Day Trips & Beyond: October Events Roundup
Bid the sun farewell and enjoy a fall fair this October
By Gerald E. McLeod, 9:00AM, Thu. Oct. 5, 2023
We’ve got news about the October annular eclipse and lots of fun events during the month.
There goes the sun. Darn. I thought the best place to view the annular eclipse would be in my backyard. That may still be true if the hordes of sun watchers descend upon the Hill Country as is predicted, but here in Austin it will only be a partial annular eclipse (93.1%). The “ring of fire” will be less impressive here than it will be in a long swath across Texas to the south and west of the capital city.
The eclipse enters North America over the Oregon coast and cuts a 125-mile-wide path to the Texas coast on Oct. 14. The eclipse enters Texas from New Mexico at 10:16am then exits at Corpus Christi at 11:56am. If you draw a line roughly from the Texas-New Mexico border through Midland-Odessa to Corpus Christi you have the area of the most intense light show.
To see a perfectly symmetrical ring effect at the peak of the event, you should be close to the center line of the eclipse. You will be able to see the moon cover the sun about 60 miles on either side of the line, but it won’t be quite as complete. Some of the towns that will see the longest duration of 4 minutes, 59 seconds or more are Devine, Jourdanton, Natalia, Oakville, Mathis, Portland, Sinton, and Three Rivers. Corpus Christi will see the ring of fire for the longest time in the state beginning at 11:55am and lasting for 5 minutes, 1.2 seconds.
Below in the “Other October Events” section is a list of special happenings related to the annular eclipse. We’ll see you back here for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Remember, you must wear protective eyewear throughout the annular eclipse. Never look directly at the sun.
Traveling with Tom. TexasTimeTravel.com recently added “The Tom Lea Trail” to the Texas Historical Commission’s mobile-device-compatible library of 14 trails and tours around the state. A native son of El Paso, Lea (1907-2001) produced an amazing body of work from post office murals in Odessa, Seymour, and Pleasant Hill, Mo., to writing and illustrating a two-volume history of the King Ranch. After working as a war correspondent for LIFE magazine, he painted The Two-Thousand-Yard Stare (1944), which defined traumatized combatants for the public. Done in conjunction with the Tom Lea Institute, the Tom Lea Trail goes to 13 towns with descriptions of the artist’s connection to each with links, video, and narration.
Travel Notes:
Slàinte Mhath to Saint Arnold. The Houston-made beer that is only distributed in Texas garnered two gold medals and Brewery of the Year (15,001-100,000 bbls) at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival held last month. Saint Arnold Brewing Company also won the honor in 2017. The gold medals for Lawnmower and Elissa IPA bring to 29 the number of medals the brewery has brought home from Denver. Texas’ oldest craft brewery shipped its first keg in 1994. Texas brewers won a combined total of 19 medals this year at the Olympics of brewing.
Self-guided tours. A little more than an hour south of Austin is San Antonio, one of the coolest cities on the planet. A good place to begin your exploration of the Alamo City is with the new 2023/2024 Official Visitors Guide. The digital version gives all the pertinent information on world-class museums, events, restaurants, and theme parks. It’s almost as good as having a local show you around.
Other October Events:
RipFest
Oct. 1, Eastland, www.eastlandchamber.com/ripfest
Floore’s Dine and Dance
Oct. 1, 15, Helotes, www.liveatfloores.com
State Fair of Texas
Oct. 1-22, Dallas, www.bigtex.com
Scarecrow Invasion
Oct. 1-31, Comfort, www.comfortchamber.com
Quarter Horse Racing
Oct. 1-Nov.25, Grand Prairie, www.lonestarpark.com
