Fats Domino found his thrill on Blueberry Hill, and you can find a thrilling way to spend the day at the 20th annual Texas Blueberry Festival in downtown Nacogdoches. From classic cars to pie-eating contests, the good, old-fashioned family fun is Americana at its finest. New to the event this year is Cowboy Max, a comedic cowpoke who will wow the crowd with his trick roping skills, and Cookin' Up the Blues, where local celebrity chefs compete to be considered the "berry" best.
The following photos, taken by Bruce Partain of the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce, offers a taste of the festivities:
"Take A Hike" at a State Park During National Trails Day
June 6th is National Trails Day, and what better way to celebrate than by enjoying the scenic beauty at one of the nine state parks participating in the American Hiking Society-sponsored event. Happy trails to you!
• Promenade among the pines can call Bastrop State Park home during a guided hike along a portion of the more than 10 miles of trails that dot the area. A trail work party is scheduled to take place, and walkers can wonder at a section of Gotier Pace, a trail once trodden on by settlers of the Texas frontier.
• Alligators and birds will peer back at the binocular-carrying sightseers at Brazos Bend State Park in Needville (southwest of Houston) as they file through the bottomland forests on guided trail hikes scheduled between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Skim along the surface of the lake that snakes through Caddo Lake State Park in a guided canoe tour, traverse the site's trails or sign up for a workshop.
• Novices of nature walks can sign up for "Hiking 101- Discover Hiking!," which will take place at 8:30 p.m. in the amphitheater at Daingerfield State Park in east Texas.
• Take a sunset stroll along Tom Mays Trail at El Paso's Franklin Mountains State Park, America's largest urban wilderness area. Interested parties must reserve a place for the promenade at least one day in advance.
• Witness the sun's ascent and descent during morning and evening hiking tours along Lake Texana State Park in Edna.
• Three miles of woodland trails are a welcome sight for walkers at Mother Neff State Park near the small town of Moody. Hikes are scheduled between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• See haunting images of an ancient world as you walk toward the pictographs decorating Flat Bell Shelter at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site near Comstock.
• Guided treks will take place at 10 a.m. (a one-hour ranger-led walk), noon (a 1.5 hour hike) and 2 p.m. (a 2.5 hour journey) at Stephen F. Austin State Park near Sealy.
An annually anticipated event since 1978, the East Texas city of Longview welcomes visitors to a three-day salute to Texas talent.
Alley Art: Art is the main attraction at Alley Fest, and along with the plethora of paintings and watercolors for your walls, you will find booths brimming with jewelry and assorted craft items. For a truly personal purchase, sit for a spell as a portrait artist captures your character on paper for posterity.
Music Fest: An eclectic blend of power ballads and southern rock from nationally known recording acts provide a soundtrack for the event. In past years, the main stage has welcomed The Dixie Chicks, .38 Special, Eddie Money, Starship, Kenny Wayne Shephard and more.
Alley Run: Lace up your sneakers and let your feet hit the street in a one mile, 5k or 10 k run.
Car Show: Get your motor running and head to the Gregg County Courthouse, where a variety of vintage vehicles will be on display.
Kid's Fest: An area just for Lone Star little ones, promising Picassos can work on a gift to give Mom and Dad at a crafts table or they can help paint on a much larger canvas, a VW. Tykes can get their dimples decorated by a face painter, then join the other smiling faces gathered around Happy the Clown as he makes balloon animals. There's a Tiki climbing wall for the athletically inclined, and a stage where future famous stars can perform in front of an audience.
Where: Events take place in downtown Bryan, Texas.
Texas beef and beverages take center stage during this two-day festival, where you can sample a taste of the grape from local wineries and cheer on the teams trying to win top prize in a steak cook-off.
Music: Mariachis weaving their way through the festival grounds will provide a soundtrack for your stay in Bryan, while The Palace Theatre plays host an array of regional Tejano, rock and country performers. The evenings end with the toe-tapping tunes of tried and true Texas originals on the Main Stage. (The 2009 lineup includes Robert Earl Keen and Earl Thomas Conley.)
Children'sActivities: An array of activities are waiting for young people ranging from toddlers to tweens at the Texas Reds Kid Zone, which will have storytelling, moonwalks, fishing, obstacle courses and live entertainment.
Shopping: From antiques to arts and crafts, visitors can browse for bargains among the festival's many booths. Tourists can also participate in a Treasure Hunt in several of the downtown stores.
Where: Canton Civic Center in downtown Canton, Texas.
Bluegrass music may be the heartbeat of Kentucky, but its rhythm reverberates all the way to the Lone Star state, and perhaps no place outside of its native land does the genre seem more at home than in the antiques-laden town of Canton.
Best known for its First Monday Trade Days, where folks flock to find purchases from the past, Canton is also recognized for its annual ode to the high lonesome sound at The Free State Bluegrass Festival, a name derived from the days after the Civil War, when Van Zandt County (of which Canton is a part) seceded both from the state and country.
A bevy of bands will take the stage during the three-day event for 50-minute sets, with the musical conversations between banjos, fiddles and basses echoing in the auditorium and spilling outside, the sounds mingling with the array of impromptu jams performed by inspired attendees.
