Good morning, Bastrop County! 🤠
The biggest shopping weekend of the school year starts tomorrow morning: Texas Tax-Free Weekend runs Friday through Sunday. Then on Saturday the Bastrop County Health Fair takes over the Convention Center with free screenings, CPR training, and a KidZone. Add tonight's Farm Street Opry, a cardboard boat race in Elgin, and live music downtown, and it is a full Bastrop County weekend. Your free Back to School Guide is below - grab it, then hit the stores tax-free.
Let's dig in.
👥 Join the conversation
Our Bastrop Current Community Group on Facebook is where neighbors drop flyers, ask for recommendations, and share what they stumbled into last weekend. Come join us.
🩺 Featured | Bastrop County Health Fair | Saturday, Aug 8
Free for everyone | 10am - 2pm | Bastrop Convention Center, 1408 Chestnut St, Bastrop
One Saturday, one building, and just about every way to take care of your family for free. The Bastrop Regional Chamber's annual Bastrop County Health Fair fills the Convention Center with free health screenings (including mammograms), a blood donor van, two free walk-in CPR training sessions (10am - 12pm and 12 - 2pm), and mini-workshops on nutrition and healthy living. Bring the kids: the KidZone has face painting and games, and out front they can climb around the EMS trucks, a firetruck, and a medical helicopter.
With school starting next week, it is a smart, free stop between your tax-free errands, and it is the same building that hosts tonight's Farm Street Opry. 📍 1408 Chestnut St, Bastrop 🗓️ Saturday, August 8, 10am - 2pm 🌐 bastropcountyhealthfair.com | Full schedule
💸 Featured | Texas Tax-Free Weekend | August 7 - 9
Friday 12:01am through midnight Sunday | statewide, no coupon or code needed
The sales tax simply comes off at the register (and online) all weekend on:
👕 Clothing and footwear under $100 per item
✏️ School supplies under $100 per item
🎒 Backpacks under $100 (including wheeled and messenger styles, up to 10 per checkout)
A couple of smart-shopper notes: the $100 limit applies to each item, not your total cart, so a basket full of $20 polos and $40 sneakers all qualifies. Delivery and shipping charges count toward an item's price, so a $95 pair of shoes with $10 shipping loses the exemption. Full details at the Texas Comptroller.
Shop local while you save. The exemption works exactly the same at our hometown shops as at the big boxes - the boutique corners of downtown Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville (hats, apparel, kids' clothes and shoes) are all fair game. Keep those tax-free dollars in Bastrop County, Texas. 🤠
🎒 Your Free 2026 Back to School Guide
Before you shop, grab our free 2026 Bastrop County Back to School Guide: sixteen pages of first days, Meet the Teacher nights, $10 sports physicals, daycares, after-school care, and fall sports deadlines, every date checked against the source. Print the supply lists, then hit the stores tax-free. Get the free guide
First days at a glance
🏫 Elgin ISD | first day Wednesday, August 12. Elgin ISD Calendar
🏫 Smithville ISD | first day Wednesday, August 12. Smithville ISD Calendar
🏫 Bastrop ISD | first day Thursday, August 13. Bastrop ISD Back to School
Mark Monday: BISD Elementary Meet the Teacher is Monday, August 10, 4:30 - 6pm at every elementary campus, with middle and high school Bear Camps and orientations Monday and Tuesday. Full schedule at the BISD Back to School page.
Watch for school zones starting Wednesday, and give the buses a little extra grace next week. 🍎
🗓️ Bastrop County Events | August 6 - 9, 2026
Your tax-free errand runs, with a little fun mixed in:
Tonight | Thursday, August 6
🔬 S.T.E.A.M. for Kids | 10 - 11am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Hands-on science, tech, and art for curious kids ages 6-9. Elgin Public Library
🧶 Fiber Arts & Friends | 10am - 12pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Bring your knitting or crochet and craft in good company. Elgin Public Library
🎶 The Farm Street Opry | doors 5:30pm, show 7pm | Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center, 1408 Chestnut St, Bastrop | First-Thursday country music with Craig Howell, Gene Hendricks, and the Opry Band; $7.50 at the door, under 10 free. Farm Street Opry
🎱 Music Bingo | 6:30pm | Smithville Brewing Company, Smithville | Free to play with prizes - check their Facebook for this week's lineup. Smithville Brewing
🍷 Happy Hour at Store House Market & Eatery | 5 - 10pm | Store House, 813 Main St, Bastrop | The farm-to-table spot's new August happy hour menu, Wednesday through Friday. Store House
🧠 Trivia Night | 7 - 9pm | Bastrop Beer Company, 1008 Main St, Bastrop | Weekly trivia with Ben over a cold one downtown. Bastrop Beer Company
Friday, August 7
💸 Tax-Free Weekend begins | statewide, all day through midnight Sunday. Texas Comptroller
☕ Coffee Talk | 9 - 10am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Casual morning conversation over coffee. Elgin Public Library
🧒 Little Learners | 10:30 - 11:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Storytime plus a craft for young children. Elgin Public Library
🍽️ Summer Food Distribution | 3 - 4pm at New Life Baptist, 175 S Hwy 95 & 5 - 6pm at First Baptist, 13916 County Line Rd, Elgin | Free meals for kids and teens ages 1-18, no registration or ID needed. Bastrop County Cares
🧶 Knitting & Crocheting Group | 3pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Bring a project and stitch with neighbors. Bastrop Public Library