Gruene Music and Wine Festival
Oct. 5-8, Gruene, www.gruenemusicandwinefest.org
Big Bend Bluegrass Festival
Oct. 6-7, Alpine, bigbendbluegrass.com
Conjunto Festival
Oct. 6-7, Los Fresnos, www.narcisomartinezculturalartscenter.org
Port Aransas Days
Oct. 6-7, Port Aransas, www.portaransas.org
Haunted House Aboard USS Lexington
Oct. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28, Corpus Christi, usslexington.com/haunted-house
Come and Take It
Oct. 6-8, Gonzales, gonzalestexas.com/come-and-take-it
Oktoberfest
Oct. 6-9, Fredericksburg, www.oktoberfestinfbg.com
Fighting: Ukrainian War Photographers
Oct. 6-Nov. 18, Houston, fotofest.org
Pedernales Falls Fest
Oct. 7, Johnson City, www.tpwd.texas.gov
Fall Public Ranch Tour
Oct. 7, Fredericksburg, roamranch.com
Oktoberfest
Oct. 7, La Grange, www.cityoflg.com/tourism/oktoberfest.php
Pearl Bluegrass Jam
Oct. 7, Gatesville, www.pearlbluegrassjam.org
Sirena’s Creekside Carnaval
Oct. 7, Salado, www.sirenafest.org
OddFest
Oct. 7, Waxahachie, www.oddfestwaxa80.com
Hogg-toberfest
Oct. 7, West Columbia, www.thc.texas.gov
Sacred Springs Powwow
Oct. 7-8, San Marcos, www.sspowwow.com
Albuquerque Balloon Festival
Oct. 7-15, Albuquerque, N.M., balloonfiesta.com
Texas Renaissance Festival
Oct. 7-Nov. 26, Todd Mission, www.texrenfest.com
Welcome Home Fest
Oct. 12-15, Kerrville, www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org
Lost River Film Fest
Oct. 12-15, San Marcos, www.thelostriverfilmfest.org
Fall Antiques Show
Oct. 12-29, Round Top, www.exploreroundtop.com/antiques-show
Burger Showdown 4.0
Oct. 13, San Antonio, www.eventbrite.com
Living History Days
Oct. 13-14, Albany, www.thc.texas.gov
Annular Solar Eclipse
Oct. 14, statewide, science.nasa.gov (Click here to jump to a list of eclipse events)
The Market at Sawyer Yards
Oct. 14, Houston, sawyerstreetmarket.com
Fossil Day
Oct. 14, Ladonia, www.cocladonia.org
Folk Fest
Oct. 14, New Braunfels, www.texashandmadefurniture.com
Bonnie and Clyde Days
Oct. 14, Pilot Point, www.bonnieandclydedays.org
International Festival
Oct. 14, Plano, www.planointernationalfestival.org
Scarecrow Festival
Oct. 14-15, Chappell Hill, www.chappellhillhistoricalsociety.com
Greek Festival
Oct. 14-15, Galveston, www.galvestongreekfestival.com
Blueberry Plant Sale
Oct. 14-15, Edom, www.blueberryhillfarms.com
Edom Art Festival
Oct. 14-15, Edom, visitedom.com/art-festival
Chalk Festival
Oct. 14-15, Kerrville, www.kerrvillechalk.org
American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection
Oct. 14-Jan. 7, 2024, San Antonio, www.samuseum.org
Texas Archaeology Month Fair
Oct. 15, Austin, www.thc.texas.gov
Rastrelli Cello Quartet in Concert
Oct. 15, Fredericksburg, www.fredericksburgmusicclub.com
South Texas Symphonic Orchestra Free Concert
Oct. 15, San Antonio, www.eventbrite.com
Rembrandt to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the Armand Hammer Collection
Oct. 15-Jan. 21, Houston, www.mfah.org
Texas Rose Festival
Oct. 18-21, Tyler, www.texasrosefestival.com
Bandera Beerfest
Oct. 19-22, Bandera, www.banderabrewery.com/banderabeerfest
Texas Bigfoot Conference
Oct. 20-21, Jefferson, visitjeffersontexas.com/bigfoot-in-jefferson
Día de los Muertos Celebration
Oct. 20-21, San Angelo, www.sanangelohispanicheritage.org
Corpus Christi Jazz Fest
Oct. 20-22, Corpus Christi, www.texasjazz-fest.org
Davis Mountains Preserve Open Days
Oct. 20-22, Fort Davis, www.nature.org
Wooden Boat Festival
Oct. 20-22, Port Aransas, portaransasmuseum.org
La Bahia Fall Antiques Show
Oct. 20-28, Burton, www.labahiaantiques.com
Music at the Cave: The Haunted Show
Oct. 21, Boerne, www.banderacowboycapital.com
NDR Soap Box Derby Rally
Oct. 21, Hockley, www.ghsbd.org
History Boat Tour
Oct. 21, Houston, buffalobayou.org
Taste Highland Lakes Food and Wine Festival
Oct. 21, Kingsland, www.kingslandchamber.org
Bird Banding
Oct. 21, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org
