06/05/2026
A note of gratitude from Sunny Dayz Executive Director, Kristen Milburn ☀️
As I sit here trying to put the last week into words, I keep coming back to one thing: Sunny Dayz is people. A wonderful, creative, magical group of people.
The murals are beautiful. The festival is magical. But none of it happens without the hands and hearts behind the scenes.
From the moment planning begins, more than 2,000 volunteer hours go into making Sunny Dayz possible. That’s 2,000+ hours of meetings, emails, spreadsheets, hauling equipment, solving problems, cheering each other on, and believing that art makes the world a better place.
It’s sweat, giggles, hugs, and a few tears. Most importantly, it’s people showing up for something bigger than themselves.
To our committee, our incredible core of volunteers: thank you for carrying this vision all year long. Your commitment, creativity, and love for this community are unmatched.
To our team leads: I am in awe of you. You poured your time, expertise, energy, and love into Sunny Dayz. Sunny Dayz simply would not happen without your leadership.
To our Sunny Mom, Lissa: thank you for feeding us, checking on us, loving on us, celebrating us, making us laugh, and making sure everyone felt safe, comfortable, and cared for. You have a remarkable way of making people feel seen and supported, and we are so grateful for you.
To our Festival Director, Paige Powell: you've been with Sunny Dayz since day one, making magic happen behind the scenes. Our logistics queen, handywoman, owner of every tool, and fixer of every problem. Thank you for holding it all together and leading with so much heart.
To Virg Sitzes, our founder: thank you for dreaming this into existence. You've created a space where underrepresented artists can be seen, celebrated, and supported. What you've built is more than a festival, it's a movement.
To our artists: thank you for trusting us, sharing your gifts, showing up authentically, and bringing your whole selves to Claremore. Thank you for creating work that will inspire for generations.
To our mentees: your bravery inspires me. You showed up, asked questions, learned, took risks, and reminded us what the future of public art looks like.
And to every volunteer, sponsor, partner, property owner, resident, and supporter: thank you.
I'm endlessly grateful to be surrounded by people who believe that art, community, and connection matter.
This week felt like an expression of the Cherokee principle of gadugi, coming together to help one another for the good of the community. We were honored to create on Cherokee land.
My heart is so full.