🎸 Live Music: X Factory | 6:30 - 9:30pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Classic rock on the patio after a day of shopping. Copper Shot Distillery
🍺 Live Music at 602 Brewing | 7pm | 602 Brewing Company, 919 Main St, Bastrop | Friday night live music at the Main Street brewery. 602 Brewing
🧑🤝🧑 Tween Invasion | 7 - 8:30pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | A first-Friday, high-energy hangout just for tweens. Elgin Public Library
Saturday, August 8
🩺 Bastrop County Health Fair | 10am - 2pm | Bastrop Convention Center, 1408 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Free screenings, CPR training, KidZone, and EMS demos - see the feature above. Bastrop County Health Fair
🥬 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am - 2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Fuel your shopping day with local produce and baked goods - right down the street from the Health Fair. Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market
🛶 Cardboard Boat Race 2026 | check-in 10am, races 10:30am | Morris Memorial Pool, 802 N Ave C, Elgin | Summer's soggiest showdown - $5 per team to race, free to watch. City of Elgin
🏗️ Blow Your Own Glass | Saturday sessions by reservation, 11am - 5pm | Lost Pines Art Center, 1204 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Make your own glass keepsake with the pros - book ahead. Lost Pines Art Center
✍️ Writing for Mental Health | 10 - 11:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | A supportive weekly writing workshop for adults. Elgin Public Library
🏫 Family Make N Take: School Days | 11am - 2pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | A hands-on family craft to welcome the school year. Bastrop County Historical Society
🐉 Teen D&D | 3 - 5pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Dungeons & Dragons for teens, new players welcome. Elgin Public Library
🎸 Live Music: The A-TX Rejects | 7 - 10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Alt and grunge favorites to close the day. Copper Shot Distillery
🎤 Bastrop Comedy Club | 8pm | Film Alley, 1600 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Live stand-up every Saturday night; 17 and up. Film Alley Bastrop
Sunday, August 9
📸 Back to School Photos at Chemn Café | 9am - 1pm | Chemn Café, 114 N Main St, Elgin | Walk-up 5-minute mini sessions with Holly Seigmund Photography - $20 per child for 3 edited digitals, no reservation needed. Elgin Chamber
🎒 Blessing of the Backpacks | 10 - 11:15am | First Baptist Church, 300 Hudgins St, Smithville | A free community send-off for students before the first bell. Smithville Chamber
🛍️ Smithville Sunday Market | 10am - 1pm | James H. Long Railroad Park, Smithville | One last market stop before the final tax-free hours. Smithville Market
🦁 Capital of Texas Zoo | open from 9am | Cedar Creek | One last summer-break family outing before the school bell rings. Capital of Texas Zoo
🎶 Sunday Live Music | 4pm most Sundays | Smithville Brewing Company, Smithville | Wind down the weekend at the brewery - check their Facebook for this week's act. Smithville Brewing
💸 Last call: Tax-Free Weekend ends at midnight | statewide | Final hours to grab clothes, shoes, and supplies under $100 sales-tax-free. Texas Comptroller
🔮 Planning Ahead
📬 Monday | In your inbox: your full week ahead | Every first day of school, Meet the Teacher night, and the week's events across Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville. Watch your inbox Monday morning.
🗳️ Vote through Aug 17 | Bastrop County Best 2026 | The final stretch - cast your ballot for your favorite local businesses (including yours truly 😉). Bastrop County Best
🤠 Aug 10 - Sep 19 | Soul Circuit: Juneteenth Rodeos in Texas | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | A traveling Humanities Texas exhibit on Black cowboy heritage opens Monday. Bastrop County Historical Society
🎒 Aug 12 - 13 | First days of school | Elgin and Smithville ISD start Wednesday Aug 12, Bastrop ISD Thursday Aug 13 - all the details in our free Back to School Guide.
🌠 Wed Aug 12 | Perseid Meteor Shower Watch Party | 8:30pm | Buescher State Park, Smithville | Free stargazing on the meteor shower's peak night. Buescher State Park
🍷 Thu Aug 13 | Sip Shop & Stroll | 5 - 8pm | Historic Downtown Elgin | A second-Thursday wine walk with sips, bites, and shopping. City of Elgin
🏎️ Aug 14 - 15 | Dwarf Car Nationals | Cotton Bowl Speedway, Paige | Championship dirt-track racing under the lights, with practice night Thursday. Cotton Bowl Speedway
🎸 Sat Aug 15 | Phil Hurley Live | 2 - 4pm | The Front Room Wine Bar, 116 Main St, Smithville | The South Austin Moonlighters guitarist plays an afternoon set. The Front Room Wine Bar
🚂 Sat Sep 5 | Meet Me at the Depot | 9am - 12pm | Smithville MKT Depot | A brand-new first-Saturdays series kicks off. Smithville Chamber
🎨 Sep 18 - 19 | Art Fest at Calvary Episcopal | Main Street, downtown Bastrop | The 4th annual celebration "at the intersection of Art & Soul" - spotted first in our community group. Calvary Episcopal Church
🎁 August Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28
Share your unique referral link below with one friend who'd love a weekly dose of Bastrop County, Texas. Every referral through your link is an entry to win a $50 gift card to Numero 28, the Italian wood-fired pizzeria and vineria on Main Street in Bastrop, with our winner drawn at the end of August.
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.
Happy (tax-free) shopping. See you Monday.
Marilyn - The Bastrop Current