Las Cruces Air and Space Expo
Oct. 21, Las Cruces, N.M., www.visitlascruces.com
Best Little Brewfest
Oct. 21, Lewisville, www.bestlittlebrewfestintexas.com
International Observe the Moon Night
Oct. 21, Needville, my.hmns.org
Food and Wine Festival
Oct. 21, Plano, www.planofoodandwinefestival.com
SA Beer Festival
Oct. 21, San Antonio, sanantoniobeerfestival.com
Water Lantern Festival
Oct. 21, San Antonio, www.waterlanternfestival.com/sanantonio.php
Food and Wine Festival
Oct. 21-22, El Paso, www.elpasowinefest.com
Fall Train Show
Oct. 21-22, New Braunfels, www.newbraunfelsrailroadmuseum.org
Living History Weekend
Oct. 21-22, Washington-on-the-Brazos, www.thc.texas.gov
Spook-Track-Ula
Oct. 21-22, 28-29, San Antonio, www.txtransportationmuseum.org
Glass in Flight
Oct. 21-April 19, Houston, www.hbg.org
Dachshund Races
Oct. 22, New Braunfels, www.krausescafe.com
Tasting Texas Wine + Food Festival
Oct. 26-29, San Antonio, www.culinariasa.org/tasting-texas
Moonlight in the Gardens
Oct. 27, Corpus Christi, www.stxbot.org
Island Oktoberfest
Oct., 27-28, Galveston, www.galvestonoktoberfest.com
Arkansas Scottish Festival
Oct. 27-29, Batesville, Ark., www.arscottishfest.com
Fossilmania
Oct. 27-29, Glen Rose, www.dallaspaleo.org/fossilmania
Texas Fleece and Fiber Festival
Oct. 27-29, Kerrville, www.texasfleeceandfiber.com
Haunted Harbor Tours
Oct. 27-31, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org
Golden Sweet Potato Festival
Oct. 28, Alba, www.goldensweetpotatofestival.org
Día de los Muertos Festival
Oct. 28, Corpus Christi, www.diadelosmuertoscc.com
Hogeye Festival
Oct. 28, Elgin, www.elgintexas.gov
Llano River Pumpkin Float
Oct. 28, Llano, www.facebook.com/llanoriverpumpkinfloat
Fall Arts and Wine Festival
Oct. 28, Mason, www.masontxcoc.com
Día de Los Muertos Festival
Oct. 28, New Braunfels, www.chamberinnewbraunfels.com/dia-de-los-muertos
Día de los Muertos Celebrando Las Misiones
Oct. 28, San Antonio, www.missionmarquee.com
Texas Country Reporter Festival
Oct. 28, Waxahachie, texascountryreporter.com/festival
Texas Clay Festival
Oct. 28-29, Gruene, www.texasclayfestival.com
Orange Seal Kerrville Mountain Bike Festival
Oct. 28-29, Kerrville, kerrvillemountainbikefestival.com
Shumla Treks
Oct. 28-29, Comstock, shumla.org/shumlatreks
Special Annular Eclipse Events:
Annular Solar Eclipse Experience
Oct. 13-14, Boerne, www.cavewithoutaname.com
Texclipse Pre-Party
Oct. 13-14, Junction, www.texclipsemusicfestival.com
Utopia Festival
Oct. 13-14, Utopia, www.eclipseutopia.com
Annular Eclipse
Oct. 14, Bandera, www.banderacowboycapital.com
Annular Eclipse Viewing
Oct. 14, Buda, budalibrary.libguides.com/eclipse
Goodnight Ranch State Historic Site Solar Viewing and Fall Festival
Oct. 14, Clarendon, www.thc.texas.gov
Annular Eclipse Viewing
Oct. 14, Comfort, www.comforteclipse.com
Annular Eclipse and Fall Star Party
Oct. 14, Fort McKavett, www.thc.texas.gov
Annular Eclipse at Stonehenge II
Oct. 14, Ingram, www.hcaf.com/eclipse-events/eclipse
River Festival and Annular Solar Eclipse
Oct. 14, Kerrville, kerrvilletx.gov
George Observatory Annular Solar Eclipse
Oct. 14, Needville, my.hmns.org
Annular Solar Eclipse Watch Party
Oct. 14, San Antonio, www.thc.texas.gov
Second Saturdays with Steve: Solar Eclipse of February 1831
Oct. 14, San Felipe, tpwd.texas.gov
Annular Solar Eclipse at the Tasting Room
Oct. 14, Stonewall, www.pedernalescellars.com
Sutton County Park Free Concert
Oct. 14, Sonora, www.sonoratexas.org/eclipse
State Parks in Annular Solar Eclipse
Oct. 14, various locations, tpwd.texas.gov
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.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Gerald E. McLeod, May 1, 2025
Gerald E. McLeod, April 3, 2025
May 16, 2025
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Day Trips, 2023 annular eclipse, solar eclipse, Tom Lea Trail, Saint Arnold, San Antonio, State Fair of Texas
