CRAPEMYRTLE TRAIL:
Duncan is the Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma! Come see our Crapemyrtle Trail and take a photo where the Crapemyrtle Trail intersects the Chisholm Trail.
In 2006, we had Dream Duncan’s Destiny meetings and upon completion, Carolyn Rodgers volunteered to be chairman of Duncan Beautification. She had two goals: To make Duncan the Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma and to have Welcome signs entering all four directions into Duncan. Beautifying and cleaning up Duncan was also important. Carolyn had always admired the many beautiful crapemyrtles in our town and thought it would be good for tourism and economic development. With enough crapemyrtles, people will drive to see them during the summer months when they bloom so prolifically. In fact, they bloom for 90 to 120 days. They LOVE the heat and are drought tolerant. In the first two years they need to be watered, but after that, they are easy to care for.
Carolyn Rodgers made sure there wasn’t another town in Oklahoma that had that designation. Someone in Durant told her she needed to contact our local senator in order to make it legal at the state level. Carolyn contacted our Senator at that time, Anthony Sykes. Before embarking on the project, he wanted to make sure our community was behind it. After many letters and emails, he decided we were in agreement and went about writing a resolution. He co-sponsored and wrote the resolution with Representative Dennis Johnson. It was passed by the Legislators and signed on Feb. 27, 2008. Duncan is now officially the Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma. The signed resolution has been framed and is hanging in the office of the Duncan Chamber.