Good Morning Bastrop County! 🍉
Summer hits its sweet spot this week, and the little town of McDade is where it's happening. The 78th Annual McDade Watermelon Festival takes over downtown Friday and Saturday with a street dance, a Saturday parade, a BBQ cook-off, live music, and that famous free watermelon feast. Closer in, Springfest finally lands at Bastrop State Park after its spring rain-out, the dirt trucks thunder into Paige for race night, free live music returns to 602 Brewing on Sunday, and there's one last week to get your Bastrop County Best nominations in. McDade is our featured spotlight this week, so grab a slice and come along.
Let's dig in.
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🍉 Featured Spotlight of the Week | 78th Annual McDade Watermelon Festival | McDade
A Friday street dance, a Saturday parade, a BBQ cook-off, and all the free watermelon you can eat | McDade, Texas
For 78 years, the little town of McDade has thrown one of Bastrop County's most beloved summer parties, and it all started with a fire. After a 1940 blaze damaged the town, the PTA and the Home Demonstration Club launched the first Watermelon Festival in July 1948 to raise money for a new school building. Nearly eight decades later, it's still a fundraiser at heart: recent festivals have poured more than $39,000 a year back into the local school, teacher classroom grants, and youth programs.
It's small-town Texas at its warmest, a Friday-night street dance under the stars, a Saturday parade down the main drag, a BBQ cook-off that drew a record 52 teams last year, and enough watermelon to feed the whole county. Bring the kids, bring a lawn chair, and come hungry.
Here's what to catch:
🎶 Friday Street Dance | Wyatt Ellis and the Texas Unlimited Band, 6:30pm
🏃 Sweating Melons 5K | Saturday, 7am
🎉 Grand Parade | Saturday, 10am through downtown
🎵 All-Day Live Music | Los Funky Monkeys and the Jacob Essary Band
👑 Watermelon Queens & Parade Marshal | crowning of this year's court
🍉 Contests & the Free Feast | watermelon eating, seed-spitting, the prize melon auction, and the FREE watermelon feast
While you're in McDade, make a day of it: 🍷 Yegua Creek Brewery sets up at the festival all day Saturday, pouring its signature Vino Sandia watermelon wine, watermelon coolers, sangria, and homemade root beer for the kids. 🎸 When the festival winds down, catch Live Music with Royce Reed, 4-7pm at Yegua Creek Brewery / Rising Sun Vineyard, family- and dog-friendly with free parking. Yegua Creek Brewery
Visit the Festival 📍 Downtown McDade (Old Hwy 20), McDade, TX 78650 🗓️ Fri July 10 (street dance 6:30pm) & Sat July 11 (5K 7am, festival 9am, parade 10am) 💵 Free to attend 🌐 mcdadetexas.com
🗓️ Bastrop County Events | July 6 - 12, 2026
Monday, July 6
🎉 Bastrop Rec Center 5th Birthday | Mix It Up Monday | runs July 6-11 | Bastrop Rec Center, 700 Farm St, Bastrop | The Rec Center celebrates five years with a themed week of free classes and daily prizes, starting with smoothie Monday. Bastrop Parks & Rec
🎬 Movie Monday | Space Adventure | 2-4pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | A space-themed family movie with snacks for all ages. Free. Bastrop Public Library
Tuesday, July 7
🎉 Rec Center 5th Birthday | Twin Tuesday | all day | Bastrop Rec Center, 700 Farm St, Bastrop | Bring a friend to work out for free as the Rec Center birthday week continues. Bastrop Parks & Rec
🎈 Twisty Art Entertainment | Pecos Bill | 10:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Tall-tale storytelling with balloon twisting for the whole family. Free. Elgin Public Library
🌱 Tween Tuesday with Texas AgriLife | 4:30-5:30pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | A hands-on program for tweens led by a Texas AgriLife presenter. Free. Bastrop Public Library
Wednesday, July 8
🎉 Rec Center 5th Birthday | Wellness Wednesday | all day | Bastrop Rec Center, 700 Farm St, Bastrop | Wellness-themed classes and prizes as the birthday celebration rolls on. Bastrop Parks & Rec
📚 Preschool Storytime | Swimming | 10:30am | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Stories, rhymes, and songs for little ones, part of Color Our World. Free. Bastrop Public Library
