5 Events in Texas You Don’t Want to Miss

Last updated on June 3rd, 2018 at 04:34 pm

March 18, 2018 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

Bucket lists have become part of the overall conversation simply because they denote what tends to be the things we want to do most in life. Of course, you want your list to “go big”, which naturally means the Lone Star State and Texas festivals. With a state as large as Texas, you are certain to come across some of the most unique festivals anywhere.

The biggest problem folks in Texas or visitors from out of town face is knowing what festivals are worth checking out. First and foremost, it’s important to establish that they’re all awesome.

However, if you’re looking for some bonafide Texas festivals that merit inclusion in your bucket list, you want to be sure the festivals you attend give you a bit of all that Texas has to offer.

Here are five Texas festivals you just have to check out:

South By Southwest (SXSW) – While the beginnings for this music festival were humble, SXSW has become a massive cultural phenomenon that essentially changes the landscape & population of Austin, TX during its run. If you’re a music lover, and said love of music has eclectic leanings, SXSW is a no-brainer because you are privy to the greatest variety of music styles in one space.

Charro Days – Though most folks tend to identify south Texas somewhere near San Antonio, it turns out there is still a few hundred miles further you can go toward an area of Texas known as the Rio Grand Valley. Go to its southmost point, and you’ll find the city of Brownsville, home of Charro Days, billed by some as possibly one of the oldest cultural celebrations in Texas. Born from a need to lift spirits during the Great Depression, Charro Days celebrates the cultural & geographical impact of the town’s kinship between Texas & Mexico.

Brenham Friendship Quilt Guild “Quilt Show” – Starting in 1993 in Brenham, TX, the guild has steadily grown, and then in 1995, the guild hosted their first quilt show with a few hundred attendees. Now, the show spans two days & welcomes nearly 1,000 people.

H-E-B “Fireworks on the Brazos” – It’s the perfect combination of Texas Independence roots & the birth of the U.S. all in one. Taking place at Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site, known also as the place “Where Texas Became Texas” in 1836. Patriotic music to accompany the fireworks display as it dazzles visitors.

Chappell Hill Christmas Fayre – Small-town charm during the holidays is what warm, fuzzy movies are made of. Head to historic downtown Chappell Hill, TX for their annual Christmas Fayre. Enjoy a teddy bear parade, visiting with Santa, caroling, nativity scenes, train rides, downtown lighting, as well as live reindeer! It’s as though a Christmas card came to life!

Sure, bucket lists can be a little morose, but think of them more as guides to the fun & exciting things in life we want to experience. As such, these Texas festivals are a sure-fire way to make you & your loved ones smile.

Hydroponics at Industrial Country Market

July 17, 2014 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

2014 is shaping up to be a wetter and more normal year in Texas. Last year when I stopped by the Industrial Country Market along Hwy 71, their hydroponics area was turned off due to the severe drought in Texas.

This year when I stopped by the hydroponics area was in full swing. I’ll keep this article short, but this is such cool stuff.

If you don’t see the pics, click on the title of the article and you should be able to see the pics.

If you are RVing in Texas, this is one of the coolest places ever… ok, it is at least pretty cool. Worth the stop.

Willing to get off the beaten path? Consider central Nebraska

July 7, 2014 by Marlan at Rv52 1 Comment

When visiting my 81 year old mother in a small town in central Nebraska (Miller if you must know), I found myself fading in and out of sleep on her incredibly uncomfortable couch.

I was alone in the house.

I had plenty of rest.

So I wondered… why was I fading in and out of sleep.

Then I listened.

And I heard.

I heard absolutely nothing… Nothing man-made. No cars. No lawn mowers (it was after lunch). No engines. No “road noise”. No yelling kids. Absolutely nothing.

What I did hear was the ebb and flow of the wind that is so ever-present on the Nebraska prairie. I heard the birds – tons of song birds.

It had been a long time since I had no man made stimulus. Just me and nature – ok – I cheated – me and nature from my mom’s couch with tons and tons of open windows. But there was nothing else. Honest.

It was amazingly restorative.

Which got me to thinking. Maybe all the cool places aren’t the ONLY places that are cool?

Consider Comstock Nebraska.

In a short afternoon, or maybe even an hour you could see the whole town. But that isn’t the point. The point is to literally stop and smell the roses.

Visiting Comstock this summer I noticed a little RV park. It wasn’t much, but the point isn’t that the park has to be the fanciest place on the planet – just a place for a little peace and quiet.

There are some really neat water features like the Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area where you can get some fantastic fresh water fishing without having to deal with any other people. Many fishermen know that it is hard getting to fish by yourself anymore. Well, it is still possible in Nebraska. Another closeby dam is Sherman County Reservoir.

Not only are there local lakes, there are two really nice rivers called the Middle Loup and the North Loup Rivers.

You would also have access to the sandhills which are pretty darned fascinating all by themselves.

Comstock itself has a yearly music festival (see the picture below) as well as the video gallery below.

The ladies (and probably some men) of the community have created an amazing community garden called the Centennial Garden.

Comstock also has a wonderful park with beautiful big fluffy trees that have wonderful shade.

Go see the Dowse Sod House. I mean really, a sod house. With a history and kept up by people who really care.

There are other things too – like a few businesses, but I really wanted to focus on the cool things.

The coolest thing

But the coolest thing is this… If you would be willing to forgo some of the fancy big-attraction things and spend a couple months in central Nebraska, perhaps just thinking, being quiet, being still, and enjoying the peace, then you might find yourself looking back at you.

Imagine mornings with moderate temperatures, crisp blue skys free from ozone haze, smells of summer, birds, and sometimes, just the ebb and flow of the wind. Imagine coffee from your Keurig (I still love mine), getting up with the sun and going to bed with the sun, stars so bright they hurt your eyes, and just imagine the power and energy of the natural energy of the universe seeping into your soul.

That was kind of what I was thinking when sleep and wake washed over me like waves when I was laying on my 81 year old mother’s couch.

What do you think?

P.S. pictures below.