People ready to resume outdoor activity for Memorial Day Weekend

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NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Memorial Day Weekend is drawing plenty of people to Lake Thunderbird, and officials say it’s been busier than usual with people wanting to get out of the house.

“There was a rise in attendance because anything that people could do to get out, because so many places were closed, I would say any places like parks got more people,” Kevin Hammond, a ranger with Oklahoma State Parks, said.

Rangers are keeping group sizes under 50. That number used to be just ten, but it went up to 50 under Phase 2 of the Governor’s reopening plan.

If people are violating that, they’ll get a reminder, but Hammond says that hasn’t been much of a problem.

“We basically just let them know. We haven’t had any issues enforcing that, we’ve been enforcing the social distancing and the group size for several weeks now, so I think people are pretty used to it,” he said.

Officials and visitors alike say they’re not too concerned being out and about.

“I would say because the park is so large, there’s plenty of room to spread out, and safely enjoy the summer activities,” Hammond said.

“We’re keeping our distance, we’re not going around licking people, we’re trying to stay six feet apart from everybody,” Layton Weaver, a visitor, said.

“It’s amazing to get out of the house, not have to worry about the virus, have a good time with the family,” Jessica Powers, another lake visitor, said.

The Park isn’t renting out boats right now, but people can still bring their own. The Park also isn’t renting out family pavilions because they don’t have the staff to clean them between each use. The Nature Center is closed.

As for Memorial Day, Hammond says fewer people might come because of the weather.