📖 Bilingual Storytime | Cookie Excavation | 10:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Bilingual stories plus a fun cookie archaeology craft for ages 6-9. Free. Elgin Public Library
🍻 Smithville Brewing Happy Hour | 4-7pm | Smithville Brewing Company, 661 NW Loop 230, Smithville | Midweek deals on wine and guest taps plus a weekly appetizer special. Smithville Brewing
Thursday, July 9
🎤 Open Mic Night | 6:30-9pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | The monthly second-Thursday open mic returns to the patio; sign-up fills fast. Copper Shot Distillery
🌿 Herbal Medicine Making 101 | Rhizome Revival, Bastrop area | A hands-on herbalism class on making infused oils, salves, and tinctures from your own garden and kitchen. Rhizome Revival
🛒 Elgin Farmers Market | 4-7pm | Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | Local produce, food, and live music every Thursday, SNAP/EBT welcome. Elgin Farmers Market
🍉 McDade Watermelon Festival Kicks Off | BBQ cook-off check-in from 4pm | Downtown McDade | The 78th annual tradition opens (full details in the spotlight above). McDade Watermelon Festival
Friday, July 10
🍉 McDade Watermelon Festival | Street Dance | 6:30pm | Downtown McDade | Kick off the weekend with Wyatt Ellis and the Texas Unlimited Band. McDade Watermelon Festival
🌟 Saturday, July 11 | The Big Day
🍉 McDade Watermelon Festival | 5K 7am, festival 9am, parade 10am | Downtown McDade | Parade, BBQ cook-off, contests, the watermelon auction, and the free melon feast. McDade Watermelon Festival
🏞️ Springfest | 10am-2:30pm | Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Rd 1A, Bastrop | Rescheduled from spring, this free family festival features a kids' play zone, food trucks, music, games, and area first responders. Texas Parks & Wildlife
🛒 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am-2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Fresh produce, meats, baked goods, and local makers. 1832 Farmers Market
🎸 Live Music with Royce Reed | 4-7pm | Yegua Creek Brewery / Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Cap off the festival with live music at the vineyard. Yegua Creek Brewery
🏁 Race Night at Cotton Bowl Speedway | gates 5pm, racing 7pm | 1175 County Rd 202, Paige | South Texas Dirt Trucks headline a full night of IMCA dirt-track racing. Cotton Bowl Speedway
Sunday, July 12
🛒 Smithville Sunday Market | 10am-1pm | James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st, Smithville | Locally grown, homemade, and handmade goods plus live music, rain or shine. Smithville Market
🎸 Summer Music Series | 6-8pm | 602 Brewing Co, 919 Main St, Bastrop | A free showcase of Texas talent every Sunday in July and August, presented by the Bastrop Live Music Foundation and Coffee Guy. Bastrop Live Music Foundation
🔮 Planning Ahead
A few things worth marking on your calendar (we will have full details as they get closer):
🏆 Deadline Mon Jul 13 | Bastrop County Best Nominations | Countywide | Last day to nominate your favorite local businesses, restaurants, and people in the free, no-pay-to-play readers' choice awards from Bastrop Connect; voting opens July 20. Bastrop County Best
🎭 Jul 17 - Aug 2 | Anything Goes | Fri-Sat 6:30pm, Sunday matinees | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | Cole Porter's high-seas musical comedy takes the historic stage. Bastrop Opera House
🎸 Sundays through August | Summer Music Series | 6-8pm | 602 Brewing Co, Bastrop | Free live Texas music every Sunday evening all summer. Bastrop Live Music Foundation
🎁 July Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28
Share your unique referral link below with one friend who'd love a weekly dose of Bastrop County. Every referral through your unique link is an entry to win a $50 gift card to Numero 28 in Bastrop, with our winner drawn at the end of July.
How Did We Do?
Before you go
If you've got a flyer, an event, or a Bastrop County business worth featuring, hit reply. We read every email.
See you next week, and get out and enjoy some watermelon while you can.
Marilyn - The Bastrop Current