If a circus needed a ringmaster or a town needed a publicist or if an event needed someone to work a crowd into a frenzy, Gena Crain would be that person.

As executive director for the Oklahoma Ozarks Tourism Association, Crain has been busy singing Sequoyah County’s praises to the movers and shakers of the fishing world’s premier tournaments, specifically Bassmasters.

And at a recent gathering of business, organizational and community leaders, Crain was at it again, her unbridled enthusiasm undoubtedly contagious for her audience.

That’s what happens when you’ve got 750 fishermen, with family members and extended family members in tow, showing up on the county’s doorstep.

That’s what’s occurring this week at Cherokee Nation Sallisaw Creek Park on Robert S. Kerr Reservoir when the collegiate tournament series is held Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the high school and juniors series on Sunday — huge events on either side of Sallisaw’s annual Diamond Daze celebration.

The influx of visitors is expected to provide a significant boost to local businesses, as many families and supporters will be staying in hotels, airbnbs, and other accommodations, and shopping and dining in the area.

“There’ll be a record-setting number for collegiate here, and all over the whole collegiate tournament series. They have over 250 boats in just the college, so multiply that times two, and that’s 500 kids just in college. And that’s a two-day event,” Crain gushed.

“Then we move forward to the high school and juniors, which is May 3 — the high school and then the juniors on the same day. May 2 is their registration out at Willow Valley,” she previewed.

“So we are really excited to have 750 participants coming for this event that will be here the entire week.”

And as events occur and are successful, and Crain educates and gets the word out, she believes things will only get bigger and better for Sequoyah County.

“Sometimes people are like, ‘Oh, we really want the Elite.’ Hey, I love the Elite, don’t get me wrong. But when you have the high school and juniors, the whole family goes with these kids. You’ve got the aunts, the uncles, the grandparents, the brothers, the sisters, the brothers and sisters. Some of them don’t like to fish, and they get bored. So what do they do? They want to go shopping. They want to go see what’s around. And that’s a huge thing,” Crain said.

“When you’ve got the professional anglers, like the Elites, they’re coming in, they’re camping, they usually have their own campers or whatever, and then they leave to go on to the next tournament,” Crain said. “But these guys come in and they stay and they shop and they eat in your area. And every time that I host a Bassmaster event, or Bass Nation or major league fishing, the one thing that I al- ways hear is, ‘The people here in this area are so friendly. They’re so great, and we want to come back’.”

Crain said activity got underway last weekend on the lake with tournament fishermen “already out there prefishing.” Gone fishing

Sanctioned by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS), the tournaments bring together some of the nation’s top young anglers.

The 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series is presented by Bass Pro Shops, and features daily launches and weigh-ins, offering spectators a chance to experience the excitement up close. “These events are a tremendous opportunity to showcase our region while supporting the next generation of anglers,” Crain said. “We’re proud to partner with Cherokee Nation and BASS to welcome these competitors and their families. We certainly could not have pulled all of this together without the help of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce and city and county officials.”

In addition to the competition, guests can explore the natural beauty, outdoor recreation and local hospitality that define the Oklahoma Ozarks tourism region.

“I want to thank Gena for all the hard work that she’s put in,” Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner said at the luncheon. “This is a great opportunity, not just for individual, small businesses. This is a collective effort, and I encourage everybody to be prayerful and get involved in one way or another. Your business has an opportunity to reach out and touch someone that lives somewhere else.

“Thanks be to God for our opportunities that we have right now. Seriously, it’s a collective effort. And in Psalm 133:1, it tells you about how good and pleasing it is when God’s people all work together. The Cherokee Nation is more than just the administrative branch, the judicial and the legislative. It’s about all the people working together and working with our neighbors,” Warner said.

In addition a new website, fishkerrlake. com, which serves as a central hub for Sequoyah County fishing tournaments, has been launched. The site provides information on upcoming tournaments, local lodging and dining, and sponsors, and is updated regularly to reflect new events and opportunities for local businesses to be featured.