TM H IGH W A Y S EVENTS · Spring 2017 (March–April) Nov. 9, 2016 Nov. 23, 2016 Feb. 1, 2017 Summer 2017 (June–August) Feb. 8, 2017 Feb. 22, 2017 May 1, 2017 Fall 2017 (September–November)

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TO FIND * festivals concerts * exhibits parades * and all things fun in Texas!

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2016/2017 RATE AND MARKET INFORMATION

2016–2017

Enthusiastic ReadersSPRING 65,000 (March, April, May events)

SUMMER 65,000 (June, July, August events)

FALL 65,000 (September, October, November events)

WINTER 65,000 (December, January, February events)COVER: San Antonio Tamales! Holiday FestivalPHOTO BY WILL VAN OVERBEEK/TXDOT

28 Texas Highways Events Calendar | SUMMER 2015

SUMMER 2015 | Texas Highways Events Calendar 29

Picks across the stateJ U L Y 2 0 1 5

Fourth of July Llano’s Rock’n Riverfest on July 4 lights up the Hill Country skies over the Llano River each year. Call

325/247-5354 or visit www.llanochamber.org for more information.

CELEBRATE JULY 4

IT’S TIME to strike up the band, dress in your finest red-white-and-blue outfit and raise your flags high for some Texas-sized fun for America’s birthday! The Lone Star State is ready to commemorate the occasion in style—here’s a roundup of just a few of the celebrations going on across the state.AUSTIN: July 4 Symphony and Fireworks Auditorium Shores. www.roadwayevents.com 512/441-9015

DALLAS: Fair Park Fourth Fair Park. www.fairpark.org 214/421-9600EAGLE PASS: July 4 Star-Spangled Parade and Fourth of July Celebration Shelby Park. www.EaglePassTexas.com 830/773-4343

EASTLAND: July 4, Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Downtown square. www.EastlandChamber.com 254/629-2332FORT DAVIS: July 3-5, Coolest Fourth of July Memorial Square and other locations. www.fortdavis.com 432/426-3015

GRANBURY: July 3-5, Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Historic Square. www.granburychamber.com 817/573-1622KEMAH: July 4, Fourth of July Celebration Kemah Boardwalk www.kemahboardwalk.com/events.asp#2 877/285-3624

KINGSLAND: July 3-5, Aquaboom Fourth of July Celebration Kingsland Chamber Grounds. www.kingslandchamber.org 325/388-6211LONGVIEW: July 4, Fireworks Festival and Freedom Celebration Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex. 903/237-1230

MCKINNEY: July 4, Red, White and BOOM Craig Ranch Soccer Complex. www.McKinneyTexas.org 972/547-7480ROCKPORT: July 4, Patriotic Boat Parade and Fireworks Display Rockport Beach Park. www.rockport-fulton.org 361/729-6445

SAN BENITO: July 4, ResacaFest Heavin Me-morial Park. www.cityofsanbenito.com 956/361-3800THE WOODLANDS: July 4, Red, Hot and Blue Festival Waterway Square. www.redhotblue.org 281/363-2447

TOMBALL: July 4 Celebration and Street Party AlongTexas 249 Business. www.tomballtx.gov 281/351-5484 WACO: July 4 Fourth on the Brazos Indian Spring Park. www.waco-texas.com 254/750-8080

SCOTLAND COMES TO THE KIMBELLBOTTICELLI TO BRAQUE: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland arrives June 28 at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth with a selection of 55 pieces, some of which have never been seen in the United States. The col-lection spans more than 400 years of art and some of the greatest holdings of the Scottish National Gallery, including works by Titian, El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer,

Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. The exhibit continues through Sept. 20. For more information, go towww.kimbellart.org.

VIVA BIG BEND!THE MAJESTIC, yet austere, landscape of West Texas has long called to creative types. To Stewart Ramser, who heeded that call over the years with regular visits from Austin and eventually a home in Alpine, an annual music event seemed like a natural fit for the area—so he founded the Viva Big Bend Music Festival in 2012.

“We realized that a lot of musicians like to come out here, and there are a lot of great venues,” says Stewart, who also serves as tourism director for the City of Alpine and publisher of Texas Music magazine. The event attracts more than 50 musical acts to play in Alpine, Marfa, Marathon and Fort Davis. The four-day lineup also includes children’s entertainment, music workshops and other activities. Four-day wristbands to this year’s Viva Big Bend Music Festival, July 23-26, can be purchased at www.vivabigbend.com.Ramser says more bands and venues may be added to the mix as the event grows, but the goal is to let people experience the culture of the Big Bend, not create a sprawling mega-festival. “The local communities have gotten behind us in a big way,” he says. “It’s about highlighting what this area has for a wider audience.”

