Day Trips & Beyond: September Events Roundup

It’s time to get out and try some international food, dance at a music festival, attend your first rodeo, or just explore Texas.

Raise the curtains. The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is offering folk art lovers a reason to visit Houston while doing good. The Beer Can House, one of Houston’s most notable and important folk art sites, needs some old-fashioned TLC. Many of the garlands made from the ends of beer cans hanging from the roof have deteriorated and need to be replaced. Once a month, artist Elizabeth Burnham leads a workshop teaching how to make replicas of the original garlands.

The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning about precise measurements, working with their hands, and being involved in an important restoration project. The free workshops are held on Wed., Sept. 27, Oct. 25, and Nov. 29 from 6-9pm.

John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad and avid beer drinker, built the Beer Can House at 222 Malone St. beginning in 1968. Over the next 18 years the house disappeared under a cover of flattened beer cans for both practical and decorative purposes. Garlands made of cut beer cans hanging from the roof edges not only made the house sing in the wind, but also lowered the family's energy bills. Ripley's Believe It or Not estimated that over 50,000 cans adorn this monument to recycling. John passed away in February 1988, and his ashes were scattered at his beloved Beer Can House. His wife, Mary, continued living in the Beer Can House. She died on March 18, 2002, at the age of 86.

The Beer Can House, owned by the Orange Show, is open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5pm. ​Admission is $5 and can be purchased online in advance. Children under 12 get in free.
Orange Show World Headquarters, Houston, 713/926-6368, orangeshow.org

Happy feet in Aggieland. The announcement came in early August, about a month before the seminal music festival kicks off in Kit Carson Park in Taos, N.M.: Michael Hearne’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival is coming to Bryan, Texas. No venue or date has been announced other than “next spring.” Officials did not respond to a request for additional information.

Of the few thousand attendees at the Big Barn Dance Music Festival in Taos, probably a good percentage have Texas driver’s licenses. The emailed announcement listed as reasons for picking the “amazing city” of Bryan were its central location, supportive music scene, and abundant charm.

This year’s 22nd Barn Dance gets started in Taos on Thursday, Sept. 7, with three days of Americana music until they push the chairs aside and Asleep at the Wheel takes the stage for big dance on Saturday night, Sept. 9.
Sept. 7-9, Michael Hearne’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival, Taos, N.M., bigbarndance.com

Shorty’s back. On Aug. 3, the oldest and probably the most famous honky-tonk in Port Aransas reopened to a raucous crowd of well-wishers. Shorty’s Place moved about five blocks from near the waterfront to a new location at McAlister and Beach streets. After a nine-month hiatus, the local landmark is back serving cold drinks, providing the best pool tables on the island, and offering heaping helpings of live music. Since 1946, the little wooden bar had been an island fixture on Tarpon Street. Last year, Edwin Myers, the owner of the building and bar, lost his lease on the land underneath the popular hangout.

On Nov. 1, 2022, the doors were closed in preparation for the move. The building was cut in half before being loaded on the house movers. The new old Shorty’s got a paint job and the hundreds of caps tacked on the ceiling were cleaned of years of dust and cigarette smoke before being reattached to the low headboard.

Mack and Gladys Fowler purchased the Port Aransas Club billiard hall in 1946. Gladys, who went by “Shorty,” ran the consummate dive bar until her death in 1978, when her daughter Rose Smithey took over. Myers bought the establishment in 2012 and has made few substantive changes. The bar still hosts live music on the patio Thursday through Sunday evenings.
Daily 11am-2am, Shorty’s Place, 101 Beach St., Port Aransas, 361/749-8224, www.shortysportaransas.com

Travel Notes:

Hold the tartar sauce. Texas has an amazing array of aquatic residents, and there are few better places to see the diversity than at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. The fish hatchery and public aquarium closed at the end of August for major renovations. The $4.5 million project will update and enlarge the aquariums, add exhibits, and enhance the fishing ponds. A tentative date for its reopening is spring 2025.

Under construction. For the next couple of years, visitors to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site will be stepping around construction materials. Construction of a new visitors center and upgrades to the Star of the Republic Museum are expected to last until sometime in 2025. During this time Independence Hall, Barrington Plantation, and the walking trails will continue to be open to the public during regular hours.

Comanche squared. In 1874, the outlaw John Wesley Hardin came to the town of Comanche southwest of Fort Worth to visit his brother. To avoid arrest on charges for previous crimes, Hardin killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in a shootout on the town square. He was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Fast-forward nearly 150 years, and the Comanche Downtown Historic District gets listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The business district around the 1939 county courthouse is occupied by many historic buildings and a 1974 O’Neil Ford-designed public library.

