ENID, OK - Crazy Day is one of those events that lives in our childhood memories and is sometimes remembered bigger than it really was. Although, back in the 60s and 70's Crazy Day really was kind of a big deal. Crazy Day falls on the last Saturday in July.
Crazy Day was the brainchild of the retail businesses in town. It was thought to be a great way to clear out spring and summer items and introduce new fall inventory. Retail merchants from all over town would move their old inventory out onto the sidewalks and mark them with crazy low prices. Many families went to shop for back-to-school clothes.
To help entice shoppers, retailers would encourage their employees to dress in crazy outfits. There were costume contests for different areas of town and within each store. Employees gave out popcorn, balloons and other fun stuff for the kids.
The Enid square would be packed with shoppers and the sidewalks would be so crowded it was sometimes hard to walk. Finding a parking spot downtown was always an adventure and if you were lucky your parents would drive you up the Sears parking garage and it was a bonus if you immediately got to go back down.
Throughout the earlier decades of Enid's growth, most retail was centered around downtown. The Enid square at one time could boast it had large retailers like Sears, TG&Y, Woolworth's, JC Penney, OTASCO, Kress/Dollar General, Evans, Newman's, Lerner's, Coldirons, Anthony's and many smaller boutique shops, pawn shops, pharmacies and diners.
Other large retailers in Enid included Woolco, Wackers and Trade Mart. Although Westgate, Sunset Plaza, Heritage Hills and others had great sales, most of the Crazy Day activity centered around downtown.
Crazy Day has continued over the decades but as larger stores have moved and closed, the circus feel of that summer day in downtown Enid has slowly faded. It was a different time and a different era. Crazy Day will always hold a fond memory for those of us that were kids during its hey day.
Vintage Crazy Day Photos
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In 1968 Harriett Dupus and Lucille Rogers both worked in the shoe department at Sears. They rode bicycles to work on Crazy Day in their Crazy Day outfits!
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Lindy Hutchins Chambers Grandma Hutchins (front, with red top) and her friends dressed up for Crazy Days in downtown Enid in the mid 60s.
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