play the weekend of Oct. 4-5.

Friday, Sept. 27-Saturday, Sept. 28

The Grammy Award-winning comic Lewis is touring again: “The Rant is Due.” It is, indeed. Well known for his acerbic wit and a delivery style that might be called abrasive, Black has something to say on every political maneuver, celebrity stunt and mindless trend (as fans of his “Back in Black” segments on the “Daily Show with Jon Stewart” are aware). Catch the rant first at Rose State Performing Arts Center, 6420 S.E. 15th St., in Midwest City at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. Tickets are $39.50-$59.50 at www.myticketoffice.com. Tulsa can find him at the Osage Event Center at Osage Casino, 951 W. 36th St. Black takes the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Tickets are $40 each and available at www.osagecasinos.com.

Friday, Sept. 27-Sunday, Sept. 29

Following a season that lost three of its veteran dancers (Ma Cong, Alexandra Bergman and Alfonso Martin), Tulsa Ballet has lost no time in reordering its company. When “Rite of Spring” comes to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Chapman Music Hall stage this weekend, audiences are sure to be astounded again by the symphony of music, dance and disciplined talent. The night features Paul Taylor’s 1940s-inspired big band dream “Company B” along with the Oklahoma premiere of “One/End/One” by in-demand choreographer Jorma Elo and the program’s namesake – Adam Hougland’s contemporary staging of the groundbreaking Vaslav Nijinksy piece from 1913 set to Stravinsky’s savage score. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27-Saturday, Sept. 28, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. Tickets are $20-$99, available at www.myticketoffice.com. Read more about Tulsa Ballet’s new season at www.tulsaballet.org.

Friday, Sept. 27, 6:30-9 p.m.

If animals could speak, they’d tell you to go to the Oklahoma City Zoo for ZooBrew V, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. The annual soiree will be held outdoors at the zoo, 2101 N.E. 50th St., with festivities, great food to sample from the city’s most original restaurants and artisan beers from local breweries and distributors to sample. Be a part of the silent auction to further help the zoo. This event is for ages 21 and older only, so please leave the little ones at home. Tickets to the event and are $30 for ZooFriends members and $35 for non-members. If you’re a designated driver, it’s only $10 to get in. Tickets, however, are limited to only 750 guests, and the event always sells out. Get them before 5 p.m. Thursday. Read more at www.zoofriends.org.

Saturday, Sept. 28, 6 a.m.

The race is on Saturday, Sept. 28, at ONEOK Field, 201 N. Elgin, in Tulsa for the annual event bringing breast cancer survivors and supporters together. Komen Race for the Cure Tulsa begins with registration and packet pick-up at 6 a.m. followed by the survivor breakfast at 6:30 a.m. The timed 5k run starts at 7:30 a.m. with other events (including the survivor parade and ceremony, the untimed 5k, kids’ run events and 1-mile fun run and walk rounding out the morning. The course goes through downtown Tulsa and the Brady Arts District. Registration ranges from $15 (youth)-$40 (adult timed 5k) for individuals, but team registration is also available. Join the team, and find out more at www.komentulsa.org.