Homeward bound. A flag belonging to a Japanese soldier during World War II that was donated to the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi in 1994 was repatriated to the family in late July. Known as Yosegaki Hinomaru, or Good Luck Flag, these types of banners were signed by family and friends of Japanese service members before leaving for war. For the families it is seen as equivalent to the return of the family member’s remains. This particular flag belonged to Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, whose wife passed away five years ago at age 102. Working with the Obon Society the museum returned the flag to surviving family members. Commissioned in 1943, the USS Lexington saw extensive combat in the Pacific. She continued her service until being decommissioned in 1991, and became a floating museum in 1992. Considered the oldest surviving aircraft carrier, visitors can visit below-deck compartments as well as view the collection of vintage airplanes on the flight deck.

This land is your land. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is seeking public review and comments on its draft 2024 Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan. A request for comments on the draft plan will remain open through Sept. 30. Those interested can submit comments through the 2024 Land and Water Plan Draft website. The plan identifies goals, objectives, strategies and measurable actions to be undertaken by TPWD over the next 10 years. The site also provides links for two TPWD-offered public webinars profiling the plans scheduled from noon-1pm Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. Once public comments have been addressed, TPWD will present a final version of the 2024 Land and Water Plan to commissioners for final approval at their November meeting.

New chair. The governor has appointed Jeff Hildebrand chair of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. He replaces Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, CEO of Buc-ee’s gas stations. Aplin was first appointed to the board on Nov. 15, 2018 with a term that expired on Feb. 1, 2023. He was appointed chair in 2021. Hildebrand is CEO of Hilcorp Energy Company of Houston. Also beginning a new term as commissioner beginning Aug. 31 is William “Leslie” Doggett, who owns 47 auto dealerships, as a commission member with a term that expires Feb. 1, 2029.

How hot is it? An old cowboy rode the Texas range for the last time in the summer of 2023. When he got to hell, he sent back to Texas for his overcoat.

Don’t need a weatherman. A Texan visiting Kansas City was unsympathetic when a local complained that the mercury reached 97 degrees. “Hell,” said the Texan. “Where I’m from we call this a cold front.”

Other September Events:

Western Heritage Music Festival
Sept. 1-2, Bandera, www.11thstreetcowboybar.com

Messina Hof Hill Country Festival
Sept. 1-2, Fredericksburg, www.messinahof.com/harvest-festival

Kendall County Fair
Sept. 1-3, Boerne, www.kcfa.org

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE Photography Festival
Sept. 1-30, San Antonio, fotoseptiembre.com

The Promise
Sept. 1-Nov. 4, Glen Rose, www.thepromiseglenrose.com

Caddo Culture Day
Sept. 2, Alto, www.thc.texas.gov

Ethiopian Day Festival
Sept. 2-3, Mesquite, www.ethiopiandayfestivaldfw.org

Grape Stomp
Sept. 2-3, Stonewall, www.beckervineyards.com

Sun & Vine Music Series
Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Johnson City, www.cartercreek.com

Music on the Patio
Sept. 2, 16, Johnson City, www.texashillsvineyard.com

Hullabaloo Music Fest
Sept. 3, Bryan, www.destinationbryan.com/hullabaloo

Dine & Dance
Sept. 3, 17, Helotes, www.liveatfloores.com/events

Purple Martin Watch Parties
Sept. 3, 17, Houston, houstonaudubon.org

World Heritage Festival
Sept. 6-10, San Antonio, www.worldheritagefestival.org

Buddy Holly 87th Birthday Celebration
Sept. 7, Lubbock, ci.lubbock.tx.us

Tyler Film Festival
Sept. 7-9, Tyler, www.tylerfilmfest.com

Balloon and Music Festival
Sept. 8-9, Paris, www.parisballoonandmusicfestival.com

Fiddler’s Fest
Sept. 8-9, Sinton, www.sintonchamber.org

Colorado County Fair
Sept. 8-10, Columbus, www.coloradocountyfair.org

Quarter Horse Racing
Sept. 8-Nov. 25, Grand Prairie, www.lonestarpark.com

Pearl Bluegrass Jam
Sept. 9, Clifton, www.pearlbluegrassjam.org

Goat Couture
Sept. 9, Dripping Springs, www.christopherlawfirm.com/goat-couture-2023

Folk Fest
Sept. 9, New Braunfels, www.texashandmadefurniture.com/livinghistory

Ghostlight: Photographs by Keith Carter
Sept. 10, San Marcos, www.thewittliffcollections.txst.edu