Kevin S

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T PHOTOS: (From the top) Michael Amador/TxDOT; Courtesy Blake Burwell; Courtesy Kimbell Art Museum, Paul Gauguin’s Three Tahitians

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TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTERS 1 Amarillo I-40 2 Anthony I-10 3 Austin Capitol Visitor Center4 Denison U.S. 69/755 Gainesville I-356 Langtry U.S. 90/Loop 257 Laredo I-35 at U.S. 838 Orange I-109 Texarkana I-3010 Valley U.S. 77 at U.S. 83 (Harlingen)11 Waskom I-2012 Wichita Falls I-44, exit C

SPRING 2016 | Texas Highways Events Calendar 3

FIND EVENTS ONLINEBe sure to visit texashighways.com for more content and events.M A R C H A P R I L

M A Y

3-6FULTON: Oysterfest This salute to the Gulf Coast oyster industry draws thousands of visitors to enjoy live enter-tainment, arts and crafts, food and com-petitions like the oyster shucking contest. http://fultonoysterfest.org

10-13DUBLIN: St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Includes a carnival Thurs-day through Sunday, parade and festival Saturday, pageants, rodeo events and oth-er activities. www.dublintxchamber.com

11-12MANSFIELD: World’s Only St. Paddy’s Pickle Parade and Palooza Celebrate the wearin’ and the eatin’ of the green at this event in the hometown of Best Maid pickles. Includes entertainment, a parade, children’s activities, vendors and running events. www.pickleparade.org

11-13SWEETWATER: World’s Largest Rattlesnake Roundup See snake-handling and milking demonstrations, go on a guided snake hunt or bus tour, and try deep-fried rattler meat. There’s also a parade, rodeo, carnival, beard contest, music and dancing for the less snake-friendly folks. www.rattlesnakeroundup.net

18-27EAGLE PASS: International Friendship Festival Includes the Abrazo Ceremony on March 18, parade on March 19, Noches Mexicanas from March 18-20, and a carnival through the festival’s run. www.eaglepasstexas.com

19PECOS: Texas Proud in Pecos This celebration of Texas Independence Day includes a pony parade, chuck-wagon cooking events, games and more at Wind-mill Square Pavilion. 432/940-5749

25-26WOODVILLE: Tyler County Dogwood Festival Western Weekend This event kicks off dogwood bloom season with trail rides, a rodeo, parade and the Western Dance to celebrate the area’s frontier heritage. www.tylercountydogwoodfestival.org

1-2ABILENE: Outlaws and Legends Music Fest This sixth annual festival fea-tures dozens of outlaw and country music artists. www.outlawsandlegends.com

8-10POTEET: Strawberry FestivalEnjoy live entertainment on multiple stag-es, dances, bull riding, a downtown parade, strawberry judging and auction, the Taste of Texas Food Show, fireworks and a carni-val in this little South Texas town known for its fruit crop. www.strawberryfestival.com

9-10CHAPPELL HILL: Official Bluebonnet Festival of Texas Enjoy shopping, entertainment and tours in this historic town in the heart of bluebonnet country. www.chappellhillmuseum.org

14-17DRIFTWOOD: Old Settler’s Music Festival Features bluegrass, folk and Americana acts performing on four stages. www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org

14-24SAN ANTONIO: Fiesta San AntonioThis citywide celebration features more than 100 unique events, including exciting carnivals, colorful land and river parades, ethnic feasts, lively concerts and other activities that highlight this city’s vibrant culture and history. www.fiesta-sa.org

14-30CORPUS CHRISTI: Buc Days In-cludes rodeo action, a barbecue, carnival, live performances, GospelFest and an illu-minated night parade. www.bucdays.com

20-23FORT STOCKTON: Big Bend Open Road Race Car enthusiasts rank this 118-mile trek among the most exciting open-road races in the world. www.bborr.com

28-1JEFFERSON: Jefferson Historical Pilgrimage Battle re-enactments, home tours, performances, demonstrations and other activities bring this city’s history to life. www.jeffersonpilgrimage.com

6-8MIDLAND: Celebration of the Arts This 33rd annual festival includes a Friday preview party, live entertainment, dancing, food, children’s activities and a Mother’s Day brunch. www.acmidland.org

