Downtown El Reno

At a glance

  • Downtown Trolley(on rails)
  • Trolley Mural
  • Burger Day Festival
  • Heritage Mural
  • Small Town Weekend
  • El Reno Postcard Mural

About this location

El Reno Trolley Mural In 2001, Fern Zajic invited Palmer Studios to visit downtown El Reno and capture the essence of the city’s three trolleys in a mural spanning 30 feet tall and 100 feet wide. This historical downtown El Reno mural includes an image of the first trolley established in the town. On this mural on South Rock Island Ave, the artists also recreated the Interurban line, which once traveled between Oklahoma City and El Reno, and the Heritage Express Trolley that currently runs downtown. This historical downtown El Reno mural also depicts some of the community’s historic sites. Fried Onion Burger Day Festival On the 1st Saturday in May. The world’s largest fried onion hamburger is cooked (weighing over 850 lb. – 400 kg). See it being cooked and help eat it!. El Reno has been known for its “Fried Onion Hamburger” since the early 1900s. And has celebrated the Burger day for over 20 years. El Reno Heritage Mural One of downtown El Reno’s walls is decorated with a 108-ft. wide mural showing the heritage of El Reno, Canadian County and western Oklahoma across nine panels. Artist Charlie Beecham originally painted this El Reno Heritage Mural in 1980 for OK Federal Savings and Loan Association, and over time, as the paint has worn away, Beecham has volunteered to restore his work with fresh coats of paint. The first panel features the Cheyenne-Araphao reservation, while the second panel represents the Darlington Indian Agency. The third panel highlights Fort Reno, and the fourth panel depicts a Rock Island Railroad train. The fifth panel pays tribute to El Reno as a chartered town in 1889, while the sixth panel details the original Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. In the seventh panel, Beecham painted Caddo Springs Station, while he chose to highlight Jesse Chisholm’s Trail in the eighth panel. In the ninth and final panel, Beecham painted Francisco Coronado traveling through on his 1541 journey through western Oklahoma. Small Town Weekend Bring the family to a weekend of festivities during El Reno’s Small Town Weekend celebration. Held rain or shine, the Small Town Weekend will cruise into town this June to celebrate everything nostalgic on the local strip of Route 66. Numerous events will be held throughout the weekend, from the only legal drag race and burnout on Route 66 to grass car races and an open car show. This event will also be filled with children’s activities, festival food, vendors, live entertainment and more. The weekend kicks off on Friday with a movie night at Centre Theatre at 7pm, followed by an open city-wide car cruise. On Saturday, head out to the car show to admire classic and modified cars, among other sleek vehicles. A closed route cruise on Route 66 in the evening closes out the day’s events with more events lined up for Sunday. Bring the whole family out for this memorable Mother Road experience. El Reno Postcard Mural Artist Chris Small crafted a mural on the walls of Russell-Murray Hospice in 2006. This mural highlights historic aspects of the Route 66 town, from antique cars that would have driven through El Reno to businesses that once called the hospice building home. In this mural, Small also represented the various uses of the Russell-Murray Hospice building throughout its history.

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