Arts Festival
Sept. 12-16, Buda, www.budaartsfestival.com

Grapefest
Sept. 14-17, Grapevine, www.grapevinetexasusa.com

Texas State Forest Festival
Sept. 14-17, Lufkin, www.texasforestfestival.com

Brew at the Zoo
Sept. 15, Houston, www.houstonzoo.org

Sand Sculpting Competition and Festival
Sept. 15-17, Hearne, www.hearnechambertx.com

Viva Texas Film Festival
Sept. 15-17, Victoria, www.vivatexasfilmfestival.com

Empty Bowls
Sept. 16, Comfort, comforttablepantry.org

Spurfest
Sept. 16, Gatesville, www.visitgatesvilletx.com

Monument Hill Remembers Day
Sept. 16, La Grange, www.thc.texas.gov

Port A Surf Fest
Sept. 16, Port Aransas, portaransasmuseum.org

San Antonio Early Ford Car Show & Antique Motor Show
Sept. 16, San Antonio, txtransportationmuseum.org/events

Snakefest
Sept. 16, San Marcos, www.sanmarcostx.gov/3695/Snakefessst

Eastside Market
Sept. 16, Waco, www.eastsidemarketwtx.com

Old Gruene Market Days
Sept. 16-17, Gruene, www.gruenemarketdays.com

Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza
Sept. 16, 23, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org

Washington County Fair
Sept. 16-23, Brenham, www.washingtoncofair.com

Unsinkable Voices from the Storm
Sept. 16-Oct. 28, Temple, www.templeparks.com

Anna Geniushene in Concert
Sept. 17, Fredericksburg, www.fredericksburgmusicclub.com

Seed Stomp
Sept. 17, Stonewall, tpwd.texas.gov

Come and Taste It
Sept. 21, Gruene, www.grapevineingruene.com

Oktoberfest
Sept. 21-23, Fort Worth, www.fortworthoktoberfest.com

Sul Ross State University Rodeo
Sept. 21-24, Alpine, www.sulross.edu/rodeo

Music Festival
Sept. 21-24, Bastrop, www.bastropmusicfestival.com

Balloon Festival
Sept. 21-24, Plano, www.planoballoonfest.org

Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits
Sept. 21-Jan. 7, 2024, Houston, asiasociety.org

Shrimp Festival
Sept. 22-23, Galveston, www.galvestonshrimpfestival.com

BierFest
Sept. 23, Boerne, hccarts.org/bierfest

Adopt-A-Beach
Sept. 23, Coastwide, www.texasadoptabeach.org

Seminole Canyon History Fair
Sept. 23, Comstock, tpwd.texas.gov

Medina Lake Cajun Festival
Sept. 23, Lakehills, www.cajunfestival-medinalake.com

Lampasas County Wine, Beer, and Spirits Tour
Sept. 23, Lampasas, www.lampasaschamber.org

Gourdgeous Glass Pumpkin Patch Festival
Sept. 23, San Marcos, wimberleyglassart.com

Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest
Sept. 23, San Marcos, www.mermaidsocietysmtx.com

Dry Devil’s River Music Flood
Sept. 23, Sonora, www.sonoratexas.org

Flowapalooza
Sept. 23-24, Grand Prairie, epicwatersgp.com/flowapalooza

Houston Turkish Festival
Sept. 23-24, Houston, www.houstonturkishfest.com

Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair
Sept. 23-23, Ingram, www.hcaf.com

Texas Wendish Festival
Sept. 24, Serbin, www.texaswendish.org

Czech Heritage Festival
Sept. 24, Victoria, www.victoriaczechs.org

Farm Heritage Day
Sept. 24, Waxahachie, www.ruralheritagefarm.org

Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love 2023
Sept. 28–Oct. 1, Marfa, elcosmico.com

Texas Word Wrangler Book Festival
Sept. 29-30, Giddings, www.giddingspubliclibrary.org/word-wrangler

MusicFest
Sept. 29-30, Llano, www.llanotexasmusicfestival.com

Revolution Film Festival
Sept. 29-30, San Angelo, www.sanangelorevolution.com

State Fair of Texas
Sept. 29-Oct. 22, Dallas, www.bigtex.com

HOODOO Mural Festival
Sept. 30, Amarillo, www.hoodoomural.com

Infuzzed
Sept. 30, Navasota, beeweaver.com/farm-activities

Chautauqua Cowboy Poet Gathering
Sept. 30, Waxahachie, www.waxahachiechautauqua.org

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Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.