12-15ABILENE: Western Heritage Classic This festival celebrates Western history and lifestyles with a ranch rodeo, the world’s largest bit-and-spur show, a chuck-wagon cook-off, ranch-horse competition and sale, street dance, art show and nightly entertainment. www.westernheritageclassic.com

16HOUSTON: Carnival Houston Show and Parade Dance, eat and party at this Mardi Gras-style celebration with Brazilian flair. www.carnivalhouston.com

19-22SAN ANTONIO: Culinaria Festival Week This weeklong get-together includes events all over town, from food trucks to haute cuisine and beverages from beer to champagne. Some events require tickets. http://culinariasa.org

27-28ATHENS: Old Fiddlers’ Reunion This 85th annual event includes concerts and the popular fiddling contests for musicians in five age groups. www.athenstx.org

27-29ENNIS: National Polka Festival Celebrating its 50th year, this festival offers authentic cuisine, music and costumes of Czech and Slovak heritage. Enjoy live polka bands, a parade, the kolache-eating con-test, dancing, shopping and more. www.nationalpolkafestival.com

FREDERICKSBURG: Crawfish Festival Relax on Memorial Day weekend with live music, entertainment, food and fun inspired by all things Cajun. www.fbgcrawfish.com

28-29ROCKPORT: Festival of Wine and Food Try a variety of wine and food, watch cooking demonstrations and enjoy live enter tainment. www.

texasmaritimemuseum.org

CALENDAR at a GlanceS P R I N G 2016

2 Texas Highways Events Calendar | SPRING 2016

Printed on Recycled Paper

Texas Highways Events Calendar is published quarterly by the Travel Information Division of the Texas Department of Trans por tation with information from Texas chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, and event organizers. REQUEST A COPY: For a free issue of the Texas Highways Events Calendar, visit http://texashighways.com/freepubs or call 877/252-8150. Readers must request each issue they want to receive when it becomes available. Those who wish to receive notifications when new issues are released each quarter may subscribe to our email list at http://eepurl.com/73kOD.

LIST YOUR EVENT: Event listings may be submitted via our form at www.TexasHighways.com/EventSubmission.html. All event listings must include a city, exact start and end dates, loca-tion (venue and/or address), public contact information (phone, website and/or email) and a brief description. Listings are subject to approval and editing.

LISTING DEADLINESFALL (Sept., Oct., Nov.): June 1 WINTER (Dec., Jan., Feb.): Sept. 1 SPRING (March, April, May): Dec. 1

SUMMER (June, July, Aug.): March 1EDITOR: Erin Inks PHONE: 512/486-5876ADVERTISING SALES INQUIRIES AJR Media Group PHONE: 855/468-6257EMAIL: [email protected]

Dates for events listed in this calendar were correct at the time of publication and are subject to change. Please confirm dates in advance by calling the number listed or by contacting the local chamber of commerce.© Texas Department of TransportationPHOTOS: (top left and above) Kevin Stillman; (top right) J. Griffis Smith

PHOTOS: (top) Michael Amador; (above) Stan Williams

KEVIN STILLMAN/TXDOT Best Event Coverage

For more than 50 years, the Texas Highways Events Calendar has show-cased festivals, fairs, rodeos, concerts, exhibits and all things fun in Texas. Each quarterly issue, published by the Texas Department of Transportation, is bursting with hun-dreds of events from across the state. This publication delivers a wide coverage of events throughout the seven tourism regions.

Reach Across the StateTravelers pick up the Texas Highways Events Calendar at the 12 Texas Travel Information Centers and more than 100 area CVB visitor centers around the state. Additional distribution is by mail to those requesting individual copies or fulfillment packets with a Texas Highways Events Calendar included.

TxDOT’s Travel Information Centers have travel counselors who provide visitors with publications and information to help make every Texas trip more pleasant.

!46.8% OF ALL TRAVELERS (Texan and non-Texan) attended an event, exhibit, fair, festival, rodeo, sporting event or concert in 2013. Invite them to your event!

MORE THAN 2 MILLION travelers visited the Texas Travel Information Centers in 2015.

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Spring 2017 (March–April) Nov. 9, 2016 Nov. 23, 2016 Feb. 1, 2017

Summer 2017 (June–August) Feb. 8, 2017 Feb. 22, 2017 May 1, 2017

Fall 2017 (September–November) May 10, 2017 May 24, 2017 Aug. 1, 2017

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