'This Is Everything For Us': Barnsdall Hosts 71st Annual BigHeart Day 2 Weeks After Tornado

The town of Barnsdall came to life at the 71st annual BigHeart Day on Saturday - a big tradition for the small town.

“This is everything for us,” said Jacob Hansen. 

Hansen says there's something for everyone…turtle races, frog jumps, tasty food and more.

“You just kind of jump in, have good conversation, fellowship with people and just have fun,” he said. 

Much needed fun after recent events.

‘“This has been a rough month,” he said. 

Earlier this May, an EF4 tornado destroyed much of the town…leaving some residents with nothing.

The tornado did cause doubts at first, people wondered if BigHeart was still going to even happen, but organizers and vendors say it’s just what the city needed.

“It was tough, there was a lot of doubt on whether we’d get through it, but here we are,” said Hansen.

Vendor Elizabeth Smith owns BigHeart Soap Company and is setting up displays of soap, but she says coming out today means more than just selling her products - it means showing support.

“These are my people, and I love them and it’s just really hard to see what's happened around here,” she said. 

She’s seen that support stay steady since the day the tornado struck.

“I’ve never seen so much love in my whole life for this little town, everybody really came out and showed up,” said Smith. 

And she has hope.

“This town’s gonna build right back and be even stronger than before,” she said. 

Proving that they really are Barnsdall Strong.