WOODWARD, Okla.—Former President George W. Bush was greeted by thunderous applause on the Fourth of July as he told thousands of spectators in a rural Oklahoma rodeo arena that the U.S. was “the greatest nation on the face of the earth.”

Bush was given six standing ovations as he spoke in GOP-friendly Woodward, a town of about 12,000 residents in northwest Oklahoma. He thanked members of the military for their service and talked about the bravery of injured soldiers he’d met throughout his presidency.

He also joked with the crowd, telling them it was “nice of you to give a retired guy something to do.”

The former president has turned up in a handful of out-of-the-way places since leaving office, and he surprised city leaders in Woodward by accepting their invitation to speak at festivities celebrating the $25 million renovation of a local park. Officials said about 9,200 tickets were sold for the town’s two-day holiday event, and Mayor Bill Fanning estimated about 6,500 people attended Bush’s speech.

Woodward is friendly territory for Bush, who visited the town two decades ago while campaigning for his father’s presidential bid. Oklahoma hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, and was the only state in the 2008 election to have every county vote for John McCain.